In the Dark

Amberle sat alone (at least she hoped) in the forest far enough away from the clearing and the campfire that she was only bathed in moonlight. The only sound in her ears was the gentle whisper of the trees overhead as a breeze reached down to caress Amberle's cheek as if to comfort her.

Her father's people were out here. Possibly keeping an eye on her. She hadn't had time or energy to turn her fury on him and begin to ask him about her mother. Was her mother actually still alive? Had she ran off to be with him and left Amberle behind?

There was a slight rustle of the leaves behind her as if someone who normally walked quietly through the forest were trying to make noise so as not to startle her.

"Leave me alone!" She called out in greeting.


Amberle saw Leander's green eyes before he even stepped out from the trees. Even in the pale moonlight, his large bright eyes shone.

"Would you please talk to me?"

"No."


Leander didn't listen. He sat down on the grass near her. "We call your father's people 'the nameless ones.' They are a group of elves that live in the forest." Leander sat quietly for a moment biting on his lip as he seemed to turn over thoughts. She was almost ready to tell him to spit it out when he started talking again. "The problem is that there is bad blood between our people. They've killed elves, Amberle. Our kind of elves. The kind of elf your mother was."

Leander paused again, and this time Amberle let him sit until he was ready to speak. "That's why we told everyone who didn't know that you were half sim. The stigma would still be bad, but it could have been worse." He turned his head so that he was looking her in the eyes. "The council wanted to train you to be a soldier due to your 'heritage'. They foresaw that there could be a war on our hands and they hoped to use you as one of the foot soldiers that rushes in first.


"But I couldn't let them do that. So I convinced them you were bad luck and would bring our ruin if they taught you magic and put you on the battlefield."

His words brought to mind the day Leander, acting on the council's decision, sent her away. That day he had been so strongly insistent that she leave; it was as if he had sliced her chest open with a silver sword. The wound had festered at the thought that her one friend-- the one person who seemed at all on her side-- had wanted her to leave to badly.


Amberle brought her hand to her chest and pressed her cotton shirt against her skin. "You told me in town that the council feared for the elves' safety with me around."

"That's not what I said exactly. I only said that the council feared for our safety. They knew a war was coming. You were sent away in case one of the enemies got their hands on you." Leander glanced over at her. She was sure he was thinking of Henry. "Actually, there is something else I have to talk to you about. To explain." Leander's green eyes flashed in concern, though Amberle wondered if there wasn't also a little bit of guilt. "You know that some elves have special abilities that make them stronger in one area than in others? Like the way some elves can talk to animals? Well, you have that ability too. But you... ah... 'talk' to fire."

Amberle had nothing to say. There were no words. Fire was NOT her friend. If anything, she had spent more time on fire than any other elf. She wouldn't consider that a power.

"Amberle? I can't completely explain it, and it wasn't something we could be sure of until you became older. And by the time we were sure, you were sent away." Leander quietly watched her for a moment. "Will you say something?"

"NO. WAY."

"Was that you saying you're not going to say something?"

"That was me denying everything in two words. NO. WAY."

"Listen, would you be serious? It is a very rare gift among the elves. It is another reason why no one could teach you. There simply was no one else who could. But it doesn't make you immune to fire. You can still die, so it's a very danger--"

"NO."

"Amberle..."


"WAY." Amberle stood up. "That's it. I'm ready to head back now. Good bye. I'll see you around."

**************************************

For the longest time, I have had a story in my head about a girl who could control the wind but was afraid of flying.

Well, sparked by a certain event ("sparked" ahaha-- see what I did there?), I combined the older story with this story.


And Leander is so darn cute! He's always either scowling or looking concerned in game.

Also, sorry for two night time/photoshopped posts in a row. I suppose it's fitting in a way to have the two styles of these last two posts be similar. But with the extra shopping, the dark pictures are so much easier to see!

The tutorial is by Mao and can be found here.

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7. Fight

"Anna..."


I stand before him ready to die to buy the others time to get to the top of the mountain. He must not get to them or he will ruin everything. Lord Henry has followed us from one kingdom to another all because of me.


"No." The sword pulls on my arm as I lift it into a defensive position the way Joan taught me. How long do I have? How long can I hold him off?

He takes a step towards me and I tighten my grip on the sword handle. "Anna," my name falls softly from his lips. His deep voice brings back the memories of sitting on his lap and curling up in his arms. I am ashamed that I was ever so naive. My grip tightens on the sword so that the leather squeaks in protest.

