NationStates Jolt Archive

Beyond the senses is the mind, and beyond the mind is reason, its essence.

Ainulindalion floated. He floated outside of time, outside of space, in the realm of nothingness.

He was, once again, bored. The world was so active, and yet, no one knew, no one cared, no one had any jobs for him.

But the promise had to be maintained. It could not be violated. Ever. It was perhaps the core of his being now.

Beyond reason is the Spirit in man, and beyond this is the Spirit of the universe, the evolver of all.

If he violates the promise, he might very well cease to exist. That could not happen, of course. Self preservation was built into every life form.

If a life form was indeed what he was.

Were he and his fellows actually life? Or were they the origin of it?

Was Eru the origin? Or was he alive? Could the first life form, the First One, be the origin of all others?

Ainulindalion was not normally philiosophical. In fact, he hated it when he became so, for it showed just how bored he was.

And so, he cleared his mind, his conciousness, for it was in this manner that he discovered how best to pass the time.

When the five senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the Path supreme.

The Path. He would walk the Path. And where did the Path lead now?

Through the nations, and through Time, through the Ages of the world, and through trillions of sentient beings, organic and not, mortal and not.

But where was the Path taking him now?

Tartarus. Hell on Earth.

In him are woven the sky and the earth and all the regions of the air, and in him rest the mind and all the powers of life. Know him as the One and leave aside all other words. He is the bridge of immortality.

And so he rejoined the physical plane of the World. And he walked the Path, gathering the elements of the World around him, to him, reveling in his power over them. Fire, wind, water, earth, and emotion. He could play all these things like an instrument, finely tuned, in the hands of a master musician.

But why should he? To do so would probably violate the promise.

And when he is seen in his immanence and transcendence, the the ties that have bound the heart are unloosened, the doubts of the mind vanish, and the law of Karma works no more.

Emotions. Those were what set them apart from the other animals. That is what made them complex.

Instinct had a place with them. But emotion, and logic, ruled them to a greater extent. He could influence them all, to teach, to heal, to command.

But again, why?

From delusion lead me to Truth.

Then he arrived, and looked around. There. A single soul. Alone. Perfect. He sampled what he could taste of it.

Pain. Sadness. Loss. Anger. Blackness. Darkness.

From darkness lead me to Light.

Could he heal this one? Could he repair the loss of balance here? Could he remove the chaos and add order?

Could he do it without violating who he was?

And could who he was change?

Mortals. So fragile, so weak. But so strong. Could he save this one?

What would it take to save this one?

From death lead me to immortality.

<monitoring tag>

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It wouldn’t take me long,
To tell you were to find it,
To tell you where we’ll meet.
This little girl inside me
Is retreating to her favourite place…

It had been a long day, drawn out meetings with people that would test the patience of a saint, and she was no saint. Not by a long way. Not that she had time. All her waking hours were consumed by her role. Not one minute of her day belonged to her.

Throwing open the Palace doors, Gehenna slowly walked out into the moonlight. This was her favourite time, the stars beginning to twinkle in the steadily darkening sky. In less than thirty minutes a blackness would cover Tartarus, with only the moon and stars brightening up the night.

As she moved away from the opposing building behind her, she could still hear the voices of her staff, shouting at each other, trying to be heard over the ever increasing noise.

If only they would shut up and listen to each other.

But now was not the time to worry about them. She had managed to free herself from their grasp, and moved quickly through the garden, further and further from the seat of power, almost walking back. Back into a time when none of this mattered, when it was all just a game. A child’s game.

She spotted the archway leading into the Rose Garden, she remembered the long past days that she would spend playing there.

Did I really play? Or is that just a dream that I have turned into my past?

Walking through the arch, covered in ivy, the leaves rustled by the wind, as she moved deeper into the garden. There was a spot, near the end of the garden, a bench tucked back from view, almost covered by a rose. It’s whiteness still visible in the steadily fading light.

Sitting herself down on the bench, she took several deep breaths ridding herself of her thoughts, of the stress, the problems, everything. Becoming that child again, if only for a moment.

Go into the garden
Under the ivy
Under the leaves…

Go right to the rose
Go right to the white rose…

There she was. Surrounded by life, an undeniable air of death.

The pain was everywhere. But it was fading. She wanted to be helped, to be healed.

One of power, position, authority. One who desired healing.

Odd. Admitted weakness, even to oneself, in that position.

She was hiding. He would have to find her.

Ainulindalion gathered the elements around himself, and drew in the wind around him, defining a form, there, in the garden.

And in a flash of light and flames, he appeared, solid and real, with physical form.

That of a taller man, a less than five years older than the woman, jet black hair slicked back on his head, night black eyes gleaming in his tanned face, cloaked in clothing of darkness, sword suspended from his hip.

"Hello."

