Heirot

Talon looked over his shoulder as the door completely closed behind the Queen. "Alright, that was just odd," he said, seemingly shaking it off. He then grinned at the two of them, though at first it seemed very... forced. He walked around the side of the bed where Tenele's collection of broken bones lay limply on the fabric.

He placed one hand on her arm and one hand on her leg as gently as possible. For a moment nothing happened and then a soft silvery light seemed to grow and spread over the affected areas. The bruises on her face and body slowly shrank to nothing and the bones merged back together. After moment he was finished and he removed his hands. "Like I said, the cuts and burns will have to heal more slowly. A cursed weapon was used to make them. Its odd..."

He let his thoughts run away with him. "Its almost like they expected someone to come after you," he said after being unable to contain himself. He opened his mouth to speak again, but contained it, walking away from the bed. "Tenele did they feed you or make you drink anything?" he asked her quickly, his eyes wondering over to Vlad.

"I... I don't know," Tenele's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember eating. Why?"

"Just wondering," Talon said quickly and once again his fake smile returned, though it was a rather convincing smile. "I need to talk with the Queen about something. I'll see you later."

He walked to the door and turned once more. "Oh, by the way, sister... You can walk again." He smiled, giving a wave of his hand and turned his worried expression away from them. He left the room.

Tenele sighed, shaking her head at her brother. "He has always been strange," she muttered as she swung her legs over on the side of the bed and slowly let herself down. It had been so long since she walked on her on she wasn't sure her feet would hold her.

She went to stand and immediatly began to crumple to the floor, forgetting her body had lost blood, was malnurished, and drained of almost all its energy. "Crap."

Vlad leaned forward and shot his arm down, catching her under one shoulder from his position on the bed. He eased forward, letting her slowly onto the ground, and then fell to a crouch on the floor beside her. "You're not ready for this. Stay in bed," he said. He was still distracted by what had just happened, but he managed to get his normal teasing expression on his face. He lightly touched her leg where it had been broken, and he could feel the bone sewn together again under his fingers, whole and strong. It was a relief.

Tenele looked at his finger tips and hand that touched her leg, following up his arm to his bare chest and shoulders and finally up to his red eyes that were distracted by her leg at the moment. A playful smile came to her lips and though she was tired she couldn't deny what she wanted. A kiss.

Tenele leaned forward slowly, tilting her head and pressing her warm lips to his cool ones. Kissing him gently, while her newly healed arm and hand slowly trailed upwards to rest against his face. When the kiss was over she pulled away, though not too far. Her green eyes wondering over his face while she held a smile. "I can't believe she agreed..."

Tenele's kiss surprised him, but after a second the feeling gave way to pleasure and, oddly, comfort. Holding her whole and warm against him reminded him that the danger had passed, and even the queen seemed to be done fighting him. It made him realize how tired he was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ended up this tired. After all, he'd been in the same room with Talon for five full minutes and not even had any fun with him. He inadvertently followed her lips as they pulled back from his, but stopped before it became too obvious that he was lingering there.

"I can't believe she agreed," she said with one of those smiles that made his blood rush.

"I can't believe she kissed my head," Vlad complained in response, smirking at her. He put his arms around her shoulders and drew her up against him, resting his throat against the top of her head. It seemed to hit him full-force that crap, he really was in love with her, and it wasn't going away. This delicate human was extremely important to him, and she was so easy to break, so able to die. She would die. There was a reason he didn't involve himself with humans. Oh well, them's the breaks.

"I seem to be very serious-minded today. Maybe I should've swiped some of your drugs," he said quietly, still holding her tightly.

"I'm sure the nurses will be back around. They might lend you some if you bare your fangs," she said jokingly, her finger tips lightly tailing up and down his arm as she rested against him. The numbing pain in her belly growing.

"I think I'm having an allergic reaction to that idiotic medicine the woman gave me. Help me sleep, my ass," she muttered, rubbing her stomach through the cotton gown. "If anything I think it is keeping me awake."

"Oh well," she sighed snuggling up to Vlad. She gave his neck a peck, smirking to herself. "It almost seems like the last week has been a dream. A horrible nightmare. Now that I'm healed... except for a few minor wounds... It doesn't seem real."

Vlad pulled back enough to look down at her. "What kind of allergic reaction?" he asked casually, but his attention was piqued. He remembered that potion they'd given her to prevent pregnancy. He didn't know how it worked or what it did.