Although he hesitates, he does not stop. Another step towards me, and I shout, "Stop!" There is a warmth that floods me. My own magical defenses, natural and innate, warm my muscles, traveling down my limbs. When he is within the swing of my sword, I follow through.


The weight of the sword disappears once it has begun its swing. I put my body behind it so that I feel the aftershock of my attack in my shoulders. I open my eyes to see that I have managed to hit him in the shoulder. The wound is deep; the blood flows down his tunic, but he will heal in minutes.

He stands still long enough for me to see the damage I have caused before he swoops in, wrapping his arms around me and pressing the sword, still clutched in my hands, against my body. "No!" It is a guttural sound that comes from deep within me. The denial is so strong, it almost feels as if I can break away. But my mind knows better despite my thrashing.


I can feel his breath upon my neck, and I know the end must be near. The only thing to do is to stop fighting and hope that I have given the others enough time.

"Anna," his voice is soft in my ear. His arms are still wrapped tightly around me in an embrace that is impossible to break.

I still live, and though I do not fight him physically any longer, I still hear myself saying, "Come sun rise, the vampires turn to dust and the werewolves will become human. It's over. You can kill me now if you wish."

Softly, he kisses my forehead as he hasn't done since I was a little girl. He moves away from me, and the sword drops to the ground, my muscles are too drained to lift it again. The cold night air rushes in, chilling all the parts of me that had been pressed to his warm body. He is gone and I am alone in the moonlight.

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Since this is the last post for the past part of the story line, feel free to ask me anything you want. Basically, if it isn't clear, Anna is buying time for Joan and "others" to get to a spot where they can cast a curse. The curse will make it so that the supernaturals can only come out at night. (But oddly, it does not affect the mermaids. I have some reasoning for that, but I am reserving it for possible future storylines.)

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Heart of the Matter

Where we left off
Time: Present day

"What're you doing? Leander asked angrily. "He can't speak. He probably can't even understand you!"

The hulking creature turned only his head towards Leander as he growed a retort. "I can speak. Best for you if you don't right now."



Amberle still sat on the ground in utter confusion of the scene before her. The creature tried to take a step towards her, but Henry stepped between them again. "You are going to frighten her. She didn't know. They never told her."


Amberle stood up slowly, brushing the dirt that stuck to her pants.

"Then why am I not here if not for her?" He glowered at Henry. Amberle only had to catch a glimpse of his red eyes to see how they burned like embers of a dying campfire.

Henry stood his ground. "I have come to ask for your help-- for her as well as those who have accepted and adopted her."


"Those sims are in trouble?" Amberle couldn't help noting the tone in his voice. She could almost think he sounded concerned, but she knew nothing of the man and decided she must be reading too much into it.

"A war is brewing. Just as I have woken up, so have others. They want the world of old when we ruled the world."


"'We?' Who's 'we?'" Amberle looked at Henry.

It was Leander who answered her. "The supernaturals-- like him." Amberle could sense that Leander crossing his arms and scowling unattractively. "The civilized elves already have their eye on it. Why do you think I'm here?"


"Wait a minute," Amberle thought back to their last meeting as she turned to face him. "You said you were here to check out the sim settlement for the council."

Leander dropped his scowl when he glanced at her with his large green eyes. "I just figured war with supernatural creatures would be worse than simply getting kicked out again."

Amberle felt she could hit him. "And you!" She said as she turned on Henry. "Why didn't you mention this to me before instead of carting me around and plopping me down in the forest? How can we even trust you? You're a vampire; why would you want to even stop something like that from happening?"

He looked at her steadily, but there was a flicker of sadness that only she would catch. "I have my reasons."

*******************

I've been cleaning through my downloads folder recently. The other day, I spent time downloading new and old hacks for my game. SO I think that is what prompted my Henry and Amberle dream.

It was very odd, but it matched my color scheme of these darker pictures. And all I can remember thinking at the end was, "Aw! Don't be a bad guy, Henry!" He must've done something very bad. O_O

Wednesday, another piece to the puzzle.

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6. Flight

Norma, my maid, runs a brush gently through my hair. "I heard it was quite a show last night. Chef says that you impressed our guest very much."

I sit still as she begins braiding my hair. "Mermaids don't even use magic; of course he was impressed." At the thought of his red eyes on me, a chill runs down my spine, and I feel indecent in my night gown.



"No dear," Norma's voice is hardly above a whisper. She leans in as she continues braiding. "There was another guest. One of our guests."


