Heirot

Lelana brushed her fingers over Vlad's hair. She was quiet while she let him drink. She knew exactly what he had planned. She toyed with the idea of letting him succeed. "I was thirteen when Verin raped me," Lelana sighed softly. "The first time... I guess that would destroy anyone's sanity, no? I think it was because he resented me. A girl. Out of all the strong boys, a girl... I saw the way he cared so much for Atul. Sweet, kind hearted, Atul, who wanted nothing more than to run away from him than be wanted by him. I tried to be the son that he always wanted, maybe I tried to justify his punishment of me."

Lelana grew quiet and let the vampire continue drinking. "The world is full of noise," Lelana whispered. "Loud, grating, noise that only grows quiet in the presence of suffering. I did enjoy our journey here together. I enjoyed your company. The normalcy of it. I ruined it, because the noise grew too loud."

Vlad hesitated, his jaws loosening around her wrist. Why did she have to say she was raped? Was she even telling the truth? Maybe he wouldn't hurt her. Maybe he should make the death painless. It was hard to even think of mercy after the agony of the past two days, but he sent a tendril of magic through her, softening the blow of his attack, soothing her spirit as he continued to drain her. He kept thinking of Tenele, her gentle kindness attacked by that man in Lowight. An experience like that could warp a person. Any kind of abuse could. His own experiences had. When he'd lost himself, no one had lashed out to put him out of his misery. They'd worked with him. Did he have an obligation to try to help this broken creature he was destroying?

Lelana felt relaxed, too relaxed. Her fingers stopped their idle work in his hair and she stared down at him. Was he comforting her? No. That was a maddening idea. Why would he comfort her? He was teasing her. She glowered at him.

"Don't take too much," Tenele's sweet voice whispered to him, brushing her fingers across his face. "I feel weak."

Vlad let go of her. He couldn't help himself. Tenele's kind voice had a strong effect on him. He even put his fingers over the wound, a gentleness she certainly didn't deserve. He sighed, resting his forehead to the back of her hand. "Deep breaths. No sudden movements," he muttered, frustrated with himself, and with her, for being so confusing.

Lelana took deep breaths, as he instructed. She moved, but only very slowly, to lie in the muck next to him, curled against his side. She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "Are you feeling stronger? Can you stand?"

"Yes," the vampire answered, without moving. It would be so easy to snap her neck.

Lelana sighed, wondering why the vampire hadn't tried to kill her yet. He seemed awfully complacent for someone who had just tasted her blood, which was potent for any demon given the origin. Was he really so charmed by the guise of that woman? Was she that special to him?

Love, she thought sourly. No one had ever loved her.

Tenele pushed to her feet, showing strength that hadn't been there a moment ago. It was more determination than anything, a very familiar look for Tenele. "You smell like death. You should shower."

With that she turned from the room and left, leaving the door wide open for Vlad to go where he pleased.

Vlad stood slowly, testing his body's wholeness. Then he made his way back to the room where she'd brought him originally, her throne room. He scanned the room for signs of rubble from the rock golem's body, but spotted nothing.

He needed a piece of that creature. Any piece. His claws had broken rock before. This time, if he was prepared, he could take the creature head-on. He began pacing around the edge of the room, looking for the mechanism that had been used to lift the creature from the space beneath.

Oded stood in the doorway to the throne room frowning as he watched Vlad pace around looking for a way to lift the gollem up from the floor. He stepped in carefully, warning. He had no words to call attention to himself with, as he had no tongue to speak them. So, he let his broad form be signal enough.

* * *

“Where are we going?” Tenele asked Atul as he led her blind folded out of the city gates to the sandy surrounding earth. “I can’t believe I let you cover my eyes.”

“My either,” the King replied with a smile. He positioned her perfectly where he wanted her and then removed the blindfold. “Ta-da!”

Atul skipped out, motioning in a very grandiose fashion towards a beautiful white stallion being held in place by a palace guard.

Tenele tilted her head at the animal, laughing. “A horse.”

“Your horse,” Atul smiled. “I thought that… Well every queen needs a horse.” He looked nervous, stumbling over his sentence. Maybe he was afraid to say it… That his soon-to-be-wife needed a horse.

“Queen…” Tenele mused to herself, stepping forward. She brushed the horse’s nose gently. The creature sucked in a breath and sighed out. “But…”

“But? You don’t like him?”

“No, it’s not that. I love him. He’s beautiful. It’s just…” Tenele frowned. “I don’t remember how to ride.”

Atul looked shocked. Tenele, not remember how to ride? The shock melted into a warm smile. “I’ll teach you. It’s easy.” The king motioned for the guard to leave them and move a distance away. The stallion was already saddled and bridled and ready for riding.

Atul guided Tenele into position to mount the horse, helping her up. She laughed as she settled into the saddle, adjusting the dress modestly around her. “I’m not sure about this…”

“Ah, you’ll get the hang of it very quickly, I promise.” Atul smiled. He spent the next thirty minutes giving Tenele lessons on how to maneuver the creature where she wanted him to go. “Alright,” he sighed, a mischievous twitch to his smirk. “Ready to try it on your own?”

“I… nah, its okay. Really.”

“I think you should.” Atul nodded, taking a step back towards the horse’s rear. He smacked the stallion firmly. The beast bolted forward, and Tenele yelped.

Atul stood back near his guard, arms folded, and watched the horse tear across the desert sand.

