Chapter Thirteen - Fox and Weed
She woke slowly, gradually becoming aware of a dull pain in her limbs and an intense throbbing between her temples.
Groaning, she reached up with a heavy hand and rubbed at her eyes, feeling like she'd drank multiple bottles of wine.
As she became more conscious, she felt a sudden panicked disorientation - something terrible had happened, but when she tried to recall something, anything, her mind drew a blank. Her heart started to race and she struggled to get up, only to be gently pulled against a cool chest.
"It's alright. Shh, everything is alright," soothed a voice in a familiar accented lilt.
She forced herself to relax, inhaling Godric's scent and allowing it to ground her. She nuzzled into his neck, breathing deeply.
"Hi," she murmured against his skin, draping an arm over his waist with some effort. She didn't like how sluggish she felt, how slow and uncoordinated. Even the small movement sent a jolt of pain from her shoulder down to her fingertips.
She felt Godric run a hand down her back, his touch delicate.
"Hi," he responded, pulling back slightly to look at her. She felt that she must look awful, if how she felt was anything to go by, and felt desperately self-conscious.
Suddenly, an image - a memory? - of two shining figures standing over her flashed through her mind and her embarrassment was replaced by a jolt of excitement.
"Did I dream that Sen and Era are here?" she asked, not trusting her memory.
Everything still felt fuzzy, and she had hazy images of petunias and a sunlit courtyard floating in her mind, just out of reach.
He smiled. "Yes. They traveled from Malinor to heal you."
She looked at him in shock, a disbelieving joy blooming in her chest.
"How…? Why—?" she sputtered, hardly knowing what to ask.
Godric carefully propped her up against the pillows, then leaned against the headboard and ran a hand through his hair. She noticed with some distress that he looked exhausted and paler than usual, his eyes shadowed with fatigue.
He was silent for a long moment and his gaze was unfocused, lost in a memory.
"I communed with them," he said, a note of wonder in his voice. "I prayed to Orsa and suddenly… I was in the grove of my tribe."
Arwe blinked hard, grappling with the emotions rocketing through the bond. In the absence of her magic, the blood bond felt even more prominent and she almost shivered with the foreign awe pulsing from the vampire.
"You went to a sacred place. That's beautiful, Godric," she breathed, tears pricking her eyes.
"Suddenly, they were there, all of your kin."
This gave her pause and she raised her eyebrows at him, not sure she understood.
"Ele?"
Godric sighed and rubbed his eyes, shooting her an amused look from under his lashes.
"He threatened to rip me to shreds if I didn't take care of you. It's been a long time since anyone threatened me, but I sense he'd be a formidable enemy to have. I don't intend on making one of him."
Arwe grimaced, though she wasn't particularly surprised that her eldest brother hadn't minced words with her bonded. There was a small part of her that felt touched at his protectiveness.
"To be honest, I am not sure who I'd place my bets on. You are both frighteningly powerful. Good thing I have you both to protect me," she said, huffing out a laugh.
"Arwe," he began suddenly, something hard in his tone. She tensed, sensing his emotions shift with a startling alacrity. "You almost died. You were reckless going off on your own, following an unknown without any backup. You disregarded my rules with unacceptable carelessness."
She shrank against his words, knowing he was right. Shame made heat bloom in her face and she shut her eyes, suddenly not wanting to look at him.
"I know. I'm so sorry, Godric. I thought he was human and that he could have some information," she said, realizing how lame it sounded.
The Celt shook his head, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. It made him seem tired, human. She hated being the cause of so much chaos and stress and she knew he must have been driven to desperation after her collapse - not to mention the rest of her family.
"You will never do anything so foolish again. If I have to pack you off to Malinor to keep you safe, I swear to Orsa, I will."
She nodded somberly, though her lips quirked at his use of Orsa's name. He'd sounded so natural, like a Madar.
