|
|
|
|
He had once been a Prince, not an important Prince really, second in line to the throne... and his elder brother had been given the gift of extended life. Hope of ever ruling had been dashed the day the White Witch had extended her hand and blessed Prince Derwin, matching the length of his life with that of his Elven wife. Prince Grendorin, the man he had once been, had left in silence.
His path had led him to darkness, to a demon with no name... he had offered him the same gift, but with a price. Grendorin gave up his soul, his heart, and his name, reemerging into the world as the Dark Mage Tallin. Instilled within him was an unquenchable lust for power, and the target of that thirst had been his niece... as yet unborn as he descended upon Corin. His brother had foiled his plans, sacrificing Corin itself to the dark realms to save his daughter. An'Thaya had been cast beyond his reach, protected by her Guardian Tager.
Eight hundred years later he had found her again, but she had been among friends and his power was outmatched. Helpless he had watched her pull Corin back to the light, in impotent rage he saw her find love with the Elen Prince... an emotion he had long since been denied. For over a thousand years he waited, thinking all lost when she had perished. Yet she rose again, her spirit undaunted even by the veil. Tallin had taken much pleasure in the White Witches denial, cutting the Amazon off from part of her soul as the bond to Galain was severed. She still had found love however, with another elf named Elyen.
After awhile it came to the Dark Mage's attention the halfling bore life within her, and that the child was most unusual. Galain and Elyen had both fathered the babe, and after it was exposed to the Aeglos its power grew greater. The thorns of hope grew where Grendorin’s heart had once been, and he found another quest.
His path took him back to the demon he served, he had nothing left of himself to offer, so instead he offered his niece. "I will give you the Amazon Mage after the child is born, she will be yours to do with as you wish," he knelt before his lord, "I promise you, by the time I am finished with her she will hand you her soul willingly."
He had walked away successful, alittle item on his person that would put his plan into action. It was sent in a tiny package, disguised as a gift for the baby....
An’Thaya had spent quite a bit of time alone lately, Elyen always seemed to be off somewhere, and the others were busy as well. Sometimes she suspected it was because of her wildly swinging hormones, who wanted to be around an unpredictable Amazon? So when she received a gift with no name attached she didn't question it at all, she was merely glad to see it. She undid the bow with some measure of pleasure, unwrapping it carefully, her mind mulling over who might have sent it.
Within was an exquisite rose, its petals blushing pink, damp with dew. In the center sparkled a clear bubble, so pure she was unsure whether it was liquid or crystal. Curious she reached out to touch it, her finger tapped the outer shell, releasing a mist of scent that addled her senses. With a sigh she collapsed, falling limp to the floor as darkness enveloped her mind....
He felt the rose wilt and fade into dust, the spell had been successful. For a moment he sat stunned, unbelieving of his luck, then raucous laughter burst forth. All this time... and she had been brought down by a pretty package. With an expression of delight twisting his features he opened the portal and stepped through... his breath caught in his throat when he saw her.
The beautiful and elusive creature he had sought all this time. Her hair fanned out around her slumbering face like a morbid parity of blood, her form still as death save for the occasional rise and fall of her chest. The telltale signs of her pregnancy ignited his eyes, the child safe within... moving to her side he knelt, running a hand over the swell of her abdomen... he felt a slight movement, a questioning trill in his mind as the child quested out to see who disturbed its secure bubble.
"Ah yes," he closed his eyes, caressing the hatchling with his mind, "You will be mine little one.... you ARE mine." A trill of distress rang loud in Tallin's mind, he realized haste was needed, Galain would be alerted immediately to the cries of his young one. Gathering the Amazon in his arms his steps were swift as he retreated through the portal... and they were gone...
One moment he was investigating tracks around his shelter by the lake, the next he was standing stock still as the trills of his unborn child echoed frantically through his mind. These were not happy trills -- these were of panic and fear.
Tracks be damned, his child was in danger and that meant An'Thaya was too. The elf hurried inside his little home and grabbed the pack he always kept ready for emergencies and then focused on where those trills were last coming from. They were already fading into a troublesome emptiness and his heart pounded heavily as he formed a portal and prayed it would work correctly.
When he stepped through he found himself in a jungle... a place he had not been too in a very long time. He tilted his head to the left as he studied his surroundings, then turned around to face a little cabin. An'Thaya's.
~*~
An'Thaya opened groggy eyes to unfamiliar surroundings, left listless by the spell she could only roll on her side to look around. The room was lavish enough, spacious and elegant, hung with expensive draperies and art, crystal chandeliers and lamps. There was even a heated pool with a descending staircase in the center. The bed she laid upon was canopied and dressed in satin, very pretty trappings.... but for what?
Confused she reached out along the link to Elyen, there was nothing, not even an echo of his presence. She tried another link, the tenuous one she held with Galain... again nothing. The child within her was silent; waves of fear the only emotion she could read from it. Its alright little one... everything will be ok.
Something was most definitely wrong; she struggled to rise, only to fall to her hands and knees beside the bed. Her mind felt as if it was stuffed with cobwebs, she could make no sense of what had happened. Laying on the plush carpet she struggled to gain her breath, the click of a door froze her movements, holding the breath she could not spare as footsteps muffled by carpeting approached.
A pair of boots came into view, coming to a stop in front of her face. Cautiously she raised her head, her emerald eyes meeting coal black pools of darkness in that of her Uncle. A gasp of horror threatened to send her tumbling into madness, a sudden memory of a town... of a woman named Gwendolyne. It had been a premonition of sorts; this had been her destiny all along. "Nooooooo!" His hands reached for her, yanking her up by her wrists and she had no strength to fight him. Through tears she met darkness once more, falling limp in his grasp...
|
|
|
