The sun was rising, wasn't surprising really just another sleepless night. He stood and walked over to the window stretching along the way. He felt heavy, tired. He had no mate, and his son was lost to him. He was a king with no heir and no way to produce one. He'd long since lost the desire for a woman. As he stared out the window, he saw two figures approaching on what looked to be well maintained air cycles. Odd, they never received visitors this time of year. There was something strange about these two, something familiar. A knock at his chamber door disturbed his reverie. With a sigh he grumbled, "What is it?" The door opened to reveal his somewhat uptight cousin Mathus. "Sire, there are two visitors approaching by air cycles. Should I turn them away," he asked? He pulled out his clothing while inwardly rolling his eyes at his cousin, sometimes he took his station too seriously. "I will see them in one hour in the throne room, send for Raven," he said matter of factly. His cousin nodded and closed the door. He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror. He grimaced, there he was, Garrick the last Wolf King.
Aiden was nervous, she could tell. His hand kept reaching for the hilt of his knife as he paced back and forth in front of her. "Aiden relax, these are your people," Darra sighed never looking up from the book she'd brought with her. "I don't know these people Darra, wolf or not they are not my kin," he growled. She sighed again and shook her head. The boy settled down just as the throne room doors opened to allow them entry. A rather militant and severe looking man stood in the doorway with his muscular arms crossed over his chest. His hair was cropped close to his skull except for a long tail that ran down the center of his head and was secured at the base of his neck. There was a thin scar that ran from his right ear to just under his chin. But it was his eyes that intrigued her. Mostly all wolves had the customary hazel brown or amber eyes but his were a startling aquamarine. "This way," he said gruffly before turning on his heel and leading the way. The throne room was massive, from the rafters hung tapestries of different colors each with the wolf house crest or the crest of the kingdom. There were plenty of people watching and waiting but the massive isle was left empty leading right up to the throne itself. What talking there'd been ceased as they stopped right before the dais that held throne and king. There sat a very large man. Muscular yet still had an air of quite possibly being a gentleman. At the base of her skull started a throbbing, a warm sensation. The only basis of comparison she could think of was the same feeling you get when someone scratches an itch you can't reach yourself, but a hundred times more powerful. It was an odd sensation and for once she was glad, they hadn't taken off their hoods yet. As they came to a stop Darra stared openly as the reality of the situation became startlingly clear. This man, this king looked like an older, wearier version of Aiden. With their hoods still up, no one could really catch a glimpse of what they looked like but her and Aiden shared a look of surprise as he no doubt could see the man's resemblance to himself. The scarred man leading them stopped and stepped to the right of the dais, "Please, state your business." Darra nodded and removed her hood. Sharp gasps went up from the crowd and in the blink of an eye they were surrounded by the high guards, spears pointed and ready. In a calm and strong voice, she spoke with her palms open, out from her sides, "I mean no one harm good king."
Garrick stared in disbelief, a vampire in his court? Moreover, she was stunningly beautiful. To all that could see, his eyes glowed the tell-tale signs of his kind. His body was reacting to her presence and even more disturbing the wolf in him was reaching out to her. It took all of his considerable will to keep himself and his beast restrained. He stood and descended from the throne. "Back off," he said gruffly to his high guards. Spears were retracted and they stepped back allowing the king and the scarred man into the circle. He studied her for a moment before he spoke. She was pale as vampires tended to be her black hair was pulled back into a large bun that was swirled with white. There were also two warrior braids at each temple, with two peculiar beads affixed to their ends. She was trying very hard to look plain but she had the look of aristocracy about her. High cheek bones and full lips, her ears were almost fae-like coming to little points. But it was her eyes that drew him. They were calm, fearless with a shade of weariness. Emerald, green of her eyes was such a vibrant shade they almost seemed to glow. "What could possibly bring a vampire to the court of the wolf? You are so very far from home," he said sternly. "Not as far as you're thinking," she smiled. "Fourteen years ago, I happened upon a grizzly scene. I was visiting a human city when I scented blood and a lot of it. A woman had been mauled horribly. By the time I arrived she was already dead, however in her arms miraculously untouched was a boy child. A boy wolf child." Garrick stared at her not wishing to believe her story and yet silently hoping for it to be true. She turned so only her profile was visible to him. "Aiden, these are your people, and this is your king," she said proudly. The other figure who'd been silent so far reached up and removed his hood. He stared at the boy in disbelief, a boy who looked very much like him. The room was so silent she could hear the horses in the stables on the other side of the keep.
