Peace, at Last

[Jen]

They had all been through so much. Each of them had their own demons, no pun intended, to deal with. Humans had moreover shown their distrust, their inability to be loyal, and their overall fickle nature in one way or another. Demons, at least, were consistent. They killed if they didn't care for what was in front of them. You could always trust a demon to kill, maim, or otherwise inhabit a body and make that person do horrible things. Isabella sighed, she supposed that was why demons were hated and feared. Though she had not been a demon during her reign as Queen, she had been subjected to the horrific nature that sometimes inhabited humans.

What had the world come to if Demons could be trusted above all others?

"We are unique, Vylrath. I can sense your loss of appetite and I can feel other things as well. I do not know what we are, but we're not natural." As if demons were inherently natural in the given order of things. Isabella bit her bottom lip in thought, a gesture altogether gorgeous given the lack of prominent lighting, and she supposed that demons were given over to the natural balance and order of life. Without life there could be no Death, and without evil there could be no good. Vylrath would hear her musings, at least until she figured out a way to block him out. She was too content to do anything but relax and watch Trydian fall alseep.

----------

Caela shifted Trydian to lay down between herself and her mother. He would be safer there in that room, understood so much better there, that it almost broke Caela's heart that she should have to let him out in the world once again. When the sun rose the next morning they would have to go out and be social. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at her father.

"I cannot forgive you for your actions just yet, Father. Everything, today's events, are too fresh in my mind. Time mends all wounds and I am sure that I can be content with knowing you are willing to make amends with me. We have all been caught in vicious hateful webs of deceit, dishonor, and fear. Humans are blessed with the inability to understand anything in depth. The few, like mother, who would give us of demonic heritage a chance are so very few in number. The masses are what decides our fate. It is incredibly unfair, but we can usually move among them unheeded if we keep our heritage a secret. It is children like Trydian that suffer greatest. At least the ones born here on this plane. I have so much fear for his safety as he grows. He is a wonderful young boy and I am blessed. But I cannot help but fear he is going to end up like, well, my brother."

They didn't speak about the Brother. He had wanted Caela dead while she was still in Isabella's womb. He had become a traitor and was then killed by Jordan upon learning of his parental heritage. Jordan couldn't suffer a potential half demon to ruin his chances at the crown, of course. Then again, Brother as he was known to Caela, would never have been accepted back after his traitorous acts. She could not fathom her brother because he had died before she was born. She was glad to see that Sebilla and Trydian got along much better than she might have faired with her own brother if he had survived his attack.

"Why did he betray us? Why did he hate me so much that he wanted to kill me before he'd met me?"

Caela noticed her mother had not changed and slipped from the bed carefully, so as not to wake Trydian, and rummaged in her trunk for a nightgown of pale blue. It was a soft and simple number that would fit Isabella, if only a bit shorter than she would have liked. Caela's own nightgown, put on while she put the children to bed in the room opposite, was a deep green silk that reflected the soft firelight in the room.

------

Isabella accepted the nightgown from her daughter and excused herself from the room in order to change. She made very careful calculations so that her ex husband could not see her reflection in anything she could see, or in her own mind. She was getting better at blocking him when it was needful or when she needed to be careful. Isabella sighed as she pulled the gown over her head. It was indeed much shorter than she would have liked, stopping just below mid-thigh on the long legged woman.

Isabella walked back into the room, barefoot with her hair falling all about her face and shoulders. She kissed Caela on the forehead and Trydian as well.

"I'll sleep on the floor by the fire in the seating room. No --" Isabella raised her hand to cast off her daughter's protest. "I will not put you out of your own bed. Besides, there are blankets and pillows in the closet. This place is stocked well for any development that may arise." Isabella smiled and glanced at Vylrath.

"You may join me in the seating room, if you wish. I think there is more we need to discuss. We should let the children sleep."

Isabella was gone from the room before Vylrath could protest or agree. By the time he would make it out of the room she would already have the blankets and pillows down from the closet, carefully spreading them on the floor before the low burning fire. Her entire body, silouetted by the fire through the soft fabric of the nightgown, was so incredibly impressive that words might fail anyone that looked at her. She was perfect in ever sense of the word. Every scar, every misplaced hair, every blemish that had ever come to her skin had been wiped away. The firelight played a wicked game with her skin, casting a sparkling glow that made Isabella seem to shimmer. The effect almost made her look unreal, as if she were simply a helpful spirit come to make beds on the floor.

[Vylrath]

Well, shit.

He was alone with his daughter. He shouldn’t have spilled all of his emotions, but he couldn’t help it. The restraint wasn’t there. He sighed, feeling more weight on his shoulders. Would she hate him for his next explanation?

“Ronin, your brother, hated me. He hated what he was and that I cared more about you. I saw more promise in you, because he had given up the throne for some wench who only had hidden motives towards me and Isabella.” He remembered it all and shuddered at the past.

