Mature: Desert Moon

[Soran Nightblade]

"Tenele," a female voice murmured from behind her. Sinead stared at her in confusion. "You're not on board... I came to see you off..." Her expression darkened as she spotted the shadows under the girl's eyes. "My darling, what's happened?"

[Emora Deen]

"He left," she whispered. Tenele turned back to the ocean and watched the ship disappear into the knight. "He broke it off with us and left." Tenele broke down in a sob. "He has to find a Queen... he didn't tell us. It was so sudden."

[Soran Nightblade]

Sinead blinked. She was serious. The queen could barely imagine the spirited king leaving those two behind. They seemed inseperable, to the point she'd even worried it might be harmful to her working relationship with her two warriors. She hurried to the maiden's side and brought her into a warm hug. "My dear girl," she murmured, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele fell apart in Sinead's arms. She really truly had wanted to be alone, but there was something comforting in the Queen's embrace. "I thought it could last forever. How childish," she cried. "I used to dream we could marry, the three of us. Its accepted in Hajara. It is possible... I'm such a fool. I let myself get too attached."

[Soran Nightblade]

Sinead held her tight. "I don't believe it's you who is the fool," she said quietly. "Perhaps he'll be clever enough to realize it. I'm shocked Vlad didn't injure him."

[Emora Deen]

"He injured our room instead," Tenele whispered. "Atul has his duties. His advisers have given him no other option. They have already made preparations for his potential brides. He has to follow the law of his land. We are foreigners.... But, Tenara... She only just got us back. She's devastated. We all are." Tenele wiped her eyes, finally noticing all the eyes that were on them. "I promised Vlad I wouldn't go out in public. I better get back to the palace." Tenel brushed past Sinead gently.

[Soran Nightblade]

Sinead frowned as she watched her maiden retreat back into the castle. Any happiness she might have felt at their staying was robbed knowing that they'd been hurt.

She'd been so sure they were angry enough with her to leave without saying goodbye... She smiled worriedly as she watched Tenele.

In the room, Vlad paced quietly. Stalker paced just behind him, which was annoying, but the vampire wasn't in the mood to berate him for it. He paused as something pricked his leg, and reached down only to remember the box in his pocket. Vlad drew it out slowly and opened it. He stopped pacing and stared at the polished band.

He closed the box and set it in his dresser, with all the other things he'd left behind. "I'm done," he muttered to the wolf at his side. He closed the drawer tight and turned back toward the fire, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm done."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele pushed open the bedroom door and closed it behind her. She crossed the room with a certain sureness in her step and turned her husband by the shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, even through her own tears. She kissed him like it was the last kiss she'd ever have with him.

"It was just us before," she murmured. "I love you. I love you. I love you. We'll just go back to the way things were before. Just the two of us." She forced a smile, cupping his face in her hands. "My husband. My love. My life."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad trapped her in his arms, clutching her tight against him. "I will cherish you forever. Beyond the bounds of your life or mine. I will never let you be hurt like this again," he swore, his tears dropping to her shoulder. "We will be happy. Our daughter will be happy."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded against him. "We will be happy," she whispered lovingly. Her arms tightened around him. "Come on," she urged. "Let's go to bed. Let's hold our daughter." She tugged him gently to bed, taking her place on one side of her daughter. She pressed her lips to the soft hair at the back of the sweet child's head.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad nodded and stripped his clothes without ceremony. He slid into the pile of blankets with his wife, hardly in the mood to sleep but not wanting to be awake either. He put his hand over his wife's safely clasped around their daughter. Even if he'd given them this pain...Atul had also given them this joy. If that was the meaning he had to take from all this, then so be it. Let it hurt, if that trusting partnership was the reason his child existed. Even if that was all it was.

"Goodnight, love," he whispered, and closed his eyes.

[Emora Deen]

Three weeks aboard a ship had done little to improve the King's mood. It wouldn't have taken so long if a storm hadn't torn the sails. He spent the entire morning back in his room with servants skittering around him, scrubbing him, combing him, placing oil and lotion on his skin. They seemed so angry that his adventures had ruined the pampered texture of his flesh.

The King stood in front of his mirror, looking at the white robes he wore, with their careful gold embroidery. His long black hair was pulled back with a leather cord, which showed off the handsome bone-structure of his face, but also his scarred dull right eye. He tapped his cheek just under the end of the white scar. Despite his regal appearance the King looked warn and thinner. He hadn't regained the weight he lost in pursuit of Vlad, and he'd pretty much stopped eating as his grief and guilt burned through him.

