Weeks passed and she felt the down right pain in her legs. She pushed on, it had been a while since she was completely active. She spent more time sitting on a throne and dictating then actually being active and training her father. The red head pushed back her hair and looked up at the surroundings. “Beats me but it does look like we’re getting closer to something.”

The heat of the area they were approaching now bellowed out to them. She recognized the scent anywhere. “We’re near the rain forest.” They had a rain forest as well? There were no surprises in this damn place. Looking towards Eirik she gave him a laugh. “Well we might get lost going in there but it’s probably on our way through.”

Taking a large breath she pushed her hair back since the wind had pushed it back out. “We can make it through there and maybe there will be a tavern in there.” Finally they got to the edge of the rain forest and she felt at home. “Mother use to live in a rain forest before the Tree called on her. It was beautiful and she had gardens that sprawled with in and made sure that all the beasts that roamed there wouldn’t attack my siblings and I.”

At this point she was just trying to talk. She felt weird around him and had been for some time. There was a prickling feeling whenever she looked at him. He understood her and she was almost certain about it. “Maybe I can learn to tap into my magic again as well.”

It appeared as though they had no choice but to move forward through this jungle. While Eirik wasn’t worried about his own well being, he had tentatively watched Aaryona through their travels so far and could tell that it had its toll on her. While he wished that they could have rest up before trekking on, there were no taverns or safe havens for them in the middle of the wilderness. He looked around them, capturing every sound he could hear, taking in everything that his eyes could see and pondered how long would it be before they were attacked by some hungry predator. Places like here had a knack for having danger lurking around just about anywhere. Not to mention that they were going into unknown territory, where they could be walking into circles over and over before they realized it.

“Yes, I guess we don’t have a choice”, he nodded in agreement. He looked to her and gave her a ghost of a smile, “One can only hope that we do find someplace to rest. You seem weary as of late. Are you alright?” There was no helping this, they had to go through the rainforest, but Eirik made sure that he was constantly on high alert. His hands were ever ready to draw out his weapons in case something decided to pounce or ambush them. Slowly they descended and as he looked onward but was still able to pay the Rosenite attention. “Haza Savanna, as the common folk here call it, is full of meadows and rolling hills for miles and miles. It’s…quite beautiful to see the sunrise as its rays shine over the hilltops.” Brushing aside branches and brushes, he attempted to clear the path for her. “A shame that she isn’t here, we’d probably be safer from anything that wants to make a meal of us. Maybe this one is similar to that of your home. If that is the case, then it is possible that we will see the end of this forest. The wolf could hear things growing quieter, and that’s never been a good sign. It was akin to the calm before the storm, granting them some time of peace before something dangerous lurked towards them. This the scene was one that seemed majestic to him, nearly captivating him as much as it did Aaryona, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“Maybe. We should find out at some point where you were left without it. Do you require “mana” in order to sustain it in the first place?”, he asked, having heard of it a few times in passing conversations. It was a strange concept for Eirik to understand, given that he didn’t use magic all that much. “What do you plan to do should you be without for a long time?” He wasn’t being cruel in asking, just out of pure curiousity.

Aaryona laughed a bit and nodded. “I’ll be fine. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to travel for extensive periods of time. Call it what you will but sitting on a throne all day will do that to a person. When my father was around he would make sure to spar with me to keep me on my toes. I would always look for a weakness in his form so I could win but he was old, almost two thousand years old to be correct. He was good at what he did.”

She paid attention to the details of his home and gave him a smile. “I made a grand city within the mountains for my vampires. It had crystals that glowed like the sun so they could pretend to be happy. Not all vampires chose to be what they are and I knew that. Those who opposed me and set to making wars with those like the Shira clan met my sword.” She stopped for a moment and frowned. “Like my brother.” She shook her head and caught up to him. “Mother found it hard to forgive me for that but I had no choice. He was losing his damn mind more and more everyday. I would wake up and find at least fifty more vampires on my doorstep from what he was doing.”

