Lover

[CJF]

Trista finally did make it back to the palace, but did not go back to the celebration. Her mind was in too much of a frenzy to sit in the crowded hall just yet. She remained outside near the gardens, pacing back and forth. She thought of every possibly scenario that would explain his letter, tried to justify it, but nothing made any sense. She felt exsactly as she had when she first found the letter; helpless. Surely he would have recognized me? Perhaps he lost his memory...but then why did he leave me a letter? He would not have known I even existed if he'd lost his memory! Perhaps he lost his memory after the letter? But then why did he leave the letter? Every answer she came up with took her in a never-ending circle. Finally, she sat down under a large tree and cried. She was so desperate to have him back, but was too angry and confused to know if she could trust him or not. "If that's even him..." she said. But it was. Somehow she knew it.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir stood up from his crouching position and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt, standing over the dead farmer. It was unfortunate the farmer had picked that moment to come feed his pigs, when Samir was attempting to feed on them. Animal blood didn't replenish him as much as human blood, but Samir hadn't wanted to draw attention to the fact that there was a vampire in the area just yet. So, he had chosen a few well-fed pigs on a farm for his meal and was about to attack when the pesky farmer spotted him and realized he was a vampire. Samir couldn't let him alert the city guards and, consequently, ended up having human blood after all. Now that he'd had his fill, Samir hid the farmer's body beneath the chicken coop where it was unlikely to be found for at least a few days.

His next stop would be the castle. He felt much more vigorous now, walking through the streets to the castle gates. More alive. More....complete. There were times, of course, when it crossed his mind just how vile his nature as a vampire truly was. Most times, it was pressed upon him after a kill such as this one. There was no real reason to kill the man except for the fact he would have revealed Samir's presence within the city and people would be on guard. And it was at these times that Samir truly despised himself. For even though his body felt the nourishment he attained from his meal, his mind was sickened at the foul act he had committed. He shrugged off the feeling. It was no good to dwell on such things. He was a vampire, and that was the end of it. He hadn't chosen this path, but he would walk it just the same.

The party was already in full swing by the time Samir arrived at the palace. No one paid him much attention as he kept to the sidelines as much as possible. He made his way to the northeast garden and found Roden already waiting for him. Roden didn't see him at first and actually jumped when Samir addressed him. "Waiting for someone?"

Roden spun around and faced Samir, his face registering surprise at first and then recognition. He recovered and held out a metal flask towards Samir. "The potion for Eve."

"Don't you mean the king?" Samir asked sarcastically, snatching the flask from Roden and tucking it between his black leather belt and his breeches.

"Of course." Roden said, his eyes narrowing.

"That's what I thought." He folded his arms across his chest and stared at Roden from beneath his hood. "May I be blunt?"

Roden nodded hesitantly. "You may."

Samir stepped forward so that the two men were only inches apart. "I don't believe you realize the gravity of the agreement you made with Eve earlier today and I felt it my duty to enlighten you. I sincerely hope you intend to stick to your word. The consequences for betraying her would be.....severe." He paused, watching the muscle in Roden's jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth at the threat. "It is not in her nature, nor in mine....to be forgiving. Do I make myself clear?"

Roden's head jerked in a half-nod. "I will not betray Eve. But not because of your threats, for I don't appreciate being threatened. I entered into the agreement because we both would profit from it. As long as she holds up her end, I will hold up mine." He said, his voice surprisingly steady.

Samir nodded. Maybe this one had more backbone than Samir had given him credit for. "I'm glad we understand eachother." Samir backed up a step, unfolded his arms, and turned, heading back towards the castle gates, taking a different path so as not to pass the same party guests twice.

 

[CJF]

After a few moments, Trista wiped the tears from her eyes and stood. What did it matter? She would probably never see the one called Samir again anyways, so she would never know for sure. And I'm no worse off than before. she thought. It didn't bring her any comfort. She sighed and walked from under the tree, unsure of what to do or where to go. She wasn't ready to return to solitude; being around people reminded her just how social she had been. But she felt awkward being in a place where she knew no one. She bit her lower lip and thought. What to do?

It was then that she saw him; Samir. Her heart slammed in her chest. She was about to take a step forward, but hesitated. What would she say? It was obvious he hadn't recognized anything about her earlier, but had that been sincere or an act? There was only one way to know. After a couple deep breaths, she walked forward with determination. But what am I going to say? 'I think you're the one I used to love?' Ridiculous! But it was too late. She was standing directly in front of him, with absolutely nothing to say.

