Alexander

I had no intention of falling asleep, but at some point in the night, I find myself awoken by something in the darkness. I lay in silence for a long moment, attempting to locate the noise that must have woken me from an otherwise sound sleep. After several breaths, the tapping against one of the windows nearby sounds again, drawing a growl from Sage from where she sits beside the bed, watching the window with her keen eyes. In the dimly lit atmosphere, I cannot see what her raptor-like vision does, but the animosity that Sage has towards whatever creates the rapping is palpable.

Cannot have you. She growls again, louder this time.

I make to sit up beneath the covers before recognizing the weight that rests against my shoulder as Illius' hand. I thought that he must have fallen asleep, as well, before realizing that I have no recollection of climbing into bed at all, yet somehow rest here none the less. I squint to make out the silhouette of my Captain's body where he sits on a chair beside the bed, grasping his sword hilt in one hand while he uses the other to keep me still against the pillows behind me. I think now that it was never the audible sound of the tapping that woke me, but the gentle, yet urgent, the hand of my Captain against my shoulder.

Illius moves to press a finger to his lips, cutting off the question that I am about to ask, keeping my voice from breaking the silence. I stay still as Illius stalks over to the window closest to my bed, as silent as a cat creeping across the floor. The light from a fire, still live in the hearth, flickers against My Captain's locks with a copper tint, turning his pale hair into a live thing.

The rapping continues, unaware of his presence so nearby as he stops right beside the glass, a hand slithering silently to the pane like a venomous snake in the night. As quick as the shot from an arrow, My Captain unlatches the window and wraps his strong fingers around whatever is on the opposite side, dragging it into the room with us.

I blink in surprise as a raven thrashes and flaps its wings madly, struggling to wriggle out of my Captain's grasp. Surprisingly, the bird never caws or makes any other sort of sound, as if attempting not to alert the Guards outside of the bed-chamber doors. The raven opens its sharp beak as if trying to snap the fingers that grasp its neck. An audible click sounds as its mouth snaps shut, and I find myself grateful that it cannot reach Illius' bare hands with the pointed weapon.

Something seems oddly familiar about the bird, though I am certain that it is not the same one that was watching us from above in the marketplace. I have seen many ravens and crows in my time, though this one does not behave like an animal. In fact, I have the strange feeling that it wishes to communicate and tell us about something urgently.

I pull back the bed coverings and hurry to the foot of the bed, though stay at the bedpost, unwilling to venture much farther. Sage takes her place between myself and the scene that unfolds, the hair along her spine standing on end as she growls.

"Does she look familiar to you?" I ask, finding the question on my tongue before my mind catches up to it. Why would a bird look familiar? Perhaps I am more exhausted than I originally believed. I must be stuck holding to the tailcoat of a dream I was having. 

I expect Illius to give me a questionable look, though he instead releases his hold on the large bird's neck and places it on the back of a nearby chair. "Yes, she does," He responds, his own brow furrowed as he tries to recall. "Who are you?" He asks the bird, taking a step back.

The raven's ebony feathers are ruffled from the interaction, and she extends her wings, giving them a bemused flap before folding them back at her sides. She tilts her head, looking at Illius with an eye far too intelligent for an ordinary bird, before looking to survey Sage and I, who stand behind him.

I do not reasonably expect the animal to respond to my Captain's question, so when the raven's pointed beak opens and words come out instead of a caw, I am startled enough to lean back on the bedpost, holding on to it for support. "What a stupid question. I'm Czarina, of course."

A talking bird? Sage can speak to me, but even so, she has never opened up her mouth to speak plainly as the raven just had. I must be dreaming, yet. I blink, and suddenly the bird is gone, replaced by a tall-legged woman who sits in the chair, facing backward to look at us. I recognize her vaguely, in this form, as well, though I have not the slightest idea as to where I know her from.

As Illius and I take in her strange attire and skin the shade of dried prunes, it seems to strike both of us simultaneously that it is not I that knows this woman, but Illius who has been familiar with him since before he came to live in this realm with me. With this knowledge in mind, it does stand out to me now that she does not actually look quite human, as if she had conjured up a false look from her own memory of what a human would look like. Her legs and fingers are slightly too long, the shift of her eyes is predatory in nature, her teeth and ears are just pointed enough to give her true identity away. Like Illius, she must be an Aes Sidhe, though she looks to be a different sort, possibly a less friendly kind.

As if coming to the same conclusion as I had, Illius steps closer to me, shielding me enough that I have to crane my neck in order to see around him. "I remember you. Why have you come here? How did you find me?" He asks, a frown evident in his voice.

