The chilling wind whistled in my ear as I and the guards made our way back down the steep soil of the Aventine hill.
The sky was ever darkening and the wind was throwing our clothes into a wild disarray. For whatever reason there was the strange yet some how enticing smell of the sea invading the fresh forest air.
My nerves where brought no solace to the deadly night upon us. Every crushed leaf and every broken twig make me jump at the sound. Even the wind curling my hair around my face made my spine shiver and my muscles twitch. The winds low howling felt somehow directed at me, its embrace some how affected me.
Once we reached the bottom I returned to adore the shrine once more from below. However in doing so only made myself more paranoid of unwelcome visitors.
The shrine was barely visible among the ever gathering mist like darkness. The torch's light had dissipated and there was no longer a warm glow welcoming her mostly lost little wanderers.
We had not blown out the torches.
It was the wind. I told myself. Just the wind. The hurling curling howling growling sneeky child of the wind passing through and shaming the lights as he went.
"Your majesty we really must return the king awaits you." A guard spoke gruffly, a gentle stubby hand on my shoulder.
I turned around, my mouth parted slightly to agree.
Eddergan.
No.
It cannot be.
"Hello my dear." He laughed, the same twinkle in his eyes he had had at the ball that first night we met. He almost seemed innocent. My first impression still evidently playing tricks on my mind.
The guards gave took steps back and shoved me roughly behind them, their armor clanging loudly. Even from behind their sheets of chain mail I could see them give each other painful regretful looks and I took a step further back.
"Do I get no greeting sugar?" He said. From the shrill ring to his voice I could tell he was smiling, evilly. "Why you seem to have lost the manners you once brought to that ball..." He took a step forwards.
The guards took a step back and removed their swords from their hilt, raising them clumsily and holding them in the direction of Eddergan.
"By the kings orders you are not to set foot outside the jail guarder and are by no means allowed to converse or be in the company of his mate." One yelled.
He took another step forward. "You are all being very fooli-"
"Please step back!" Another yelled.
"Fool." He spat, obviously offended by their lack of submission. "You could not beat me with your sword even if it is of wolfiron and if it where embedded with wolfs bane. Not all six of you at once. You are all nothing but pathetic däug's."
"The alpha will refuse your accompaniment of his majesties mate!" Another yelled. They where clearly trained to take the insults head on and see them as nothing but a ruse. That be a golden gift.
He chortled loudly. Something more beast in it than I've ever heard the ordinary were- sound like. "Have you forgotten? I am the Alpha! You imbeciles! I am the true king! I am the older brother!" He spat. "MOVE TO THE SIDE!" He yelled, he was using the alpha tone, I could tell because I too moved aside though it was clearly not his intention to order me to do so.
He shoved me in front of him and shoved me back against the feathery earth of the steep hill and for a minute I remained frozen against the earth, his cold gaze twisting my lungs in loops as my mind filled with dread and regret.
Just as I was about to lift myself off the ground and make a flee for it and the guards felt the tone wore off them turning midst the action of attacking Eddergan.
Eddergan screamed. "BE STILL!" His voice echoed around my head, I could just barely see through the shade of my eyelashes the guards still in motion, as though the world had stopped at his word. So much hateful power was resonated through those simple words, I knew I would not be moving for a good while.
He pulled me by the rounded collar I wore, further into the woods and away from the ever frozen guards. "Did you miss me?" He snickered propping my now almost unconscious body against the bark of an Angels tree.
He climbed on top of me and lifted my limp hand a small bit to bend down and kiss it as he travelled his kisses further and further up my arm onto my neck, where he lingered a while, then up over my cheek towards the corner of my eye.
I felt his breath puffing out in wide clouds condensing on my cheek as he lent towards my lips.
A strangled sob left my throat as he pressed his lips against mine and invaded my mouth with his miry tongue.
He thrashed it around, as though he where taking part in a wild kiss, however only on his part.
I sobbed once again, the sound ngn some what indicating my meaning to say the word "no".
He eventually pulled away and smirked. Evil features twisting his face and leaving him with nothing but cruel eyes. "Do you wish to speak my babe?" He laughed loudly. "Very well SPEAK." He ordered as he continued to slip undone the buttons to my shirt.
I was glad at my throat and mouth returning to the possession of my soul.
"NO!" I screamed. Just as tears ran a chariot race down the form of my face.
"Oh but yes!" He replied, his smile growing.
"NO! Please! Do not do this! I would die of shame! Please! Please do not do this! I will beg this of you if that is what it takes!"