They sat in a tense silence, the weight of the last few days heavy between them. After a while, Godric turned to her and nodded at the bathroom door.
"Would you like to wash? I can assist you," he said, no trace of flirtation in his voice.
Arwe tried to sit up and shift her legs over the side of the bed, but found she could hardly move with the stiffness in her limbs. There was a part of her that wanted to wash by herself, to have some privacy after the intensity of the last few days, but she realized it would be impossible. She nodded at Godric, not meeting his eyes.
"Perhaps a bath?" she asked, voice small. Without a word, he disappeared from the bed in a blur of speed and she heard him preparing in the bathroom, coming back to carry her once the tub was full. He carefully lowered her into the steaming water and she hissed at the heat on her skin.
He helped her wash with a cool efficiency, not lingering on her curves or speaking other to instruct her to lean her head back or raise an arm.
Afterwards, he wrapped her in a towel and settled her back onto the bed. He was holding a hairbrush in his hand and he showed it her with a questioning lift of his brow.
As he brushed her long hair, she felt tears prick at her eyes. She'd done something remarkably foolish, and it had nearly cost their lives. She was also starting to remember more from the ball, the memories flashing at her without warning - the Madar's murderous eyes, the deadly light turning them white right before he exploded, Godric and Eric staring at her in shock as she tackled them.
Godric must have sensed her emotional state because his brushstrokes slowed, replaced by his fingers gently smoothing her damp locks.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, lip trembling. The enormity of the attack was truly settling in and her emotions were a twisted, heavy mess in her chest.
He stretched his body alongside her, turning her face towards him with a finger on her jaw.
"Arwe…" he whispered and swallowed thickly. "I thought I'd lost you."
He'd closed his eyes, his hand dropping from her face to wrap a rope of her hair around his fingers, rubbing the strands as if to memorize the feeling through his skin. The only other time she'd seen him look so vulnerable was at her kitchen table, admitting softly that he felt the Maker's call for the first time in a thousand years. It seemed so long ago now.
She resisted the urge to apologize again, her words of regret serving only to assuage the deep shame in herself.
Instead, she reached up and took his hand, raising it to her mouth. Her lips grazed over his knuckles and she let out a shuddering breath, tears slipping down her cheeks and dropping onto the back of his palm.
"You will never lose me," she vowed against his skin, looking up at him through her tears. "We are bonded in the light. I will always find you, even if my body perishes. Even after all others fade and the worlds are unmade, I am yours."
His lower lip trembled and his green eyes shone with a raw, burning intensity. He leaned down and brushed his lips over her cheek, dragging them down to her chin, her nose, her eyelids - he kissed her face like a man worshipping the sacred, his movements deliberate and slow.
His mouth hovered over hers, their lips brushing. She opened her eyes and lost herself in the green of his irises, feeling her breath fluttering unsteadily in the infinitesimal space between them.
Without a word, he grasped the sides of her face and kissed her.
At the feel of his lips, she whimpered and kissed him back desperately. She raised her shaking hands to the back of his head, fingers dragging through his soft hair.
As he shifted closer, she hissed in pain against his mouth. He immediately stilled, tearing away from her.
"Fuck," he swore, eyes roving over her face. She shook her head, reaching for him again.
"I need you," she begged. "Please."
His eyes had grown dark with her words, pupils blowing wide. His fangs slowly slid out and he nuzzled his face against the crook of her jaw, kissing the sensitive skin there as his fingers deftly undid the knot in her towel.
She tilted her head back against the pillow, curling a hand around the back of his neck as he dragged his mouth down her throat. The air felt cool against her nakedness and her nipples hardened, goosebumps prickling her skin.
She tried to undo the buttons on his shirt but her fingers were stiff and clumsy, and in a flash he divested himself of his clothes and settled back against her with a purr, his skin cool against her flushed body.
