The slumber I had experienced that night was the most peaceful and warm I'd ever felt. The suns beams compared little to my sleeping friends. A soft kindness radiated from Aleru, her face peaceful as she breathed slowly. We slept face to face, as to avoid the awkwardness of spooning. I mistakenly allowed my gaze to drop from her beautiful face to her neck below. Her cleavage was also visible, but I didn't allow my self to look.
My eyes subconsciously saw through her skin and showed me her fresh flowing blood. I bit my lip and forced my eyes shut, stopping my eyes from invading her body any further.
I felt repulsed with myself whenever I allowed myself to look at Aleru in that way. Her blood wasn't for me or anyone. She had agreed to my request, but spent a few minutes flustered and with her cheeks tinted rose. We spent the first few minutes in silence, but as I fell into slumber again I felt her hand grab mine. As I awoke I found our hands still entangled.
Slowly pulled myself up from her bed, I reluctantly released her hand and swung my legs off the side of the bed.
The wood creaked as I touched down, and I noticed Aleru shuffle slightly but her eyes remained closed. I continued taking tentative steps towards where I hung my jacket the previous night. My boots sat by the door next to hers.
Aleru also had a mirror that hung on the wall adjacent to her bed. Stepping into its view I looked over myself.
My jacket, a long leather coat that reached passsed my knees was clean and well maintained. On the right shoulder sat the only identification of my mother. A Symbol of a Bloodbeast. It's was the only thing left with me when I was discarded at the orphanage. The symbol being the signet of The Blut Kingdom.
I had encountered many people who seemed repulsed by the mark and even a few who sought to bring me to what they called "my home." Some members of the kingdom had appeared to me occasionally and tried to bring me to their land. The main reason I rejected them was because I could care less about them and how they looked with Aleru with disgust. They never returned to their homes after that.
I kept the patch on me as a way to feel identifiable to my mother if I ever came across her.
Under the coat I wore a simple black shirt that kept me comfortable enough. My tar black hair rested untidily on my head, as my eyes reflecting in all their mismatched glory. The pants I wore had many cut and marks adorning them, markers of past conflicts that showed I would need to change the out soon enough.
I turned from the mirror to the left, and resumed my journey. As I bent down to grab and slide my feet into the boots, I heard a yawn that originated from the bed.
Aleru now sat upright, wiping the blurriness from her vision and looking to me. She wore a slim fit black sleeping gown. She forced me to look away while she had changed when we returned. Luckily enough she did, as I probably would have been coerced by my curiosity to look. It hugged her slim but fit frame perfectly.
"Morning Urieus" she said drowsily as she kept her gaze upon me. She yawned as she finished.
"Morning Al" I responded with a smile, the boots had made their way onto my feet.
"Assuming from the fact that you didn't wake me, I assume He didn't return?" She said curiously. She repeatedly emphasized that she only accepted due to me describing that her presence reduced or completely negated the effects effect of pain I felt from any encounter with my father.
"Yea that was blissful, definitely beats waking up with holes in my body" I said sarcastically, with a small smile to Aleru.
Her smile beamed as did a slight blush.
"That's good, now we'll have a reason to sleep together more often." She said cheerily, before I saw her face contort and her mind begin to backtrack. Smirking at her blushing she gave me a pouting face.
When we were younger and still orphans in St Arthur's, we slept him the same bed in a style identical to how we slept last night. We eventually stopped due to obvious reasons of aging and realizing things about us had physically changed from the hardy kids we once were. I missed it, but I didn't want to admit.
At least I knew now she felt the same.
Once Aleru had finished her mental recalling she began looking to my face and squinting slightly.
"Is that blood on your lip Uri?" She said with a small ting of concern in her voice. I turned back and looked to the mirror.
The blood rested on my lower lip. I having forgot I bit my lip to clear my head of thoughts of Aleru.
"Yea it's just a small bit, when I woke up I accidentally pricked it." I said wiping the blood away dismissively. It streaked on my hand.
A knock soon came from the door. Me and Aleru both looked to each other. She shrugged a response and I returned the gesture.
"Who is it?" I called, letting my tone drop and taking steps towards the door.
"Daughter of The Estacado family. My Name is Jasmine" a happy sounding feminine voice quickly responded.
I searched my brain for the name Estacado, it sounded unfamiliar but I knew it must of held some weight somewhere if that was how she chose to identified herself.
Aleru gave another shrug, as I grabbed the doors handle and pulled it open.