Laughing she nodded. “I remember growing up and seeing a scared orc running from her with a broom. I was five, I think, and Thaniel would say there she goes again showing them who owns the forest. Thaniel was my older brother and the one I killed. He looked a lot like mother with his hair and eyes but he was built like my father. My mother and father were married again for a time after he came back but the two had it out after we got a bit older. He couldn’t leave the vampire life behind him and mother wouldn’t have it in our house. So he left and took up his mantle again as the leader of the Draconis. Turns out his old lover had been waiting centuries for him. Lilith was a good teacher to me but her and mom never seen eye to eye over anything.”

She gave another shake of her head. “I think it has more to do with how different the mana sources are here. Tapping into the spirits that roam here will be a learning experience and then I can fully access my powers.” She shrugged and laughed. “To be honest, my father taught me never to rely on it but without my mana it seems my body is just that of a frail human. My body is attempting to adapt like my Rosenite kin here. If I need to… I’ll have to ask you to stay longer. If that is alright with you.” 

She took a deep sigh as she gave him a blush and looked away. “Nathaniel always use to have these crazy ideas about what he would do when Mother gave him the throne. He said that he would make peace with all of the Rosenite courts and everything would be alright finally… but in the end he was just a tool for Cyprus to destroy the court system. It was temporary as with Nathaniel’s death it caused the houses to unite against her. The death of a son in Rosenite culture is one of the worst things to happen. Women go their whole lives hoping to have one. My mother at the time only had two but she is extremely lucky. The men in my family? Not so much.”

The peacefulness of the area around them was soothing to her but before long a noise spooked her and she was clinging to him. Taking a giant sigh as a rabbit ran out of the bush in front of them she laughed. “I am normally not this jumpy but I have my head in the clouds. I’m sorry Eirik.” She removed herself from him and stretched. 

“You should get out more often”, he replied, shaking his head while managing a ghost of a smile across his lips. Eirik couldn’t imagine himself cooped up inside a building for far too long, else he’d go mad. He wasn’t sure how on earth Aaryona could ever do that. He suppose that with different upbringings would produce different results. “Sounds like he was a good man. Had to keep his successor prepared for all threats, even those unseen.”

He had no fault with her about doing what she needed to protect her clan, even weeding out the weak and the doubters. That’s how his tribe also functioned, it did nothing for them to have those that didn’t believe in unification. Although he had halted in step once she spoke about her brother. He looked to her with a bit of a dazed look. “Had something happened to him then?” The way of the world was still foreign to him, though he was learning more and more about the beauty and ugliness of it day in by day out.  Just like the concept of magic itself, it was a rather difficult thing to grasp but he did his best to understand her explanation. It was a pity that she was left in the state that she was in, and he was ready to chime in on that when she asked him to stay with her. “I had made an oath to see you to your city”, he stated but then paused himself. He resumed walking a couple more paces and then turned her to her, “But if that’s your wish, then yes I will remain.” Eirik wasn’t sure on how to make of this, but he suppose that he didn’t at all mind staying with her.

With enemies that were mentioned such as this Cyprus person from her past, Eirik pondered if there were any here now. Surely this was a different land from the one she would call home, but that didn’t mean that the world itself was safe for her kind. Or for any kind in general. There were always someone that coveted another’s possessions or power, someone that was looking to cut throats to be seen in higher standings, someone that wanted to spread discord if nothing else, just for their amusement. Perhaps she would have him as a bodyguard of sorts to protect her from the unknown. He was fairly certain that was why she wanted him to stay. “I had also promised to protect you, Aaryona, and that I shall. That much of the oath remains as well.” He noticed something moving in the bushes and readied him, reaching for his blades just as the thing came out and he felt her pressed against him. Eirik was prepared to make his way in front of her to take the coming blow when the rabbit burst out and he lowered his position. “Well, if you’d like, I could chase down the big bad rabbit for you. He certainly had a hungry look in his beady little eyes”, he jested. There was more humor in his voice than any sort of frustration. “Like I said, I think you need to get out more, kis róka. In my language, that means little fox. Come, we need to keep going before we are stuck here at nightfall.”

“Well my father hadn’t ever considered the thought of having children before my mother got pregnant for Nathaniel. She had been hiding what she was for a long time from him. He thought she was a vampire like himself. That her eyes were just unique because of that, he really had no idea. When she got pregnant she was forced to explain herself to him. He didn’t care as he was in love with the idea of being a father after a thousand years. But, my mother? She would come to change over the decades after that. She became more fierce and more queen like.” She paused for a moment. “It made them get a divorce and they were angry for a while. They eventually came to settle their differences but they couldn’t ever try to love each other again.”