"Say it again," he breathed against her collarbone, his hand running down her side to grasp her buttock and pull her firmly against him. She inhaled sharply at the feeling of his hard cock against her abdomen, and as she opened her mouth to speak, her words dissolved in a gasp as his mouth closed around her nipple.
"I need you," she repeated breathily, arching into his mouth as he teased her. "Please, Godric."
He lavished her breasts with the same slow, worshipful attention until she was gasping and rolling her hips against his leg.
He pulled away with a final, playful nip at her breast to level their faces, smoothing the hair from her flushed face before leaning down and kissing her with a slow, agonizing heat.
The kiss was unhurried, indulgent, both of them taking their time to savor every breath, every roll of their tongues, every moan and exhale between them.
The warm, fluttering pleasure that'd pooled in her belly was growing into a burning need. She wanted to roll them over so she could wrap her legs around his tight waist, to ride him into blissful oblivion as their magic entwined and undulated with the pulses of their pleasure, but knew she couldn't in her current state.
"Please," she gasped again, clumsily guiding his hips between her legs.
He suddenly lifted fully into the air, tilting to hover over her. His blond hair, which had grown out into a shaggy crown of curls in the last few months, fell over his face and tickled her forehead as he leaned down to slant his mouth over hers.
She moaned, raising shaking hands to pull him closer. She spread her legs and rocked her hips into the air, uncaring of how desperate and wanton she seemed. Her need for him was so overwhelming that it felt almost unbearable, and she gasped his name against his lips.
Still floating, he gently crooked her leg further to the side with his knee and slowly, so slowly, pushed himself into her from above. The walls of her cunt stretched to accommodate his girth, and as she felt him filling her to the hilt, some of the leaden sorrow in her chest fell away.
She raked her fingers down his back, feeling him shiver as he began to thrust into her in a carefully controlled rhythm.
He bit into his wrist and lowered it to her mouth, and she moaned the second his blood burst onto her tongue. The hand she'd buried into the hair at the back of his neck snaked around to his jaw, her pulse point throbbing against his lips. She saw his pupils blow even wider, the green all but gone as he licked her wrist, his tongue hot and wet against her sensitive skin. She saw a flash of an impish smirk right before he sank his fangs in.
The pain of his bite combined with his cock pounding into her in a deep, steady rhythm made her mewl against his wrist, dizzy with his blood and the waves of pleasure coursing through her.
They both drank deeply, their bond tearing wide open and emotions crashing into each other like opposing waves. She felt his love, his fear, his desire for her. She broke away from his arm and tilted up her head, and a moment later his mouth crushed her in a bruising kiss, a trail of their blood streaking down her cheek.
Beyond the pleasure, she felt something in her chest quiver with a sudden wild joy. She was alive, Godric was alive, and their love was as real and immortal as the magic animating their cells. She could feel his light through his skin and in the walls of her cunt, that tight, secret point of their connection stoking the magic between them. The more he lost himself in his pleasure, the more his light began to surge in an erratic flow out of him, until various cracks began to echo throughout the room. The oak headboard behind them split in two, though neither of them spared it a glance, too lost in each other to care.
She was falling, adrift in a world of sensation, her only physical connection to the world the man encircling her in the dome of his arms. As he thrust into her, his cock ejected hot bursts of magic that sent swirls of electricity through her body. The energy in her veins swelled like a tide, crashing through her until she felt like she'd burst like an overcharged lightbulb.
With a long, keening cry she fell apart under him, grasping his arms as she came in long, roiling waves. A few moments later she felt him shudder over her and bellow, his blood-smeared mouth falling open.
He floated back down next to her and rested his forehead against hers, their open lips brushing as they breathed heavily into each other's mouths.
She leaned up and kissed him softly, trembling with both the aftershocks of her orgasm and their combined emotions still rocketing through the bond.
In that moment, sweaty and exhausted and wrapped in his arms, she felt so full of love and gratitude that it felt impossible to contain such a depth of feeling.
Weeping, she fell against his chest and thanked Orsa for bringing her back to the world.
