Okie-dokey! Here we go...



Chapter 3


 They hung in the place between all things, wrapped in a cocoon of iridescent
light that struggled to keep the terrible 'nothingness' at bay, Aurora lost
in the events of another time and another place. A time when she wasn't
Aurora at all, but a young woman named Althea and the youma she clung to so
fiercely had been a man named Nathan.

 Althea sighed as she closed the double doors behind her, Zuriel's hard stare
following her out, rested her weight back against them. She still didn't
think it fair that she had to remain faithful while Malikai got to be with
Zuriel, but she accepted it. Anything to keep the fragile peace between
herself and Zuriel.

 She pushed herself off, began to pace down the airy second story balcony
that ran the length of the palace, kicking the heavy hem of her dress out
before her as she walked. It gave her a perverse pleasure that at least
something, even something as silly as the hem of her gown, gave way before
her.

 She put some distance between herself and their room, then, with a little
jump, sat herself on the wide top of the guard railing, leaned back against a
supporting pillar. She tugged gently at the slender chain around her neck,
bringing the ring of pledge given from her true love out of hiding and
wrapped her fingers around it. She watched the Earth rise as her mind
replayed that day, six months ago, when her father had attempted to ruin her
life.

 It was the at the feast to celebrate her seventeenth birthday. Her father
had announced to the worlds at large that her hand would be promised on that
day. He had assured her that he knew her heart was with Nathan, that he
agreed that it was a good match and was only obeying custom and it would be
rude not to consider all suites, and not to worry.

 She had been a little startled when she came in on her father's arm that
Malikai's father was seated at the place of honor to her father's right hand.
But then again, he was the most powerful of the four kings that sat at the
head table. Endymion reached out and playfully punched Nathan on the shoulder
as they passed, Nathan's cheeks turning almost the color of his hair and
Uncle Innish winked at her from a few chairs farther up.

 Nathan's father and mother smiled warmly at her as they rose with the rest
of the table as her father and bother escorted her to her seat. She sat
beside Endymion, one seat removed from their father's left hand, trading
secret glances with Nathan who was sitting with the other three of Endymion's
Guard, when Father had banged his hand against the wood of the table,
demanding everyone's attention.

 He rose. "As you all know, today we celebrate the start of the seventeenth
year of my only daughter. And that on this day I have declared my intention
to promise her hand in marriage." He bowed slightly to the left, then right,
then addressed the royalty gathered there. "I am honored that all of you
desire to unite your Kingdom's with my own, but sadly, I only have one
daughter to give and I give her," Althea smiled as she locked eye's with
Nathan, who was grinning broadly, "to Malikai, son of Mathwyny, King of
Prydain."

 Her smile froze on her face with shock as time seemed to slow down. She
watched Malikai stiffen in his chair to the left of Nathan, his face going as
pale as his silver-white hair and glare at his father with outright hatred.
Zuriel, next to him, looked as if he was going to faint. Nathan's face
darkened with fury and he started to rise, but Julian, thank all the Powers
for level-headed Julian, grabbed his shoulder and forcefully slammed him back
into his seat and leaned close to whisper fiercely in his ear. Uncle Innish
just shook his head sadly.

 "Father?!" Endymion questioned beside her.

 Father silenced him with a gesture, took them both into his predatory stare.
"It is done." He said it with a smile, but his tone under it informed them
that he would tolerate no opposition here and now.

 She dropped both hands into her lap to hide their trembling, forced her gaze
from Nathan and focused onto the plate before her as the guests clapped their
approval of the match. She would not cry.

 Endymion reached under the table to take his sister's hand into his own,
leaned towards her as he gave it a hard squeeze. "Don't worry, 'Thea. We'll
figure something out." He whispered.


 Later that evening, she stalked down the hall that led to her father's rooms
fuming. *How dare he! But I shouldn't have been surprised. When he told 'Mion
that he had agreed to give me to one of his Guard, yet wouldn't name who, I
should have known.* Nathan, Julian and Zuriel where all second and third born
sons. Malikai was the only one among them who would inherit to become King.
She didn't bother to knock, she knew he would be expecting her.