Czarina laughs, a strange, silvery sound, like the bells on a Vann-Hest's chest piece. She leans around Illius to look at me, a smile pulling her lips into a sort of snarl that makes the hairs on my arms raise to stand on end. I find my fingers griping to Illius' tunic, and he reaches a hand back to touch my arm reassuringly.

Czarina seems to notice the interaction, her eyes are a glittering black in the shaded room, and they rake me up and down in a way that I do not at all like. "You look different than usual," She addresses me in a familiar way that surprises me. "Though you always do manage to be high-ranking when you're born. You must be lucky."

Her tone makes my skin prickle uncomfortably, though I do not feel as though she is a real threat to me at the moment, at least, not with Illius between us. Sage, however, has a different sense and snarls loudly when Czarina stands from the chair that she is perched on. It is possible that she is on edge because the woman is an Aes Sidhe and the two species seem incompatible, though I will always take Sage's instincts more seriously than my own.

Czarina frowns, plopping back into the chair, apparently seeing Sage as an opponent that she is not eager to war with. "That's new, though," She says, gesturing to Sage with a curled lip. "Where did you find yourself a Chimera in this place?"

She speaks so oddly that I have a hard time comprehending what she means. Illius, however, seems to be able to decipher the words without issue and responds with a clipped tone, warning her to choose her words carefully. 

"That is none of your concern. I asked what you are doing here."

Czarina raises her brows sharply as if surprised by his tone. "I am here to save your suddenly impertinent ass. Surely you haven't become so diluted by the humans that you failed to notice him at the market earlier? You sure didn't notice me following you home."

It nearly sounds as though she is speaking a different language, though I am able to make out most of what she is saying. Even so, I am not oblivious to the hint of jealousy in her voice, apparently upset that he hadn't sensed her presence at the market place. I wonder who she is referring to, but prefer to stay out of the conversation to allow Illius time to process and respond for himself.

Illius has not moved from his place between us. I can tell that is mind is racing as much as mine, trying to grasp at the memories that he has just recovered only hours ago. By the time he opens his mouth to reply, he seems to recall what sort of relationship he had with this Aes Sidhe. His tone is less defensive than before, though no less unfavorable.

" You are my friend, " He states plainly, stepping a barely noticeable step close to me. "Though you would do well to mind your tongue. This is not your home, and even if your intentions are satisfactory, you should mind your manners."

Czarina makes a tsk sound with her mouth and rests her chin against the back of the chair. "Sure. Even if I'm trying to save your boyfriend's life?"

I haven't the slightest clue as to why she phrases the word how she does, though I do suppose that I am a male and Illius' friend. I begin to wonder what sort of place Aes Sidhe comes from in order to have such a strange way of speaking. Clearly, they are not from Nordic or some country that I am aware of.

I get the feeling that Illius is aware of the definition of the word, but is not bothered by it. He is much more concerned about the term "save his life". "Save him from what?" His tone is as sharp as a knife, demanding that she answer his question promptly.

Czarina looks stunned enough to fall out of her seat. "From Ashael, you moron. Have you honestly forgotten about your mortal enemy? That one who banished you to this human world?"

I glance at Illius in order to gauge his reaction. I do not recall the name or face of the person that she is describing, so I cannot help but wonder if Illius remembers. I can tell that he frowns as he tried to sort through the newly recalled memories, though recognition does not dawn on his features.

"I have no recollection of anyone by that description. Does he have to do with the falcon in the market place?"

Czarina looks astonished, her eyes searching his face for some sort of lie. She must not be able to register one on his face, as she lets out an exaggerated sigh. "You can't be serious. He must have wiped himself from your memory after banishing you here. He is the falcon. He possessed that woman's mind into stabbing your Prince."

I knew that something did not seem right about the servant woman; her reactions were not those of someone with premeditated intentions, though that still does not explain why she had a dagger hidden in her basket. This news does not seem to come as much of a surprise to Illius, though my brows furrow in confusion. He must have been aware that the servant woman was innocent already.

If Illius were not here to share his emotions with me, I believe that I would be much less calm about the situation. The weariness is slowly creeping back into my bones, working its way back to my lids, making them feel heavy. Logically, I know that I will not allow myself to sleep with this stranger present, though the feeling of Illius' touch is familiar and comforting enough to make me feel relaxed, even with the strange, midnight event.

"I suppose that you will have to remind me, then. That is what you are here for, is it not? I suggest that you make haste with your explanation, I do not deal with the knowledge that someone attempted to harm my Prince with much patience." Illius' voice takes on a slight undertone of authority. He must be able to sense my sudden fatigue, as he takes a step back in order to be beside me and places a hand on the small of my back as if he worries that I will topple over.