“He wanted to be some pure, thing ,and I knew he would never be that. During that time, we were at war and I had summoned a Goddess of Darkness to aid me. She had created two chaotic swords and your brother took over the wrong half. The other half has since been lost- I have not felt any disturbance, so I know that no one possesses it.” He stood up and paced, while telling her his history with Ronin. It had been bleak and painful, but he decided now was the perfect opportunity to make her understand.

“He didn’t care about your mother. She spoiled him and tried to make him into a good son. I don’t know why he turned his back on us, but he did when he learned that you would be born. It’s because of me, I guess. Most o f our problems had spawned from me…” He rubbed his forehead deep in thought.

“I saw you as a true Queen, after I banished him. We were finally at peace. I have never seen him, or felt his presence. I assume he is dead. However, I did not kill your brother and I did not force him to be the way he was. He would have stabbed your mother in the back because of that wench. He didn’t care about us or the Kingdom.
“I don’t know what else to tell you…”

He stared out into the night, as if expecting Ronin’s ghost to appear with accusing words.

[Jen]

Caela looked at her father, haunted by the memories that had never plagued him until today. She got out of bed and walked over to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. She was still taller than him and he would have to look up to her. The irony was amusing, for most of her life she had looked up to him. Caela looked into his eyes with her own brilliant violet and lavender eyes.

"You cannot change the past. You cannot change what my brother wanted to happen to me, to mother, and to the Kingdom. What we can change is where the Kingdom has gone after the End. There have been rumors that it is mostly destroyed and the people left behind are struggling. Is it not our duty as the monarchs of past to do what we can to aide these people? They were our subjects at one point or another. They will remember us. Though they may remember me as the woman that caused chaos."

Caela made a face and then hugged her father. She had made her own mess in Xexoria and he had only tried to help. If there was one thing Vylrath was consistent in, it was that he was the only one that was going to hurt her and no one else was allowed to. The young woman sighed and glanced down at her father as she took a step away.

"We belong in Xexoria. Igraine belongs in Ulster. We belong. How odd a statement, father! I didn't want to believe it and I certainly didn't feel it before the End. We can do good though, father. We can make any wrongs right again."

Caela smiled for the first time, truly, at her father. There was a purpose in her eyes and some place for her to raise her children -- to show them their birthplace. Granted the city of Rivenfelde had been turned into a crater, that might take a little more work to rebuild. She had no doubt though that the end result would be magnificent. A city, a civilization reborn from the ashes.

"Father, you should see Mother. She's going to be the face of this movement if we can get back there. If there is any hope of survival and rebuilding of Xexoria, she will be the one with the strength to complete it. I have every intention of coming and helping myself, but I will be content to step down and become the Princess as I was always intended to be."

Caela turned from Vylrath and tucked her son into bed next to her. It was a sign that the children trusted Igraine that Sebilla stayed in the room and slept next to her. Caela motioned to the door as if to say their moment of softness was done for the night, he would have to deal with her mother.

----------------------

Isabella stared into the fire, the corruption in her had all but ceased to spread any further. It would eventually turn her heart black, she knew that, but her intention was to do as much good as she possibly could with her newfound power before it turned her. She had settled in before the fire on her pallet of blankets and pillows. She had one of the thinner blankets wrapped around her shoulders as she mused about her power and what she would be able to do. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't think to pay attention to Vylrath and Caela's conversation. Then again, she didn't really think it was any of her business.

[Vylrath]

"I think your mother needs to remarry. I will never have my old body, unless there is a way to reverse the effects in my blood. She needs someone strong by her side. I am strong in power, but not in brawn and brain. I don't know war, socializing, or anything of the like! She needs a new husband who knows of these things." He got up, as if securing his radical decision. "As for rebuilding, I have the strength of a demon. I'm sure I can help along the way.." He said this with a mischivous smile. "It will be interesting to test this power." Vylrath could feel his younger side wanting to test it to its limits. That would have to wait.

"I can pose as your brother, or just a helper. I don't think the people, will take kindly, to being ruled by someone who wanted to destroy them in the first place!"

Vylrath stood by her, comforted by her scent. "I dont' care what title I am given...just as long as she has the crown again. You were always the Princess, but people were ignorant and assumed you carried my murderous heart. Look at how you treat your son! Would a murderous demon, tuck in her child?" He chuckled at his own words, picturing the shock on the entire court's reactions.

"Your mother will need to learn about her new power. Me and her will always be connected, mentally, and physically. I suppose you weren't aware that I can feel her heartbeat as we speak..." He rubbed at his temples again, feeling the swell of a headache. "She will have to learn this on her own. I will treat Igraine as a sibling, or acquaintance. I don't need to scar any more people. However, I should contact Kahlan. I remember her...I doubt she'll really be worried about me, but I should let her know about the curse. She may not want Igraine in my presence."

His mind opened another "window" to Kahlan. He spoke to her lightly, definitely not himself. Vylrath called out to her, to see if she would even respond to his voice:

Kahlan? I need to speak with you....if we could meet...

He wondered how he could realistically meet the woman. Maybe Igraine would go into shock at seeing her mother in this realm.

Did you send your daughter? Why is she here searching for me? I thought we agreed...