I turn my head quickly to look her in the eyes. Could it be? A true human rebel here in the castle? Norma has told me stories of the human resistance through out the kingdoms fighting for the freedom of all humans. But I could never fully imagine someone who would do such a thing. What kind of person would be so brave as to risk their lives for the impossible?

"Come. She will help you escape." Norma takes me by the hands and has me stand up and she takes off my night gown and replaces it with a course dress that smells of the scullery. "You must leave. You are powerful." She smooths my hair with one hand. "This dress will confuse his sense of smell long enough for you to get away."

There is a knock on the door. On the other side is the one who must be the "guest." She holds a tray of food which she quickly puts down. Her eyes have a glint in them that a normal maid would never have. She glances at me, taking in the sight of me in my course maid's dress with an unreadable expression.


There isn't much time. Norma packs the food the guest brought in for lunch and ushers us to a secret passage way with brisk instructions which she aims at The Guest who I assume will know enough about the outside to know where we are going.

My chest constricts as we run from everything I have known my entire life into a world I have only seen through windows.

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5. The Show of Your Life

The chef enters the large dining hall and gives me an encouraging smile. Earlier, he had said, "Just make sure to stay put, my dear." I was to be his "assistant." "You will see the most amazing show you have ever seen in your life. If only your father could have seen..."



The chef bows to the lord of the manner and the two guests nearest him. The face of the ruler of this land remains hard edged and stoic. I get the feeling he simply wants the show to start already and could do without the formality.


The chef sits down at the piano and begins to play a soft melody as the candle lights go out and we are left bathed in the partial moonlight filtering in through the large windows. My heart thumps as I stand in the dark, a strange crawling feeling rolls up my back. I do my best to stay as still as possible. Being trapped in the dark with a bunch of vampires and a mermaid requires a special ability to remain as un-prey-like as possible.

The music swirls around the large room as it begins to crescendo. As if on cue, a blue light beings to gently glow.


I suck in a breath when I notice the girl standing in the middle of the room. A small ball of blue light floats at her fingertips as if it were an animal she were gently coaxing back to the stable after the freedom of a pasture field.


The ball moves with her as she dances, twirling around her torso then her arms as she stretches out her perfect limbs in time with the music. She raises her hand into the air and the ball twirls up her arm and to her fingertips where it shatters shatters into small sparkles which appear to fall from her graceful fingertips to the ground.

Ever so delicately, her bare feet daintily prance across the floor as her arms gracefully arc away from her body. There is a light that comes down from the ceiling and falls down upon her and around her.


As she stretches out her arm, the light turns blue and envelopes her. It surrounds her as the music reaches its finale and, as suddenly as she appeared, she is gone. The room is in the dark once again, and my life suddenly feels dark as well. I have just seen the sun for the first time and I realize now that I have only been living in a dark cave this entire time with nothing but a campfire for light.

***********************

So I fixed up some of the storyline side bars. I'm horrible with names, but I like to keep things organized. So this current storyline is called "Connections." All the past Amberle and Henry stories are now all filed under "Embarrassing Amberle."

Oh and new background images. ^_^

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Amberle's Outsting

Just an FYI: There is a player at the bottom of this entry that will start playing music automatically.

The last time we saw Amberle


Time: About 20 years ago...



Amberle had waited all afternoon for word from the elven council. She wore the first fine dress she had ever worn in her life. The soft fabric gently rubbed against her skin as if to calm her.

The two sisters sat on a wooden bench cackling as they whispered softly. Leander’s mother looked up. “Have a seat dear. He’ll be here soon.”



Amberle sat down impatiently though she tried to keep a smile so as not to ruin the good mood of the ladies before her. It was unlike them to invite Amberle to have a seat. Her entire childhood was filled with memories of their horribly sweet voices ordering her to clean or behave. They had remained as distant from her as possible so that they wouldn't waste any energy or life force on Amberle-- "the little beast" as they often called her.


She had an early memory of the particularly difficult time she had adjusting after Anthea (the elf who took her in) passed away. Amberle had often cried, and one day Honeydew Hazelbone looked at her and said in a voice that simply dripped like honey, "Amberle, civilized elves do not behave in this way. Which would you rather be? A civilized elf or a little beast?" Amberle had shouted, "BEAST!" then kicked her in front of her sister and her son, Leander.

Amberle had paid for it, but she had to admit now that she was older that it was the only response really.

The sound of Leander’s boots sounded securely on the stone steps of the hallway.