... ... ...
When Arwe emerged from the room some hours later, it was only thanks to Godric physically supporting her as she shuffled stiffly up the stairs.
She'd insisted on trying to walk herself and not have him carry her everywhere, figuring she'd need to build up her strength.
More distressing than her physical state, however, was her missing magic. It felt like a gaping hole inside of her, a foreign hollowness that if inspected too closely, pierced her with cold, stark terror. Her only hope, one she clung to desperately, was the tiny spark in her center, so weak she had to seek it out - a single, precious ember of her light.
When they finally made it to the top of the stairs, Arwe was panting and her knees were shaking. Without asking, Godric lifted her in his arms and walked towards the kitchen, where they could hear the busy clanging of pots and the roar of the kitchen vent fan.
Entering, they came upon a frazzled Era, who was levitating ingredients around her head and muttering in Madar. Her braided hair was slightly askew and Arwe spotted a streak of something green on her cheek.
"Sister," Arwe greeted. Era glanced over her shoulder distractedly and held up a finger, completing a complicated sequence of spells over the bubbling pot.
Arwe sniffed the air curiously as Godric set her down at the island and her face brightened in disbelieving recognition.
"Is that foxweed stew?"
The tall Madar didn't reply and instead filled a bowl from the bubbling pot she'd been hunched over and brought it over to her, holding out a spoon.
"Fox and weed?" asked Godric, looking unconvinced. He'd wrinkled his nose.
Arwe found that a little funny, considering he didn't eat. He felt her amusement and raised an eyebrow at her, a crooked smile ribboning his face.
"Foxweed. It's a plant native to Malinor with immense healing properties. I brought some over to help aid Arwe in her recovery," Era said, showing the vampire the long, dark green plants covered in spiky orange leaves.
"It's a dish we eat when we're sick," explained Arwe, carefully picking up the spoon and taking a sip of the soup. The flavor was both familiar and strange, and she smiled at her sister a touch too brightly.
"Mm, this is quite… interesting. Thank you, sister," she said, taking the daintiest slurp she could get away with from her next spoonful.
Era had crossed her arms, looking doubtful as she watched her eat. She pointed at a bottle of soy sauce on the counter.
"I didn't bring any moon fish oil from Malinor and thought perhaps this… soy sauce would be an adequate substitute."
She then took another spoon from the drawer and dipped it into Arwe's bowl, lifting it her lips. Her face twisted with disgust and she looked at her sister in disbelief.
"Arwe, you should have said it was vile! You know I hate forced politeness!"
Arwe raised her hands in front of her, trying not to laugh.
"You went through the effort, Era, and I'm sure it's still nourishing, you just added too much so it's a bit… salty," she placated. The taller Madar rolled her eyes, brandishing the spoon at her.
"I don't normally cook, you know. You should still be honest. I hate when you do this."
Arwe sighed, "Orsa, Era, it's fine, I will still eat it - "
The sisters bickered over the soup and Godric watched them silently, looking simultaneously entertained and slightly baffled.
Arwe was about to point out to Era that they shouldn't waste the foxweed because of a bit of soy sauce when she suddenly became aware of male voices shouting from outside. Quirking her head towards the sound, she raised an inquiring eyebrow at her sister.
Era nodded towards the yard and crossed her arms, shaking her head slightly.
"Sen and the tall one have been playing Blink the Ball all evening," she explained drily.
"I have to go see that," Arwe grinned, putting her spoon down. She'd been wielding it during her spat with Era and she suddenly felt vaguely embarrassed that Godric had witnessed their juvenile bickering.
"It seems that my child has found a kindred spirit," he remarked, a glitter of amusement in his eye.
The three made their way into the yard, Arwe hobbling awkwardly between them, and stopped to watch a vaguely humanoid blur streaking across the grass and a ball hurtling at an impossible velocity in seemingly random trajectories.
