LORE: Training a Hell Hound (MATURE)

[Emora Deen]

Talon was sitting at the new conference table, leaning back comfortably in his chair. The room was silent despite the amount of people in it. There was a large black skinned man seated wearing nothing but pants and a thin mesh shirt. He was obviously dressed and ready to go to the desert. At least, he thought so. He had his head shaven clean, and he was constantly running his hand over it as if something was a miss. Seated next to him was a thin lean man, who looked more like a broom stick compared to his companion. He dressed in loose fitting clothing a normal style Ighten attire. He was twirling his dagger into the table until he saw the dark casted glare of one of the maids busy polishing. It quickly averted his eyes and withdrew his dagger, placing it back in his boot.

“How long we got to wait?” he muttered.

“You impatient to get thrown into the Outerlands, Travis?” the guy next to him asked.

“No, I’m just tired of parking my ass in this damned wooden chair, that’s all,” he replied simply.

The door opened and a procession of monks in tan robes filed in. Usually they wore black or brown, but obviously had picked lighter colors to ward of a bit of the suns heat. They stood in a line with there hands clasped in front of them, holding bags that they had filled with every holy object the possessed. They were prepared, maybe a bit over-prepared, for the worst that the Outerlands could through at them.

Two more soldiers entered, these a little less colorful than the two that sat in front of Talon. All business, they stood next to the monks, arms folded behind there backs. Everyone seemed to be there, well… not quite everyone. A few more minutes passed and then the door groaned open.

Talon blinked in surprise at his sister. Mostly do to the fact that her hair was a foot shorter than it had been the night before. It just touched her shoulders, and flipped out every which away, but curled in a bit more towards her jaw in the front. She ran her hand through it as she closed the door behind Stalker, and it flowed about her face, styling itself naturally. She’d always had beautiful hair, but now it was all cropped off. She wore brown pants, and knee high boots that laced up tightly, probably in the hopes of keeping out the sand. Her shirt was sleeveless and didn’t fit her too tightly. Over that she wore a calf-length coat that was made of thin tan fabric. Around her neck was a gray-green scarf that hung loosely, one she could pull over her head if she needed.

“What on earth did you do to your hair?” he muttered as she came closer.

“Well, you see… it turns out that a bit of fire did get under my hood,” Tenele smile at him as she sat. “I fixed it though. Did it all by myself.” The silver that framed her face seemed to make her peicing green eyes all the more powerful.

“I remember when your hair used to be to your feet and you had to braid it and pin it up,” Talon told her.

“Then I got into a fight with Adrian and had to duck to keep my head from being lopped off,” Tenele told him. “Got rid of the heavy load though. I never realized how unbelievably heavy hair could be until then. Has Sinead come yet?”

“No, she should be here soon. Are your sure you’re ready to go back to that place so soon?” Talon asked her softly. “Are you ready to face him?”

“Verin doesn’t scare me, Talon,” she replied.

“I wasn’t talking about Verin.”

[Soran Nightblade]

As if on cue, the door opened again and two servants stepped aside to allow Sinead into the room. Behind her, assistants pushed several large carts of medical supplies and dried foods into the room as well. "Well then, are we ready to get started? She said as everyone seemed to come to attention. Servants lifted and carried the conference table to the corner of the room, revealing a huge circle inscribed in the floor. "You may all step inside," she said.

The odd group moved chairs and uncertainly did as they were told, until the supplies, the monks, and the muscle all stood in one place. Sinead stepped up to Tenele and pulled something from her robes. It was a long dagger, inscribed with runes along the blade. "Take this with you, just in case," she said to her maiden, handing the weapon to Tenele inside a leather sheath. She then took out something else. It appeared to be a metal sphere, small enough to rest in the palm of her hand. The outside was also gilded in runes. "When you encounter Lord Dracul, I want you to activate this ball. You may have to weaken him in order to use it. It needs to touch his skin," she said. "Once it is activated, he will be confined by a seal inside it, and I will know immediately. At that point, I will come and join you in the Outerlands." A few people in the room looked a little shocked by the proposal of the queen going to a war front. She didn't allow any time or room for argument from any of them. Leaving Tenele with her instructions and the ball, she stepped back and said, "May all of you have the power of light on your side. Begin these things together, and I will join you when it is time."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele took the dagger and slipped it into her boot. She then placed the sphere inside her a pouch that hung close to her hip just inside the belt around her waist. “It will be done,” she told Sinead, giving her a warm smile. She glanced at her brother who stood off at the far wall watching. He couldn’t come. His place was at the palace. If Shea attempted to attack, they would need all the skilled magic users they could get there hands on. “See you later, brother.”