He missed them.

"My king," a servant mused. "It is time."

Atul frowned. So it was.

The King took his place on the throne before 12 beautiful women. He hadn't paid much attention to them, but he had been told that they were the finest and loveliest women in all the land. 12. One to court for each month of the year.

"My King," the adviser called. "I present..." He went through a list of names that Atul only half listened to until he came across one that he recognised a little over halfway through the list.

"Espha?" Atul asked darkly, casting his eyes on the beautiful young woman. He hadn't seen her in a while. She was older now, he wasn't sure how old, but he felt it had to be too young to marry.

"My king," Espha murmured, bowing. "My aunt has sent me as a representative of Ida and a possible candidate... for marriage."

"How old are you?" Atul muttered, leaning back.

"Twenty," she replied.

"Twenty," Atul repeated with a frown. He appraised the group, each one, and felt a dull heavy weight in his gut. What did it matter who he chose if their soul purpose was to produce an heir?

"How do you think you will die?" he asked the women.

A soft murmur fluttered through the room.

"Eh, my King," the adviser hesitated.

Atul cast him a dark glance. He waved the man away. "I ask," he continued. "Because the woman I marry will die. She will die screaming and bleeding giving birth to my child. That is what it means to be Queen. You will not rule, not for long. You will endure the touch of a man who will not love you. You will carry his child. You will die."

Some of them gasped. Some of them took a step back. But, Espha didn't budge. She held her head high. Why she didn't flee, he had no idea... He suspected it probably had something to do with her controlling aunt.

"Well then," Atul sighed, standing up. "Now, that we have that out of the way... We'll start this funeral march tomorrow." He stepped passed the line of women, only sparing the girl he knew a glance.

* * *

Tenara laughed as she chased a little noble boy around the garden with a large lizard. He cried as he ran from her, and that made Tenara only laugh more. "You hurt Izzy's feelings!" she called after him as he disappeared behind the skirts of his mother.

"EEE!!!" she screamed, slapping Izzy out of Tenara's hand.

"Izzy!!" Tenara dove for the lizard, capturing him just as he almost crossed the threshold into freedom.

"Get that disgusting thing out of your hands," the woman growled. "Where are your parents?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smiled as he watched his daughter play with the snobs in the courtyard. He was perched comfortably in a tree above, the same place he'd proposed to Tenele. He kept an eye on her, but he tried not to interfere unless necessary with these situations. She was a powerful child, her mother was famous and her father was notorious. She would need to know how to control that power, even with people who were rude to her, early on, and if a few yuppies got hurt in the process, he didn't particularly mind.

The weeks would have been rougher on him if he weren't surrounded by Tenele and Tenara. It also helped that was violently opposed to letting his mind turn to Atul. He'd been so vigorous in distracting himself that the recent weeks were among the most productive in his tenure in Sinead's court.

"Be gentle with it, honey," he called out with sadistic cheer from the tree, "Cold-blooded creatures break easily." He met the noble's eyes with an unpleasant smile.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara nodded, stroking the lizards head. She gave him a kiss.

"Disgusting," the woman gagged, turning away and dragging her child with her. Tenara sat on the sun-warmed earth. The temperature was rising in the air, signalling that spring was moving into summer.

"Can I hold him?" a soft voice muttered. It was a boy, maybe two years older than Tenara. He sat down across from her.

Tenara grinned and passed Izzy to him.

The boy laughed and Tenara laughed with him. They played with Izzy for several minutes before two older boys walked up.

"What's that?" they asked.

"His name is Izzy," the boy playing with Tenara replied.

"Give him," the older boy replied.

"Philip is playing with him," Tenara replied, wise about sharing beyond her age.

"Give him," the boy replied, reaching forward and snatching Izzy out of Phillip's hand.

"No!"

Tenara jumped up, but the second boy pushed her back down.

"Aww, he's dead," the first one muttered. "Stupid lizard." He tossed the dead lizard in front of them.

Philip started crying. Tenara just stared blankly at her dead pet. Though, she'd only known Izzy for thirty minutes... it made her angry. She lifted red eyes to them.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad dropped casually from the tree and walked toward the children. He crouched behind the two boys and placed a light hand on each child's shoulder. "How unfortunate. Tenara, perhaps you can explain to these boys what they did wrong," he said, he ruby eyes meeting hers.

He should have been concerned to see that power in her gaze, but every time he saw it, it was physical proof that she was his. He smirked at her confidently.