Border Crossing

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"You're late." Baralai Fairchild despised the rain, almost as much as he despised mages. He was waiting at one of the bridges that crossed the river that in turn divided the two largest kingdoms in their land. It was the same bridge where he had waited countless times. Templar or no, gold was gold, and this gold also got rid of troublesome mages.
"You want the gold or not?" A black clad man snarled as he jumped down gracefully from his equally black steed.
Baralai muttered something rather unbecoming of a Templar, then held a gloved hand out. "Gold first, then the cargo. Try anything..." He words were cut off as the mage he was transporting broke free of his restraints. It all happened so quickly that he didn't see the flash of lightning and the proud Templar was crashing into the raging river below.
Six months. It had been six months and the fallen Templar still woke in a cold sweat after dreaming of that night. The mage had rendered him immobile, though wide awake when he had plunged into the river, his heavy armour weighing him down until a pig farmer had dragged him from the river several miles away. It had taken months to get back to health and pay back the farmer for his kindness. In that time word had gotten out that Fairchild the Templar was a deserter.

Alice Gormanghast was scowling into the mirror. She hated this world she had been born into, even now as her maid pulled tightly on the laces of her dress she thought of nothing but a way to escape. Her brother's were all war heroes, famous to everyone in the kingdom for their brave deeds and triumph in defeating several of the dragons. But Alice... All she was known for was to be the prize her father handed over to the man he deemed brave enough to end the war altogether. She was the proverbial Princess in the tower, useful only for luring in prospective suitors. The young brunette didn't even realise her rose coloured lips were quirked into a slight smile 'if only they knew'. Indeed, her father would have a literal heart attack if he knew his prized daughter had secretly been learning how to shoot a bow and handle a sword. She lost herself for hours at an end in books that told of the thieves guild, and their mysterious leader who was sometimes known to have a higher moral code than the knights of their kingdom.

Blackbeard shrugged. "Yer so concerned with the affairs of pirates, when yer own blood are causing misery!"

"Too loud!" Auron's own voice groaned from beneath the covers, rather naked now he had shed his wolf skin. It didn't help that he was also suffering the consequence of all the ale he drank alone in the kitchen the previous night.

Richard didn't lower his weapon. He kept it aimed at the elder man's throat, even when another man held a knife to his side. "I have been away keeping a Blight from reaching our doorstep and all hell has apparently been breaking loose here!" He roared. "What in the bloody hell has been going on here?!" 


Yena's head shot up and when she realized that she shared a bed with a naked man she fell out of it, tumbling to the floor with a loud bang. She made even more noise as she tried to get away stumbling into the table that held breakfast dishes and sending it crashing to the floor.

"Your goddamn family, that's what!" Blackbeard finally snarled. "Yer sister is parading around thinking she is actually pirate Queen, and yer brother... Well he's just lost 'is mind! War is right here, not off in some blight infested land, yer highness."

Auron groaned again, protesting all the noise Yena was making. "How does one so small make so much noise!" He complained, finally sitting up, though his shoulder length hair was rather disheveled right then.

Richard frowned deeply at this, finally turning to Garrik. "Drop your weapon, boy.  I have no quarrel with you."
"Take him to the Dalish." Garrik said softly. "Their queen was going to help. In exchange for Blackbeard she was going to get us the heart of a dragon so that we could cross to the Black city."
"What for?" Richard frowned, glancing at the elder pirate. "There is no one on the throne. My mage has for seen it."

"You drugged me. I would never have mated with you otherwise." Yena hissed. A brass teapot clatter loudly into the wall near his head. "You are sick! I would never touch you. Even to curse you!"

"Yer mage is lyin'." Blackbeard pointed out rather bluntly. "The throne ain't empty, but it sure as hell ain't the maker sittin' on it!"

Auron was still somewhat groggy, but those words still managed to sting. "Don't flatter yourself. I've chewed bones with more meat on than you!" He snarled, hauling his large frame to its feet with one of the bedsheets now wrapped around his waist. "You ain't my type, sweetheart." He added once he was leaned down nose to nose with her. "Just a job, nothing more."

Richard wasn't about to tell the elder man that he was feeling more than a bit stupid. He'd been out of the loop for years, trying to ensure a whole host of demons didn't make their way to his beloved lands. He returned to find everything in shambles. People were angry and fighting one another and even Blackbeard was telling him that something was amiss. "Where is Alice?" He asked softly. "More importantly where is that damnable brother of mine?" 

Yena felt very stupid and small at his words and found herself mumbling an apology. She couldn't even look him in the eye. "You should have just let me go." She whispered.