“Take care, shrimp,” he told her, grinning as she gave him a heated glare. What? He thought, she was tiny.

Tenele was about to say something when light sprouted up from the circle so bright that she could no longer see her brother. She couldn’t see anything. Then, it felt as if the ground beneath them had disappeared and they were falling, only to come back to a standing position in the midst of light. The light faded quickly, and a harsh wind sent sand beating against there skin. Tenele pulled the scarf up to where it could cover her face so she could breath.

There was the hint of figures moving in the sand, and every once and a while the wind would die enough to allow her to see what was happening. A battle was raging about them, and it was unclear who was who. It wasn’t a sand storm they had landed in, just a windy day apparently, because the wind died down and she could see more clearly.

Suddenly a figure came skidding through the sand to land at her feet. His black hair fanned out about him and he was looking up at her with swirling blue eyes. Blue fire wrapped about his knuckles, but at the sight of her it cooled and extinguished. “Tenele?” he asked in near disbelief.

“Who knocked you on your ass?” Tenele asked a slight smile coming to her face, offering him a hand.

[Soran Nightblade]

Stalker snarled at Atul as he skidded in front of Tenele with weapon drawn. The demon was about to snap the demigod's arm off, but then Tenele offered him a hand up. Having a natural tendency to be attracted to power, the beast stood down its attack and seemed to content itself with staring willfully at Atul, provided that he made no move to harm Tenele.

[Emora Deen]

Atul stood to his feet, but gave no answer to her question. “You should not be here!” he yelled to her as he turned back to the battle. Tenele didn’t even get a chance to tell him why they were there. Instead, he immersed himself in the fight. Tenele didn’t have much choice herself, as soon the battle came to them.

She drew her borrowed sword, the hilt feeling unnatural in her hands despite the fact she had practiced with it before hand. She was used to her mother’s sword, which had been left in Fero’s home. How delusional she had been, enough to apparently leave her mother’s sword, she didn’t know. But, the horrifying fact was, she was no longer wielding it.

Tenele fought her way through the crowed of swarming soldiers towards where Atul was fighting a large demon. He was foaming at the mouth, completely covered in scales. Atul’s fire wrapped about his arm as he through spell after spell of energy towards the demon, who only seemed to absorb it and aim it right back at him. He ducked and dodged, barely managing to miss the last one.

Magic was apparently something of no use against the demon. But, maybe steel would be? Tenele jumped head long into battle, as she normally did. The beast saw her coming, and he swooped his arm down to knock her out of the way. She ducked, rolling underneath the swing to come spinning to her feet on the other side, bring the sword around and slicing into the demons back. He roared, and before he could turn she swung back around, this time much lower, and the blade cut through his legs. Having nothing to stand on he fell screaming to the sand, his black blood turning the quarts crystals a deep ebony. He crawled, as if that would save him. But, Tenele just came back around and cut his head from his shoulders. It went rolling to Atul’s feet.

Atul’s eyes met hers, and for a moment he was a bit mystified. “Thanks,” he said in a breath, a half-smile coming to his lips. Then, he frowned. “But, you really should not be here.”

“Well, get used to it. I’m sent by the Queen of Ighten to make sure your rebellion comes through,” she informed him, stepping back as someone went to bring there sword down on her. She swung a kick around in his gut, and when he doubled over she stepped to the side and drove the sword back behind her into him from behind. “Also… there’s the matter of Vladimir…”

Atul’s glowing blue eyes seemed to ignite more vibrantly. “That traitorous bastard. What is it you need from him?”

Tenele’s face fell a bit at the cold reaction she received at the mention of his name. “He’s under Verin’s control. My Queen needs me to retrieve him.” She said lowly as she came to stand beside him, back to back in battle.

“Sure your not doing this because of your love for him?” he asked her in a hiss.

Tenele swallowed hard. “What love?” she asked, rushing forward before the strike could meet her once she saw an opening.

Atul was almost completely distracted by that statement. For the last time he checked, this woman was willing and ready to give her life for an immortal beast. Now, she was denouncing love for him? What had he done to her?

