Hot and Alone

[micaylah]

She smiled at him gesturing toward the table not realizing that she had the powdery sugar on her chest and nose.

[taran]

Taran began to sit, but stopped. Taking a napkin, he walked calmly over to Aethelwyne, as if he were going to kiss her. Leaning into her, barely not touching, he stopped, then wiped her nose.
"You had got something on you nose, love," he smiled.

[micaylah]

She smiled at him with a mischievious look in her eye. "Your just lucky there's not a pool around here or I fear you might just find yourself all wet again." Laughing she tore off a piece of the fruit filled crepe and held it too his lips.

[taran]

Taran smiled, but thought she might be trying to trick him again.
"Are you going to pull it away as soon as I try to take a bite?" he asked her, tiling his head slightly. He moved in closer for a bite, but gave her a kiss instead. Stealing the crape, he sat back down, giving her the napkin to clean her chest off.

[micaylah]

"Now why would you think I would do something like that?" She sat down beside him and cleaned the sugar off of her chest. "So. What would you like to do today darling? More laundry? I'm sure that I can find more somewhere." She watched him as he ate, thinking about their night together. His mark upon her chest softly glowed sitting just above where the sarong covered her.

Reality soon forced its way back into her thoughts. Narth was still in trouble. On his way to the King's stables as a "special' gift for the King. "Taran. I think we need to leave for Uru'baen to free Narth. If he is as extraordinary as I believe him to be, he may be in terrible danger. We can't leave him to the mercy of the King." She looked with a sadness in her eyes. She did not want to leave Sanctuary. Their home! Mostly, she wanted to stay with him. Safe. Secure. Happy. Loved!

******************************************

Nashante, the High Priestess of the assassins coven knew she would have to contact King Galbatorix. 'When he finds out that we are loosing Aethelwyne he is going to be angry. Especially after we failed to retrieve the twins from my misguided sister. He showed some mercy on us when we recovered Aethelwyne but was angry over the loss of her sister. What is he going to say when I report that we have lost Aethelwyne to love? Our best assassin and a rider. Or that she has invoked the ancient right of Seithrs Wyrda. Well, I can't put it off any longer. I will have to contact him.'

Nashante projected herself into the recieving room of King Galbatorix's castle. Appearing in ethereal form she spoke, "King Galbatorix. I bid you greetings" She bowed her head in respect to him. "I fear I have disturbing news to report. Aethelwyne is lost to us. She has fallen in love with an elf, a new rider while in the Hadarac Desert. She has taken him as her mate and refused my order to kill him. Contracts have been placed on both of them. She is too dangerous to have fall into the hands of the Varden if the elf should so sway her." She awaited the King's response with much apprehension.

[Trinn]

Galbatorix sat upon his massive throne, reclined, feet spread wide. He played absently with the hilt of a sword he wore at his waist, his mind wandering from topic to topic, but mostly upon Eragon. The boy who, in his mind, had started it all. His fingers stilled and curled into a fist. Eragon would be destroyed, along with all of the varden! He glanced over his shoulder, at the massive black dragon curled behind the throne. There was no use talking to Shruikan. The cursed beast didn't provide interesting conversation. In fact, Galbatorix was almost certain the dragon would kill him if he had the chance. A cruel smile twisted his face. Fortunately, Shruikan was bound and chained with too much magic.

A slight, static sound whispered through the room. The sound could only mean one thing. Turning his head, Galbatorix set his cold eyes onto the ghostly figure of one of his best assassins, Nashante, leader of a coven of exceptional killers. Before he could speak, the witch was ahead of him. As she spoke, his brow drew down into a fierce frown of rage. Growing tense, he sat straighter in the throne, on the edge of his seat. With a finger, he pointed at Nashante.

"How could you let this happen, witch! If she joins the varden, it will take a devestating toll upon my empire!" Love! How could a cruel assassin possibly find love! And with an elf, the creatures who revired life above all else! The idea, the notion, the act was impossible! And yet, here the witch stood, reporting it so. "I want you to have all of your coven out in that dessert. I want the elf and Athelwyne dead!" Galbatorix's hands continually clenched and unclenched, tendrils of inky black magic snaking up his arms, a sign that he truly was near going berserk. "I'll send the dragon slayers after them." He said coldly, trying to regain some sense of calm. "Perhaps they can deal with them." Taking a step closer to the evanescent image of Nashante, he shouted, "Now get out of my site and do your job!" Raising a hand, he released a jet of the inky magic at her. Unfortunately, the magic lanced through Nashanted harmlessly, instead blasting a hole into the marble wall. He didnt' care. He was too worked up about the witch's news.

[taran]

Taran grew sad at the mention of Narth, his old friend and companion. If Narth was given to the King, there were many secrets that he could learn, none of which would be good for anyone other than the King. Putting his arm around Aethelwyne, he looked at the table, thinking.
"Well, I think you may be right, but it wont be easy. You and Doc will have to carry us, since Adruthil is still quite small. I know Doc is a powerful dragon, but that is a long distance."

[micaylah]

"Then I think we should make ready today. Plan our route and gather supplies. We can leave before first light in the morning. We will rescue Narth and I pity whomever gets in our path." The expression on her face softened as she rose and turned to him, pulling his head close against her stomach. "Today we plan and make ready. Tonight will be ours. Tomorrow we fight...together."

