Heirot

"He always plays dirty," Tenele called to the guard. "Be warned!"

Atul chuckled, snaking his arm around Tenele's waist. "Come on, both of you, there is something I want to show you." The King reached out for Vlad's hand and tugged him along. He led them through the brush.

Tenele saw the faint glow of blue reflecting off the leaves, and then he pushed the limbs apart and allowed her to pass through.

"Wooah," Tenele gushed, kneeling at the edge of the water.

Atul went through the process of explaining it to her again, and telling her that the microbes that kept the water clean were the reason it glowed. The brighter the water, the cleaner.

"Its beautiful," she whispered, running her fingers through it, exactly as she'd done when she first saw it.

"That's what you thought before. We went swimming in it," Atul replied with a smile. "Do you want to go swimming again?" The King turned his gaze on Vlad.

Vlad gazed out over the water, blood rising to his cheeks. Showing him something like this... "Atul...is it possibly that you're... hopelessly romantic?" he teased.

Atul smiled, blushing. "Well, I like romance," he whispered. "And, this is a beautiful place. I want to share it with people that I love."

Atul heard a splash, and it caught his attention, turning him towards the water. His gaze fell on the earth at the edge and at the pile of clothing Tenele had left behind. She swam out to the middle, laughing merrily at how the glow of the water reflected off her skin.

Vlad's gaze followed along with Atul's taking in the sight of his wife bathing in the luminous water.

A little romance could be nice. He pounced on Atul, knocking him into the pond with no care for his clothes.

Atul laughed when he surfaced, brushing his hair out of his face. He wrestled the vampire into a hug, treading water as he did so. "That wasn't fair. I was being nice," he whispered. He nipped at Vlad's neck while Tenele swam in circles around them. "I'm so happy."

Vlad pressed his cold nose in against Atul's neck, breathing him in. Their heartbeats sounded strange through the water, muted and soothing. He wanted to say how thankful he was to the demigod for trusting him, for choosing them, but self expression was not his strongest suit. He just embraced Atul until he risked drowning him, and finally loosened his grip.

He looked across the glowing water at his wife. All day, every time he saw her, it felt like meeting a ghost. He'd lost her for so long, needed her so badly, and now she was really here. He tried to make himself believe it. He swam alongside her in the water, his body brushing hers in the cool liquid.

All day, he'd been short on words. If not for the banter with the troops, he'd have been nearly mute. His red eyes glowed faintly, a contrast to the warm blues of the spring. The last time they'd been in the water together, he'd towed her for ten miles. This was quite different. This was pure joy, and wonder and peace.

Tenele smiled at her husband, swimming around him until she curled her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck in the shallow end of the pool. "You, sir, are entirely over-dressed for this occasion," she whispered to him lovingly, nuzzling his nose. "Two months without me, how did you ever survive?"

Vlad smiled, shrugging away his shirt to press close against her. He was as graceful in the water as he was on the ground, aided by a bit of magic so he could hold her as he pleased without sinking. "You did warm up a little. But the whole dumping-you-in-a-fountain thing didn't work this time around...I wonder what I did wrong?" he mused. "Maybe Sinead needs a new fountain."

Tenele smiled. "Well, you went out of order. You needed to break into my house first and pour a pitcher of water on me, then you throw me in the fountain. Steps, my dear, there are delicate steps to wooing me." She kissed him lovingly, twining her arms tighter around his neck. "I love you. I'm sorry for anything that I said or did. You have me back, fully and completely."

"Oh, damn. Of course. No wonder." Vlad held her tight. "I'm so glad you're back," he whispered. He nudged his forehead against hers.

Tenele's lips parted to say something else, but instead she yelped. She jerked closer to Vlad and immediately began to rub the sore spot on her butt.

Atul surfaced next to them, pushing his black hair from his face. "Be careful," he sighed. "The fish bite."

The Maiden glowered at him with suspicion. "Apparently."

The King swam in behind her, his chest pressing flush to her back. "I'll shield you from them," he murmured while his lips trailed along her shoulder.

Vlad missed a breath at the sight of Atul with Tenele. Seeing her accept him, and the casual sensuality between them, was such a relief that he forgot to hold himself afloat. His legs gave a stabilizing kick to keep him from falling under the surface, and he splashed a bit ungracefully. He didn't care.

He wrapped his arms around Tenele, encircling Atul in the same motion, and lowered his lips to her other shoulder. Again, the words were just gone. His possessive embrace and his fangs grazing lightly on her shoulder told as much as he could.

Tenele hummed lightly at the feel of the two men pressed so tightly to her and their lips on her skin. She looked over the glowing blue water, and how it reflected on Vlad's pale skin. She'd forgotten them for two months, but it was just like everything with the Queen had happened yesterday.

Atul's hands glided over Tenele's sides and along her hips and down the length of her thigh to the curve of her knees where they wrapped around Vald's waist. He'd missed her acceptance of him so much, it was enough to make him overly emotional.

"Should we go into the shallow end?" Tenele asked them, smiling as she curled an arm around Atul's neck behind her.

Vlad leaned into them a little closer, his face hidden in Tenele's shoulder. He wanted them so badly. He wanted to be together as three again, as they had been before things had gone so wrong. But he was also uncertain what he would see if he let himself get carried away. He was fighting it, despite all desire not to.

They needed him. Atul, especially, needed this moment, this affirmation. Vlad had to be up for it. He didn't want the king's uncertainty go on a moment longer, never mind his own.

"Yes," he purred with all his skill, drawing them sideways in the water toward the current-smoothed stones that lined the shallows.

Atul fell back into the water where it was a little less than a foot deep, lying on his back in the water. He tugged at his wet clothing, dragging his shirt off his flesh and tossing it towards shore. Tenele slipped up along side him, naked and beautiful against the glowing blue light. She kissed him while his hands worked at the belt and his water logged pants.

She drew away and went to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "You too," she breathed. "Out of those pants."