She watched as Aiden looked the king up and down before crossing his arms over his chest. Garrick regained his composure but not before the scarred man sprang into action. Before anyone could react, he'd wrapped his hands around her throat, "You lie vampire! Either this boy is not who you say he is, or you killed his mother and kept him for your own evil ends!" She didn't fight back, simply looked up at him and sighed, "Really, my own evil ends? I haven't had contact with my own kind for longer than you've been alive boy! I could've left him where he was, would that have been better?" Before he could reply a deep throated growl rent the air. "LET HER GO," Aiden roared. Everyone froze and looked back at the boy who was seconds away from a change. Darra lowered her voice, "Sir, if you don't want this to escalate, I would suggest letting me go." "Do as she said Mathus," Garrick growled. Slowly Mathus unwrapped his hands from around her throat and stepped back. She stepped forward blocking Aiden's view of the soldier behind her. "Aiden," she said softly, "I am not harmed, see for yourself. Calm yourself." He jerkily moved forward and sniffed her neck before gently brushing his hands against her throat. He stepped back and shrugged his shoulders before saying, "It's alright, I'm calm now." She smiled at him and sighed, "I misled you Aiden and I'm sorry. I knew they would accuse me of killing your mother. I knew that I would most likely be put to death for it. I welcome it. I wanted you with your people so you wouldn't be alone." He frowned, "You knew they would try to kill you? You knew and still brought me here?" "I had to see to your safety. You were the only thing left for me to care for. I promised you that you would be with me only as long as it took for me to train you and I have. I'm weary now," she said sadly. He sighed and shook his head. Garrick cut in and finally spoke, "How do I know you're telling the truth? He looks like me, yes, but that can easily be duplicated with magic." "I have no proof, only my word," she said respectfully. He nodded and rubbed the scruff of his chin before lifting a hand and gesturing to someone unseen, "Raven, please attend me." There was a shuffle of feet and a pixie-ish looking child appeared. As Darra studied her, she realized that she wasn't a child, she was an adolescent very close to becoming a woman, perhaps too soon. The girl looked up at her and immediately she felt the probe to her mind. Darra smiled as the girl's eyes widened, she knew the girl couldn't read her and now the girl knew it too. "Raven, please, do they speak truth," the king asked. She turned to Aiden and held her hands out expectantly. He sniffed then shrugged before placing his hands in hers. After a few seconds her eyes swirled from violet to silver, she let her head fall back onto her shoulders appearing to stare unseeing at the ceiling. After a few minutes she withdrew her hands and turned to the king, eyes wide. "Sire, it is as they've said, he is your lost son," she said incredulously. Garrick stared at the boy who now looked thunderous, strangely he noticed that the murderous look in his eyes was directed at his seer, Raven. "King Garrick your son has been returned to you. Please deal with me accordingly," Darra said calmly. He turned to her, looking deep into her eyes he noticed two things. Within the emerald green of her eyes, he saw vibrant flecks of red and gold. He also recognized the same soul deep weariness that had been plaguing him lately. He also realized that it saddened him, he felt a connection with this vampire that he was not yet ready to acknowledge. "You wish death, vampire," Garrick asked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his son clench his fists. "Her name is Darra," he snarled, "and whoever lays a single solitary digit on her will die by my hand!" There was a scoff from behind them, "You're just a boy, when you're older you'll understand why you can never let a filthy vampire live." Garrick watched her sigh and drop her head as if shamed, he didn't like that at all. And apparently his son liked it even less. The boy moved without sound and with the force of a sudden gale. One moment he was standing across from himself and Darra, the next he'd grabbed Mathus by the face and lifted, slamming him bodily into the floor. He unsheathed his knife and held it to Mathus' throat, "If you ever disrespect her again, I will kill you. No questions, no scare tactics, I will just strike you down where you stand." Mathus looked up at the boy in shock and pride, "Understood." Aiden stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, rage burning in his eyes. "Combat is not all that was taught to me," he said scathingly, "I know the history between vampires and wolves, your Stalemate War. But this vampire, this woman has done you no wrong. None of you." "Aiden," Darra said softly. He turned and glared at her. She arched one elegant eyebrow at him, and he sighed dropping his arms and relaxing his hands. "All of this was to be expected, we talked about this," she said. "Guards, escort Darra and my son Aiden to my wing and Raven will see to delegating them rooms," Garrick said smoothly, "Mathus with me!"