 

[MissCellaFane]

It wasn't like Samir to be caught off guard. But having an elf come out of nowhere, half-running, half-stumbling into one's path all of a sudden did tend to take one by surprise. His hand immediately went to his sword, but didn't quite get there as he realized who it was. The elven maiden he'd rescued earlier in the day. Not good. Samir thought. What were the chances this woman would end up at the anniversary party at the exact same time he came to pick up the potion from Roden? But there was nothing he could do now. Just play it nice and smooth.

He waited for her to say something, but it seemed she had surprised herself as much as she had surprised him by stopping him like this and she hadn't thought about what she would say. Her large, round eyes looked up at him cautiously, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. Samir recovered first. "So, we meet again." He commented, making a small bow.

 

[CJF]

Samir's words made her all the more desperate to speak, but she didn't know what to say!
"I know this seems strange, but I need to speak with you." As if he couldn't already guess that...Ignoring her own thoughts, she pressed on, her heart beating wildly.

"I know you said we couldn't know each other, but I've thought long and hard on this and I think you are mistaken." You might as well just come right out and tell him. He has to know at some point. Trista cleared her throat.
"You greatly resemble someone that was very close to me. Not so much in your physical appearance, but your voice. It...it matches his. I haven't seen him for nearly fourty years, but I would know his voice anywhere."

Trista wasn't sure if she could continue. She was overcome with so many emotions, she thought she'd burst. But she couldn't stop now. Her mind flashed with memories of her and Brennan, bringing tears to her eyes.
"His name was Brennan. I know this all sounds ridiculous, but there's just something about you..."

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting her to say, but it wasn't that. And he realized she was right......she had thought long and hard about this. For she had gone from finding him vaguely familiar earlier in the day to now identifying him with some man she knew forty years ago. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she continued. "His name was Brennan. I know this all sounds ridiculous, but there's just something about you..."

She stopped, whether overcome with emotion or simply unsure of how to end her thought, Samir wasn't sure. "As I told you before, mistress, that would be impossible. I've never been to this city before." But even as he said the words he knew he couldn't be sure. After all, his life before becoming a vampire was virtually lost to him. For all he knew, he could be this "Brennan" character. But somehow it didn't quite fit. "I'm sorry." He added, feeling a bit sorry for the girl in front of him. It was obvious she had cared about this "Brennan" a great deal. He just hoped she didn't mention him to anyone else in the castle as that could be disastrous.

 

[CJF]

Trista shook her head, barely able to keep the tears back. She knew this was Brennan, but what she couldn't figure out was why he didn't seem to think so. She couldn't have been more positive. She took a step closer to him.
"Please...I don't mean to pry or impose, but where were you and what were you doing fourty years ago?"

 

[LightofHeaven]

(:runs in with hot chocolate:: ))


Jadir finished his plate and stood, stretching and flexing the knotted muscles of his chest and back. “Well, Lancir, it is time I go to see my wife.” Turning, he walked towards the door, then hesitated, looking back to Dale with midnight blue eyes. ‘Please tell Flinn to finnd me later in the day. I have an assignment I wish him to undertake.”

Moments later, he was outside in the garden, the sun turning his fair hair almost white. Slowly, he swept his gaze about, searching for Kaira.

((thats a cHEAT stunt, bro.))

Dale watched as the king stretched and flexed. He had always admired the well-balanced build that symbolized his great strength. No wonder, the queen loved it. He wished he had such a build of his own. But he had but little time considering he was a cuncilman and age only brought more limits. Ah, if onl y he had begun to work or ut as a child! if only...

"Well, Lancir," the king finally said, "it is time I go to see my wife."

Dale smiled. "Yes, Your Majesty. It would be wonderful to spend time together on this special day." He bowed his head as the king made to leave.

Jadir turned back, fixing Dale with those midnight blue eyes. For a moment, he thought he had said the wrong thing, but then, . ‘Please tell Flinn to finnd me later in the day. I have an assignment I wish him to undertake.”

Relieved, Dale bowed again. "I shall, Your Majesty."

Jadir exited the dining hall andh Dale turned back to his breakfast. The seat across from him was now empty and one of the goblets was missing. No matter.

He finished his meal and stood, heading for te door. Flynn would be arriving soon.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir hesitated. Why was she so certain? The look in her eyes gave him goosebumps. But was it because she was familiar to him or simply because her insistence made him nervous?

He was certainly uncomfortable. She was wearing her heart on her sleeve and he wasn't sure how to get out of this situation without smashing it to pieces. He may be a vampire, but he was not without some compassion. And then came the question of....should he be honest with her? If he revealed he couldn't remember his past, then she might take that as a sign that he was Brennan. But where could he possibly tell her he was forty years ago? He decided on the truth. "Forty years ago I woke up and didn't know who I was. But the place I woke up in is very far from here and it is unlikely I would have come from a city such as this." He said, hoping he wasn't revealing too much. But it was the truth. He had woken up in Necromion. And Necromion was so far from Namor, both in physical distance and in morality, that it was highly unlikely a being such as himself could have existed here in Namor.