[taran]

Taran laid his head against her stomach, the motion one of love. He could hear her breathing, her heart beating with his. 'What else has happened because of our bond?' he thought. He knew there was a great strength there, but there was something else, not a weakness but not a strength, it was something that was a very part of his being. 'I love you,' he said to her with his mind.
"Very well, let us make ready today, but tonight belongs to us. No worries or cares. Tomorrow, let all cringe in fear of us, for they stand no chance in opposing us," he told her aloud.

[micaylah]

Aethelwyne’s mark glowed softly as she felt the words he spoke to her with his mind. ‘And I you, my love,’ she responded ever so gently and so deeply that it brushed softly upon his very soul. Her passion for him rose, she had to fight with every ounce of her resolve to quell it. ‘I can hardly breathe beneath the fires of love he has ignited within me!’ The thought in her mind screamed out into the stillness of the morning touching every corner of their home and across the vast expanse of the Hadarac Desert itself.

Drawing herself back to the task at hand, she slowly walked away from him, longing dragging at her with every step. She dressed and began gathering supplies for their quest. She had no doubt that Nashante had invoked all of the coven to begin searching for them as well as alerted Galbatorix. No doubt he would have men after them as well. ‘Doc. Are you sure you are up for this?’

Edoc’sil touched her mind, ‘Aethelwyne my heart belongs with you. Where you go I will gladly go. My heart rejoices for you my child and our enemies will come to learn the true meaning of fear.’

“Taran. Do you think we can make it to the forest south of Furnost near Tudosten Lake? I think it may be wise to take a not so direct route to Uru’baen and avoid the desert as much as possible. We are too easily seen in its sandy plains.” As she awaited his answer she finished with the last of the supplies. Going to the dresser she arranged her lethal bracelets, a dagger with a sheath made to be worn on her thigh, throwing stars and throwing knives. She removed a black gown and laying it on the bed, she began to fill its many hidden compartments with the weaponry.

[taran]

Taran watched with a smile as she packed her black gown with her weapons. Rising, he walked over to her, standing a respectful distance away.
"You are right. A direct route would most likely be extremely dangerous," he said gently, a warm tone in his voice. "I am ready, whenever you are, my love."

[micaylah]

Aethelwyne felt him behind her, watching. A smile lightly came to her lips. Finishing with the gown, she placed it over the back of a nearby chair. Turning to face him, the smile still on her face, she replied "There. I think that's everything." She walked over to him and placed her arms around his waist. Looking into his eyes, she felt a warmth inside her giving her peace. “A girl can never be too prepared. Now love. What would you like to do? We have the last light of the day and all of the night before we leave.”

*****************************************

Nashante sat in silence. Galbatorix was furious. If she lost favor with him because of Aethelwyne…her body tightened as the silent rage built within her. ‘I have not gone to all this work to secure my place with the King or the coven to loose either now.’ She thought back to the night that she had taken Aethelwyne. She felt the sensation of her blade as it sank into the heart of her sister. Her twin. She had felt nothing as she watched the life drain from her eyes. She had done to much to have it all unravel now. Coming back into the moment, she had an idea. If Aethelwyne and the Shadeslayer could be captured…then maybe she could turn them over to the King. Maybe the gift of two riders would shine his favor upon her once again. A smile crept to her lips.

She walked to a clearing in the forest. Holding her arms wide, she called to the winds. At her request a murder of crows descended upon the branches of the nearby trees. “Take this message to all of the coven sisters. Aethelwyne and the Shadeslayer are to be taken…alive. Engage them if you must but do not mortally wound them. I want them in one piece. Report their movements to me. Now go!’ She threw her arms wide and the crows scattered on the wind, spreading out over all of Alagaesia.

Nashante reached out in ethereal form to contact the King. “My lord.” She bowed her head reverently to him and awaited his response. She hoped the night had provided him opportunity to calm himself and that he would be…open to her plan.

[Trinn]

Having calmed down considerably, glabatorix was able to turn and look at Nashante calmly as she re-apeared. Although, at the site of her, a flicker of the rage he had felt the night before threatnend to break free. Carefully keeping it in check, he said coldly, "What now?" had she already killed the two lovers? Or had she come to report more bad news. His stare turned deadly, his eyes seeming to burn.

[micaylah]

Nashante, relieved that she was not in physical presence of the King, raised her head to look into his eyes. "My Lord, I was thinking. Riders being so few in these times...what if we capture them? It would be a shame to loose two Riders who could possibly be.....persuaded into service of the Empire." She awaited his response with much apprehension.

[Trinn]

Galbatorix raised an eyebrow, intriguied by the idea. Would such a thing be possible? "If you can get them in my presence, they will be mine. They won't have a choice." A small, slight smile appeared on his lips. To have them both with him would be a powerful force. And then, there was the girls twin. If he also had her... "Allright, Nashante of the seithr coven, I'll take up that plan. bring the riders to me." galbatorix got to his feet and walked to the evenescent form of the witch. "But be warned. If you fail me now, you and your coven will be no more." The threat in his voce was impossible to miss.