Leander stepped into the room, his bright white and traditional garment drawing all eyes to him. But his large green eyes fell only on Amberle.



********************



Amberle felt disheartened upon the sight of the little boat she was supposed to use to travel across the sea. “I’m supposed to go away in THAT?”

Leander used his calming voice on her. She hated that voice. “You'll be fine. I’ll cast a spell that will put you to sleep and protect you until you reach land.”

Amberle’s voice was hardly a whisper. “You won’t know… I could drown out there.”

“You will not drown.” Leander’s voice was suddenly strong and urgent. He wanted nothing more than for her to get in the boat. He wanted to be rid of her the same as all the other elves.

The anger welled up in her chest and spilled over so that the words that fell out of her mouth hardly sounded like her own. “You’re just SO glad to get rid of me, aren’t you?” She wanted to kick the boat, and she would have but for Leander’s suddenly stern voice sounding strongly over her thoughts.


“Amberle Silverring there happens to be plenty you don’t know. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and just get in the boat.”

He had never yelled at her before. Amberle hesitated. His yelling almost hurt worse than the abandonment. She thought back to the time he had snuck her out so she could play in the forest in the rain. After that, although they didn't sneak out again, she had felt closer to him than the other elves.

“Amberle,” his voice was low, “Get in the boat.”

She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave her home or the forest she had grown up in and loved since she was a little girl. But she couldn’t say so after he had yelled and then followed up with a low warning growl. So she climbed into the boat while trying to hold back her tears as Leander started to cast the spells.


Amberle's eyelids became heavy as the spells infused her consciousness with dreams of the forest. She lay on a bed of lady's mantle; the yellow flowers surrounded her, comforting her as the first few drops of a warm rain gently splashed her face, running down her temple.

The wind gently touched her face carrying soft words to her elfen ears. “… a new start…” Leander’s voice was but a whisper in her ear. “Good luck, Amber…” It seemed he said something else, one last phrase which drifted away with her conscious as she slipped completely into the dream state...



********************


What a weekend! I went to a local anime festival (Fanime) with my boyfriend and best friend. We had no internet though, so I'm still catching up on all the entries I missed.

Plus, I didn't get a chance to play before I left, so I just took these pictures. Phew!

I also had a little bit of trouble getting the words out for this entry. I've had it written, but it didn't sound right. I hope I managed to do it justice.

Here is the music I listened to while I tried to re-write and edit. The first is actually from my favorite game Final Fantasy 4 (on the Super Nintendo). The second is from the anime series Record of Lodoss war which also deals with magic and elves. *shoves glasses up nose*

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4. The Garden

Same morning as this entry


The sun shines brightly in the courtyard lighting up the dark stone of the castle walls. I remember when I was very little, coming out to the courtyard after my lessons was a treat. Lord Henry would bring me to let me play in the sun shine on the hot dark stones of the courtyard. Then one day he surprised me by having a small garden planted. They were the only plants inside the courtyard. The only other plants I had seen before then were the forest plants that I could see from my room widow on the third floor.


I bend down to closer inspect the flowers. They bloom so brightly that bugs from all over are attracted to them and seek refuge in their petals. I have often wondered what kind of life the bugs see outside. How do the other humans live who are not under the watchful eye of their vampire lords? What do they do when he must feast? Do they give up loved ones? Do they give up the poor? Maybe they simply give him the people they don't like.



Today, he wants to speak. There is space for me to sit on the bench beside him, and so I do. I can feel the stolen warmth of his forearm near mine. When I was a little girl, I never knew. There would be times he would be warmer than others, and in my ignorance I would crawl into his lap like a cat seeking the warmth of a sunbeam. I know now that those times would be just after he had fed, when the hot blood of his victim ran through his veins renewing his own life and strengthening his body.

I try to smile, but I can see he is still scowling over the merman.

"Barbaric!" He speaks in a low voice, but the word spits from his mouth. "A cart full of young maidens. Does he think he is dealing with the werewolves?"


I try to sit quietly, staring ahead of me as if I were looking at my flowers. He is one to talk. Is he more refined simply because he uses young women like my mother and my grandmother, breeding them for his own amusement and fame? I suppose he's more refined because he has raised me and, instead of killing me, parades me me around when other vampire lords visit?

"Are the werewolves bad?" I ask as I try to channel the young girl I used to be. Though Lord Henry has said enough to make me understand that he does not approve of the werewolves, he has never said specifically what is bad about them. We share a border with one of the werewolf kingdoms, yet we have never had a visit from any of the werewolves.