"Yes." He said monotonously. "It is a shame you got in between me and Veldores little spat. You poor thing, you don't deserve to be that indignantly possessive shame of the kingdoms pet." His hand however did not show any sensitivity as it ran up my now half bare chest and pulled roughly at my nipples. "Such a shame."
I sobbed once more before asking in all desperation. "Why?! Why do you hate my Veldore so?!"
He laughing a shrill laugh. "My?" He continued laughing. "Is that how you refer to him? How gloriously funny. Your little Veldore stole my place on the throne!" He growled. "That is my problem with him!"
"No no no!" I disagreed. Had I been in full control of my body I would have shook my head. "That is too small a thing to rile one up. It must have been more! It must have been more that you would be willing to kill another man the worst way possible for simple revenge on your brother, who you know would live on!"
His smile slid off his face. "Smart one. My mate. As you may have heard, cheated on me as revenge for something so impossibly daft. You will know-" He said as his hands slid lower and lower down my chest. "That when one betrays a mate they will be sentenced to death with the crescent moon blade. Of course this was to be her fate.
However just before the day of her sentencing the king was found to be guilty of the same charge and he too was sentenced to death.
I was due to be king within months.
However Veldore stepped in. He switched out the crescent moon blade for a newer model. A, so to speak, fake. So when Xanthe was sentenced to death it did not alleviate my pain it worsened it."
I listened best I could without being able to look any other place than Eddergan as he undressed through the alpha's tone that evidently was still in control of my actions.
"I was not able to carry out my duties as king, I spent all my days by the side of the crib of my sweet yet spiteful scoundrel of a mate.
And in the midst of my pain, he took my place. Stole my position of king and made no mention of his misdeeds to the kingdom full of barren rats that believed him a god!"
He pressed himself against me and my skin crawled. Rubbing himself against my own and when his began stiffen mine stayed limp and oblivious.
The taste of bile slipped into my mouth. I wanted to throw up.
He removed his last garment of clothing, that being his underwear and I drew breath as tears flushed down my face and my eyes began to puff and sting. "No-o-o!" I choked out as he pulled back my trousers.
There was a tingling in my fingers as the tone began to wear off. I rose them to attack him yet he anticipated the move and held them high above my head.
Then there was a shrill ringing in my ears. Something that I knew should not have sounded as musical to me as it did. Something that Eddergan did not seem to enjoy as his face scrunched together in pain and he let go of my wrists.
He screamed and trashed and twisted as his form convulsed, once man, then wolf, then man once again, then wolf. In that form he settled and set off bounding into the pitch black forest. His fur leaping up then down as his speed and strength took him miles a minute.
"Be you unharmed?" A creature asked, peaking from behind the trees.
And that was all I could call it. A creature.Though I felt somehow comfortable with it I could not place what it might be. It was slender and thin spread with a body complacent with the wind that managed not to even shift a hair out of place and blue in color. By image I might have called it a human, an odd color no doubt but then again I had only encountered humans from overseas, travellers so to speak.
"I am. Was that you?" I asked.
It smiled. It's blue eyes glowing. "It was."
"I cannot thank you enough, truly, I am in your debt. Please ask of me a favor in which I may repay you!" I begged as I wiped the pearly tears from my face.
It, or she, I should say laughed. "My name is Alcmene, and what goes you by?"
"I am called Cinde."
Her smile grew brighter, he blue skin glowing, what I guessed, was a healthy pale glow.
"We have been expecting you Cinde." She said. Though the way she said it, how small and dainty her voice sounded, it sounding more like she was singing it. "We are the were- water sprites."
"W-water sprites?" I asked, confused yet trying not to be too rude midst my confusion. "I see of course, so- I mean- How may I repay you?"
She walked up closer to me, something she obviously seemed hesitant to do, and raised my hand slightly. Pressing a small fragile bodied sea shell into my hand.
"You may repay us by returning. Here tomorrow. It will be a crescent moon night and we have much to tell you."
I nodded. Still confused as to what she meant and why, yet refused to be untactful and interrogate my saviour with a blind mans questions.
"I will return." I promised.
Alcmene nodded, her form sinking back into the trees as she whispered. "See that you do." As her voice was carried close to my ear by the childish wind.
Suddenly the clanging and ringing of armor was brought to my attention as the guards pulled me to my feat. Asking me for my health and what had happened and promising their repentance for being so useless.
I almost felt impartial to it as my mind sank back to the words of the water sprite who goes by Alcmene.
What would water sprites want with me?