Tenele blinked at him and then glanced down at her small hand pressed against her lower abdomen. "It aches... I would say what it feels like, but I know how men react to those conversations..." she smirked at him. She winced, jerking suddenly with a gasp. "Oww, that was unpleasant. It has been aching slightly for a while. It just seems to get worst. Its okay, just annoying. Oww! Damn it." Tenele glanced back at him, shrugging and smiling innocently.

She glanced down at the growing pain, narrowing her eyes. "I... I'm starting to think that wasn't a sleeping aid she gave me."

Vlad narrowed his eyes. "The nurses gave you something to prevent pregnancy," he said. "I thought it better not to tell you." But did that type of medicine actually hurt? He was starting to grow suspicious.

Tenele glanced up at Vlad and for a moment said nothing. She just nodded and wrapped her arms around her abdomen, hugging herself and leaning against him for support. She clutched her cotten gown tighter, wincing. She went very still and then suddenly began moving, as if she were trying to move away from the pain.

"Something isn't right, I can feel it," she said, taking in quick shallow breaths. "Vlad... something... isn't right!" Her brow was persperating and it seemed her fever had returned almost instantly.

Vlad held her lightly, looking her over in confusion. She was serious, something was wrong. The drug shouldn't be capable of this. What had the nurse said..."Something to help you sleep." Damn.

He lifted her panting form back onto the bed and pulled the sheet over her. "Hold on, I will be back," he said quickly, disappearing as he turned toward the door. He reappeared in the hallway, where a guard was on patrol. "Put the palace in lock down, he ordered the guard, who nearly jumped when the vampire formed out of nowhere, "There's a spy here, maybe more."

The guard's eyes widened, but he gave Vlad a firm nod and began running for the main guards' quarters. Vlad teleported directly to the physician's quarters, startling the doctor who was getting ready for bed. "The maiden's been poisoned. There's a spy among your staff. I want you to find out who, none of them touch her until then. Keep a guard with you," He leaned in close to the doctor's face. "That means you hurry."

He took the hint and nodded before going to the closet for his robe.

Vlad ported back into the hallway, trying to think of who could help Tenele if he couldn't trust the nurses. Talon....Talon knew about medicine. Sucking up his pride, he ported to the man's room to look for him.

Tenele was hugging herself, concentrating on believing that the pain wasn't actually there. She looked pale as death, as pale as Vlad. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of the door opening and the doctor came into the room wearing his night clothes and a heavy white cotton robe.

"Doc-doctor... help..." she said wearily as he grew closer.

"I was expecting you to be dead by now," he muttered, drawing a dagger from his clothing as he came closer. "I guess you are much stronger than I originally guessed."

Tenele narrowed her eyes and then she suddenly realized what was going on. He was a spy. She knew that Shea had many spies, but never guessed they were in the hospital ward.

He was close enough to hurt her, and Tenele didn't like that. She rolled out of bed, trying to get to her feet and did nothing but fall back to the floor. He made his way quickly around the bed, smirking. "Its hard to get away with broken limbs."

Tenele saw something shimmer under the bed across from her and while he was coming closer she reached under the bed. He bent down, grabbing her by the cotton gown and pulling her closer to his face.

"What broken limbs?" she asked inncoently, bring the once broken arm around quickly. The steel bed pan smacked into his face, breaking his nose. He stumbled back, shaking his head and roaring with fury as the Queen's Maiden pulled herself to her feet. Tenele used the bed for support, holding the bed pan at her side. It was clean and unused, however she guess Vlad had rubbed off on her. She thought about how funny it would have been to pore urine on his head.

"Bitch!" he growled, jerking up straight and charging towards her. Tenele threw the bedpan and it smacked him in the forehead. He fell flat on his back and for a moment was completely unconcious. Then suddenly he snapped to it and sat straight up, spitting a pile of blood and a couple of teeth onto the stone floor. "When I get through with you...."

"I have a whole list of things they told me in that torture camp. Should I lend you some of there material, for yours is a little over-used." Tenele smirked at him, though she knew that she hadn't the strength to fight him. She could try, but her will would not save her long.

He rushed at her and she cought his hand, planting her knee into his gut. He dubbled over and they landed on the bed, his form looming over her. "I don't think you want to know what my Queen had planned for you," he spat. "It would have been most painful..."