 He didn't look up from the report he was reading as she crossed the room to
his desk. "I won't marry him." She said it calmly, yet her anger put a quaver
to the words.

 "You will." He answered, still not looking up from his paper.

 "I will go and dedicate to Uncle Innish's Temple if you try to force this
match on me Father. And then you shall make no alliance's from me at all."
There. She played her trump card, thinking for once she had out-maneuvered
him.

 He finally looked up at her, sighed sadly as he put the report down onto the
desk and leaned back in his chair. "That, Daughter, is an option open to you
and one which I could not refute, once you have chosen it. But know this,
Althea, Mathwyny and I have sworn a Blood Oath on this match. If you choose
to follow this course, I will not stop you, but you will throw two of the
Great Kingdoms into war. Can you do that to your people? And are you willing
to force Endymion to turn against one of his best friends?"

 She just stared at him, stunned. A Blood Oath? On a marriage?

 He narrowed his eyes at her as he smiled, knowing from the look on her face
that he had won. "You should know not to try to match wits with me, Daughter.
This alliance will be." He turned his attention back to the paper. "You may
leave me now. Your new Father will be here as soon as he finishes explaining
the situation to your future husband and I do not want him to see you in such
a distraught state. He might think he's made a bad bargain."

 She could do nothing but leave, her steps becoming faster as her frustrated
tears started. Endymion met her at the intersection where the smaller hallway
joined the main one, on his way to speak with their father himself.

 "Althea, wait!" He grabbed the back of her dress just as she was about to
break into a run.

 She kept her head down, leaned her weight against his restraining hand,
unable and unwilling to say anything yet. He let her go and she continued
down the hallway, her pace sedate again. He followed with a few running
steps, then slowed to walk at her side.

 He offered his handkerchief and she pressed it against her eyes as he walked
with her in silence. After a few minutes he asked gently, "'Thea, what
happened?"

 "They've sworn Blood Oath." She bit out around the anger and tears that
constricted her throat.

 "On a marriage?" He answered in a startled voice.

 "You know Father. He will go to any lengths to insure he gets what he
wants." She gave a bitter laugh as she said it.

 Endymion took his sisters hand and held it firmly as he walked with her
toward her room, not knowing what to say but wanting to give her some
support, some assurance that it would be all right. He sighed to himself.
This had the makings of a long night.

 He had just come from Zuriel, finally some what calmer and sulking in the
quarters that he and Malikai shared, Julian having confiscated a bottle of
Father's best brandy from the cellars and dragging Nathan off with him to his
room with the intention of getting him so drunk he would just pass out.

 He doubted that would happen. None of them had yet been able to out drink
Nathan. The man's tolerance for alcohol was inhuman. What would probably
happen would be that Julian would be the one to pass out and he would be
stuck trying to deal with a depressed, furious and drunk Nathan.

 "Will you tell Malikai that I need to speak with him as soon as possible?"
Althea asked as she paused at the door to her room.

 "Of course. Are you going to be all right, Althea?"

 She nodded, on the verge of tears again. Tears she didn't want him to see.
She gave his hand a squeeze as she released it. "You'd better go check on
them, make sure they haven't called challenge on each other, or something
equally insane."

 "Don't worry about it, 'Thea. Julian and I will keep them in hand." He gave
her a reassuring smile. "I'll tell Malikai. I'm sure he'll want to speak with
you, too."

 She stepped into her room, startled a little as she caught sight of the
shape against the window then relaxed as she recognized her uncle's tall,
lean form. He opened his arms to her saying, "Come here, child."

 The wracking sobs came as she buried her head against his shoulder. He
rocked her back and forth gently, wishing again that this girl had been born
to him and not his brother. He waited until most of her tears where spent,
then lifted her chin with his long fingers and smiled at her.

 "All done?" He asked.

 She sniffled and nodded. "It's not fair, Uncle."