He stopped himself short, realizing that he must look like a still frame in front of Caela. He no longer had absolute control over telepathy since the invasion of the curse. It had dulled some senses and enhanced others.

"Forgive me. It is like speaking in another language and not telling the other what you were talking about. I am trying to summon her, hoping that she would be able to help." He grew nervous at the thought of Isabella and Kahlan in the same room together. "I hope your mother won't skin me alive."

[Jen]

If power, of so many different types, after so horrendous an End, could be coalesced in one particular area -- the Island was sure to have some sort of magnet. Then again, the presence of one particular creature was at the behest of Vylrath's own bidding. The physical plane of their existence itself would seem to take a small lurch, as if making way for something, and then a small sound -- not unlike the sound of leaves blowing in the wind would herald the approach of someone incredibly difficult to forget.

Kahlan Lothair stepped through a portal created in the floor, walking up a set of stairs created from what could only be the intertwined trunks of trees. If one person could rival the beauty of the women gathered in this set of rooms it was the High Queen of Ulster. Kahlan's hair, rippling waves of molten gold, glistened like a bright fire in the dim light of the room. She lifted her head as she stepped onto the solid stone floor and glanced around. Her eyes, so vividly alive, settled on Vylrath. She tilted her head as if to take him in, every inch of him, and then she smiled.

Kahlan was the epitome of beauty at its heart wrenching finest. Kahlan was old, one of the oldest creatures still living, and she had known gods once. She had made a pact to stay in the Faerie unless she was called. Igraine hadn't divulged that information so Vylrath must have known that with her daughter in the open, Kahlan would be within reach. Kahlan glanced to Caela and smiled, bowing her head and glancing at the sleeping toddler in the bed. She pressed a finger to her lips and glanced back at Vylrath. Her voice was incredibly soft, a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stale world that they found themselves in.

"I sent Igraine to you. She has a right to know who her father is. Besides, she was getting far too inquisitive." Kahlan didn't judge Vylrath, and in fact seemed to thrive on raising children by herself. Her daughter was not any worse for wear without having a father, she just wanted to know about him. "From what I can see, you didn't get to talk to her. From what I can feel she is sleeping soundly with Sebilla." Kahlan's raptor gaze settled on Vylrath, searching every inch of his person that she could see, and possibly those that she couldn't. She could sense the difference, and she could see it as well.

"Do I even want to know what you have gotten yourself into, Vylrath?" There were no soft words for him as spoken to a lover. He had given her what she wanted, a child. Did she love him? Well only so much as a woman could enjoy the company of a man, but there was no way either of them could be together -- they were too different in their inherent makeup. Kahlan closed the distance between them, towering over him in every aspect. She was taller than Caela and likewise Isabella by at least two or three inches. This woman had ruled with an iron fist and a big heart, and she had a presence that was one not soon forgotten.

As she shifted her body, Kahlan's attire would be noticable. It was a fitted dress of forest green and what looked like finely interwoven petals of various flowers. The dress itself was intensely beautiful in every aspect and very unique. She looked every inch the Queen of the Faerie, but no one could be sure if she was the Queen of their world just yet. She would eventually make her stay permanent in that realm and no longer venture out into the world of man. Redemption, when the God himself was quiet, seemed daunting and less likely to occur (even though Kahlan had redeemed herself several hundred years ago). Kahlan was content to stay with the Faerie for as long as they would have her. The time of Gods had drawn to a close and Kahlan's place in the world was quickly waning as her daughter grew.

"I can smell the corruption in you." Kahlan's nose wrinkled as she rested her hands on her hips. "What did you get into?" It was not something that Kahlan could address directly, her brand of healing would kill Vylrath. "And can someone explain why there is a woman in the other room even more corrupted than Vylrath with Isabella's smell?" If they had any doubt that her Dragon essence was at work, they might feel a slight prickling as the hairs on the back of their neck raised. Yes, the dragon was having quite a field day with all the bodies in the rooms.

----------

"That would be because I was dead, and now I'm not. You can blame Vylrath for my current state, however." Isabella smiled as she walked into the room. It was more like a catwalk than anything else. When she saw Kahlan turn she smiled, but it was out of kindness and not malice. "He decided to have a hissy fit and share his power. He's never been very smart about these things."

Isabella was the picture of a darker beauty. Her essence was less pure, her body was harder in ways that Kahlan's was not. Isabella had the air of ice about her, and yet her presence was so incredibly intense that having both women in the same room was quite a shock. It was as if a wall of ice met with the innate fire essence within Kahlan. If the demons were quick enough they would see the shocking change in Kahlan's eyes. From almost human to reptilian in a heartbeat. Kahlan's fierce blinking would remove the effect, and they might find themselves wondering if they saw anything out of the ordinary at all.

"Your child is beautiful, Kahlan."

"As are yours, Isabella. Tell me, how is Death?"

"He was fine when I left him, but I don't sense him anymore. I don't think he'll come if I call him."

"He won't, the Gods have all faded since the End. I can't even contact them." That was saying something. Kahlan was always in on the newest God fad.

