Time for Change

31

"Mom!" Shelby looks up from her seat on the couch as her children come rushing into the apartment.

"Stephanie, you know you're not supposed to be running in the palace," Shelby chides her youngest.

"Sorry, mom, sorry Tyler," Stephanie apologizes to her mother and step father.

Tyler smiles, Shelby perks up with the visit of her children and he's glad to see it. Although she's forgiven him, she still hasn't been the person he'd married. Then he looks over to the tutors for the children as they come in. He can tell something's wrong by their expressions. The children go to their mother and tell her what they've been up to since she hasn't had much time with them lately.

Tyler goes over to the tutors, "What's going on?"

"Someone cut Stephanie's girth on her saddle. She fell off during her riding lesson fortunately she wasn't going fast and she landed in a pile of straw, but the intent to harm was there." Liam the older tutor states grimly.

"Are you sure?" Tyler goes stiff with anger.

Liam pulls out the gut girth and shows it to the king. "Stephanie just thinks that it's her fault so she isn't afraid and is laughing about it, but it could have been much worse. Sire, I checked those saddles myself before they were put on the horses."

"The riding lesson's are suspended for now, until we can find the person or person's behind this." Tyler says beyond angry at the attempt of killing his youngest daughter.

"How do you want to proceed about this Sire?" Liam asks softly. He recognizes the anger Tyler holds and doesn't want it to be unleashed on him.

"Treren is loyal, take this issue to him. Have him head up the investigation from the stable. I will start my own investigation tomorrow after the trial," Tyler's smile is nasty. Liam and his partner are more than happy to know that the anger isn't pointed in their direction. Tyler hasn't been this angry for centuries.

Tyler dismisses the two tutors to go talk to Treren and find their dinner.

"I have an idea, tomorrow morning how about we go on a picnic as a family?" Tyler says. He had originally intended to ask Shelby to go alone with him, but with the news Liam brought him he thinks it will be better to keep the children closer to him and Shelby.

Shelby brightens at the idea. She's not used to being separated from her children as much as she's been lately. Besides the children haven't been around Tyler much and she wants them to get to know each other more. She smiles her happiness at Tyler and has her breath taken away at the look he gives her back.

"There is a magical pool in the forest. It's beautiful and has links to my family's history and therefor the history of the elves. However, if we go there you have to promise to not wander to far away. That place is safe, but most of the forest in not. There are wild animals," Tyler gives a faint smirk, "monster's if you will that roam freely in the forest. No one goes into the forest alone, they always go in pairs. Ever since the last unicorn died the beasts have become more wild and out of control." Tyler cautions them all sincerely.

"There are no more?" Shelby whispers in a broken voice unable to even finish the sentence.

"Once the unicorns reigned in this realm, but for some unknown reason they died and slowly became legend even to us. I was fortunate enough to meet the last of the unicorns. She came to me, the statue I gave you is what she looked like before she became the last." Tyler looses himself in his recollections. "She didn't want the unicorn blood to die completely or else Elvenhome would die. She had me bring my prized stud and mated with him. Then when it was time for her to deliver she came to me once more. She birthed two, but in doing so she died. There are no more unicorns. I watched the last one as she died and there was nothing I could do. She didn't want to live anymore. She said that she was so lonely that she just wanted to leave." Even now the memory makes Tyler cry. He leaves the room needing time to get himself under control.

Shelby goes to him in the other room, "Tyler?"

Tyler takes her into his arms and holds her to him. "She was so beautiful and sad. She knew that giving birth would kill her."

"She did for you what you did for your people." Shelby says holding him tight. "She sacrificed to keep the elves and their world alive."

Tyler pulls away from Shelby and looks at her confused, "What did I sacrifice?"

Shelby gives him a wavery smile, "Your pride. You had to lower yourself and beg a human to marry you. You had to marry a human. You have to protect me and my children when we both know you'd rather kill the humans."

"Not all humans. Those that harmed my sister are long dead. It is those like the men that did that to my sister that I loathe. I rather like most..." Tyler was going to say females and Shelby gives him a sad smile.

"Yes, you like the females. You and all the male elves. Tell me Tyler, what is the difference between what the elves do to the human females and what happened to your sister and her friends?"

"We don't rape, Shelby." Tyler says sadly.

"You yourself say the kisses are like drugs. What's the difference between someone drugging a female and getting sex that way and forcing them other ways? Either way the female is unable to say no.

"So tell me, Tyler why didn't that high lord's kiss act like a drug on me?"

Tyler is silent as he thinks about her words and questions. "I see your point. What happened to my sister and her friends is no less than what we did and still do, just our way is less violent and usually more pleasurable for the female. As for the high lord's kiss, honestly I don't know why his kiss didn't work on you. From all reports and understanding all humans are susceptible to our kiss." Tyler shrugs, but his eyes show his worry. "I don't know, most humans also find us beautiful," Tyler gives a self deprecating snort, "but you hardly find even me so.

"When you told me that it was a true blow to my ego. I am considered the most sexy man in both realms and my own wife hardly thinks so."

Shelby smiles and holds him even closer to her, "But you've changed Tyler. At least with me you have, and my children. That makes you far more sexy in my opinion. The elves for the most part are overbearingly  ugly due to their attitudes and conceit." Shelby gently caresses Tyler's face, moving his hair off so she could better see his eyes.

Tyler is unable to hold his tongue any further, "I love you Shelby." He gives her a weak smile, "I know you don't believe me now, not after what I did, but I do. I am so thankful that the augury stones forced you and I to meet."

Shelby is shocked at his words. He wasn't lying, and she makes no effort to move as he lowers his head to give her a kiss.