After a moment or two after his question she nodded. “We can’t find him here. Mother told me straight out that she hasn’t felt his presence. I’m afraid that the void ate him.” She trembled a bit at the words but nodded all the same. She seemed said as he spoke about only seeing her to the city. When he turned to her the sadness was pouring out of her brown eyes like a fountain of water. “You mean it?” The excitement leaped from her voice as she jumped onto him hugging him tightly. “Thank you Eirik.” She let him go after kissing his cheek and blushing, but the color hardly stayed.

She pushed away from him at the sight of the fox and blushed fiercely at him. “I would rather kill it myself!” She joked with him. “Little Fox..” She thought on it for a moment as she laughed. “I like it.” She kept up with him for the longest time before she spotted a set of ruins ahead. “It’s getting dark Eirik and we’re not making any progress since it started to get late.” She sighed.

“Let’s try to find shelter over there for the night. We can share more stories by fire.” She pulled him along until they were at the mossy ruins. She managed to find shelter where it had yet to collapse and built a small campfire there. “I like having you for company.” She said gently as she stoked the fire with a long stick. “Not just because you protect me. It’s a lot more than that these few days. I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“My apologizes for…your loss.” It had to been painful for her to lose her father, not in battle or by sickness, but by something that far beyond anyone’s control. Eirik couldn’t imagine going through that with his own father, especially since without him there, the clan would likely implode from various individuals fighting amongst themselves to become alpha.

He couldn’t help but to ponder how his people were faring, and especially how his family was doing. It did eat him up inside that he couldn’t see them, but he didn’t show it- his pride wouldn’t allow for it. The best thing for him to do was to escort and protect Aaryona. He hadn’t planned on sticking around once he fulfilled his promise but for one reason or another she seemed reluctant in losing his company. The truth was that he too would have been saddened by his dismissal from her. The affection caught the wolf by surprise for a moment, but he swing an arm around her to return the hug. “Yes. I do not break promises with ease. I will remain for as long as you will have me”, he replied.

She was right as he glanced up through patches of the sky that could be seen through the thick jungle. It was pointless to wander in the dark any longer than they had and there were likely things far more dangerous than the little rabbit lurking about. The ruins seemed like a good sanctuary for them and honestly he could feel himself tired from the journey too. Nodding in agreement, he let her pull him there. Setting down his things, he sat back against what was left of a stone wall while the fire roared on. His weapons remained close by and his canteen was withdrawn and he handed it to Aaryona to drink from first. So far they seemed safe here; the only sounds around were that of the flames and insects chirping and buzzing.

“I suppose that it is why you wished for me to remain with you then?” Eirik fell quiet afterwards before staring at her a bit. “You fascinate me. I don’t think I have ever encountered someone like you before. I’d believe many of those outside of my tribe as sheltered and needing to be coddled. I had thought that of you as well at first, but you are far stronger than what the eye sees. He tossed a branch near by into the fire, “Despite plenty of differences, we are alike in some degree. We both have a purpose that needs to be found. I suppose that the saying people here say is true- birds of a feather, flock together.”     

Aaryona gave him a sad look for a moment but shook her head. “I’m sure it is actually a relief to him. My father has had a long and agonizing life. He was a simple farmer before all the vampire stuff. One hundred men got rounded up and were forced to fight to the death. Before me that is how the Draconis picked an heir. My father was the one who won, he was given a gift so to speak. After that, he watched the leader of the Draconis go mad with power after a few hundred years. Well more so, he went crazy and  had to be ended. The Draconis weren’t ones to hide in the shadows. We have always been out. Originally long ago, the Draconis vampires had a way point in between towns. Knights would come rest in the large garrison like building and we were live in peace. Things changed but still our desires remained the same.”

The woman smiled at the returned affection and she seemed full of light at the moment. “Thank you Eirik. I wouldn’t dream of dismissing you unless something truly terrible happened, even then my mother always says there’s room for forgiveness. I guess being an almighty god now makes that statement even more worthy.” She sighed a bit as she thought about what it would have been like living with that.