Tenele had a female opponent, a wirey woman who couldn’t seem to be still for five seconds. She was mad with her lashing, a short sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. Tenele blocked her blows, having to move swiftly and think a head to counter attack, but this lady was just insane. She was screeching as she went about, hacking and slashing. It was as if she were insane, and someone had let her out of the special place meant for those people, and handed her weapons.

Before Tenele knew it, her concentration was drawn to one arm, while the other was plunging the dagger deep into her upper thigh. Tenele registered the wound, but knew better than to react to it. She stepped back with that leg, withdrawing her wounded thigh from the weapon, and then came back with that same leg to plant her foot in the abdomen of her attacker. A thousand words came to her mind to describe the woman, and Tenele used known. Instead, when she was off her feet and struggling to get air and get up, Tenele spun her sword once, bringing it down and around and straight through the chest of the mad woman.

She glanced down at her leg, and the blood soaking through her pants. It was a nice little wound, but nothing near life threatening.

[Soran Nightblade]

Through a flurry of blood and sand, his keen red eyes locked onto a solid form ahead of him. Without hesitation, he leapt forward, slicing the man's throat with clawed hands too fast to see. The body foamed with blood, collapsing in its attacker's powerful arms. Vlad smiled down at the dying human's accusatory stare, which soon melted into the vacancy of death. His victim's hand remained clutched around his dagger, as if his last thought had been of killing his demonic attacker. The vampire lifted the corpse like a puppet, giving a mad twirl as if he were dancing with it. At the end of the movement, he dipped his deceased partner and, in the same movement, used the human's armed hand to stab on of his allies cleanly in the gut. Dropping the corpse like a forgotten toy, Vlad threw a kick strong enough to crush skull and tissue, finishing off this second 'opponent.'

It wasn't a fair fight. It wasn't even a fight. Vlad roved the battlefield like it was his own private playground, taking his sweet time as he chose his victims and dispatched them in whatever manner most amused him. The flare of resistance, that momentary hesitation that had so often retarded his movements seemed gone. If the vampire was conflicted by his actions, it didn't show. He was more than well fed; he was engorged with blood and power, and with Verin's immense will surging through him and supporting him, it truly seemed that the vampire was unmatched on this battlefield. He had grown infamous at this point, and some of the rebels became divided or fled altogether at the sight of the merciless vampiric harbinger of death.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele was standing straight from defending herself against another attacker. The wind caught her hair and she put a hand up to keep it from getting in her face as she surveyed the damage. Atul’s people were losing, and when a flood of them came her way she figured he had sounded a retreat that she hadn’t been paying attention to. Instead, in the midst of the chaos of people fleeing she saw a bloodied figure. One she knew quite well. She watched as he mercilessly, and almost merrily tore through friend and foe.

Her heart started beating a bit faster at the sight of him. This was not the Vlad she knew. This was something completely different from him. Then again, the Vlad she had known had been a lie. Maybe this was the real him? Either way she needed to trap him for Sinead. As the people finished rushing past her there was not a single other person standing in the distance between her and Vlad. No longer was there an obstical between them, all except the fact she couldn’t bring herself to move forward. Not to attack him.

Damn her heart. She needed to fight it. This was definitely no the time or place to frieze up. This Vlad would kill her.

[Soran Nightblade]

Stalker seemed content to participate in the battle, taking down a good number of enemies that stepped too close to Tenele's proximity. As they went on, however, its attention seemed diverted by something nearby. By the time Tenele spotted Vlad, the hellhound had raised its head in high attention to its master, although it did not leave Tenele's side. After all, it had not been ordered to return.

Vlad dropped another body to the ground. His glowing eyes turned, seeking its next victim in a desperate fervor. His demeanor was gradually changing as the battle went on. The levity and grace of his killing style was becoming more vicious, almost frantic. Instead of fighting the process, this time, his inner psyche was going to get through it by ending the battle as quickly as possible. Verin seemed content to let the vampire kill in whatever style he chose, as long as the job got done.

It took no time for the berserk vampire to lock onto its next victim. Vlad turned for Tenele and sprinted toward her, claws drawn out wide. Something between a smile and a grimace contorted his face as he launched toward her.

