The Gift Of Power | Wattys 2020 (Dance of Power Trilogy: Book 1)

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Ilweran had been helping Valka tend to the refugee dragons of the nest for the past five days. Ever since Hiccup and Minden had left, he had been listening to Valka's worries about her son. How did Hiccup really feel about her? What had happened to him? Had he been joking about wanting to kill her? Where were he and Minden right now? So far, Ilweran had not expended any effort in trying to dispel her worries or explain anything. Unsure how he felt about this whole situation, and not really wanting to ease her burden. She deserved it.

As a father himself, Ilweran couldn't imagine ever willingly walking away from his child. He had gone to extraordinary means to protect Minden. Some that she knew about. Many that she didn't. Every time that he had left her to return to Alfheim, another small piece of him had broken.

What if something happened to her while he was away? He wanted to stay with her and her mother, but he couldn't. It was the most terrible feeling he had ever experienced. Thankfully his elven heritage had hidden his pain from nearly everyone. His mother, Queen Lerina, had noticed that something was wrong of course. She knew him too well to be fooled by his lies, but she would never reveal his secret.

For most of his life, Ilweran had never even considered what it might be like to have children. Though he was half human, he was born on Alfheim to an elf mother. Shortly after his birth it had become clear that he was more elf than human, despite his appearance. As soon as he was old enough to understand it, his mother had explained his new reality to him. He was essentially immortal. This meant that he was also infertile. Living amongst other immortals, he had never thought to question this assumption.

At 400-years-old, he had been around. Eternal youth, unmatched beauty, and the alluring wild magic of his people meant that most elves were quite promiscuous. As were the other eternal races, if not to quite the same extent. It's just the way they have always been. Ilweran had only been half joking when he reminded Hiccup that elves were not particular in their fancies. They certainly weren't, as Hiccup had discovered soon after arriving in Alfheim. The elves had found his exotic looks appealing, and many of both sexes had tried to pair with him at that first fall festival.

Hiccup had been quite shocked at first, but had eventually learned to laugh it off with Ilweran. Both of them spurning the advances of the others with good humour. Both of them watching as Cuithanna approached them in her pregnant form. Ilweran had thought she was going to choose him again. Then as she had chosen Hiccup, he had been as stunned as everyone else when her mark began to glow on the Dark Rider's forehead. That had never happened before. She had placed her permanent seal on him.

No one knew what would happen now. If the seal would change him or not. At least it did help to keep the others somewhat at bay, if only for that one evening. Only from Hiccup, though. The young man had laughed himself to tears at Ilweran as more and more men made suggestive passes at him. Some even getting a bit handsy in their drunken desire. The others had never been able to understand why their prince was so strangely reluctant when it came to bedmates. Especially during the Sabbats when the liquors were flowing freely.

In truth, Hiccup was right when he had said that they were both very particular. Ilweran had always been the odd one out in that regard, before. Most of his kin were free spirits that gave in to whatever whim caught their fancy at the moment. He could just never manage it. Likely due to the human in him. He was more emotion bound than the rest of them.

Despite centuries of wishing he could just blend in, Ilweran had still only ever desired beautiful women, but it was also so much more complicated than that. Though satisfied in the moment, he would always end up feeling curiously empty after he had them. Not because he didn't want women. He did. Very much so. It just felt like something important was missing from the union.