"Find her, and He wont be far away." Blackbeard snorted. "Boy 'as an unhealthy obsession with his own sister. Killed her elf king husband to get a taste of her for 'imself."

"Just doing a job, like I said." Auron mumbled, wishing he had let her go too. Last thing he needed was some little girl making him feel less worthless than he already did.

"The thief king is dead?" This seemed to truly upset Richard. He placed his sword back in it's holster, the lines in his forehead extremely deep. "Then things are bad." He turned toward the one still holding the cutlass at him and nodded. "We will take your captain to this elf. If I remember right, using a dragon's heart will allow us a gateway to many things. One of them will be my sister. She has answers I seek." He waved a hand at the sorry lot of pirates still brandishing their weapons at him. "Tell them to put those away and I will ensure you survive, Jack. This is your one moment of grace." 

"You can't even talk to the bastard anymore. Why do you care what he wants?" She asked, turning to size up the window across from her. If she jumped from this height would it kill her? She'd always wanted to fly but it seemed she'd been born the maker's cruel joke. Even as a dragon she didn't have wings. Kane had delighted in calling her mud born. A piglet.

Blackbeard was stubborn to the end. "Ensure I survive? Yer outnumbered, boy." The pirate snorted. "But fine, I'll come with yer. Gotta take back me crown from that idiot girl anyway."

"Not talking doesn't mean he can't see what is happening." Auron grumbled. "And if he had warned me what an annoying, foul tempered brat you were, I'd have told him to just end me there and then!"

Richard frowned at the pirate, making it clear he didn't believe for a moment the elder man didn't know more than he was letting on. Around them the underlings were putting away their weapons and grumbling. "We will take this to my ship, Jack. There's nothing I trust here." The prince said darkly. 

"And you are the epitome of sunshine and rainbows?!" Yena shot back, fuming. "Excuse me while I try not to die from laughter." She shook her head, making a face at him.

"And I'm supposed to trust nothin' to happen on yer fancy boat?" Blackbeard sneered.

"I was nothing but nice to you until you threw it back at me!" Auron hissed.

"Of course you're not supposed to trust me. I am the Admiral of the Royal Naval Armada after all. And not to mention I hate lying pirates." Richard snorted. "Let's go. Your son here has already made your deal. There is no more time to go back on it." 

"Lies. All of the staff here are afraid of you and you've been nothing but a bully to me." Yena shot back, realizing that he'd pulled her away from the window with just a few challenging words. She was never going to win.

"Of course he has." Blackbeard muttered to himself. He didn't like the situation, but even he had to swallow his pride and follow Richard.

"They're not afraid because of anything I've done." Auron pointed out rather sadly.

The white elf was waiting for them but was more than a little surprised when Alice was not the one presenting her with the pirate. "What's become of her?" She asked, speaking to Blackbeard.

Yena would later question herself but before either of them could react, she was standing in front of the large man and pressing her lips to his. It was no small feat given how big he was but something inside her was forgoing rational thought. Maybe this was her way of punishing him. There was no way he'd ever want to kiss a little mouse like her.

"Don't pretend to care." Blackbeard snorted. "Just be glad she's gone, one less worry for that icy head of yours, yer majesty." He added rather bitterly.

Auron was certainly surprised by the kiss, but it was hardly unwelcome. He wanted to push Yena away and tell her he didn't have time for whatever game she was playing with him. Instead he lifted her up and turned with her, pressing her to wall so neither of them had to reach quite so far.

"Take him away. I shall..." the elf paused, looking at the darkening sky. A slow smile was spreading over her lips. "The dragons have found one another. Excellent."

Yena deepened the kiss the moment she was able. She pushed her fingers through his silken hair, her tongue teasing his. He tasted like smoke and chicory. She could get enough.

Blackbeard didn't need to be a mage to know that sky was no good thing. "You ain't strong enough for this, woman." He warned. "Yer need to swallow yer pride and get off that high horse you put yerself on!"

Auron seemed to be struggling with himself right then. He was torn between what was right, and what he wanted. Yena was exactly what he wanted, it simply hadn't been confirmed until he tasted her. "You don't want a monster, girl." He managed to breathe, though his voice seemed like nothing more than a rumble of thunder.

"Oh and who is? You?" the elven woman laughed at him. Alma as he liked to call her, was giving him a dark eyed glare. "Don't mock me pirate. You've done plenty of that."

"I wish everyone would stop telling me what I want and don't want." Yena whispered, her fingers threading under his shirt and timidly brushing rippled muscles.