Czarina watches the interaction with a slightly annoyed expression, though I cannot pin down the source of what is vexing her; is it because this Ashael has made her job more difficult, or because of Illius' obvious protectiveness of me? Either way, her eyes seem darker than they were when she looks me over. 

"Sure. Let me make it brief though since it looks like your little Prince isn't used the charm of the Aes Sidhe." Her tone is dry and unimpressed, as though this is something I should be used to already.

Illius frowns slightly, glancing down to gauge my well being, himself. "He has been with me his whole life. How is it that he has a negative reaction to you?"

Czarina snorts in annoyance, tossing her hands in the air. I hadn't noticed how long her nails are, like the talons of a large bird. "Which question do you want me to answer first? Your boy is reacting poorly to me because I'm an Unseelie Court Aes Sidhe and you're a Seelie Court Aes Sidhe. You don't remember everything yet, do you? How we met is a story of the ages," She breaks off to look at me but does not address me. Instead, she frowns and continues with her explanation.

"Your Prince is exhausted because I'm consuming his energy- not on purpose," She adds, noticing the way Illius steps in front of me again. "It's just how Unseelie Aes Sidhe are. It doesn't work the same with other Aes Sidhe. It only knocks out prey."

"Prey?" Illius repeats with a growl, stepping fully in front of me now. Suddenly, Sage's violent reaction to Czarina makes much more sense.

Czarina rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to eat him. We made a pact long ago that I would never harm your Anam Cara or anyone that he holds dear. You used to trust me enough to believe that," It is obvious that Illius' poor reaction to the word "prey" has hurt her feelings, though Illius seems to pay no mind to it. 

"Anyway," She continues, shrugging her shoulders. "Ashael is your cousin. He was jealous that you were the next in line to take your father's place on the throne, so he studied magic his whole life until he was strong enough to banish you here, forcing you to start life over again with the humans. He didn't expect you to find your Anam Cara again in this realm since he has managed to kill each reincarnation of him for eons. It look like he missed this one, though."

Illius has gone rigid and I can see his hands ball into tight fists. "Ashael has killed him before? For what gain? I do not understand why my own kin would do something so unforgivable out of jealousy." 

Czarina looks unimpressed by Illius' apparent anger at the news. "Because he has no Anam Cara and he feels that he should be given a place on the throne as compensation. No one understands the way that he thinks, though since you've been banished, no Aes Sidhe has had the courage to try and stop him."

At this point, I can no longer keep my head up. I have been fighting to keep consciousness in order to gain a better understanding of what Czarina is doing here and hear her explanations, however, even my stubbornness is not enough to combat the exhaustion.

Illius noticed my head bob down to my chest and turns his attention away from Czarina for the first time since she has arrived. I am aware of his cool hands brushing my skin as he sits me down on the bed, his strong fingers guiding my head gently to the mattress so I do not hurt my neck by falling too quickly. 

"You need to go now," He snaps to Czarina, his tone like a low growl. "I do not want you around him if you do this to him. We can continue this discussion later." 

I battle unconsciousness as I stare at the canopy of my bed, listening to the rest of the conversation. I do not want to leave Illius alone with this Aes Sidhe. Their voices seem to grow more distant as my vision begins to be swallowed slowly by darkness. 

"He needs slow exposure to me before he will get any better about being in my presence; he didn't used to be this sensitive to me. Besides, who do you expect to help protect him when you're off fighting Ashael? It wouldn't be the first time that you've trusted me with him." Czarina tries to convince Illius.

Illius' voice grows louder, though he keeps his tone soft enough to make sure that he does not alert the Guards outside. "That is out of the question. Leave. Now. "

"Fine," If I am not mistaken, it sounds as though she is hurt by Illius' reaction to her suggestion. "I'll be around if you need me... even if you are a pompous ass." There is the sound of wings fluttering before the window is latched shut. 

The bed sinks down beside me as a familiar hand presses cool skin to my forehead and brushes against my cheeks. "She is gone. You may rest easy now, Sandy, I am right here." I think that he says something else, but the reassuring sound of my Captain's calming voice is all that I need in order to allow the darkness to overtake me. 

-

Hello, my Darlings, it's been a while!

How is everyone? I hope you're all staying safe and healthy. I've recently started a blog to keep myself busy between working full-time and writing on here with whatever time I have left in between. The link is in my bio if anyone is interested, I post about writing and my helpful hints about it. If anyone has suggestions about what you would like to see me post on my blog, I'm open to them! 

I hope everyone is doing well. Until next time,

A.S.