Sitting by him she took the canteen and drank from it. “Me? Coddled? My father would never have let that happen. Life is too harsh for a coddled child. Mother is more so the coddling type but she always would give us lessons on how to defend ourselves, but like most mothers she did not let us out of her sight too far. Even now a part of me knows she is watching at least a little.” She chuckled a bit. “If anything she is watching my life force.”

She gave a smile. “I am fragile looking, apparently my father was built like me before he was turned. He had a lot of training after he got turned.” A frown came to her face. “When he disappeared, there were fanatics of the Draconis who didn’t want an abomination like myself to roam. At the time, Rosenites were hidden and my mother was the only one out in the open back home. They couldn’t believe I would eventually be the heiress. So they took me and did things… Terrible torture, if it hadn’t been for Lilith watching me from the shadows as well, I probably wouldn’t have lived. Mother was freaking out and she didn’t have the power she does now to locate me. I think she stormed that particular Draconis shard and destroyed everything with her bare hands. It’s fuzzy but I remember it being terrible, I think my mother altered my memories with a potion but she left enough so I would learn it was dangerous.”

She put her hand to her head. “I am thankful she did that but the nightmares for years use to bother me… Until the day I burned the elders, after that it became my strength. My father led me into believing in myself. Though he has yelled at me in the past for being bossy like my mother.” She chuckled.

“Believed to have been coddled, kis róka. Believed.” A soft chuckle left Eirik’s lips as he looked at her.. “I had been wrong, I’m not afraid to admit it. To be honest, I didn’t think you’d last too long out here.” But Aaryona showed him the error of his ways and he realized that if he had been wrong about her, then surely not all of the people here were as weak as he had originally believed. Still the wolf wasn’t too keen in joining their society if he could help it, or at least with the humans anyway.

“I can understand how leadership is picked. In my tribe in particularly, my lineage had been alphas for centuries. My ancestors had rounded up other wayward wolves that were outed by society and in time, the clan grew larger and stronger. With each generation, the strongest of the offspring would take over. II was originally picked to be the next heir, but now that will fall onto one of my brothers.”

A tiny sad sigh slipped out before he threw another strong branch into the flames. “It is by my own hand that I fell from the graces. It is custom for one such as myself when I betrayed them.” It was not done through malicious but from a simple mistake that cost him dearly. But Eirik figured that all was not lost for at least he was able to meet and accompany Aaryona. For the longest time he stared into the dancing fire, thinking about the situations he had dealt with within the last few months. It had been a whirlwind of feelings for him as he came to terms with it all, and even now he hadn’t fully recovered. But if anything, the wolf was prideful and wouldn’t allow himself to fall into such despair. He still had that intact, at least.

“I’m sure your mother is still keeping an eye on you to some degree. She probably was that rabbit we ran into, that’s why you were frighten”, Eirik teased in kind before tossing another branch to roast. Holding out his hand for the canteen, he drank a little from it before putting it away. Soon he’d likely go venture for something to eat and the fire would keep anything dangerous away from the camp.

Ivy eyes looked back to her and he shook his head, “Denial can drive people to do crazy things, but even so some things are still unacceptable and what you went through was surely that.” Perhaps it was a good thing in Aaryona’s case that she hadn’t fully remembered. Her mother did a kindness for her truly if the torture had been that serious. “Is that really a terrible thing though? Apparently you picked up more from your mother than anyone thought.”

Aaryona chuckled and nodded. “I was taught to survive by my father. He survived for a long time by himself and in case anything ever happened he taught me as well.”  And it did happen and she was by herself, by choice. Well not really, she had Eirik and that thought made her smile towards the shifter.

Reaching over she took his hand and smiled. “Maybe we can go back one day. Exile while it has it’s purpose can sometimes over look what life really means. Even if you don’t lead your pack you need to see your family, at least someday. Even the exiled Rosenites come home one certain holidays to see their family. We put things aside and embrace each other for the evening. It might do you some good to do that. You’re working your way to redemption in my eyes.”