Suddenly, Sen appeared by the lip of the pool, tossing the ball casually in the air with a satisfied smirk.
"Bested again, Viking!" he shouted gleefully, and a second later Eric zipped past him with supernatural speed and snatched it out of his hand.
"Ha! You puny banshee, du kan inte besegra mig!" he bellowed, fluidly evading the Madar when he Blinked over to him and tried to wrest the ball away.
"I see you boys are having fun," Arwe called, eyes twinkling. Sen immediately Blinked over to her and pulled her into his arms, gentling his touch when she hissed in pain.
"Sister! Are you well?" he asked in Madar, scanning her face. She ruffled his hair affectionately and grinned at Eric who appeared a moment later next to her brother, equally concerned.
Seeing them standing next to each other, she was struck by their similarities. Though Sen was slighter and shorter than the blond, in that moment their expressions mirrored each other's almost perfectly, like two very odd twins.
She pushed her observation at Godric through the bond and received a mental version of a groan as a response. She bit back a smirk and lightly pinched him in the side.
"I am well," she reassured, smiling at the two.
Eric crossed his arms and tossed his head in her brother's direction.
"This one is a menace - either there is no sportsmanship in this strange game, or he is a cheat."
Sen looked outraged and tried to poke the vampire in the chest, Eric easily stepping out of his reach.
"That is only because you've failed to comprehend the rules. It is a complex game requiring superior wits and a knack for strategy."
Era and Arwe both snorted in disbelief.
"Blink the Ball is a children's game, Sen. We played it as a schoolchildren."
"That just shows our Clan's above average intellect and excellent physicality. Not everyone can appreciate the subtleties of the game," he sniffed, giving the Viking a pointed look from under his lashes.
Eric rolled his eyes and with a sudden blur of vamp speed, hurtled the ball directly at Sen's head. The Madar just barely managed to Blink away and stared at him, open-mouthed.
"I'm confident I've grasped the concept, banshee. I throw the ball, you run and cower—"
"I did not cower," Sen grumbled, quickly dropping his shoulders from where he'd hunched them around his ears.
Godric, who'd been patiently standing by and watching his progeny and guests with a vaguely amused air, suddenly held out a hand. Everyone's attention immediately shifted to him.
"I am glad that we've had a time to rest and play," he began, his voice laced with a quiet authority. Even Sen turned to listen, his expression sobering.
"I'm afraid it is time to discuss the situation we find ourselves in and our next steps. I suggest we convene on the roof in thirty minutes."
Arwe was sure no one actually took his suggestion at face value, but she appreciated Godric phrasing his commands as requests to her siblings.
He turned to her, still holding her up with an arm.
"I will take some blood, I haven't fed in quite a while. Eric," he called and the blond immediately appeared. "Take Arwe to the roof. Don't run."
She tried to squash down a resentful twinge at being carried around and handed off like a piece of furniture, and some of the feeling must have filtered over to Godric.
"You will recover soon enough," he murmured, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Let's go, mummy," Eric teased, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.
She could hear Sen snickering behind her and without thinking she tried to reach out with her magic and thwack him, but only felt an empty echo in her chest. The reminder of the absence of her magic felt jarring. She nestled her head on Eric's shoulder and fought not to cry.
She could feel him look down at her in surprise and a moment later he nuzzled her back, brushing his lips against her forehead.
"Alright?" he asked, his voice so low it was a rumble of vibration against her face. She nodded tightly, not trusting herself to speak with the pressure building in her throat.
Reaching the roof, Eric carefully set her down on a pillow around the fire pit and after a pause, covered her with a blanket and tucked it gently around her. This gesture, so sweet and unnecessary, broke her spell of melancholy and she huffed out a laugh.
"Eric, it's ninety-five degrees outside," she said, wiping at her eyes.
"Is it always this hot? How can humans stand to live here?" wondered Sen, fanning himself in a miserly effort to cool down.