The women stared at each other for a moment or two before looking at Vylrath. Well, no one could say he didn't have a taste for exotic and incredibly beautiful women.

"So, Vylrath, can you explain to me what is going on?" Kahlan's vividly grey green eyes were piercing, soul searching, and hauntingly beautiful.

"Good luck, I can't get him to stop wallowing in his emotions." Isabella smiled and crossed her arms under her breasts. The smile itself was almost vindictive as she swallowed a chuckle. Vylrath would realize it for what it was, he was tied to her mind and her thoughts.

"He has been very emotional, and its mildly disturbing. It's not like him to apologize." Caela piped up as she picked up her son and headed for the door. "You three use this room. I'm going to go sleep with the kids." And with that she was gone, with nothing more than a smile for Kahlan, her mother, and a strange look for Vylrath.

With the exit of Caela, Vylrath would have the full attention of the two stunning women in his presence. Wonderful. They could tear him to shreds if they wanted to. However, Kahlan was more or less the one with the power to eradicate the demons even if she couldn't target the curse immediately.

"Well, out with it Demon." Kahlan crossed her arms and raised her brows as if to encourage Vylrath to confess, which he may or may not be able to do. In fact, some people would be very surprised if he didn't soil his pants.

[Vylrath]

Genuinely startled, Vylrath stuttered and felt his wits crumble. “How did you?? Never mind…” He rubbed at his head once more, which had now become a raging migraine. “From what I remember, I ate someone. Yes…ATE someone. Something in them made me into….this thing. I want my old body back. I can’t stand these emotion’s, I’ve lost the bloodlust, the desire! If I continue like this…” He stopped, realizing that Kahlan was glaring at him. If she had a dagger, he was sure that she would have put it through him.

His memory served him generously that night, and it quickly recalled the relationship between the two women in the room. “By the Gods….” He suddenly fell speechless. Isabella had been nothing but faithful and kind to him and he had repaid her with this cure.

To keep the distance, he moved even farther away. He almost appeared to huddle in a corner like a coward. “What do you propose we do? I…do.” He held his tongue, not at all in his element. The women towered over him, like Goddesses waiting to smite…he wondered if he stood a chance. Vylrath suddenly felt like a child being scolded.

“Yes, your daughter deserves to know me. I just don’t think she’ll understand what’s happened. How I was...you really want THAT around her?” The shame continued to drift in and out of his mind. He wondered if he had finally gone insane.

[Titan]

As I'd spent my time with dear Eroina and the charming man she had elected into her company, I had continued to catch occasional drifts of emotive that I felt were separate from the strange buzz that filled the island's air. I could acknowledge the power at work here but fell not under its effects because of my secondary nature; an addition that also had the unfortunate side-effect of diminishing my ability to pick up on how others around me felt and using that knowledge to manipulate them how I saw fit. Still was this possible, but not to the degree I had first been born with. Still these sensations had been strong enough to first catch my attention, and were ultimately the reason that I had left the gathering.

My journey towards the strengthening sense of thoughts and churning feelings was at first a lax and gradual one, for though I had a faint desire to know what was causing the lash of emotions I had no need to arrive as soon as possible. Surely my introduction to the group, for I was sure it was not just one person emitting these pulses, could have just as much effect later as it could at the beginning. Then, something else came to me. I wasn't quite prepared for it and it made me fill my lungs as if to drink in the presence through scent alone. It was not quite so base as this though it was entirely possible that I could pick up on odors that seemed oddly family even if I had never experienced them before. My body lacked a smell of its own, instead imitating what emanated from my surroundings. No; it was merely a knowing that something to which I shared ancestry with was here. Even so, I strangely felt as if with all of my senses I could detect it.

Hear it. See it. Smell it. Taste it. Feel it.

It was not of the heritage I knew but that unknown part of me which I could only acknowledge and not fully understand. My pace had quickened, my gait more akin to a slow run yet to one as me it was not even enough to strengthen the force of my breaths. I stopped. This was the door; I knew it. Without hesitation I set my knuckles against the blockade, pressing into it with a force that could alert those within yet leave the slumbering minds I only vaguely felt undisturbed. This person, this presence I had not felt until now... I had to meet them. Even if I did not fully comprehend why I did the fact that I did in the first place was enough.

I felt compelled to stand so that my heels did not touch the floor, giving me a bit of extra height as if expecting to be confronted with a presence larger and more imposing than my own.

[Jen]

"There is nothing you can do at this time. This thing has not run its course in Isabella. Though I'm not unsure as to whether its been a good thing for you. It is about time you come to realize what your actions do to people around you, Vylrath. As for Igraine, I would much rather her know you than not. Even if you are an emotional mess."