He turns to me in a rare form. His teeth are plainly visible as he angrily tells me, "Very. I want you no where near a werewolf, do you understand? Even your magic would not be enough of a defense against them."

"Are they immune too? Like the vampires?"

"No, but they will not give you time to cast a spell once they have caught your scent." He looks away from me towards the flowers, deep in his own thoughts.

***************************

Why yes, that is a vampire hanging out in the day. (Just so you know you're not imagining things.) XD

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3. Found

Last time we saw Joan


Just my luck.

We hadn't been sure where the gift was going, but our intelligence suggested it would most likely be an offering to a near by lord. Of course, that would mean that I could be facing a werewolf as well, and I don't want that either; it's just that none of us had been expecting that the gift would be carted to one of the higher vampire lords as well. I recognized his name when I heard it spoken by one of the guards.

Lord Henry's name had been carried to our little resistance group by a person who had managed to make it out of the Vampire Empire. Apparently, he is known to be rather eccentric (even for a vampire). He enjoys collecting art and throwing parties where the humans aren't the meal but the entertainment.


I saw the vampire lord with my own eyes in the courtyard. There was an angry scowl on his face as he commanded the gaurds to drop us into the cells. "Be sure to check their eyes," he added. A young girl stood behind him with her hands neatly folded behind her back. She looked young-- about 18 or so-- and yet she stood securely near him as if she knew that she was in no danger. Her exposed neck showed no wounds, and none of the guards so much as glanced at her.

It seemed clear to me that she was a kept human. Protected and cared for while the rest of us suffered. If I did manage to find a way to escape, I would be sure to steer clear of her. She would be the first person to turn in a human rebel-- of that I am sure.





I could hear boots scuffling on the stone steps. It was more than one pair, but I couldn't tell how many more. My heart raced. Were they already here to pick out one of us to go upstairs?

Two men stand before the cages looking us over. I do my best to huddle down and appear as unplesant as possible, but I can't help looking around at the young girls in various states of distress. I know they wouldn't do the same for me. If I were in trouble, they would not help me. They'd all just be glad it wasn't them.


I stand up and stare at the two men catching the eye of the one with the hat. He nods and points at me. Crap. What the hell was I thinking? I want to sit back down, but they're already unlocking the cage door and motioning for me to come out.


We end up in the kitchen. The guard takes his leave.

The cook smiles at me and says in a low voice, "Don't worry. You're safe. I knew your father."

I'm not sure what to say or do. Luck? Chance? Or was this planned?

"Come, I'll show you how to chop vegetables." He sets me up with a cutting board and sets me to work, explaining how to cut the veggies. Inbetween instructions, he explains more in a lower yet clear voice.


"Someone followed to be sure you arrived, and when it was noticed that you were coming here, they sent word to me to save you."


We work to make stew and gruel for the guards and the prisoners. All the while, he softly explains the vampire kingdom to me.



***********************

So I was looking over last week's entries, and I feel like I wasn't clear enough. Part of my problem is that when I write, I just start writing, usually from the middle of a story. So sometimes, there are details that I might not mention because it's something that's clear to me. (I do this a lot IRL too.)

Basically what's going on here is that Supernatural creatures once ruled this land. To my sims (excluding Amberle), this is a new land. They came over from the old land, so they know none of the history. (Heck, how much Amberle and the other elves actually know is questionable too.)

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Battle

Present day-- Last time we saw Amberle

Leander didn't even bother to ask Amberle if she was in distress before he tossed a magic spell at Henry. Amberle heard herself beginning to growl an insult just as the spell dissipated against Henry’s chest. The words sat unspoken on her tongue when she saw Henry's glare and a flash of teeth.

Henry leaped, using his larger body to knock Leander to the ground.





"You should know something about your enemy before you try to attack," Henry had a hand to Leander's throat. "Vampires are immune to magic."

Amberle could only think to do one thing. She pounced on Henry, knocking him off Leander and onto the ground.

As far as Amberle could tell, Henry was surprised. He did not fight; he only put one hand gently on her arm and gazed into her eyes.

“Whoa Amberle…” Leander’s voice came shakily from behind. "It's okay. I can handle him." Amberle recognized that tone of voice right away. It had been the tone he would use when she was a little girl and she had become angry at one of the other elves who had mistreated her.


“What? Don't use that tone with me! I just rescued you in case you didn’t notice.”

Henry rolled his eyes, though Amberle wasn't clear at who. “You haven’t told her, have you? You haven’t told her why they and you fear her for something she didn’t do and has no control over.” Henry growled so his fangs showed purposely. “Tell her.”