"Humans will live everywhere, they are remarkably resilient," Eric responded, stretching out on a pillow and folding his muscular arms behind his head, clearly unbothered by the heat.
While the two men chatted, Arwe caught her sister's eye and was given a questioning look. Arwe tried to smile, but it came out watery and unconvincing.
Without a word, Era came over and settled on the ground behind her. A moment later, Arwe felt her start combing her fingers through her waves.
She hadn't braided her hair since leaving Malinor a decade ago, and the familiar rhythms of Era's fingers as they twisted her long locks into the style she'd worn since she was a youngling suddenly made her well up again.
After only a few minutes, she felt her sister's hands still and she reached up to feel the familiar shape of the thick, interwoven braids crowning her head. She squeezed her hand in thanks.
"I want to say something…" she began, looking at her gathered kin. As she waited for her sister to settle on a pillow, she paused, furrowing her brow as she realized their group was incomplete.
"Pam is taking care of business at the club. I've left my sheriffdom unattended the last few days and it couldn't wait," explained Eric, intuiting her question.
His words made the shame and guilt swell further within her.
"I want to apologize to all of you for what I put you through the last few days. My behavior was unacceptable and I put you all in danger, especially you and Godric," she directed the last part at Eric, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression.
"Please forgive me," she finished quietly, dropping her head.
Eric's jaw had clenched and he looked towards the woods beyond the terrace. He seemed to be reliving some of the horror of the attack and Arwe's near-death experience. The others were silent, allowing the Viking the space to gather his thoughts.
"You shouldn't have wandered off alone, Arwe. You need to promise me it'll never happen again - you made a vow to us as your bloodkin. You need to trust us, trust Godric, in these situations. You're new to the vampire world and though this was a freak incident involving one of your own kind, it could have just as easily been a vampire that attacked you."
Eric's words rang with an undeniable truth and she nodded gravely, placing a hand on her heart.
"My child," she said softly. "I vow to you now never to disregard your guidance and protection. I trust you with my life."
Eric inclined his head as she spoke and mirrored her gesture.
She felt a rush of pride that felt distinct from her own feelings and looked up to see Godric standing at the entrance of the terrace, watching her and his progeny.
Eric must have also sensed him because his head snapped up to look at his maker. In that moment, Arwe wished fiercely that she had a blood bond with Eric, to have the ability to send him waves of her love as she could with her lover.
She felt Godric respond to her impassioned thought with interest, but before she could explore it more, the bond closed off and he settled on the ground between Eric and Sen.
"You have yet to apologize directly to your kin," he said quietly. Sen shifted uncomfortably at the vampire's words and opened his mouth to speak, but she stilled him with a hand.
"He's right. Sen, Era. I've put you through unbelievable stress. You traveled all the way from Malinor to heal me. Forgive me, my loves," she said.
"It's what family does, Arwe," Era said simply, sounding almost impatient. She gave the two vampires a look, something in her face softening when she took in the Celt.
"I want to thank Godric for coming to us. You saved her and we will forever be in your debt."
The vampire's lips twitched and he cast his eyes down. "There is no debt. It's what family does," he responded with a ring of finality, echoing Era's words.
The group sat in silence, allowing the emotional and profound words of the last half hour to settle before continuing.
Godric straightened and looked around the circle, his eyes sharpening with that familiar focus. It was time to discuss the crisis they were in.
"I have spoken with Amos and he assures me that the attack on Sophie-Anne's villa was officially blamed on a human pet disgruntled and bitter about not being turned by their vampire lover. Whether the queen or anyone else is aware of the attacker's true nature remains to be seen."
"I've phoned with the queen and I'm confident she doesn't know that we're involved in any way. Roman, on the other hand…" Eric trailed off, frowning.
"You were with Roman when I was attacked. You must have left him very suddenly to go find me," Arwe realized, her heart sinking. The new layers to her misstep were revealing themselves and she fought not to cringe.