Kahlan smiled, very lightly, and looked at Isabella. She was a tall woman, but not as tall as Kahlan. Kahlan was about 5'10, with a slender torso and long legs. There were so many things about Kahlan that mixed, matched, and remixed themselves within her that it was hard not to stare in wonder. She was an Angel at the core. That was what she was created to be so very long ago, no matter that she was fallen. The inherent beauty of her, of her soul, and of the person she had become despite everything radiated from her. She was as close to perfection as a woman on the mortal plane could be, but she was not mortal. The Fae in her refined the beauty, cut the edge and brilliance of the innate holy essence, making her softer -- more supple, a mother. There was a part of Kahlan, though, that hardly anyone ever got to see. It was one of the more dangerous sides, it was also one of the most fanatical. The dragon and Kahlan were fused soul to soul and one could not live without the other. The essence had been in her system for so long, since forever it felt like, that Kahlan was inseparable from the original ancient. That had been a lifetime ago, the fusing, and all of the scars long faded.

Kahlan lifted her head as she heard the knock. The others would, but only Kahlan would be able to sense what was on the other side. The dragon essence had been on edge since she had returned, and she had a fierce time trying to control it. Kahlan ran her fingers through her hair and glanced at Vylrath huddled in the corner, and then at Isabella who loomed like an unspent thunderstorm in the background. There was no ill intent on her face, but the curse was going to change that.

"I will get the door. You two talk. You at least owe that to her Vylrath. You have apologized to everyone but her, I think."

Without giving him time to respond, Kahlan turned on and swept into the next room. She lifted her gown to step over the pillows and blankets strewn before the fire. The fire surged forward as she passed, excited in a way that only fire might be as an element of its own passed. Kahlan had inherited the element of fire from her friend, forgotten to all but herself. The curiosity of the dragon essence was nearly inescapable as Kahlan neared the door. It buzzed with unfeigned excitement as she reached a hand to the doorknob. For the time being, as excited as the Dragon was within her, Kahlan was unable to hide the brilliant reptillian eyes as she opened the door. Those eyes were sharp, alive, and a staggering shade of emerald green. It was as if the eyes of the woman had been replaced with multi-faceted gems.

When Kahlan had the door open, realizing that it was someone she didn't recognize, the eyes would change to something almost normal -- if normal could be applied to the woman. Eyes the color of the sea after a fierce storm stared at the person beyond the threshold. Kahlan, the High Queen of Ulster and friend of Ancients, dipped her head in greeting.

"Hello. Might I be of some assistance?" There was no doubt, this woman was immortal, and this woman was powerful in ways the others were not.

----------

Isabella stared at Vylrath and uncrossed her arms. Gods but she was immaculate, but in a darker and deadlier way than Kahlan. She moved towards Vylrath, sitting on the edge of the bed facing him. Perched on the edge of the bed, with her long legs crossed and bare, she was more a succubus than her own daughter -- which was saying something. She waited for her ex husband to say something, anything. Then she finally broke the silence, hearing Kahlan's warm voice echo from the opposite room.

"We should go to Xexoria, or whats left of it. We could rebuild it. We did it once all those years ago, we could do it again."

It was a simple statement and Isabella looked earnest enough. With a smile, genuinely warm for the first time since the curse started to corrupt her, Isabella watched her ex husband with intent eyes for his response.

[Titan]

She was coming; I could sense it. The closer she came the stronger the feel of her presence grew, feeling like the drumming of a thousand tiny fingers across all of my body. It sent chills racing the length of my spine, but was still nothing compared to when she had opened the door, removing the barrier separating the two of us. Again did I draw in a deep breath, the heldback sensations becoming more of a pulsing wave that caused my entire form to tingle. It was a significant enough event that the hood, precariously balanced on my head as a result of my quickened pace in reaching here, fell down about my shoulders. Though others who spied me would still see the mask of deception twisting the perception of my features, she would not be so affected.

The pale, milky-white tone of my skin was hinted upon with, just as my onyx hair was, a metallic-silvery sheen that betrayed the specific bloodline my dragon-self was part of. The blue that had swamped over what usually appeared so dark a brown as to be black in my eyes had the impression of glowing. Its cerulean hue rivaled even that of the matching stone that hung about my throat. My focus narrowed my pupils, developing them into the ovular slits dragonkin shared. Most peculiar of all about them was the series of stars in them, golden speckles that ringed my pupils and moved with them as they adjusted. These differences brought on by my unknown blood were only cosmetic changes. My body was still lithe, more slender than a human of like height and better akin to the elves as all Eldar were. Similarly were my ears resemblant to their's, though mine were without lobes.

She was a striking woman, though it was much the same as with Eroina. Appealing to the eyes, it was a beauty to which I might have but a passing fancy for. This was not to say she was not exceedingly attractive, but the differences between us in history were enough that she could not hold my attention as another Eldar could. No. Instead I was more spell-bound by the presence that seemed to emanate from the essence of her being. A presence I both longed to more intimately know yet desired to similarly rebel against and flee from. Older and more powerful than myself, I dared not to meet her eyes directly, tracing instead with my sight around her irises to give the impression I was. Like her, the supernatural senses my draconic heritage blessed me with had been active, I subconsciously seeking a more detailed depiction of her form.