 "Life rarely is, Althea. They swore Blood Oath on it?" He asked.

 "You knew, didn't you." Althea frowned. "You Far Saw it! Why didn't you tell
me!"

 He shook his head with a wry grin. "I didn't need my Gift to figure that
out, 'Thea. Just the knowledge of how my brother's mind twists. I had just
hoped that this once he would put the needs of his children above his own
quest for power." He didn't tell her that his gift had shown him a quick
glance of the consequences of either of her choices as he heard his brother
announce her future husband, and that both where entwined with the Darkness
that was coming.

 "Well, he didn't. He lied to me, Uncle! He outright lied!" She took a
shuddering breath.

 "To keep you bid-able and sweet tempered until he sprang his trap. But now
the deed is done and now you must come to terms with it. I know this is not
the match you expected, but you also know that he could have given you to any
of the Princes at that table. Or to one you have never met. Such is the way
of daughter's of royal blood."

 She nodded. She was well aware of that fact, had been brought up all her
life to expect it. But then she meet Nathan and her expectations had changed.
She didn't know what to do.

 "What do I do, Uncle?" She asked in a small voice.

 "Your duty to House and Blood, Althea. But that does not mean that you must
be apart from the one you love." She saw his eye's get that soft look that
came when he thought of his dead Ewony.

 "How did you stand it, Uncle?"

 "We came to an agreement, Althea. As you must do now with Malikai and
Nathan. If he loves you, he will understand."

 She sighed and nodded, already turning the possibilities over in her mind.

 A knock came on her door and she straightened, took a few deep breaths and
gave her uncle's hand a thankful pat before she answered. A page handed her a
letter, bobbed his head. "I was told to wait for a reply." She nodded at him
as she looked at the seal. It was Malikai's lion. She peeled it off, unfolded
the parchment.

 She read it quickly as she walked to her desk, Innish going to the ewer and
cups, busying himself in pouring as she wrote out her answer, dripping some
wax from candle to seal it and pressed her own rose signet into it. She gave
it to the page with the instructions to take it to Prince Malikai.

 Innish handed her the cup as she came back from the door, one eyebrow raised
in inquiry.

 "Malikai wishes to speak with me also. But has suggested we wait until
tomorrow evening, giving all involved a chance to meet with calmer emotions
and clearer heads."

 Innish nodded. "It is a good suggestion. I'm leaving for the Temple in the
morning. It has been a while since you visited. Perhaps you'd like to make a
day trip and keep your Uncle company?" The Temple was an hours easy ride from
Caer Dythal and it would give her a chance to get out and away from all the
men that where now throwing her life into turmoil.

 She smiled at him. "Yes, Uncle. I would be honored."

 He finished his wine in one long draft, then moved toward the door. "I'll
see you in the morning then, Althea. Sleep well."

 "Thank-you Uncle. For everything." She called to him as he stepped through
the door.


 They cantered through the early morning chill, the sun just beginning to
burn the night's mist from the orchard that surrounded the Temple. Althea,
next to him, was having a hard time keeping Butterfly to the slow lope he had
set. He smiled to himself as she cooed soothing words to the big horse
between her knees. He still could not figure out why she had chosen that
particular name for the big gray stallion that Endymion had gifted her with.

 His smile faded as he studied the tranquil beauty around them. The tree's
had just reached full bloom, bringing with their heavy scent the promise of
summer and sunlight and warmth. A promise which Innish knew was false. He had
seen this same orchard in the near future, blackened and withered under a
dark sky. The horses slowed to a trot as they climbed to the crown of the
gentle hill and for a moment the image of the ruins of his Temple from that
dark time overlaid the true one before him.

 But only for a moment, the sight driven away by the clear young voices
carrying on the air. Many called greetings to Althea as the horses trotted
into the courtyard, but Althea's eyes were only on the black cloaked woman
that stood at the top of the stairway that lead into the Temple.

 She gave her Uncle a troubled look. He shook his head at her and sighed as
he dismounted. "Go greet your friends, Althea." He took Butterfly's reins as
she dismounted, hovered for a moment next to him. "Go on." He gave her a
little push toward the knot of gathering young people. "I'll deal with
Berea."

