- Oh, fuck! Are you all okay?
No one answers: Lucifer is sitting on the lawn with his head low and breathing heavily, Lucyfur is doing the same but she's lying on the ground and my girl is leaning on the backdoor of our house in Kerys, pale and sweaty, breathing heavily too. I'm bent over a rose bush trying to decide if I throw up or not, I feel sick but I made sure to have my stomach empty before the flight just in case. It doesn't matter how many times I do this, I'll never get used to it and besides this time flights have been too long. We've made four stops along our way here and we spent two days in a random city in order to let me gather some strength and to let my family have a couple of good nights' rest and nice meals that could stay inside their stomachs. Lucy needed it more than anyone else, she's feeling better but is still very skinny and she'll need some time to gain a healthy weight again.
I take a deep breath and lift my head, I'm still feeling slightly dizzy but at least I don't see double... now I just feel exhausted. Our garden looks pretty good despite being unattended for 9 months, the protection spell I casted around the house kept everything in good condition and nobody has trespassed on our property. Everything seems right. I get closer to my girl and put my hand on her cheek, she opens her eyes and swallows hard.
- Are you okay? – She still looks pale.
- My head hurts a little and I feel my pylorus dancing in my throat but yes, I think I'm fine. Can we go in?
- Of course, let's go – Iselen steps to the side and I cast the spell that unlocks the doors.
The kitchen remains dark and it's a bit cold in here, everything is tidy and clean. I open all the windows of the house with a whisper in order to let in the fresh air that smells of the sea and I make sure that the cat's bowls have some water and light food. Lucifer walks with confidence through the corridor like he's the real owner of this place, however Lucy is cautious and she looks around with curiosity but never leaves Iselen's side, rubbing her body against her legs. The black cats stops at the living room door, turns his head and meows softly; the tabby cat hesitates for a moment but she follows him finally, I guess he wants to show her his favourite place to take a nap on the windowsill. Both felines seem to have signed a nonaggression pact and they behave scrupulously polite with each other, although some palpable tension remains, but at least they don't want to fight till death anymore. I wonder what happened between these two centuries ago...
- Ruby, are you okay? Babe, you're bleeding... - Iselen runs to me scared while I feel a blood drop running from my nose. I conjure up a handkerchief while I try to calm her down.
- I'm fine, I've made a huge effort to bring us all here and this is the way my body complains about it.
- Do you need to drink? – She lifts her arm and puts her wrist closer to my lips.
- No but maybe I should go and lie down for a minute. In fact, I think I'm going to sleep for hours. Do you want to eat something before? Cats have food and water in the kitchen although I believe they're going to stay curled up on the couch all night long.
- No, I don't want to eat, let's go to bed. Where's our luggage?
- In our bedroom – I answer while climbing the stairs slowly – We'll unpack tomorrow and...
- Ruby! Oh my God, what have you done? – Iselen stares at me in disbelief standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by bags, before diverting her eyes to...
- You asked me for a canopy bed, don't you? – She looks at me again totally in shock and back at the huge bed with simple posts in a honey coloured wood. The rosy linen curtains ripple in the breeze that comes through the open window, sheets are white and blankets are light grey, several rosy and grey cushions are leaning on the headboard. A gloriously display that looks very inviting – Babe, I really need to lie down now.
- Yes, of course. I'm sorry – She moves quickly to turn the bed down and then she runs back to me in order to help me unbuttoning my shirt before shoving me and forcing me to sit down on the mattress so she can remove my boots and pants.
- Hey... I'm not that weak, I can undress myself, you know... - I complain amused while lifting my buttocks so she can slide my pants down my legs.
- I know but you're exhausted and it's my fault. You've brought us here in record time because I wanted to go back home, you've carried tons of bags full of useless things I bought from that dimension where you keep your money and you've made a canopy bed appear out of thin air. You really shouldn't have done it, Ruby... I was joking, that's all.
- What? – I ask pretending to be disappointed while lying down – You don't want to tie me up to the post anymore?
- Of course I want, you pervert vampire, but you have to recover your good physical condition in order to do that – She answers taking off her dress and sliding between the sheets next to me. She puts her arm around my waist and leans her head on my shoulder. I take a deep breath and make a last routine check of the house: windows are closed again, the protection spell is still around us, the cats are sleeping in the living room and my girl is lying next to me... everything's perfect. I fall asleep in less than a second.
*****
- I'm so sorry we had to leave Naniwa in a hasty manner... Tian seemed very disappointed...