Amberle looked over her shoulder to Leander even as she still straddled Henry, “Yeah, tell me.”

Leander opened his mouth to sigh and, hopefully, begin to explain when he gasped at a shadow that stepped out from the tree line.


Amberle was too surprised to fight Henry when he gently moved her off of him so he could gracefully stand up between her and the hulking form. Amberle fell back on her behind as she watched Henry make a graceful bow to the large creature with the wild hair.

Henry sounded exasperated. “Ah, now you appear. I’ve been waiting.” Henry stepped to the side just enough to reveal Amberle and still stay close enough to step in front of her in case the creature attacked. “I suppose it’s Amberle you really wish to see. Amberle,” Henry hardly turned towards her. “Meet your father.”

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2. Anna

Also a long long time ago (around the same time as last entry):


I stand at my place behind my lord's large wooden chair. The maid said we were having a special visitor this morning and that our lord needed me today-- not only to show me off, but also as protection. She picked out one of my rarely used gowns, a deep purple one which exposes too much of my neck. "It brings out the color of your eyes," she had said. But all I can think of it is that my neck is too exposed.

Boots loudly scuffle on the stone just outside the door. My stomach churns anxiously at the sound of his arrival.




Lord Henry sits down in the seat before me as I try my best to smile the way I used to when I was a naive little girl. The look on his face is stern. Once he is in the seat before me, he says, "A mermaid visit today, Anna. If he should attack, use fire."

I simply nod and pray that the merman doesn't attack.

My lord leans back so that the wood from the back of the chair creaks from holding his weight. I can feel his agitation. Mermaids are not the friends of the Vampires.

A messenger announces the arrival of Lord Pollonios shortly before he walks in through the door. He wears no clothes. My eyes dart away quickly. From my first glance, I can tell that he is much smaller than my lord, shorter and slimmer. His skin appears to be blue like the ocean he comes from, and he looks very much like a human, but for his flat nose and large red eyes.



From the corner of my eyes, I can see him moving to a seat motioned to by my lord.

"Good day, my lord. I have come bearing gifts." The merman's voice is deep and low but carries far. There is a vibration to his voice; it rumbles as if deep within his chest he brought the water from the sea.

"You are quite a way away from home, are you not? Don't tell me you came all this way to bring me young maidens."

The merman gurgles. I can only guess that he is laughing. "I am sorry, my lord, but my land, unfortunately, does not have much else to offer to one of your calibur. Unless, perhaps, you were needing strong workers."

My lord's voice becomes deep and menacing. "What is it you are hoping to get in return?" I can imagine his dark eyes glowering.


The merman maintains his calm. Quickly, my eyes scan for his face and I catch him glancing at me before I look away again. He is curious about me, but because my lord hasn't brought the subject up, it would be rude for the merman to ask about me. "Nothing at all, my lord. Simply, your goodwill. The previous lord met an untimely demise, and I have stepped in to take care of his lands. I thought it might be a good idea to meet my closest neighbors."

My lord sits quietly for a moment. Both the mermaid and I hold our breaths as we wait for a response. I can't help glancing up again, and I see the merman's eyes on me. It becomes clear to me that he knows the blow will come from my hands, not the guard who stands near by.


"Quite daring of you to appear before me as a new lord." My lord's voice suddenly changes into something more like the purr of a cat. I wonder if he is smiling and flashing his fangs as I have seen him do sometimes. "In a few days, some of the other Vampire lords will be visiting to partake in a show quite unlike any thing I dare say you've seen. I would like you to come."

The merman has no choice. "Thank you. The art of this kingdom is known far and wide. It would be an honor to be a witness."



The merman bows his head, then rises to take his leave. My lord stands, blocking my view of the merman. I peek one eye around my lord's large arm to watch the merman bowing deeply. When he pulls himself up, he glances at me again, clearly still curious. But my lord says nothing.

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I haven't said it at all so far, but Henry is actually William Carfax by Atomic Space Kitty. He is simply awesome. The second I saw him, I thought he would make a good bad guy.

Also, although I keep thinking it, I refuse to ask if I've gone too weird. XD If there are people out there going, "Whaaaat?" Then I can only point over to my "About me" section and stress that I really love the X-Men, comic books, science fiction and other odd things. (In particular, I love the late 70 and early 80's when Chric Claremont did the whole Space Opera thing which began the Dark Phoenix storyline.)

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