 She obeyed his urging. He purposely ignored Berea as he watched Althea enter
the milling group and get tugged away. "How long has she been here?" He asked
Mara, who came to take the reins of the horses from him.

 Mara kept her eyes away from the guest, shifted her weight uneasily. "Since
the fourth hour of the morning, Master."

 He sighed. *Impatient as always, Berea. I told you when I would be
returning.* He gave a brusque nod to the young Guardian who turned and led
the horses away.

 He pulled off his gloves as he mounted the steps, studying the woman above
him. She did not look a day older than when Ewony had been wed to her brother
sixteen years ago. He knew that she used the Dark Arts to keep her youth and
beauty in place and that she was now wavering on the slender thread between
the Light and Darkness.

 He had warned his brother, told him not to send Endymion to answer the
invitation to visit Berea's Court. But his brother, stubborn as always, had
ignored him, saying that if Endymion was to rule in his place when he died,
then he needed to know all he could of the Courts around him.

 He had gone with him, his time spent in Odesen's Court, before the accident
that he had not foreseen killed both Odesen and Ewony and put Berea on the
throne, making him the most logical advisor to accompany him. Berea took one
look at his handsome nephew and fell madly in lust. He would not call it
love, for that was not what it was. Berea wanted to possess him, body and
soul. 

 He bowed low as he took Beryl's offered hand and brought it to his forehead.
"Queen Berea. You honor me with your presence."

 "Well, what did he say?" She snapped, impatience radiating out of her.

 He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow. He winced as his
Gift activated, spinning out a piece of what was to come in the time it took
to blink his eyes. *She has already joined with the Darkness... Oh, Berea!
Why?* He gave her a forced smile as he led her into the Temple. "First let me
get a drink to take the dust of the road from my throat. Have you eaten?"

 "I don't care about food at the moment!" She scowled over at him. "I want to
know what that brother of yours said to my offer!"

 He led her to a chair, then went and poured himself a glass of wine,
readying himself for what was to come. Her mission here was two-fold.

 "He said no. As I told you he would. He has other plans for his son." He
said it as gently as he could.

 She sat still and erect as she heard his words, her face an emotionless
mask, only the angry fire in her eyes reflecting her reaction.

 "You know, don't you Innish?" She whispered.

 He nodded yes, put the fragile glass goblet down on the table, leaned back
against it, his hands supporting some of his weight against the top.

 Berea started to weave her spell, her voice gentle and full of sympathy.
"Then you know that your brother is a fool! I offer Endymion his only chance
for life. You have seen that this. You know it is the truth. I know your
gift, how it torments you."

 She saw him close his eyes against the truth of her words, saw how his
knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the table. Her voice turned into
a seductive purr, the air around her starting to darken with power.

 "Bring him to me, Innish. Bring him and come with me. Join with me, let me
ease the burden of the knowledge that you bear... the knowledge that none
will believe ... you will sit in your brother's place and you will rule this
land. Shape it as it should be shaped. These Guardians you so love will be
spared to work at your side, to be your hands and voice."

 She smiled as the Darkness reached out to caress him with gentle tendrils,
wrapped itself slowly around his body. He started to sway, her power calling
to the places of Darkness in his soul. Places that she knew he had thought
forgotten and hidden safely away.

 His eyes snapped open as the soft opalecent ribbons of blues and grays
sprang into existence around him, causing the Dark power to flinch away and
rush back to swirl around their mistress.

 "No. You will never have him or me, Berea. Never!" He pulled all the power
he could into his body, cast it at her in a spear of energy. If he could stop
her, kill her here, then the Darkness could be averted. She barely managed to
summon the Gate in time and leapt through it with a shriek of terror. He
yelled in frustration as his power passed through the air where Berea had
been and blew a ragged hole through the far wall. Then he passed out, the
strain of focusing and containing so much power to much for his body to deal
with.