- I've already told you, the old guy knows how to find me... or how to catch my attention if he wants me to find him. Tian's problem is... he's very old and has seen everything and done everything, it's difficult for him to find new challenges and amusements: eternity bores him and he intended to make you the new target of his jokes. I wouldn't have allowed that and he knows it, of course, so his ultimate goal was bothering me actually... which he finds tremendously funny because I'm as strong as he's, well, I'm stronger but he doesn't know that yet. Don't worry, he'll be okay. Tian will find other person to bother soon.
Last night I slept for 12 hours without moving or waking up. Iselen got up a little earlier and breakfast was waiting for me when I went downstairs to the kitchen, her limited magical power doesn't allow her to conjure up a banquet and she had little to work with in the cabinets but tea was great and the toast bread with honey was delicious. The food and a quick sip of blood I drank after kissing and nibbling at her neck till she got relaxed against my body, have been enough for me to feel fine again so we decided to go shopping to the market. It's not far from home: we only have to leave the Apple Tree Square and then go down the Main Street, where the guild headquarters are, till we arrive to an oval square. The fruit and vegetable stalls are placed around the perimeter while the meat, bread, sweets and other products stalls are in the middle under some trees. The fish market is down the street, closer to the port area.
I've covered us with a shadow spell as I always do that allows us to go unnoticed and I remain alert, I don't like crowded places and today the market is packed with citizens. People walk past us without looking at us and merchants helps us kindly to make our purchases before forgetting us, they're left with the impression that two pretty and lovely girls have made a good buy but our facial features will remain blurry inside their minds. If I didn't things this way, we'd grab too much attention: you don't usually see a woman wearing dark blue pants and silk shirt embroidered in gold thread, with tattooed hands and a hood over her head while a black cat is comfortably sitting on her shoulders watching around. The companion of this strange woman is even more flamboyant, her cherry coloured silk shirt is also embroidered in gold and, despite tons of luxury goods arrive each day to this city on the ships, her clothes are made of a quality they've never seen before. Besides, she's holding a mini leopard in her arms and they don't carry any bags despite all the purchases they've made today.
- Babe, do you want some pastries? We had a small breakfast actually and... Iselen? – My girl is looking at the other side of the square and got pale. I get closer immediately and increase the energy of my spell to turn us totally invisible – What's wrong?
- I don't know... Do you see that boy near that apples stall? I think is Eric, the groom that took care of Deva in Agartha, but I don't want to fall into the trap again... - Lucy stares at us worried while my cat bristles.
- You mean the boy who's wearing a green doublet? I can't find any trace of magical energy around him and I don't see anything suspicious. Are you sure that's Eric? – Iselen nods firmly – Do you want to go and talk to him?
- Okay, but don't leave my side...
- Like that's going to happen... let's go.
While we're walking towards the apples stand where Eric seems to be haggling over the prize of the fruits I weigh whether I should cast a spell in order to change our clothes or not since he's going to actually see us but I decide not to do it. For purely selfish reasons, I want him to realize how much Iselen has changed, I want him to see her with me so there's no doubt that she isn't the timid princess that walked like a ghost through the palace corridors anymore, I want him to look at her wallowing in luxury and behaving confident. I can always erase his memories later... the boy is still with his back at us talking to the old lady of the stall.
- Eric... - He turns around shocked when he hears my companion's voice and stares at her from head to toe in awe without saying a word. It seems that he's having problems to process what he's seeing but finally smiles and seems about to speak... till he realizes that I'm standing next to her. My hood doesn't let him see my face clearly but it's precisely the garment the thing that helps him to identify me. He gets pale and steps back before bending forward respectfully.
- Sorceress... and Your Royal Highness... what a surprise... - He remains silent waiting for one of us to talk to him as protocol dictates since we outrank him.
- We aren't at the Court anymore, Eric, you can call me... Iselen – she seems to hesitate for a moment while shooting me a confused look before speaking again – Tell me, what are you doing here?
- Oh, well, I... do you know anything? – I get the impression that my presence makes him nervous so I decide to eliminate his anxiety with a gentle mental touch and that encourages him to talk as if we were best friends – Fat Bastard is dead. I'm sorry, I know he was your uncle but let's be honest... nobody liked him. In fact, the only reason why he was still in the throne was because people were terrified of you – he points at me with his thumb – The moment you vanished the hunt of the king started and a few weeks later he was found dead in his bed. The truth is that... the previous night he drank and ate like pig and maybe it was a natural death after all... there were no signs of foul play and nobody got ill despite they all drank from the same wine barrel. The point is that...
- What? – Iselen asks with curiosity while rubbing Lucy's back fur absentmindedly.
