Suddenly there was a roar, it was so loud it shook the castle. Everyone froze, then the screams started.
Darra was the first to the courtyard simply because she'd opened the window and leapt out. The Ancients followed her lead as did Gregori. Garrick, Aiden and Mathus appeared only moments later, having had to take the stairs. The courtyard was in chaos, people were running everywhere. Some were hurt others disoriented, all they had to do was follow the screams. Rounding the left side of the castle the sight before them made them pause. There stood a massive wolf, and Raven stood before it with her hands out. "Goddess, I haven't seen one of these creatures in ages," Brenna exclaimed. "What the devil is it," Garrick growled. "A Dire Wolf," Darra whispered. With a burst of speed Darra grabbed the girl just before the beast swiped at her. "I can't communicate with it, I can't get through," Raven gasped. Darra looked back at the creature before standing, "Stay here." She moved to stand in front of the massive beast. The creature lowered its snout to look her in the eye. Without warning it swiped at her. Garrick and Gregori gave a shout, but she didn't move, simply lifted her left arm to block the oncoming assault. The strike hit with a loud thwack, the force blowing her hair back from her face but left her otherwise unharmed. The beast then roared, its open maw fitting her height perfectly. When it tried to snap at her she simply side stepped it. Finally, she placed a hand on the beasts head, right between the eyes, her strength easily holding it down. As she probed its mind for some sign of intelligent life the creature thrashed and struggled to get away. Darra finally opened her eyes and looked down at the beast, sadness distorting her features. "I'm so sorry for what has been done to you," she said aloud. Wrapping her arms around its massive neck she braced her body and gave a brutal jerk. The snap seemed to echo around the courtyard before fading to silence.
As if she'd just used the last of her strength, Darra dropped to her knees still cradling the head of the huge beast. She closed her eyes and laid her head against the creatures, blood red tears falling from her eyes. The others approached her slowly, surrounding her in silence. Finally, Garrick could no longer take seeing her tears. He kneeled and scooped her up easily, his heart breaking as she buried her face against his chest and wound her fingers in his shirt. He turned and started back toward the keep, striding pass The Ancients and her guard. Raven and Aiden followed at a slower pace. Marie started to speak but Raven stopped her with a small shake of her head, "This is My Lady's breaking point. Your questions will have to wait."
He held her until her tears abated, she eventually pulled her face from his chest and leaned it against his shoulder. "What you must think of me," she whispered. He turned his head to look directly at her, "What? That you mourn having had to take that creatures life?" "That and everything! I truly thought all those years ago that I'd made the right decision leaving everything behind, but it seems its only caused more far-reaching consequences. And now there's another war to fight and it's all my doing," she said tiredly. He held her closer, "When will you stop trying to carry all the world's problems on your shoulders? You are not the worlds protector!" She lifted her head and looked him in the eye, "Aren't I? Who else can protect us all?" "Why does it have to be you and you alone," he asked angrily. She caressed the side of his face sadly. "If you knew that you had the power to protect, to keep the peace, wouldn't you do all that you could," she said softly. He pressed his forehead to hers, "You don't have to do this." She smiled sadly, "No one else will." A cool breeze blew in from the balcony making her turn her head. Pulling away from him and coming to a stand she sighed, "We're not alone." Garrick stood with a growl as The Ancients appeared one by one. Marie stepped forward her brow furrowed in confusion and curiosity. "What is this between you," she asked, "The cords that bind the two of you are brighter than even the sun." Before Darra could respond Garrick stepped in front of her and crossed his arms before glaring down at the vampire, "She is my mate." The words hung in the air as all who'd heard them took a second to process the declaration. Darra sighed and pressed her forehead against his upper back before stepping to the side. Her grandmothers face was the very definition of shock. "You agree with this Darra," she demanded. She rolled her eyes and answered, "I agree that there is something between us, whether I'm his mate or not." She let out a sudden bark of laughter, so loud Darra was startled. With a frown she reached out and touched her arm, "Grandmere are you quite alright?" Marie patted her hand and turned a wide grin on her granddaughter, "Oh my dear, you have no idea. My mother must be doing somersaults in her grave." "I don't understand," Darra said still frowning. "By the time you were old enough to fight in the war everyone had already forgotten why we'd been fighting in the first place," Marie said, "But I remember, after all it was my mother who started the war." "I assumed that it was some imagined slight on great grandmothers' side," Darra said thoughtfully. Marie glanced at Garrick, "Actually it was your grandfather who started this whole mess." "How so," he grumbled. "Well," she chuckled, "he declared that my mother was his mate, much like you have just done." Darra and Garrick stared at her slack jawed. "You cannot be serious," Darra exclaimed, "why would she start a war over that?" "We're all raised with a certain reverence for one's own species. In that day and age, it was deeply frowned upon for a vampire to take up with anything other than a vampire. My mother did not want to be disgraced so she refused his advances," Marie said nonchalantly. "So where does the war come in," Garrick asked. "It seemed no one mentioned the side effects of being separated, for both parties, once the wolf finds his mate. He can't be far from her, nor her from him. My mother started to go insane from the separation and likewise your grandfather fell into a rage fueled depression," she said sadly. Darra and Garrick stared at each other before looking back at Marie. "Don't look so panicked granddaughter, I'm sure the two of you will handle it a lot better than they did," she smiled mischievously. The Ancients turned and started out of the room just as Garrick asked, "What happened to her? Your mother?" Before exiting the room Marie paused and turned to look back at them, "Oh, I thought that was rather obvious. Why I killed her of course."
