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.

Marisol smiled and nodded. "Aren't I always?" She breathed. "Don't worry about me. Let's just get you back into bed and we can worry about this in the morning, hmm?"

Auron tried not to laugh, he really did. He finally lost the battle and ended up rolling round in the dirt himself in a fit of laughter.

"I cannot..." Richard tried to sit up. "Until you came in here and tried to kiss me I was getting ready for the execution. Then that woman was here..." he paused and frowned, clearly trying to make sense of things. "You should have just kissed me."

Yena sat for a long moment, staring at him. It took her a while to process what he was laughing about before she too cracked a smile and then a giggle.

"What?" Marisol was frowning in confusion, though was surprised Richard didn't seem all that disgusted by the thought of her kissing him. "Sire, I had to force the door open to get in here, and that was when I found that creature leaning over you."

Auron had crawled through the dirt when he heard Yena laugh and was smearing some of it across her pert nose. "Oink..." He chuckled.

"You came in and said you wanted to talk about the boy and closed the door." Richard said, feeling better once Marisol put her hand on his chest. It was much easier to breathe. "Next thing I know you are in my lap and kissing me. I don't remember much after that. I am sorry for the shameful way I treated you. Even if it wasn't you..."

"You are not funny, giant." Yena said, though she wore a gentle smile as she smeared his own face with a handful of mud.

Marisol was ashamed to realise she was jealous of the other creature. "It's fine, no harm done, right?" She responded, trying to remain cheerful.

Auron laughed again, this time pinning Yena gently into the mud. "Then stop smiling..." He challenged, though kissed the young woman beneath himself she could respond.

"I suppose." Richard sighed, finally able to catch his breath. He sat up, rubbing at his head. "Now...you said you wanted to talk to me?" 

Yena would surprise him by kissing him back. She didn't know what came over her but once again she couldn't get enough of his taste.

"Did I?" Marisol breathed as she moved across the room the boil some water. "Are you sure that wasn't the other me? The one you had in your lap?" She asked.

As before the sky would grow russet red while they were close like this. Auron paid no attention however, he was far more interested in the sweet taste of his dragon mage.

Richard frowned deeper at the very idea. "I need to go check on things. We must be close to mermaid waters now." He said gruffly, pushing to his feet. 
"Sire, we need to talk to your mage. That sky is doing the thing again." One of the cabin boys was knocking on his door, certain Marisol had solved the problem already. 

Yena yanked off his tunic and tossed it aside, biting at his lower lip. She didn't notice the sky and wouldn't have cared if she had. She certainly didn't notice that this time there were odd shaped golden clouds that had begun to cover the russet color.

Marisol glared hatefully at the cabin boy and even tried to push him back out of the room. "His royal highness is resting, you shouldn't disturb him!" She insisted, quickly trying to think of a reason why no one else should be in the room.

It didn't matter to Auron that they lay in mud, or that he had a rather nasty wound that would take days to heal. The male dragon was tracing his lips against Yena's smooth flesh as he slowly pushed her dress up her slender body. She was extremely pleasing to him in this particular form, and tasted like crisp apples.

"I think you need to see this now." The young man insisted. "Mage, the crew is scared. We've never seen anything like this. Some are talking about death of our lands. Worse than Richard's brother!"

"Auron..." she breathed his name in his ear, nipping in his ear lobe. The fire in her stomach was eating away at her, making her more alive than she had ever been. She wrapped her legs around his waist urging him to become a part of her. She needed him. This was new. She never needed anyone.

Marisol wasn't budging. She needed to betray the prince she loved for a man she barely knew, all to keep blood off her own conscience, and off Richard's hands. "I will come on deck in a moment, but you need to leave! I am... ah..." The young mage was panicking and in the heat of the moment pushed her flowing dress off her shoulders to let it pool around her ankles. "Performing a duty to my master!" She could only prey she wasn't blushing as much as she thought she was. It was a desperate attempt to simply make the cabin boy rather uncomfortable and leave.

The second Auron surrendered and felt Yena's warmth surround him a large clap of thunder erupted over head as lightning streaking across the sky. Neither of them had any idea what they truly were or what they were doing to the world.

"Marisol!" Richard roared. Her gamble worked. The prince stormed over to the door and shoved the young man out, slamming it with a thunderous boom. "What was that all about?!" He demanded. "You are not my whore and I have never treated you as such!"

Yena barely noticed the rain that was pelting her face. Even as she and Aron lay in the mud, gasping. She noticed very little but the delicious euphoric state her body was still in and that rough fingers that danced only her bare skin. 
"He's going to kill you." She whispered finally, hating herself for breaking the moment.

Marisol was so ashamed of what she had done that the poor woman was frozen in place, staring down at the dress that still covered her perpetually bare feet. "Apologies... Your highness." She managed to choke out, certainly she could all but taste Richard's disgust.

"I knew that the first time I tasted you." Auron chuckled as rough fingers idly traced Yena's bare flesh. His skin was on fire due to the onset of infection in his wound, not that he would tell Yena that, and the rain brought welcome relief.

Richard said nothing as he bent and pulled the dress back up to her shoulders. "Do you still think so lowly of me, Mar?" He whispered, stepping away to begin putting on his uniform. "Will I never change your mind?" He didn't look at her as he fixed his sword belt into place. He wasn't sure why her actions bothered him so much. He knew he shouldn't care what others thought of him. But for some reason, the opinion of this moonlight haired mage mattered a great deal. 

"You should do what your king asks and take me to the mountain." Yena said softly, finally looking up at the strange clouds. "Is he...making them do that?" She asked, gesturing above them.