"And you ain't done the same?" Blackbeard growled. "Yer not so pure, elf. Got a heard just as blackened 'as me own."

Auron groaned rather loudly when Yena's fingers slid against the taut flesh. "You're the one who called me..." He breathed, though was kissing her all over again.

"You're just angry that I cursed you. Serves you right, you womanizing shem." Alma muttered, turning her head to the wind. "If their union brings forth a child we can bring him out of the fade and kill him that way." She told Richard. "Tell your men to stay off my lands, at least for the night. And where is Alice?" 
"I was hoping you could tell me." Richard said gruffly, having no idea he'd left his sister behind on Blackbeard's dilapidated ship. His men had sunk it the moment they were out of it sight. 

Yena didn't want to talk anymore. She began removing her clothing and yanking away the sheet that separated his skin from hers. She needed him and she couldn't explain it. No matter how angry he made her,  she couldn't fight the feelings deep inside her anymore. It was almost as if someone was guiding her to this moment.

Blackbeard was smiling at both of them. He didn't give a damn what Alma called him, and couldn't wait to tell Richard the truth. "Probably dead by now, you left your sweet little sister on my ship, which my men had orders to sink once we made land."

Auron felt it too as he helped Yena shed her own clothing. They were stumpling about the room now as though nothing else was even there.

"What?!" It wasn't Richard crying out in agony but Garrik. "No. Why? Why would you lie to me like that?!" He turned and began running up the beach only to be stopped by the prince's men. 

The storm grew worse outside and neither of them noticed. Yena knew nothing but the overwhelping need for the man she'd sworn to hate.

"Your mother wouldn't let me have you unless I gave her a life for the sea in return." Blackbeard replied with a shrug. "A pirate queen was more than enough, an' it means I reclaimed my rightful crown."

It was too late to stop now. Auron had never felt anything life it as he claimed Yena. How could something feel both burning hot and ice cold at the same time?

Garrik let out another cry of anguish and went after the elder man, only to be held back again. "That drink made me numb! I didn't know! You lied, you bastard!"

Yena felt guilty for enjoying herself so much. She knew she should be mourning Bear. But instead she was lying in the arms of a man who may very well have helped to kill him. What was wrong with her?

"And yer surprised?" Blackbeard chuckled. "Yer blame the drink, but really you were just fed up of her."

Auron didn't understand why he was still there, holding Yena in his arms as he stroked her hair. He had always made a point of taking his own satisfaction and leaving. No attachments. He liked it that way.

"You knew I would die for her!" Garrick howled. "You knew I would have died trying to..." the hilt of Richard's broadsword came down on the back of the younger man's head and he slumped to the deck. 
"You will pay for this, Jack." The prince warned. "Take the boy and chain him up before he can harm himself." He instructed others.

Yena's gentle breathing had deepened for no more then a few moments when Kane's monstrous for appeared in the mirror. He gave his general a toothy grin of pride. "Should have known you'd take advantage of a situation." He purred. "Now I want you to take it back to the mountain and lock it up. It doesn't belong amongst my kingdom. Double the guard there as well. My sister is getting too close."

"You were hardly in that much of a hurry to find the girl, 'else yer would've searched the ship." Blackbeard pointed out. "You royals are all the same, everything is always for show."

The way Auron's large fingers tightened against Yena's hip was a give away of how much he too hated his king. "How close?" He asked, making no reference to what he and Yena had obviously done. "Perhaps I can put the girl out of her misery for you."

"I didn't think for a moment you and my sister would have crossed paths." Richard snapped, looking rather angry. "The little girl I knew was terrified of water. Why the hell would she have become a pirate?!"

"You know very well that's the last thing I want." Kane purred. "Now, after you have obeyed my orders, make contact with a slave trader. I need a mage. One that can extract more pieces of the dragon's heart."

"You really 'ave no idea, do yer?" Blackbeard sneered. "That damn brother of yours was going to stop at nothing to 'ave her! As much as I hate the little bit... She was a survivor."

"Forgive me, your majesty, but what exactly is it that you want? You let your sister slip away time and time again." Auron replied, though he knew it wasn't his place to say.

"Then there is no reason to believe she is dead." Richard muttered, scowling at the mirror on the other side of his cabin. The edges were swirling with dark mist, like it was being enchanted. "Marisol!" He barked. "Get in here! Someone is using magic." 

"My sister is closer than you think." Kane said firmly. "Now do as you've been instructed. I don't want that thing in my kingdom anymore. I have what I sent it there for. Take the beast back and lock it up."