- Well, I don't know how to explain it... you could say that a small civil war broke out. Different factions of the royal guard picked out their favourites amongst the king's bastards and they started to fight for power, there were riots and some dead bodies on the streets, some of those pretenders to the throne died poisoned... I don't know, the general atmosphere was really unpleasant to be honest so I decided to go to one of the East free cities where my cousin has a little merchant ship and I've been working with him from that day. This is very different to take care of horses but I'm not complaining, I'm seeing the world and it's funny. Last news I got from Agartha were that your mum took control of most areas of the kingdom and was looking for you, she's sent emissaries everywhere since you're the only rightful heir... however, I don't think she's sent anyone here across the sea.
- My mum is looking for me? – Iselen has sounded half shocked and half offended.
- Yes... but I strongly believe she wouldn't recognize you if she sees you... I mean... look at you: you're beautiful! Who would've thought that someone so dull could look so good with the right clothes and...?
It's over. Eric remains silent with a blank stare because of the spell I've casted. We already have all the information we need and I don't have to stay here listening to this stupid boy insulting my girl. I take a deep breath trying to control my rage and I erase his memories and those of the stall owner, this guy will go back to his ship with his bag full of apples like nothing strange has happened to him. We walk back home quietly, Iselen seems lost in her thoughts and I'm trying to save my energy: I'm not fully recovered after the long flight from yesterday and all the extra magical power I had to use today at the market is taking its toll on me. It's cool inside the house and all our bags are waiting in the kitchen. My girl grabs the food and starts putting it in the cabinets while I take seat on a chair and the cats jump on the table, looking at her worried, they're not hissing at each other like they usually do.
- No! – she points at me with her finger and I look back at her perplexed – Don't you dare to tell me that I should go back to Agartha, that it's my duty to accept the queen's position so I can end the civil war and take care of the people well-being. The same people that turned a blind eye when I was being abused, ignored and scorned during my adolescence, nobody cared about me till now when they need me. Besides, you know perfectly well that my mum is looking for me because she thinks that I'm easy to control and she could rule through me. I don't want to go back, don't you dare to leave me there and walk away because I promise I'll follow you... I'll find a way to learn more magic and turn into a vampire and I'll look for you all the eternity and...
- Iselen! – I yell getting up abruptly and making her close her mouth. I cradle her pretty face with my hands and look at her frowning – You're mine, you don't belong to Agartha or your mother anymore, you're MINE... do you understand? Nothing and no one will take you away from me, I don't give a damn if the whole kingdom is now sinking in the chaos, that's their fucking problem! You're going to stay by my side forever, you don't need to chase me because I'm not moving from here, okay?
- All right... okay... I'm happy to know that we think the same way... - she takes a deep breath while hugging me.
- Of course, babe. I couldn't leave you, don't you understand? You're part of me, 'mea aeternam...' If you're not by my side I'll die – Iselen hugs me even tighter and her lips graze my neck. I pull away suddenly when I remember something – Why did you hesitate? When Eric called you Royal Highness and you answered him that he could use your name... I don't understand why...
- I'm not Iselen of Agartha anymore... but I don't know who I am. I mean, I don't know your last name and well... we aren't married, of course... it's not that I'm waiting for your proposal, I mean... there's no need to... and besides, it's not like we can have an enormous wedding packed with guests but... I don't know... I think I'm rambling... - I smile amused when I hear her stuttering embarrassed.
- My family's last name is Langenheim but it's been centuries since I don't say it out loud, to be honest. I actually like the way it sounds: Ruby and Iselen Langenheim – I rub her cheek gently with my thumb – Our bond is based on our blood and our souls and that's much more important than any human ceremony, nothing in this world can compare to that. The word 'wife' isn't enough to explain a very small part of the role you play in my life. We aren't married, babe, we're much more than that... do you understand it? You're... everything, okay?
- Okay – she whispers smiling while she tries to hold back her tears. I hold her tight against my body, burying my face in her neck enjoying her strawberry perfume.
- Come on, let's make some lunch and then we'll go to the backyard: we need to take measurements in order to build our new garden with a thermal pool... - I look back surprised and stare at the black cat for a while before heaving a sigh in resignation – Lucifer says that he loves you too but he'd love you even more if you can cook some bacon for him...
Iselen bursts into laughing and walks towards the table, she takes the cat in her arms and squeezes him hard till the feline protests while I rub Lucy's back shaking my head. A pan has appeared out of thin air and it's now on the stove, the scent of crispy bacon drifts through the room. My girl is getting really good at magic...