Marisol had her slender arms hugged around herself, still unable to look at Richard as he spoke. She knew he couldn't understand what this was like for her. Her previous master had expected exactly this of her, kindness was still so knew to the young mage. "Will you at least allow me to make you some tea before you meet with the crew she asked rather quietly.

Auron was watching the clouds too, though his fingers still stroked Yena's skin lightly. "I doubt even he can hold sway over the weather, kitten." He breathed, still unaware that between them, they had done exactly that.

Richard shook head. "I'll have some when I get back perhaps but right now I think I have worn out my welcome." How he'd managed to do that in his own cabin was beyond him. "Besides, I want to get this unsightly deed over with."

"You haven't seen him since he traveled to the fade." Yena said softly, shaking at the memory of what Kane had become. Not that he'd been much to look at before. "Seated on the throne. Who knows what he is capable of?" She sighed softly. "Don't risk yourself for me, Auron. Take me to the mountain like he wants. I promise not to run this time."

Marisol nodded, feeling ever more like she truly had offended her prince. "I understand, your highness." She breathed, turning away to begin picking up the items the creature had thrown.

"You know... He's still obsessed with his sister." Auron suddenly pondered outloud. "What if we found her, and offered him a trade. You for her?"

Richard sighed softly. "One cup, Marisol." He told her, sitting down at the table and rubbing at his forehead. "But while you are doing that, you really need to explain to me what's going on."

Yena gave him a strange look. "I'm not sure it works that way. He wants my heart because it can get him to her. I don't think he'd agree to that and...why would you make a deal like that?"

"Going on with what?" Marisol asked rather evasively as she set the teacups on the table and filled Richard's up first.

"But if he had her, he wouldn't need your heart, correct?" Auron asked. "And you would be free to go where you liked."

Richard traced the edge of the delicate cup with a callused finger. The prince was not like others of his kind. He never shied away from hard work. 
"Your little display a while ago tells me something is going on. I want you to talk to me." He told her, not yet taking a drink.

"My heart allows him to cross the veil from dead to living and back again. That's how he tricked me into...killing Bear. I didn't know that before. I took them both because your king insisted. He knew what it wild do. He knew that he could have the shard then." Yena said softly. "I'm not going to make this easy on him again. You're going to do what he told you to and stay on his good side."

"I already apologised for disgusting you, sire." Marisol breathed, again avoiding his gaze. "I didn't want the boy in here bothering you with things they could handle their selves. It was a mistake I made in a panic."

Yena probably shouldn't have given Auron that information. "Then he can have mine. One dragon heart as is good as the next, right?"

"There's nothing to apologize for." Richard said softly, wishing he could tell her he'd enjoyed everything he saw. "But the sky...that's not something any of us can handle. Do you happen to know what's going on?" Still his rough fingers danced around the rim. Still he didn't drink.

"He doesn't know what you are. Remember?" Yena said, finally getting to her feet and holding a hand out for him. "You probably have tried heart that breaks the world. Mine is as worthless as the rest of me."

"You don't like my tea anymore, sire?" Marisol asked as she sat opposite Richard, watching his finger circle the rip of the cup.

"A persons heart is always worthless to themselves." Auron remarked. "But your heart was priceless, or at least worth his life to your bear, was it not?"

"My mind is on other things." Richard admitted, glancing down at the cup with a frown. "I still have a headache from the creature to be honest."

Yena shook her head. "Don't talk about him anymore. I feel guilty enough. Are you coming? We can make the mountain prison by sunrise."

"It's camomile... It will help." Marisol insisted, though her stomach twisted painfully when she said this.

Auron sighed heavily and looked up at the sky one more time. "How can you just accept this?" He asked, wondering if she simply wanted to get away.

Richard gave her a soft smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You always know how to make it better." He said, tipping the delicate cup back and draining it in one gulp. "Now come. We need to..." he turned in his chair to get up but never made it. He simply slumped to the floor. He missed the sounds of his crew shouting, 'man overboard'.

Yena shrugged. She couldn't explain it and wasn't sure she wanted to. "There's a village not far from here and I'm hungry. I'm going to steal some apples if you want some." She said just to change the subject.

Marisol crouched down and rolled Richard onto his back. "I'm sorry..." She breathed, kissing his cheek lightly. "I can't let you put more death on your conscience."

"Yena..." Auron took hold of her slender hands and squeezed gently. "You don't need to steal. I will buy you whatever you want, silly girl."

Richard let out a gentle snore, his eyes moving behind his dark lashes. He was already dreaming. 
Outside the door the crews were leaping into the water after Garrik, shouting for someone to fetch the prince. 

Yena frowned at him. "You are feverish. You need a healer. They won't see you if I'm with you. When we get to the village you...you are a stupid man!" She shouted, hitting him in the chest. "Don't hurt yourself for me. Ever! Do you hear me?"

Marisol somehow got the much larger prince undressed and into his bed before she headed up onto the deck. "You idiots! This is mermaid water, jump after him and you are as good as dead!" 

"Sorry... I seem to be slightly deaf." Auron mused rather cheerfully as he gathered up his discarded clothing to go and wash the mud off his skin in the stream that skirted between the trees.

There were some who had already found this out. The remaining  crew was now staring at her in wide eyed fear. Garrik had made it to the island I'm the meantime and lay gasping on the shore, his mother standing close by.

The body of a soldier floated in the water nearby. He didn't stay that way for long. "Where have you been?" He gurgled, mising the sight of the elven woman skittering into a tree. He got to his feet in a grotesque manner, limping toward Auron. "I still have no dragon in my mountain or even a mage. What are you playing at, Captain?!"