“Not sure that was your best idea, sire,” the guard sighed.

A few minutes later Tenele guided the horse in a run back towards the King. Atul watched how she effortlessly seemed to turn the creature. Instinct. Just like he thought. If she could fight with it, she could ride with it. The creature slid to a stop in front of them, kicking up sand. She slid from the saddle, stomped towards him, and slapped him hard across the face.

“Told you,” the guard murmured quietly, looking away as if he hadn’t seen his King being attacked.
“You… What do you think you were doing?!” Tenele seethed at him. “You scared me to death!”

“But, you managed to guide the horse back, didn’t you?” Atul asked, rubbing the red mark on his cheek. “That’s good, right? Instinct?”

Tenele glanced back at the horse, as if suddenly realizing she had come all that way all on her own. Atul saw the light brighten in her eyes and she laughed. As soon as she caught herself enjoying the moment, she glowered at him. “See if I let you teach me anything again.”

“That’s how I learned,” Atul sighed.

“And who taught you to ride like that?”

Atul laughed. “My father.”

“Oh, that explains everything.” Tenele folded her arms just as the horse started nipping lovingly at her hair. She tried to ignore it to continue giving the King her angry glare. But, soon the glare faded and she smiled. “As insane as your father was… it seems his method was somewhat sound.”

Atul winced. “Ooo, good thing he’s not alive to hear you say that.”

Tenele smirked, curling her hand over the horses face as the beast rested on her shoulder. “He likes me,” she smiled.

“He does… What will you name him?”

“Name?” Tenele whispered, glancing to the stallion. “I have no idea. I have to think… what does one name a white horse?”

“Cloud,” the guard piped in before clamping his mouth shut and turning red with embarrassment.

“Snow?” Tenele asked.

“Snow sounds very feminine,” Atul remarked.

“True,” Tenele tapped her chin while the horse nibbled on her hair. “I am the one that apparently named a hell hound, Stalker… and a god, Knight. It seems I lean towards literal names… Tenele glanced at the curved sword that the King carried. "Saber.”

“Saber…” Atul mulled over it. He grinned. “I like it. He’s fast and sharp. Come on, let’s ride him back to the stables.” Atul helped Tenele into the saddle and then fell in behind her. He smiled at her gentle weight as she settled comfortably back against him.

Progress. So much progress.

That night Atul sat between Tenele and Tenara on the large bed that Tenele normally shared with Vlad. He read them a Hajaran fable. When he was finished and the book was closed the King didn’t move. Tenele was sleeping against his shoulder, and his daughter was tucked under his other arm. He was perfectly content to let things be and stay like that for as long as he was allowed.

Eventually he woke Tenele and urged her to lie down into a more comfortable position, and he tucked Tenara in next to her.

Vlad turned to the sound of Oded in the room with him. He didn't know what to make of the disapproval on the man's face. "Help me raise him up. Or show me how to get to him. He is the only reason I'm here at all. My wife is suffering."

The look on Oded's face was the look of a man who had a thousand words to say, but couldn't voice any of them. Suffering. His wife was suffering. He thought of his own wife, and her suffering before her passing, and his heart softened. Even the constant scowling shifted into something softer. He contemplated his decision a moment more before entering the throne room and shutting the door.

As he crossed the room he tried to signal to Vlad all the things that were wrong with the situation, from the size of the beast, to the fact it couldn't be controlled without Lelana, and that Lelana would kill them once she found out what they had done. But, while the guard thought he was being coherent enough with his hand motions, they ended up just looking like spastic, flailing arms.

He went to a space behind her throne and pushed his arm into a hole. He brought out the handle to a crank, and then went to the crank on the wall and attached it. He gave Vlad one final look, winced, and began lifting up the beast from the floor.

Vlad couldn't understand what Oded meant with all his wild gestures, though he could more or less guess it was a warning. After, fighting a boulder bare-handed with no magic to aid him was a pretty strange thing to do. But he just needed a sample. Just one piece. Then he just had to get out of this place, through the front door, if what Lelana had said was true.

He flexed his arms at his sides, preparing as the creature slowly rose up from the ground, rising to eye level and then reaching his full height.

"Hi there," he greeted the monster with a ruby-eyed grin. He should have seen death in front of him, but all he saw was Tenele's memories, a way to give the ring he'd worn meaning again. A way to save Atul from the loneliness he though he was doomed to.

The blades stretched from his hands, strong and ready. "I need a piece of you, buddy," he warned, taking a step forward as he sized the massive golem up.

The gollem made a confused groan, and looked about for Lelana, like a dog longing to see its master. Its head turned back towards Vlad advancing, and the claws the vampire was sporting. The creature took a more ready stance, bending low, and letting out a gruff roar that shook the foundation of the room. He lumbered forward, swinging wide stone arms and hands, fingers grasping to pinch the vampire's head off.

Vlad's lean build broke into a calculating run, rushing to meet the creature head-on. He knew better than to try to use his abilities this time. He snared sideways instead, just as the creature's arm would have reached him, and vaulted up onto its shoulder. He drew back his arm and slashed downward with all his strength against the golem's head. The impact shattered his claws and nearly broke his arm. He watched his talons splinter in the air, startled speechless. It didn't seem to have any effect at all.

The gollem rumbled, grabbing Vlad's arm and slinging him off his shoulder towards the far wall. Odeb shook his head from where he stood by the throne, taking a step back as the creature lumbered towards Vlad.