I immediately saw a quite beautiful girl, she had long white hair with a black crown. Some strands of the black came down as-well. She was significantly shorter than me, barely reached my shoulders. Her face held a certain beauty that could almost compete with Aleru in my eyes. It also held a fragile almost glass like look.
She wore a dress, made of a black and white cloth-like material and a bow on her chest. It's seemed oddly similar to a dress that would have adorned a child's doll. No shoes were on her unnaturally white feet.
"Halfborn" she said with a smile. She looked over me and then turned to see Aleru in the bed behind me. She took steps into the room, before freezing in her tracks.
"O it seems I have invaded your post coital talk, my apologies " she continued with a small bow and a gesture towards Aleru'a sleeping gown.
Aleru's blush light her face like a fire in the dark. She then pulled the sheet up over her face, in a vain attempt to hid her embarrassment. I understood her feelings as I was bombarded with a similar emotion. I was just more adept at pushing them out.
"Why do you call me Halfborn?" I asked her with curiosity. Hoping to figure out the reason for the girls appearance and to skim past the topic of "love den".
"That is your title Urieus Blut" she said, the same oddly jovial smile plastered widely on her face. Her head tilted slightly.
"You are the 3rd Halfborn to be conceived into the world" she continued, looking up to me. She held a small bag in her hand that seemed to move slightly.
"How do you know me and why are you here?" I questioned cautiously, holding my hand to my side but not activating the link just yet. Aleru looked to the the girl confused now, no longer obscuring her face with the sheet.
"You are the son of Elise Veronica Blut and The King of the Dark" she continued, as the bag seems to twitch more in her hand but she remained unbothered by it.
Elise? I thought to myself. That was my mother's name? This girl knew more about me than myself.
"Where is my-" I began before she stopped my speech with a raised hand. The smile unwavering. Her calm grey eyes looked to mine with an odd excitement.
"We of The Estacado Family are unable to disclose the location of your mother as it would only distract you" she now spoke, her voice having lost the previous soft and angelic tone and adopting a more serious almost commanding one. The bag now froze and she took notice.
"What's in there?" Aleru asked, her voice sounding almost like a whisper to me. This girl presence even affected her. The girl gave her a simple smile.
"Why the hell not?" I retorted feeling my annoyance beginning to rise and teeth lengthen. The girl claimed to know of me and about me but wouldn't inform me of something I was deprived of as a child?
"You were born as a weapon against your father, as evidenced by the eye that you possess" she continued before gesturing to my eye. I felt almost disgusted knowing I held something of his.
"Your mother's appearance wouldn't make this easier and would only distract you Urieus" she finished as she gestured now to the bag.
She turned the bag upside down and something feel out. It was small and furry. With four spider like limbs and a rodent shaped body. A single barb came from it's tail. But the most prominent feature disgusted me.
A single blue eye sat upon its head, above a small mouth filled with sharpened teeth. The eyes normally white sclera was now a pitch black. The creature turned to me and stared as our eyes connected.
"What the fuck is that?!" I spoke, now summoning my blade and pointing it to the being that sat upon the floor.
The girl let out a short chuckle before bending down and petting the creature softly as it nuzzled against her hand.
"O Halfborn can't you tell? It's your original eye" she said almost nonsensically as if it were obvious. She still played with it childishly as Aleru scooted to the end of the bed for a better look.
Aleru's face widened in shock and seemingly disgust at the being that now held my discarded eye.
"This was given to us by your mother, a quaesitor to help in finding you when you came of age." She continued as the creature quickly turned and climbed my blade. I tried to shake of the creature but it's grip and speed were more than I expected.
It climbed my arm with ease and then mounted my head and became motionless.
I raised my hand to my head and was going to swat it off when I was stopped by a strong grip on my arm.
The girl had closed the small gap between us in a blink and held my arm back.
"Don't be mean Uri" the girl said poutingly as her smile faltered slightly. Confusion flowed through me as I thought.
What an odd girl.
"It simply wishes to be with it's sire" she said calmly as she released my arm. I lowered it in response.
"Like a pet?" Aleru questioned, her voice still rife with confusion at the weirder growing situation.
"No to it it's connection is more like a son to his father" the girl answered cheerily her voice gaining its sweet tone yet again.
The creature now climbed down my arm and to my free hand, it hung to the open palm. I brought it up to my eye level and examined it.
Thick black fur covered a faint blue glow that emanated from the creatures body.
"What was your name again?" I asked as I looked to her and the creature nuzzled my palm awkwardly.
"I am Jasmine, Jasmine Estacado Friend of the Halfborn and Sole Daughter of The Estacado Family" she repeated, her childish grin not helping the growing confusion at today's revelations.