"Though he didn't witness the attack or see you were directly involved, it's not unreasonable to assume he's put two and two together," Godric said.
"I'm sure that's all important for whatever vampire business you are all involved in, but what I'm dying to know is what, in Orsa's name, was a murderous Madar doing at a vampire ball," growled Sen, his golden eyes flashing.
The question lingered in the air and no one immediately spoke.
"Could it be someone from Mel's militia? A peefer?" asked Godric.
Both Era and Sen raised astonished eyebrows, cutting their eyes to Arwe with muted shock.
She'd been staring at the ground in thought, but feeling their gazes, looked up with a flicker of annoyance.
"Honestly, did you expect me not to talk about the war with my bonded?" she snapped.
Sen shook his head, looking sheepish, and muttered, "No, sister, it's not that - it's just so strange to hear an outsider speak of it."
"It can't be a peefer. Mel and his entire army was - destroyed… in the war," Era spoke suddenly, a hard edge to her voice even as she stumbled on the word.
"But ideas… those are harder to kill," Arwe said softly, remembering Godric's words from so long ago. They looked at each other for a tense moment, the implication hanging heavily in the air.
"Your brother is investigating in Malinor. I suggest we commune with him as soon as possible and get an update," Godric said decisively. He raised an eyebrow at Sen's sudden smirk.
"Orsa, he even sounds like a Madar," he marveled and Godric responded with a dry chuckle.
"I suppose I am, in a way," he said quietly. An introspective and almost wistful expression stole over his face and he held out a hand, watching as tendrils of magic lazily twisted from his fingers.
"Over two thousand years old and I can still be surprised." His voice was awed, soft.
The moment was ruined by Sen.
"Pff, two thousand? You're younger than Arwe," he blurted and a moment later was smacked on the arm by Era while Arwe groaned, covering her face with her hands.
Eric had tensed at the disrespect to his maker and looked like he was about to snap at the Madar, a hard glint in his eye. Godric raised a hand towards him, looking amused. He tilted his head at Sen and his lips quirked into a small smile.
"How wonderful it is to be made to feel so young again," he said softly.
Arwe let out the breath she was holding and shook her head in exasperation at her foolish brother.
"Godric has lived a very different life from most Madar, Sen. It's not accurate to compare our ages. He is an elder in the vampire world and his name commands respect."
"And fear. Only a fool or egomaniac would dare speak like that in Godric's presence," Eric grumbled, still clearly infuriated by her brother's flippant comment.
It was Era who scoffed this time, rolling her eyes towards Sen.
"Whatever gave you that impression," she remarked drily. To his credit, Sen had the decency to look abashed and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I meant no disrespect, Godric. Forgive me," he said seriously.
The Celt acknowledged his apology with a nod.
"We grew up very privileged with our mother as High Counsellor. Sen was the baby of the Clan and got away with so much more than the rest of us," Arwe said, looking at her brother with a kind of fond exasperation.
Sen looked offended and had opened his mouth to retort when Eric suddenly chuckled.
"Ah, a princeling. That explains a lot."
The three Madar stiffened and Sen's face grew pale.
"Don't call me that," he said quietly, his voice flat.
The Viking took in the expressions on their faces with surprise. Sen's jaw was clenched and his hands had fisted on his folded legs.
"Sen, he didn't mean to… he doesn't know…" Arwe started, reaching towards him. He flinched away from her and squeezed his eyes shut. A moment later, he disappeared into thin air without a word. Arwe rubbed her forehead wearily and Era sighed.
"What did I say?"
Arwe looked at Eric for a long moment, the words refusing to come out. Even thinking about it was making her heart start to race.
It was Era who finally spoke, her features lined with grief and exhaustion.
"Our mother's killer… he was Sen's lover, for a time. He used to call him that. He'd become radicalized by Mel and murdered our mother in a coup. Losing her was devastating to all of us, but Sen had the additional agony of…" her voice faded, the thought left unfinished.