"Blah, blah, blah," Tenele muttered, struggling to hold the knife at bay. "Do you realize you spit when you talk?"

"Grrr..." He pushed further onto her, moving his other hand to grab at her throat. Tenele tilted her head down and latched onto his hand with her teeth. He screamed, jerking his hand away and bringing it back across her face quickly.

* * *

Talon turned around, holding a vile of black liquid. He almost dropped it when he saw Vlad. "Gods damn you... don't you know how to knock?" he muttered and then noticed the expression on the vampire's face. "Is she worst? I didn't expect the poison to work this fast..."

"She's faring badly. You know what's been given to her?" Vlad asked, walking up to Talon.

She hadn't the strength to hold him at bay. So she did the only thing she could think off. She twisted her body, the blade knicking her side and plowing into the matress below. She used what was left of her strength to kick him in the gut and shove him back. He stumbled and fell over onto the bed that Vlad had been chained too.

Tenele glanced down at the knife still in the bed and then back at the doctor. "Look, you murdered the bed," she said, a cold sweat having broke out. She was shivering, trembling violently and now could barely speak above a whisper with out letting the pain she was feeling show in her voice.

"That poison will burn your insides up," he said. "Though, you really should be dead by now."

Tenele hadn't gone for the knife yet, she was clutching her abdomen. She saw where his eyes were staring. She pulled the knife free from the bed and tossed it too him. Usually with her accuracy it would have landed in his body somewhere.

This time it landed carelessly by his side. He looked at her confused, wondering why she would give him the weapon back. "You need it more than me," she said. "I'm half dead and still kicking your ass, looks like you need the help."

* * *

"Valgar root acid and some other rather nasty things," Talon said in disgust as he headed for the door with the vile. "Easy enough to cure if you know what you are doing. I didn't know how long ago she was infected with it. I figured it had been a while, so it was a slow working mixture. I was going to try and cure her before it became to unbareable..."

Vlad listened as Talon's medical jargon flew right over his head. "Good, let's go," he said, coming up behind Talon. He put his arms securely around the man and teleported them both back to Tenele's room. The vampire appeared directly beside the doctor, who was holding a knife and getting ready to lunge at Tenele.

The vampire took in the scene in a heartbeat, then took his fist and back handed the doctor without looking at him. The blow hit his face, crushing his nose, and threw him soundly head-first into the stone wall behind them. The man collapsed to the ground. Vlad didn't look back at his work; he moved to Tenele's side. "It's ok," he breathed, guiding her down slowly onto his former cot because it was the closest comfortable surface. "Your brother has a cure."

He tried not to notice her rapid heartbeat. He could practically taste it in his throat, beating like it was about to explode.

Tenele nodded, glancing only once at the doctor and smirking despite the pain. "I really am getting tired of this," she muttered as Talon came closer to her with the vile of sludge looking liquid.

"Its not going to taste nice..." he muttered and helped her sit up. She grabbed her nose and held it and Talon pored the liquid down her mouth. She gagged, but forced herself to swallow it. He allowed her to lie down and she made a disgusted expression.

"Oh, that is horrible!"

"You'll live, so who cares what it tastes like?" Talon asked, turning his attention to the doctor. He was stirring from his position, looking disoriented. Blood poring profusely from his nose.

"Stay down," Talon said, pulling a silver hilted sword from thin air.

"You'll get yours too vampire..." the man said, spitting blood out. "Something is coming for you... far worst than anything you've faced. When he's ripping you apart, know that you helped make him. Long... live... the queen." He took his dagger and drug it across his own throat, seeing to it no one would get any information out of him.

Talon put his sword away. "Saves me the trouble," the alchemist said with disdain.

Tenele glanced at Vlad and then at Talon. "How did you know?"

"I could sense it. Vlad figured it out, I'm guessing. I never expected it to be the doctor," he muttered, shaking his head at the pooling mess on the floor.

Tenele glanced down at her side where a small patch of blood had soaked through her gown. Nothing major. In fact, she found it funny. "He was a terrible fighter," she said with a smile. "The last spy that tried to kill me was Adrain. Maybe its my wonderful luck with men." Tenele glanced at Vlad and gave him a beautifully sweet smile. "Though, it appears my luck is changing."

Her fever was fading and the pain had all but gone. The medicine had tasted nothing short of horrible, but worked rather well. She frowned for a moment and looked at the doctor with a stern glare. "What did he mean by something you created?"