But then....that could be the reason he left. Samir mentally shook himself. Don't get sucked into her dream-world, Samir. She's desperate for this Brennan guy. But you're not him. Even if you had been before, you aren't now and you can never go back to it.

 

[LightofHeaven]

Clippery-clap! Clippery-clap!

Hazel's hooves pounded on the stone pathwayto the castlegate. Flynn reined the brown horse to a stop. He turned and smiled ather atop her white steed as she pulled alongside him.

"It seems I have won the race yet again, my love." He said, reaching over and brushing a strand of her gleaming brown hair from her face.

Sabriel threw a playful glare at him. "One of these days I might justleave without you."

Flynn knew she was only playing, but he wasn't sure he liked the thought of his love leaving him. What if it was true? Sabriel had ways of scaring him with her words at times. But in the years they had been together, none of them ever happened and Flynn had learned to just play along.

"But wouldn't I be the saddest man in union? Come, let us dismount."

He threw his leg over his steed and jumpedto the ground, turning to help Sabriel from hers. She looked pleased to be back on her own feet as they walked to the gate. One of the guards hailed them. "Sir Flynn! Dale awaits your arrival."

"And here I am!" Flynn winked. "Do you happen to know where Namod is?"

"Coming, sir!" came the voice of the dark-skinned gamekeeper. "Sorry, I ad some matters to attend to in the garden. May I take your steeds?"

"Thank you, Namod." said Sabriel as she handed him her reins. Has the celebration begun?"

"yes, it is a bit crowded, but feel free to join them."

"Thank you."Flynn said, bowing a little. "We'd best be going."

 

[CJF]

Trista thought a moment.
"But, if you don't remember who you are, then you have no way of knowing wether or not you are who I believe you to be..." She'd said it more for herself, than for him. "So you really could be him..." she said, staring into his eyes. "Besides, we didn't live here in this city. We lived in elven country." She didn't know why that was relevant, but it had been said.

 

[MissCellaFane]

In elven country? In Loiradel? Now Samir was sure the girl was mistaken. He could never imagine himself living in Loiradel, even if he could remember who he was before.

But she did have a point. How was he to know who he was before becoming a vampire? He couldn't know. But it didn't matter anyways. He sighed. "I could be anyone, miss. Just because you say you recognize my voice doesn't mean I am the man you knew. And even if I was in the past, I'm not now. That man is gone, whoever he was." He paused, knowing that was probably going to hurt her. But he didn't like thinking about who he had been before becoming a vampire. It only confused him and troubled him and all he wanted to do was get out of there. "I have to go." He said, brushing past her.

 

[CJF]

Trista let the tears flow. She'd heard the same words from her entire family, and all of her friends, for years after Brennan had first disapppeared. It made her angry hearing it from him. She hadn't expected him to just walk past her, but she reacted quickly enough that she was able to grab his arm.
"No! It's not only your voice. It's...everything about you. You...you can't just leave..."

 

[Nella Fantasia]

A Couple Hours Before

Eve watched Samir as he ran off, his cape flying behind him making him look like he was just floating away. His sudden display of affection and loyalty had made her heart jump, but that often happened when someone displayed service to her. She enjoyed having that kind of power...and attention. Samir was always a good one for that.

Soon he would be back with the poison in his hands. Eve wasn't about to sleep and study the poison with her black art in the middle of public, despite the fact it was a dark alley. Besides by night time it would be swarming with the homeless, and she couldn't risk even having them involved right now.

Eve slowly made her way to the main streets. There were buildings and homes everywhere, probably stretching for miles and miles. But she didn't need hundreds. Just one would do.

Present Time

Eve pulled the silk robe over her nude body, tying it together with her belt then running her fingers through her wet hair behind her head. She looked over her shoulder at the bloody corpse of a man, lying face down on the wooden floor. It wasn't that he had done anything wrong, but her and Samir needed a place to stay without being recognized. Unfortunately, this was the only way to get that.

Although killing didn't phase her, bloody jobs did. She hated getting the sticky stuff all over her clothing and preferred to save them by storing them until she was done. But her body and hair wasn't so lucky and usually took the brunt force of it all. That's when a bath came in. It had been a long time since she's had one of those.

Walking over to the body, Eve knelt down to pick him up by his arms and drug him to the back of the building. There she let him slump against the wall as she returned to the main room and shut the door behind her.

Blood was still smeared on the floor, and to avoid getting her bare feet dirty, she tip toed over it then settled down into a handcrafted chair. She would wait there, brushing her long hair, until Samir came back.