The Rosenite groaned at his joke and she chuckled. “That wouldn’t shock me entirely. She doesn’t know when to let go.” Though she supposed that spawned from the death of Nathaniel. As long as her mother lived she wasn’t going to let another child die like that.

When it came to her memories she held her forehead before she looked towards the flames. “Perhaps, but what if those memories could help me lead better? Or would they make me hate more?” Or even hate herself. She took a sigh as she leaned her head back and looked towards her companion. He was certainly strong and there she made her lips twist a bit. She wanted to be strong as well.

A growl left her lips as she stood up. “I refuse to be weak,” she took a deep breath as she held out her hand. She could feel the mana being sapped from her but she took hold of her wrist and she concentrated. “Lux est in Damnatis, COME HERE NOW.” There was sparking at her wrist as she forced magic from her body. Spots of black started to appear on her flesh, there was pain in her cry as the sword summoned itself.

She fell as the mana left the air sparking. She had forced the passage open, spots of her skin that had started to turn black began to recede. The sword in her hand, it’s blade was pure light. It shined brightly in the night air like a ray of sunlight. The Lux est in Damnatis had a large brass hilt of two dancing dragons, the rubies shined just as brightly in their eyes as if they were alive. Her body was shaking as she held onto it for dear life.

Her eyes snapped open. “Lilith is alive.” She looked back to Eirik. “My step mother is here in Revaliir.” Her body was in tune with all that was her’s. “I’ll rebuild everything.” She pulled herself together as she stood up and offered her hand to him. “Will you rebuild it with me? I don’t need my mother to be fearsome. We’ll gather everyone left and make a home here. You have a place with me.” A fire burned in those brown eyes as she realized not everything was lost.

“My father died to get me here, I won’t let what’s left rot.”

If only it was that simple…

While the thought of seeing his people again was entertaining, Eirik knew that the exile went far deeper than just him losing his right to lead, far deeper. He was unsure when or how it would be possible to do so- among his tribe, it was taboo to come back to them if you were thrown out. At best, he would be treated as an outcast. At worse, he would be hunted by the others, those that kept tradition close and dear to them. Either way, it was a life he could no longer rejoin, unless he proved himself worthy of it. And there was much difficulty and hardship he’d have to endure in order to return. Still, he kept up a smile through the pain, there was no need to keep Aaryona worried by his plight. They had much more important tasks to deal with. He felt her hand cradle his larger one and he shifted his glance onto her for a moment before nodding. “Mayhaps. I long to stride through the plains once more with my kind”, he sighed softly, picturing such a soothing image. He closed his eyes and could even feel the calm breeze and the sun beating down upon his wolf form as he run with his pack. It was a pity when he snapped out of his dream and found himself back in the jungle.

“Mothers tend to have that problem sometimes. It’s hard to let go of those that you’d raised since birth. At least, for good mothers it is.” He leaned back and rested his arm against the top of his knee and listened to Aaryona and the crackling of the fire. He couldn’t say whether or not recovering those memories would be healthy or beneficial to her. Though there would always be that question in the back of her mind, “what if?”

What if she had regained them? What if they would have actually helped to make her stronger?

Eirik nodded in recognition of her refusal, yet something felt strange about the woman and as he started to stand up, Aaryona decided to test fate despite knowing it was a foolish idea. “Aaryona!”, he roared, throwing himself up to his feet and rushing over to her. He paused midway as the sword appeared in her hands, but he collected himself back together and grasped both her shoulders. “What were you thinking?! Why did you do that?!” A dead serious face confronted her before heavy breaths took over and he closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself down. The grip loosened and the lycan looked over her to make sure she was alright. Stepping back, he was still coming to terms with what just happened when she spoke faster than a fox sprinting away after getting caught in the henhouse. She was speaking so fast that he felt his head spinning a bit. Of all things he could make out from this was that she wanted him as a part of her clan and to help rebuild it.

“Yes.”    

There was no hesitation from the wolf as he absorbed the new found determination from Aaryona. “I will stand by you and be your sword and shield if that is your wish.” He took her hand into his, showing unity with her goal. As far as he was concerned, he would also not allow for all that she stood for to crumble into nothingness.

"Do you know where Lilith resides now? Did you see that during your visions?"