Realizing I had been holding my breath for this brief respite, I put it to use for speech. When my words did come out it was with the full force of my voice. The musical accompaniment of my Eldarin ancestry was present but now too was evident a draconic mixture of levels ranging from soprano to baritone, each seemingly speaking at their own pace while taking no longer than one another to deliver their message. "I am not sure. Do you believe you can?" With each word that left my lips I gradually returned my feet full to the ground, making apparently the minute variance in our height. She was taller than I but to such a degree as to almost be indistinguishable.

They who heard me might find a lack of meaning in my words, yet to her there would be a much deeper and instinctual level of understanding. It was excrutiatingly present on my face as well. I was like a lost child who didn't know his place in the world, seeking guidance to help him come to terms with what he was and what he was capable of. It was the most awkward of feelings; knowing there was something I needed from her, though having no idea as to what it was. For the first time in my life, I shifted uncomfortably in place.

[Vylrath]

Vylrath, for the first time, stared at another man in amazement. His whole body grew tense. What was he…human? No…There was something odd about him. He noticed that he had been staring at the visitor for some time. He shifted uncomfortably, reacting to the confrontations. He hated sharing women.

“Let him in…let’s see if we CAN help him…” Vylrath said, with an impish smile to follow. He looked toward Kahlan, like a child pleading for attention. To this man, Vylrath would only appear as a young boy. However, he wouldn’t be so young that he couldn’t have an opinion! He stood taller in this age- which was a blessing in disguise.

“My name is... Gaar and these are my fellow wenches! Make yourself at home. I’ll make sure you get something to eat!”

He hoped the women would understand the reasoning for changing his name. Anyone from the old world could have sought them out- if they had been lucky enough to know where to look. The name Gaar had once been his fathers. Only Isabella would know the history behind the name.

He smirked at his own selfish humor. The demon needed some company other than the opposite sex. He wondered what their reaction would be: would they smite him? Cut him down to size? His younger mind played with the options of his own dire future. He doubted the man was from their old world, but he still remained wary to become too close. This new guest didn’t need to know who or what he was.

It was strange to see Vylrath making jokes and welcoming new company. The old demon almost appeared giddy in welcoming his new life. It was like a rude awakening, to what he had missed, when he had been a cruel man to these women.

“Bring me Igraine when you are done with our guest! I will talk with her about anything she wishes to know.”
He pushed passed Kahlan and ushered Isabella to his side to speak with her. “With all joking aside…I think we need to leave here. I don’t like the idea of strangers stumbling on our past.” He whispered, seriously.

[Jen]

The doorway had been blocked, as much as possible, by Kahlan's body. So when Vylrath spoke up she rolled her eyes, peered under her arm, and then glanced at their guest.

"Please, come inside." Her voice, once soft and placid, was now as musical and multi-tonal as the man before her. Kahlan shifted her skirts, comprised of flower petals of all different sources. It was a masterpiece to behold, but even moreso the fact it didn't tear as Kahlan's lithe body moved. The way she looked at Vylrath was enough to melt the hardest metal known to mortal man. Yet she didn't have an overall hate of the man.

"Excuse me, Gaar. I think that Igraine sleeps and I will not rouse her or Sebilla for you." Kahlan's eyes, amused by Vylrath's little antics, turned to the guest.

"I do apologize, it would seem my appearance in this realm of existence has excited the one known as Gaar. Can I get you something, water perhaps?" She would offer no alcohol. Dragons rarely drank anything more powerful (though sometimes the desire to drown their sorrows was great) than a glass of rich red wine. The senses could get muddled and to get along without them would be impossible. Death had come to a few too many dragons over the years.

The dragon that Kahlan was mixed with would not be apparant at first, but even when signs arose they were muddled somewhere between silver or red. When the Queen smiled at her guest again she offered him a seat, apologizing once again for "Gaar's" rudeness.

-----------

Isabella gave a blank nod as she watched the man at the door enter the room. He was interesting to her and he felt...different. The once Queen of Xexoria glanced down at her ex husband and nodded her consent to his idea. Seeming to remember her manners, Isabella snatched up the pitcher of water and a glass set on a desk. She poured the water with a flair known only to those that had been servants to masters once. Isabella handed the glass over to the guest, not pressing but offering. She said nothing, but then she wouldn't need to. This creature would realize something was not quite right with the outstandingly beautiful woman -- but would he care? Even if it was only the faintest scent of death and evil surrounding her?

[Titan]

Already they were being put to the test, even if they had no idea one was being conducted. The woman whom first I had met, which I shared of a sameness of kin; she had a sense of regality about her that demanded the utmost discipline and iron-will. Like myself she stood straight with her shoulders back, rather than allowing them to droop as the lazy Mon'Keigh tended to do. They was a loyalty she expressed as well, evident as she addressed who appeared to be a young man by the alias of 'Gaar'. She was polite and curtious despite the fact I was a complete stranger in both physiology and acquintanship, though it could have been my matching side that allowed her at least some comfort in my presence. I stepped inside when given the chance, the door closing behind me as if it had decided it needed be shut.

