When in your life did you know you were not alone?

[birthrightgreen]

Even after everything I'd been told, after Jaenelle's messages, after meeting the High Lord of Hell...even after all of that, a part of me still couldn't believe. I didn't believe travel like that was possible. And despite always being careful to finish the kill lest I run into one of my victims wanting revenge one day, I still didn't really believe in the demon-dead. Not that they were still themselves, still sentient, and living in the way that matters. Dead, but not gone.

Or mayhap I'd just hoped she'd been spared that. I think I thought it was bad, to make the transition to demon-dead instead of sliding into the Darkness. An in between world where they were trapped. Would you want to be consigned to live in Hell? (No offense, Uncle Saetan) At least, as I had heard the tales, the answer was no. No. I didn't care if only the strongest made the transition. The Darkness seemed preferable, and I wished that for her. That final peace instead of continuing agony.

When he told me what she was, that she was not only demon-dead but Queen of the Harpies, I struck out in denial and fury. She couldn't be. Not her. Not something so filled with hatred and rage. But harpies are witches who die violently by a man's hand, and that is what happened to her. To Titian.

The Hall is an odd amalgamation of the living and the demon-dead and a Guardian. Nowhere else does it exist. The dead are supposed to stay in the Dark Realm. They shouldn't keep following the ties of the living. But Saetan's sons, his friends, they still follow him, dead or not. And she was still there.

All those years, just a passage through a gate away. All those years, crying for her when no one could see. Missing her. Alone, save for Sadi and no matter how wonderful a friend he is, he's no substitute for a mother. For my mother.

I stood on the other side of the door, my hand resting there, feeling the pulse of the room, the power of the Black, of the Ebony, that seems to make the Hall breathe. My hands were shaking and I wasn't sure how to make the knob turn. In the end I had to use Craft. And there she sat, looking like I remembered her, only far more nervous. Fear still in her eyes, though perhaps of rejection not the horrors my father visited on her. A moment. Two. We stared at each other.

And then I was in her arms, and she was holding me and humming softly the songs she sang to me as a child. And for once, I wasn't alone.

Comments

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She smiled back, kissing him. She traced back up his back, exploring muscle and bone with light touches.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He closed his eyes, snuggled into her. A quiet little sigh of relief, comfort. Contentment.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She smiled more, nuzzling his jaw as she held him tighter.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

"What are your plans for the next few days?" he murmured, eyes still closed. Almost purring at her touches.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

"There's a ball I should go to tomorrow night, but otherwise, no plans." She nipped his earlobe.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He shivered a little, made a pleased little noise. "Ooh? A grande affair?" Almost teasing, light, inquiring.

And maybe shyly edging for an invite. Or just teasing.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She smiled. "Mildly grand. I have a new dress." Another nibble. "Do you have plans?"

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

"There's the wedding on the 12th, my grandson's..."

We pause while Sam does not squee at the saying of "my grandson" because he is more dignified than that, of course.

"...birthday nominally the next day. Other than that, no plans at all."

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

The dates of the month aren't something that she's quite managed to learn in his world, but she nods knowledgably. "So you're free tomorrow night?"

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He uses dates because he constantly loses track of what day it is.

As a consequence, he had to think about that one.

"Yes." Sheepish smile.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

"Would you like to escort me to the ball?" She smiled back, a touch shy. Not used to asking.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

"I would be honored."

He's not really in a position to bow over her hand or kneel before her or anything. But he wriggles around so that he can bring her hand to his lips anyway.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She chuckled at the wriggling, brushing fingers through his hair. "I'm glad."

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He smiled, snuggled up again. "Besides, I love to watch you work a crowd." It was innocent and darkly amused all at once. Innocuous from anyone else, except that they were discussing manipulation and gathering of secrets.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

A flicker of darkness in her smile for just a moment.

"Sugar, you haven't seen anything, yet." He'd seen her play. Work was different.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

"Mmm. I look forward to the discovery."

Oh yes, yes he did.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She smiled a bit at that and kissed him.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He kissed her back, nipping gently at her lower lip.

Wondering, now that he was thinking about it, how they would both deal with each other's darker impulses and thoughts and dreams.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She nipped back, fingers trailing back up his spine, her thoughts following a similar line. It was hers that had at least partly driven Falonar away.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

Her fingertips made him shiver, just a little, pressing closer more for contact and touch than out of sexual desire or cold. Soft little kisses over her mouth, wondering. Thinking.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She stroked his skin almost idly, kissing him more deeply. They'd see how he reacted tomorrow. No sense worrying about it tonight.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He tightened his arm around her, kissing back. Trailing phantom fingertips down the sides of her legs with little static edges to it. Thought was rapidly retreating in the absence of conversation or new data. All he could do would be to chase his thoughts around in circles anyway.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

She moaned slightly against his lips, body reawakening fairly easily. She rocked up against him in teasing invitation, reminder that while he'd taken her to the brink, he'd yet to take his own pleasure.

Not that it wouldn't be hers to provide.

[oldestbeloved.livejournal.com]

He bit her lip, shuddering against her body, hard again in a second even after the conversation and relaxing of earlier. His hand slid down to her hip, stroking gently as the phantom hands continued to tease along her skin.

[birthrightgreen.livejournal.com]

A soft little cry at the flare of pain in her lip, then she bit back. Her legs tightened around him, squirming a little at the touch of the phantom fingers.