Eric paled and glanced at the terrace door, his face lined with sympathy and regret.
Arwe felt the memories start to crowd her - Ele's anguished face, Era's scream as their mother's light faded and her body tumbled over the railing. Kelle on the ground. Her father's face, twisted into a mask of shock and despair.
She shut her eyes and tried to block it all out, taking deep breaths. She felt Godric probe her through the bond and she slammed down on her end of it, choking their connection. She was repelled by him being in her head while she was remembering these horrors.
The silence stretched for long moments, interrupted suddenly by a sniffle.
She looked up and saw her sister, her proud and strong Era, weeping quietly into her hands, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs.
"Era…" she started in shock, reaching out to her.
"Why did you leave, Arwe?" Era asked in a hoarse whisper.
Arwe crawled over to her, taking her hands and raising them to her lips. Era's golden eyes were searching hers, looking young and so, so vulnerable.
"I didn't leave you, Era. I left Malinor, the Council, that damned square in Maldes…" Her voice fluctuated with her flurried emotions - sadness, anger, reassurance. She'd switched over to their own language without realizing and Era shook her head, a spark of anger in her eyes.
"You did leave, Arwe! You left all of us. After everything we'd been through, all the horror and despair, you… you just…"
Era had gotten lost in her anger and tried to rip her hands out of Arwe's grasp, but she held on tight and refused to let go. She took her sister's face in her hands, needing her to understand.
"That is why I had to leave. I couldn't continue on as we had before, Era. I couldn't follow Ele into repeating the same mistakes our mother made. Yes, Era, she made mistakes, terrible ones. I can love her and still believe that," she said harshly.
Era had finally ripped away from Arwe and scrambled to her feet, breathing heavily.
"That's not fair. That's not fair at all. Ele was only continuing her legacy, our Clan's legacy."
Arwe hung her head, feeling so exhausted that she swayed dizzily. She felt a hand on her elbow, steadying her.
"I never wanted that legacy, Era. I never agreed with it. I stayed as long as I could, until one day, I couldn't anymore," she said simply.
The tall Madar was regarding her with watery eyes, the anger seeming to leave her all at once. She sat back down heavily, exhaustion lining her face.
"I prayed to Orsa," Arwe said in English. "I prayed for guidance. I didn't know where to go, you see. I felt her light come to life within me and something told me to simply Blink, to trust that I'd end up where I was meant to be."
Arwe took a deep breath and turned to Godric, her eyes shining. He was gazing back at her with tears in his eyes and she tentatively opened her side of the bond again.
"So I Blinked… and ended up in the woods not five miles away from you," she said to him, her voice barely over a whisper.
He raised a hand to her face, tenderly brushing his fingertips against her skin.
Arwe turned back to her sister and wanted nothing more in that moment than to wrap her in her magic, but settled on enfolding her in her arms. Era sank into her, hands coming up to clasp around her back.
"My beloved sister, my dearest heart. I love you more than anything in the world. I am always here for you. I will never leave you," she whispered fiercely into her hair, wishing Sen was with them. She would find him later, even if she had to crawl.
She locked eyes with Godric and sent him a wave of gratitude for his patience, for his support and love. She asked him to reassure Eric that none of this was his fault, that he'd unintentionally opened an already deep and painful wound. She asked for space to soothe her sister and to make sure that her brother was alright.
She asked so much of her bonded, but he only leaned down to kiss her forehead and quietly left the terrace with Eric in tow.
Arwe rocked her sister in her arms and with the final reserves of her energy, she began to sing.
She sang her a Madar lullaby, the same one she'd sung her as a youngling, and her voice lilted gently into the night.
A/n: I somehow have trouble keeping on , the formatting stresses me out lol. So I'm catching up by posting the last 3 chapters, since I realized I forgot to upload them here. Enjoy and please leave a comment/review!