Gaar Already I was weary of him and sure to keep track of his movements while the two of us occupied the same room. Perhaps I could maintain an awareness even if he left my ocular vicinity. I was put off by him because of the manner in which he introduced himself to me. "My name is... A hesitation. I knew the next words to come out of his mouth would be a lie just as one would know they were going to take their next breath. His appearance belied his personality which seemed falsely youthful and expressive. Though, even his form had given away his lies; that smug grin he donned when the first of his words I was to hear reached my ears. Unlike the woman, whom I doubted could currently stomach the form of relationship he spoke of with him, he was crude and simple. He reminded me more of the humans than either of the women did.

The other was unique in her own ways, upper-class and straight backed, another that I doubted would associate herself with the fool who let his nature lay easily dissectable by those who knew how to dig through it. She seemed more withdrawn and submissive, as if the one who had granted me entrance was in all the head of the trio. She gathered up a jug and cup to fill with its contents, such being no more than water; I could smell it even before she had brought it close. When it was offered though I brought a bared hand out low so as not to part the flaps of my cloak and reveal I still wore under it nothing by my pants, yet high enough to let her know I wished not to partake of the liquid. No, I would have no further food or drink until much later, after I had meditated on the day's events.

Then, as the group-leader offered me a seat I found a more appetizing location near the fire. A series of pillows had been arrayed into what one might consider a bed. For myself it would be much more comfortable than the chairs near it, into which they could sit if so they chose. Pack at my side and the risen flames dancing at my back, I only briefly surveyed the room to confirm what my more unique senses had already alerted me to. I looked to the woman of dragon's blood, and spoke again.

"I cannot truly understand my need to interrupt whatever might have been transpiring between you all, only that I felt compelled beyond reason to come and seek you out. You, specifically. Never have we met before but there is something I detect in you that seems as if I should know more clearly of it. I wish not to be a bother and can leave if it would be more opportune to meet you at some other time, but I know that I must speak with you about this matter which eludes me."

On her and her alone I let my eyes linger, for merely hearing the voice of dragonkind could be enough to compell either of the other two to look into and become lost within my gaze. At least should chance have it that my eyes would lock with this woman's, she would be more able to resist the dominant influence I was unable to control.

[Vylrath]

“Let’s let these two talk-since it seems they have much in common. Besides, we need to spend some time together.” He caught her by her elbow and pulled Isabella close to him. For once, he could look at her at eye-level. He noticed the depth of her eyes- leading him into the woman he had once loved. “We should talk outside. It would give them some privacy.” said Vylrath. It was really an excuse, but one he could easily use.

Without letting her hesitate on the decision, he acted as though they both agreed, and ushered her outside into the cold night.

I will not discuss this aloud. We will let our visitor think that we are relaxing and being polite. Haven’t you noticed anything? We do not grow tired. I haven’t felt true exhaustion since I have become this way. My head has been renewed with greater awareness. My eyes and ears can go into such great depth that they could not go- even when I was a demon. I do not know if that is still a part of me, but I do know I love you and I want to keep you safe!

He sat down on the cool grass. He talked with her, knowing that he might lose connection with her telepathy, at any given moment. He didn’t possess the strength in it, so he could no longer rely on its power to communicate with greater beings. His eyes looked at her with a different kind of worry. It was not regret, but a fear for her life. How could he protect it now, when he hadn’t even tried in the past?

He didn’t really understand what his power was for, but he did know that he could bless/curse others with it.

Let me be known as a son. I will still be by your side and I won’t have to worry about being questioned. It will be awkward, but it’s the best plan that I have right now. Remarry and gain influence. I can continue to siphon power into you so that you don’t lose yourself completely.
This power makes me feel as if no man, woman, or beast can contain me. I feel as if I could change the stars and moon if I wanted to- with merely a thought. I think I would, for you. I remember when we first met. I thought you were a Goddess.

Tonight has that same calmness…

He looked far off into the night, as if wishing he could reconsider his thought on changing the sky for her. His body no longer felt the coldness, but he knew it existed and he knew that she existed for him. Even if he couldn’t be with her, she would always be in his sight- physical or not.

[Jen]

Kahlan allowed Vylrath and Isabella to leave before she sat, close at hand, to the dragonkin. She perched on the edge of one of the overstuffed chairs, her legs crossed and her wrists draped across her knees. She leaned forward a little, her eyes on the floor for the span of a breath, before riveting themselves on the young man before her.

Then all pretense was lost.

Kahlan tilted her head to the side, closed her eyes, and stretched. In that one movement it would seem as if the "human" skin covering her body had melted away. In place were a myriad of extremely tiny small clear scales. The scales, though translucent, had a powerful sheen of color -- so that when she moved the rainbow never relaxed. Kahlan's fingers had grown a little longer, her nails hinting at the talons that could erupt given the chance, though they looked only as a woman's nails should -- just sharper somehow. The woman, looking no older than twenty five, opened her eyes and smiled. She had no qualms about staring straight into the eyes of her guest. The gods alone could discern the power behind the ancient woman's eyes which were a startling shade of blue and green. A close enough look would reveal they were not faceted gems, but the dragon could care less for any closeness.