Stalker leapt in front of her, gnawing into Vlad's wrist as it flew to strike. The vampire lifted the beast off the ground by his bleeding arm and used his other hand to impale the dog's chest. If the creature felt pain, it didn't show it. Its teeth remained planted in the vampire's arm. Vlad turned burning red eyes down toward the creature, seeming confused by it. He suddenly seemed to steady his thoughts, and drew back his claws for a second go at the persistent beast.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele watched in numb shock as Vlad charged her. He didn’t even seem to care who she was. She was nothing but another obsitacle in his way. And then, his own hell hound attacked him. Despite how annoying the creature could be, Tenele had taken a sort of liking to him. Not only that, it was a creature and Vlad was brutally wounding it.

“Stalker!” Tenele called, as if the beast would care if she saved him.

She racked her mind for what to do, and then it struck her. Vlad was immortal. Not human, and no matter how many times she hacked at him, he wouldn’t die. She ran up behind him, and drove her sword through his back. Her heart ripped as she realized what she’d done. She had just stabbed Vlad. Stabbed the man she loved…. She clenched her teeth as she withdrew her sword, taking a step back. She stood in a ready stance, her sword held up in the defensive position. The wind tossed her short silver hair, and her fierce green eyes glared at him.

A man she had loved, she corrected.

Though, despite how much she wanted to deny it she couldn’t. Her heart still ached from where he’d ripped it metaphorically from her chest. “Stop this madness Vlad,” she told him curtly, as if expecting him to remember her.

[Soran Nightblade]

The vampire threw the hellhound to the ground as searing heat ripped through his back.

"Stop this madness, Vlad!" a voice demanded from behind him as he whirled on whoever had been foolish enough to strike him. His hand lashed out and grasped her by the throat, throwing her to the ground, where he pinned her.

"Not a clever move, human. Did you think you could wound me?" he smiled ruefully into her face. His eyes gleamed red with power, but something in his voice belied his smile. It was too perfect and calculated in its cruelty, and beneath it was something hollow and restless. For an instant he looked at her strangely, as if he were trying to remember something, or possibly something was trying to remember him. He didn't seem to recognize her.

[Emora Deen]

She was startled when he moved so fast she barely saw him. Suddenly she was ready for battle, and then she was lying flat on her back in the sand, her silver hair fanned out around her. Tenele grabbed at his hand around her throat. It was small enough that he could almost wrap his hand completely around it. Her beautiful green eyes stared up at him wide and fearfully. "I believe I did wound you," she whispered feircely to him. "But, not quite as thuroughly as you have wounded me." Her chest heaved as she was fighting to control her own emotions and the fear that was welling up inside her. She slipped one hand away and struggled to reach the holy dagger in her boot. When she couldn't reach it, she planted her fist in his ribs repeatedly.

"Tenele!" A voice called. "Get away from her you bastard!" Suddenly a flash of blue fire struck Vlad.

[Soran Nightblade]

At Tenele's words, Vlad's expression tightened. Her pounding at his body hardly seemed to affect him, but his eyes flickered with an inward battle of recognition. His expression grew tight with concentration and what looked like rage, while his hand shook and then forcibly loosened around her neck.

A bolt of blue fire abruptly knocked into him. His hand slid from Tenele's throat as he flew sideways and crashed into the sand. Vlad was on his feet again instantly, his resolve apparently cemented by this newest attack. "If it isn't Verin's prodigal son," the vampire said, grinning with maniacal anger as he began moving toward Atul. He teleported and was suddenly directly in front of the prince and hurling his claws upward at his chest.

Stalker rose up to his feet from where he had been thrown into the ground. His chest wound bled freely, but the creature moved as if it didn't recognize the wound. It simply persisted in walking back to where Tenele lay on the ground and taking up its post silently at her side, looking down at her with unreadable red eyes.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele stood as fast as she could, because lying down wasn't the best defensive position. "Worry about yourself for a little while, will you?" Tenele muttered to Stalker, since despite his wounds, he still seemed more interested in her problems.

"And you dared to lecture me on my inability to ward of Verin's grip? You were about to kill her!" Atul growled as he recovered from the strike. His chest mending as he spoke. His eyes glanced to Tenele, and he spotted her pants leg covered in blood. He hadn't been able to pay attention before, so suspecting the wound was from the vampire, the demi-god became even more enraged. He disappeared only to appear behind Vlad, driving his own firey claws into the vampire's chest. "I could kill you right now," he muttered into the Vampire's ear as his hand wrapped about Vlad's heart.

