Heirot

Tenele flushed, with a soft smile. "I see," she replied shyly, seemingly not deterred from his change in voice. Tenele was strong enough emotionally, despite how her hysterics of yesterday might have proven otherwise, to understand the differences between the cruelty and evil of the man she'd met, and the sincerity in the voice of the man she apparently called husband.

Vlad brought up a book from the floor, and set it in front of her before telekinetically turning to a bookmark in the center of the volume. The page showed a sketch of a very weird animal. The sketch had been reproduced by scribe and was very old. It wasn't clear the details of the creature, really. At the top of the page was the name "Hesic". According to the text, the creature was never officially documented, and those who had seen it had only encountered it in passing. The accounts were all slightly different, along with the physical descriptions. It was hardly enough to go on, except some subtext in the lore behind it. Apparently, superstition was that Hesic sightings were associated with witchcraft and 'curses of the mind'. Again, the counts were very vague, and very old. It didn't help that they'd been translated from foreign texts. And the origin of this particular text, Vlad explained to her, was Hajara. This was the one and only tome that mentioned such a creature. If one had ever been seen on this continent, it had not been documented, for whatever that meant. Vlad walked her through the information and then paused to let her digest.

After she got over the initial shock of a floating book, not yet quite used to his strange powers, Tenele frowned at the text. "How far away is this place?" she asked, turning her gaze to him. "Can we go there tomorrow? Is it close? Maybe they have more information..." Tenele hesitated for a moment before reaching out for his hand and grasping it tightly. "I have to know who I am. Its terrifying not knowing who is my friend and who is my enemy and..."

Vlad stared at the book. He looked torn about something. "I was thinking the same thing," he said slowly, hiding the tension in his gut. "If the creature is Hajarian, there will be more recorded there than here. It may have arrived on one of the ships. It is not too far...a week's voyage."

Tenele nodded. "We should go there for more information..." And then Tenele remembered their injured queen. She winced. "I am thinking selfishly, we should stay until the queen is fully healed and strong. I suppose you have to figure out why she was attacked and who instigated it. That's a lot of work to be done, and what I gathered from the whispers of the doctors, you are important to that process..."

Vlad nodded quietly. "There are a few things to take care of. As soon as they're done, we can go." He glanced at the vial of green liquid on the night stand and picked it up. "I had this prepared. None of the doctors know. It is for pregnancy. You should know that Tenara's birth was very difficult, and there's a good chance you're not capable of having another child at all. What you do with this is up to you." He held the vial toward her.

Tenele wanted to scold him immediately, wondering who he told to have it prepared. It took a second for the initial outrage to wear off. Her jaw set tight, but she took the vial with a quivering hand. She stared at it for a very long while, and then glanced back at him. "Will it hurt or make me sick? I guess it doesn't matter..." Her nose wrinkled.

"Most people have no reaction to it. You'll need to spend the rest of the morning here to be sure, though." Vlad glanced down.

Tenele pulled the cork top off. It smelled awful. Which meant it was going to taste just as bad. The Maiden took a deep breath, held her nose, and choked it down. She gagged after swallowing it. "Oh, gods that's terrible," she huffed. She set the empty vial on the table and settled back in the sheets.

Tenele stared down at her hands for a minute. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "If I hadn't wondered off, nothing would have happened. It must be very hard for you. It must be like looking at a stranger controlling someone you care about, being unable to do anything to bring her back. I feel a little like a child who borrowed a toy and broke it."

Vlad's red eyes blinked at her. "No, it's not like that," he said quietly. "You've done nothing wrong. And you're not a stranger. I'm still talking to Tenele. It's just...a different side of you. It's you, minus me."

Tenele nodded st his words. That made sense. "Okay," she sighed. "Well, I guess until we get this whole thing sorted out we have to get to know one another all over again... Just in case it doesn't get sorted out."

There was a heavy knock on the door and Talon opened it up, a silver haired blur ran in front of him and leaped up onto the bed.

"Mommy," she cried.

Tenele turned a panicked gaze to Vlad. "What's wrong?"

"We were down for breakfast and a woman said some unkind things to her," he sighed, but the glance to Vlad said there was more to the story.

Tenele curled her arms around her daughter. "Shh, it's okay. Sticks and stones." Tenele's gaze lifted to the man escorting her daughter. Silver hair. Red eyes. Her vampire brother.

"Who?" Vlad asked, cold anger chilling his tone.

Talon scratched the back of his head, "Lady Wilmington," Talon replied, his eyes going to the empty vial on the bedside table. He put his hand up. "I don't think you should go speak to her about the matter just yet." *Not when you still have rage in your heart.*

Tenele hummed softly to Tenara until the little girl settled down, then she lifted her gaze to the father if her child. "Does this happen often? Why do people say mean things to her?"

Vlad sighed. Lady Wilmington was the wife of Lord Barrin. The two were among his heaviest critics in Sinead's court. "Tenara has special abilities. Since they seem to come from me, many are skeptical of them."

Tenele frowned, striking fingers through her daughter's hair. "Well they shouldn't take their distrust out on an innocent little girl," she seethed. "Even if she is special or different from other children. That is bullying... She cannot help if she is different."

Tenele wondered if the fact she didn't remember her daughter having those special abilities was due to not rememebering her father.

"Mommy has to stay here a little longer today, but you can stay here too. I'll read to you abd we can make pretty pictures..." Tenara nodded quietly. "You are far too young to understand such cruelty, little one. I promise people will treat you with respect from today onward, at least the ones who should know better."