"You are welcome here in my presence." Kahlan's voice was pure, achingly pure, draconic. The multi-tonal lyrical sound was so incredibly beautiful that it would be no far cry to realize that Kahlan could sing. The woman was so very different from any other draconic entity that, perhaps, the man before her would not be surprised to see that she was not in her full form. There were three stages and this was but the first. The last had only come once before and that was something that event Kahlan did not enjoy talking about very often.

"I can imagine why you wish to speak with me." The guest might be surprised to see a silver wyrm slither over Kahlan's shoulder and wrap itself around her arm. It was content to enjoy itself, its sharp blue eyes peering around her clasped fingers to get a better look at their guest.

Why do you entertain it?

"You will have to excuse him. He does not get to come out very often and has no manners." Kahlan idly scratched the wyrm under its chin and glanced at the man before the fire.

"Everything you see, and everything you feel, is not quite as it seems."

-----------------------

Isabella followed Vylrath, she had no choice. His hand was like a vice on hers and it hurt just a little. She only gave a thought to her attire once she was outside, and then she hoped that no one would happen across them. Isabella crossed her arms, hugging them to her body, as she listened to Vylrath speak of things and of their shared power.

"You wish me to marry another?" That was something new to her. Vylrath had always been highly possessive of anything he bedded more than once. Isabella sat next to Vylrath on the grass. It was cold against her skin and the dew that had just begun to form seeped into the nightgown she wore. Her movements were innately graceful where once they had just been lovely. When she crossed her legs under her and rested her wrists on her knees it was a beautiful gesture. Her chesnut hair fell like a curtain between them as she thought on what her ex husband had said.

"You wish to pretend to be my son? How incredibly odd that should be to think of. Introduce my new husband, should I find myself one, to my son whom was once my husband and fathered my daughter. I suppose it should get easier with time and I do not have to divulge that information to any husband I take."

Isabella smiled lightly and laid back on the grass and looked up at the infinite number of stars collecting above their heads. The beauty of the heavens had always brought her back to herself, and she had lost that when she was dead.

"Aren't they beautiful, Vylrath?" Her voice was hauntingly soft and sweet as she stared, like a child, up at the night sky.

[Titan]

I watched her, unable to break the lock my eyes were caught in until she looked up at me after taking her place. As if knowing it would happen, the very moment she had glanced up I turned aside my sight. It was not until her eyes had closed and she shrugged off her guise that I made her the center of attention, taking in the depth to which her body was affected by the blood coursing through her veins. The fire behind me cast a ruby glow across her flesh and it was enough that I could not help by stare, as if before me was a pile of precious waystones. Without realizing it my hand embraced the gem around my neck.

The difference between her glamour and my own was much more noticeable, the dragon take a greater domination of her form while mine was presence only as minor colored variations. I figured it could have been that I could do little more than accept the foreign nature within me rather than understand it and that prevented it from making itself known as her own could. Maybe my blood was more diluted than her's or perhaps the quadruple-helix of my DNA was much to complex to become so changed by the dragon's spirit.

It was entirely possible that any of these were partially to blame(the first ideal being most likely), but the greatest influence on his blood was the more recently acquired portion of his physiology. Just as it protected him from the influence of others it provided him safety from the thoughts of the dragon, which could be considered an entirely different personality for those of partial blood. In his obtainment of this change it awakened the blood but simultaneously caged the dragon, allowing bits and pieces of it to show through the bars but denying the full of it from coming to light. Only through understanding could he find the key to unlock it and consciously let more of his supressed nature rise to the surface.

I still did not dare to meet her eyes. I could not prevent the dominion I exerted over others when such a bond was formed and did not know if such were possible. A sense of something would drift from my body that she could pick up on, a feeling like fear though much more akin to uncertainty. I did not wish to meet her gaze and risk falling under her influence, though if it could be contained and I exerted my own control it was entirely possible I could enrage her and incur her wrath.

By this time a strange creature the likes I had never before seen came from, what seemed to me, nowhere and enveloped one of her limbs to watch me. Though it was odd for it to have been there where earlier it was not, I was not surprised. Because this was in truth my first time away from my Elven home I knew there were a great many things I would experience in my life of travel. This Path of the Outcast I walked because the painful memory of my mother's loss was much too great in that forest, seeming to become much easeier to shoulder the further I went. It was my first and currently only cowardly act, running away from my greatest pain to find solace in the outside world.

The incredibly minute time spent in my thoughts drifting from here to why I was present in the first place passed as soon as it had come, and again my focus lay solely with the woman and her new companion. I realized her statement of forgiveness was not a demand and more of just an off-hand sentence suggesting I should not let his nature affect me. So I considered him little more than an observer in the conversation that was to pass between us.

"I do not understand the way my other side allows me to see and feel, but I have found I can at least accept its help. There is so very little I know of it and I feel that if I continue in this manner, it may have hazardous effects on the path I follow. You are like me, only much older and wiser than I. I hoped it might be possible to learn of myself from you, so that my fledgling nature could blossom as it was meant to..."