Tenele's eyes were wide, and she stepped forward quickly, almost ready to defend the vampire, and Atul saw her expression. Her words might have been strong before, but that look told him all that he needed to know. Tenele wanted to do something, adn then it hit her. This was perfect. She reached into the pouch as she was walking forward. She was about to draw the sphere from it and touch it to Vlad's skin. Only a few more feet.

"The only reason I don't kill you now is because I don't want to cause her the pain of watching you die," Atul's voice was filled with malice. He had watched Vlad kill to many innocents not to want to loath him. He didn't understand why Vlad had turned so swiftly and truly to Verin, and he didn't care at the moment. Atul withdrew his hand from around Vlad's heart and from his chest. He teleported to just behind Tenele, wrapping his arm about her waist. He tugged her swiftly to his chest and disappeared again, only to reappear several yards away.

Tenele didn't even realize it was happening until she was some distance away. "No!! Take me back!"

"Not on you life," he hissed, glancing to a man next to him. "Blow the horn and sound the retreat. Make sure the sorceres cover our tracks in the storm."

"You don't understand!" Tenele said, trying to fight to get out of his impossibly tight grip. "I need to get him back."

"You don't understand," Atul yelled. "The Vlad you know does not exist. Nothing but his form is left. He's gone!"

"I know!" Tenele yelled back, kicking her legs back against his as he lifted to carry her by one arm.

The fighters were retreating, and a storm was coming. It was building faster than normal, being made by sorceres up a head. It was going to make it so Vlad's army could not follow them.

[Soran Nightblade]

The wound in Vlad's chest left him stunned for just long enough for them to escape the area before he could pursue. Stalker kept pace with Atul's teleportations by running at a swift, monstrous lope.

Vlad put his hand to the wound in his chest and gritted his teeth, closing the wound slowly with his powers until it stopped bleeding. It was coming. That maddening, merciless clarity was digging to the surface, threatening to show him reality. Something was telling him that this time, he truly didn't want to know the truth. He took note of Atul's retreating forces, but his predator instinct seemed dulled. He didn't give chase. He just watched them, particularly Atul and the human with him. Verin's power selectively blurred his vision of reality, but the looming sense of disaster that played vaguely at his senses was enough for him to grasp that something had just gone very wrong. For his life, he couldn't place what it was, not amidst the relentless thrum of power and bloodlust that beat inside his skull. He might as well have been trying to play chess while burning alive in a fire.

Grasping his head, he turned back toward the military's encampment, his allies staggering hurriedly out of his way as he made a swift retreat from what remained of the battle.

[Emora Deen]

During the long walk back to their camp in the middle of the desert, where no one could teleport in on them and it was nearly impossibly to find, Tenele told Atul of what had happened when they tried to leave back to Ighten. She even confided in him, what she had not told Sinead, and that was what Vlad had said to her. Atul had tried to console her, but like much of everything else she had said she’d always replied, “I’m fine.” afterwards. Atul knew better, but there was no arguing with this woman, he’d learned that.

If anything, what had happened apparently had made her even more beautifully fierce than usual.

“We should get your leg looked at by a doctor,” Atul muttered to her as she passed by the designated area for the wounded. “Tenele, really.” Reaching out he grabbed her hand and tugged her to a stop. Tenele cast a quick glance to Stalker to insure he didn’t attempt to attack the prince.

“They need them more than I do,” Tenele replied softly, taking his hand and pulling him with her towards the tents. “Which one is yours?’

Atul took the lead and ducked under the flap of one of the largest tents. Despite how much he had resisted it, the people had given him what little luxury they could afford. Once inside Tenele let go of his hand and stepped a bit further in. “You’ve stitched me up before, you can do it again,” she told him confidently, placing her hands on her belt. “I’ll need you to turn around.” She averted her gaze from him and Atul watched her for a moment longer before turning his back slowly to her.

Tenele went about unlacing her boots. She pulled them off and unbuckled her belt. She slid her pants from her legs and draped them across the two foot high cot. She grimaced at the sight of the profusely bleeding deep wound, and made sure not to get close to the place he’d be sleeping. There was no avoiding the fact, however, that she’d bled on his fur mantle at the foot of the cot. Tenele pulled a thin sheet over her lap, high up towards the upper part of her thigh. Most of all of her legs was exposed, but modesty was something she couldn’t afford at the moment.