 

[MissCellaFane]

"No! It's not only your voice. It's...everything about you. You...you can't just leave..."

Samir spun around as she grabbed his arm, getting quite frustrated now. "And why not?" He growled, facing her again and shaking her hand off his arm. "How can you say you recognize everything about me, hmm? You don't know who I am!" Foolish woman. If she had gone after another vampire like this she'd probably be dead by now. "You don't know what I am." He said, his voice lower now, but still just as angry. Without thinking he threw back his hood and stared at her with his abnormally dark eyes, drawing his upper lip back in a snarl to reveal his fangs. If that didn't shock her into leaving him alone, he didn't know what would. He then let his mouth relax, hiding his teeth again. "I'm not your Brennan." He said, already regretting having showed her his true nature. Hadn't he just spent the whole day trying not to let anyone discover he was a vampire?

Too late now. He thought to himself as it crossed his mind that he might just have to eliminate her now to keep her from talking. He narrowed his eyes, calculating her reaction.

 

[CJF]

Trista backed away as he barred his teeth. A vampire? It wasn't possible...but there was no mistaking it. She wished she could think of something to say, but she was at a loss. Her heart broke at the sight. She felt ridiculous, but confused as well. She would never have mistaken Brennan's voice, but Brennan was certainly not a vampire. She nodded slightly, and tried to remain as calm as possible. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." But words seemed quite unnecessary. She looked away from him and and stood in uncertainty. She'd been so sure it was him, and now her hopes were lost.

 

[MissCellaFane]

He watched her eyes widen as she fumbled for the right words. "I'm sorry....I didn't mean to...."

Samir hesitated. Kill her! His mind screamed. Kill her now! She can recognize you! But somehow he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he simply reached back and replaced his hood. "My apologies." Samir turned away from her again and walked away, a nagging feeling in his stomach that told him he should be taking her out. He didn't like leaving behind witnesses.

He pushed the elf from his mind as he neared the alleyway where he had left Eve. For a moment he thought he'd come back to the wrong one as he didn't see Eve anywhere. He glanced around and caught a glimpse of glimmering silver on one wall and knew instantly. It was Eve's signature "note". Using a complex series of incantations, she was able to leave words that only appeared for him when he got close. He stepped closer and it grew bright enough for him to read. It was very short. She'd gone to find them a place to stay on the western side of the city. He couldn't help but grin. West. Which meant the sun didn't hit it directly when it came up. Perfect.

He found the right house very quickly. The tell-tale signs being the silvery mark on the door that appeared as he drew near and the freshly-used washtub sitting along the side of the building. Which meant that she was dressed.

Samir didn't bother knocking. He simply entered the house. She'd already drawn the shades. Good. He removed his cloak and hung it on the rack just inside the door. He then removed his gloves and rolled up his sleeves to the elbow, the cool air in the house feeling heavenly against his skin. It had been hot out that day. Peeking around the corner into the main room of the house, he spotted Eve in a silk robe, brushing her still-damp hair. He watched her for a moment and then reached into his waistband for the potion, holding it out to her as he stepped into the room and approached her. "The potion, as promised." He said with a nod and a small smile.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve heard the door open and shut. She knew it was him without even bothering to look up. Continuing to brush her hair she only stopped when he approached her and spoke. She set the brush down and looked at the potion in his hand, taking it slowly. Cautiously she let the bottle roll in the palm of her hand, studying it.

Once she was done she looked up at Samir and grinned. "I never had any doubts." She suddenly stood, holding the potion up to the ceiling between her forefinger and thumb. "Do you know what this is, Samir?" It was an irrelevant question, of course he already did! "This little, tiny bottle is going to bring all of Namor to their knees! It's absolutely amazing what a small thing can do." She felt that excitement rise inside her again.

Suddenly she dropped her hand to her side, spun around to face him, her eyes squinting to stare at him intently. "What happened?" She sounded almost accusing.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir watched her gaze at the potion almost lovingly. He folded his arms across his chest, satisfied. Yes, that little bottle would be Namor's undoing. The warning he'd given Roden earlier in the day would see to that.

Then, quite suddenly, her mood changed and she spun to face him, her silk robe billowing around her ankles. "What happened?" She asked sternly, her eyes narrowing.

Samir's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, My Lady?" He asked, not liking the look in her eyes. It was as though she suspected him of some wrongdoing. After his display of loyalty in the alley earlier, he thought he had quelled any doubts she might have had. He frowned. Perhaps not.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve hesitated. Something was wrong. At least that's what she felt in her heart. "Something happened." She took a step closer, the bottle being held tightly in the palm of her hand. "Did everything go okay with Roden?" Just one move, one little move, and it would ruin everything!