“Alright,” she said softly, glancing back up at him as he turned around. He forced his eyes to stay on her face at first before they drifted to the floor and roamed up her leg to the bleeding wound. Tenele coughed softly. “Bleeding here.”

Atul shook his head. “Sorry,” he muttered. He stepped forward and grabbed one of his shirts. He pressed it to the wound. “Hold this here. I need to go get the stitching.” His dark eyes met hers and held her gaze for a brief second before turning on his heal and leaving.

Tenele held the shirt to her leg, her eyes roaming out about the tent. A dangling oil lamp hung low and far away from the canvas tent top. There was one seated on an old wooden table that was low to the ground. It only took a minute before the prince came stooping back under the flap of his tent. He carried a bundle of brown cloth in his hand and a black glass bottle of medicine. He knelt down in front of her, reaching and taking the shirt from her.

“I don’t understand why you trust me over a doctor,” he told her, unfolding the brown cloth. There was a set of needles, a role of black string, and a white role of gauze. He took a cloth and wiped around the wound before popping the cork on the bottle. “This will hurt.” He told her simply, there was no beating around it. The wound was deep, and the medicine would go even deeper, or at least feel like it.

Tenele clutched the sheet she had draped in her lap, she gave him a nod and Atul began to pore the medicine in. She gasped, then clenched her teeth before anything more could come out. Taking deep straining breaths she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, thinking of something else as the medicine burned its way through her to clean the wound thoroughly. He did this three more times before wiping the blood away and lacing the needle with the stitching string.

“Want something to bite on?”

“Did I need something the first time you stitched me?” Tenele asked in a breath.

Atul smirked, leaning towards her bare leg for a better look. “Okay, here we go.”

Tenele hated stitching, but nothing could be done about this. It needed to be stitched before it became infected… or she bled out. The blood would only make it easier for vampire’s like Vlad to find her… She never thought she’d have to make it so the vampire wouldn’t be able to smell her, but even if the wound was stitched she was sure he’d be able too.

When Atul was done he lifted the white gauze and began wrapping it about her thigh. His dark eyes looked up to her as he did so, watching her as she seemed so thoughtful. “You have a gash on your face,” he told her as he looped and tied the gauze. His hands lingered on her bare leg for a moment. He reached up, brushing her silver hair behind her ear so he could see the tiny gash a bit more. He raised the bloody rag, folding it to where a clean portion touched the gash on her cheek. One of his hands cupped the opposite side of her smooth face as he dabbed the wound clean.

Considering the amount of space that needed to be between them for him to accomplish this, there was a considerable amount less. Tenele’s green eyes flashed to him when he had finished and his hand still remained on her face. She tilted her head questioningly towards him, and his face was close to hers. He tilted his chin and eased in closer.

It was strange, for she knew what he intended to do, and she didn’t stop him. Tenele felt his warm lips touch hers and his hand slide from the side of her face to the back of her head as he kissed her. It was different from Vlad’s kiss. It was sweet and gentle, while Vlad’s were too, but this had fire behind it, had heat and life. While Vlad’s lips were cool or cold. He was kissing her, and she couldn’t believe he was doing that. Why would he kiss her? Why was she letting him?

Tenele put her hands on his chest as he eased up to intensify his contact. She pushed him away gently, and he obliged by leaning back away from her as she tilted her head away. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Atul moved his hands away from her face, sitting back. “No, no, you have nothing to apologize for,” he told her gently. “It was forward of me.” He met her gaze as she finally looked at him. “Are you still being faithful to a man who treated you as if you were his play thing?” His voice was soft, and it wasn’t accusing, it was simply thoughtful.

Tenele narrowed her eyes. “I’m not being faithful to him,” she told him in a whisper. “I just…” Tenele shook her head, running a hand through her silver hair. “I’m fine. I’m over it. There is just too many things I have to deal with right now. I can’t become attached to you in the middle of a war.”

Atul stood up, shaking his head. “Your not fine, Tenele,” he told her as he removed his cloak and dropped it on the floor. “You are definitely not fine. If you continue to bottle all of this up you’re going to explode. He hurt you, and as soon as you go to show that your hurt you push it away. You pretend your fine. You put your duty before your own self so much so that you’re going to end up killing yourself. Trust me, Tenele, letting things build up inside you isn’t good. Its like having a beast just wanting to break free. Its like having Verin inside you, wanting to take control. Its a darker side of you that grows and grows until one day someone does something that finally lets it loose. Its not healthy, and you need to let it out.”

Tenele shook her head. “I’m fine,” she repeated.

“Oh, come off your high horse, Tenele. You’re breaking, I see it. Your eyes don’t lie. I saw the way you looked at him, even if he was covered in blood and wanting to rip your throat out,” Atul muttered. Atul reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You didn’t deserve how he treated you. You’re a beautiful strong incredibly insanely fearless woman. You deserve far better than that.”

Tenele shook her head. “I deserved exactly what I got. Sinead tried to warn me, but I was so completely blinded by love or lust or whatever it was I didn’t see it.” Tenele grabbed her pants and stood up. She started pulling them on even with him standing there watching. “I let my heart take control for the first time in my life. I stopped thinking about duty and honor. I stopped thinking about what was good for queen and country. I thought about my own feelings, what I wanted. Look where it got me.” She didn’t even bother latching the belt. She was slowly losing control over herself and her emotions and she wanted to get as far away from Atul as possible before she lost them completely.

She brushed passed him. “Tenele,” he called, turning to follow her. He grabbed her just as she was reaching the exit. “Feeling isn’t wrong. There is a world that lies outside of duty. You don’t have to throw your life away to war and the noble causes of royalty. You can be who you want to be.”

Tenele turned a teary eyed look to him as she shook her head again. Her eyes searched his handsome face. He was a prince. He knew what it was like to be born to a certain life. She had heard enough of his story to know he had the same issues as her. He wanted a life outside the bounds of nobility and duty. “Look at yourself,” she whispered, nodding her head towards him as her hand moved to remove his hand from her arm. “Now tell me… can we really be who we want to be?”

His hand wrapped about her fingers as they moved to pry them off. “We can try,” he told her gently. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, a soft caring smile came to his face. Her eyes lingered on him, and she couldn’t help but stare. So many thoughts were running through her mind, and she hadn’t the slightest idea where to go with them.

“What do you want from me?” she asked him in a breathless whisper. Did he mean to play her and use her as Vlad had, as Verin had?

Atul blinked, looking a bit taken aback. “I don’t want a single thing from you,” he said honestly. “I just want to help you.”

“Nothing? Not a night of passion? Not a kiss? Not some deal or agreement?” Tenele’s voice was cracking now. “Why would you care about my happiness?”

Atul smiled softly at her. “Not all men are bastards and I already got my kiss.”

Tenele was silent as she watched him, and his fingers slowly slipped from around her hand. “There hasn’t been a place prepared for you. Take my tent. I’ll seek shelter somewhere else.” He bowed his head respectfully to her and turned to step out of the tent.

“Atul!” Tenele called quickly as he passed her by. He stopped, looking back over his shoulder as she stood there in a near panicked pose. “Can I use you?”

He looked a bit confused, but with narrowed eyes he replied, “Yes, what do you need?”

Tenele was expression was torn, but she urged herself forward. The closer she got to him the more confident her steps got, and when she reached him she through her arms about him and kissed him. “I need to feel something good. Anything.” She kissed him again, trying to drag him back towards his cot. “Please.” His lips were so warm… so different from Vlad’s. That’s what she wanted. She needed different. Vlad’s memory only made her feel pain.

It didn’t take much to persuade Atul. He could not deny that Tenele was beautiful, and he could definitely not deny that he wished there was some place in her heart for him. He had been broken and alone for so long, the need to be wanted and the need to hold someone lovingly in his arms was almost too much. She pulled him down onto his cot with her, and he hovered just above her. But, as she was attempting to remove his clothing he grabbed her hands in midst of her kiss and gently pulled them away. His eyes were very serious as he gaze down at her. He wanted nothing more than to do this, but his heart wouldn’t let him.

“I won’t be like them,” he told her. “I won’t use you. You don’t really want to do this Tenele, and I won’t have you regretting it in the morning.” He placed her hands over her heart. “Let your heart mend, and when it does I’ll be here for you.”

Tenele’s eyes welled with tears and she tightened her grip on his hands. She’d just been turned down and it was possibly one of the happiest moments she’d had in the past week. “Thank you…” she said, a slight smile on her face. “I’m just out of my head lately.”

“Its understandable,” he replied, pulling back to a standing position. “Get some rest. Your leg is hurt, and needs to stay still for a while.”