Suddenly Gehenna’s thoughts were no longer back with her childhood, as the voice broke through her reverie. Eyes instantly focused on the man standing before her, taking in his appearance, noting the sword. Her mind flew through a million scenarios, none of them good.

Standing, she felt the bench against her legs. How foolish had she been to allow herself to be caught in a place with no way out? Berating herself silently, she caught the man’s gaze in hers, heart pounding. But she wouldn’t show him her fear. That’s how she had been brought up, trained to react. Show no emotion.

“Who are you?” Her voice strong and steady, belying her concern for her safety, as her yes flicked over his shoulder for signs of anyone who could help. “What do you want?”

How did he get in here?

The thought gave her even more to think about. The Palace was one of the most secure places in Tartarus, and yet this stranger just walked in.

He’s not exactly dressed for scaling walls.

Shaking herself mentally, she focused her attention on the matter at hand. She couldn’t allow her thoughts to wander elsewhere when her life could be at risk. She slowly began to move her hand towards the panic alarm that she carried.

Ainulindalion looks at the woman who challenged him, and his presence. He reached into her mind, just caressing the surface, to find what he needed. "Empress Gehenna, I am Lord George Oliver Daniels. And there is no need to call for aid. I mean you no harm. I am here, simply to help you, so please, forgive my abrupt appearance and intrusion."

Whatever Gehenna may have been expecting as an answer, that was not it. She eyes the man before her critically, a frown marring her features as she continues to study him. Help her, he had said. Why did he think she needed help?

Her hand ceases its journey to the alarm, which he'd also known about. Not that it was a secret, no one would have expected the ruler of the country to walk around unprotected, even if she was in her own grounds, safe from prying eyes and would-be assassins.

Gehenna continues to stare, looking for some clue as to his real reason for being in her garden. Her sanctuary. Her place of peace and tranquillity; her world away from the real world.

"Help me?" She stood more erect, Gehenna hiding behind the Empress, the strict upbringing, the ability to cope with anything. "What makes you think I need help?"

Ainulindalion smiles gently. "I can feel the turmoil in your mind, Gehenna of Tartarus. There is chaos. I wish to help you with that. You must learn..." His voice trails off.

She looks at him, possibly for the first time in her life, she was speechless. She tired to stop herself, but could feel the coming laughter, finding the situation more than a little amusing. "Turmoil? Chaos?" She nods in agreement. "I would say that was possibly true. My days are generally filled with both. But how can you help?" A puzzled expression appears to hide the humour. "Do you think my advisors are that bad?"

Ainulindalion walks closer to her. "The problem is not out here." He waves one arm expansively. "It is in here." He touches her temple. "And here." He moves his hand to point to her heart, though without touching her. "I wish to help with that."

Gehenna watches him closely, his words confusing her more and more. "You think I need help with...me?" This really was a first, someone looking at her and thinking she had a problem. Did he think she was a bad ruler; that she wasn't what the nation needed? "And you think you can help with that, do you? How exactly do you intend to do that?"

Ainulindalion smiles again, the little knowing smile, one of a slight arrogance and superiority. "You lack balance inside. And it hurts you. As for how I will help you, I'm not entirely sure. But I know I can help. And that I will." His smile broadens. "And no, Empress, I don't think you are a bad ruler. You will do well for Tartarus."

The smile disappears from her face, washed away by his last comment, and a panic begins to replace her calm interior, a flash of puzzlement the only clue.

How does he know what I'm thinking? She shook her head, realising how stupid she was beginning to feel. Pull yourself together. You are an Empress not a fool.

Gehenna looks him the eyes, breathing deeply, as she brings herself back to her more controlled self, convinced even more that she must be standing before a mad man. "I appreciate your offer...Lord Daniels." Taking a moment to recall the name he had given, knowing that she had to keep him talking as she attempted to summon help. "If you leave your name and contact details, I will get back to you."

Humour him; it's your only hope.

Ainulindalion chuckles softly. "Empress, I will be there when I am needed. But if you should have need of me, and I am not there, this will do." He waves his hand slightly, producing a business card, which reads. Lord G.O.D. Steward of the Fortress of Ainulindalion, Protector of the Hidden Isle, Mercenary and Minor Mage

He broadens his smile, and winks at her. "And I think I shall depart now, before that unneeded assistance arrives." His body dissolves in a cloud of smoke, and blows away in the wind, leaving her with nothing but his promise, as the card didn't really have a way to contact him again.

Gehenna holds the card loosely in her fingers, a look of utter shock appearing as she watches him dissolve into nothing before her eyes. She shakes her head, as she lowers herself onto the bench, her mind whirling with what had just happened.

I must be going mad.

She looks at the card still resting in her fingers...

The sky darkened, the only sign of how long she sat there, silently contemplating. The stars sparkled above her, tiny lights glittering the night. A chill began to set in, causing her to shiver slightly, her arms tightening around her body, trying to catch some heat.

Standing slowly, she made her way back along the path, heading for the lights shining through the open doorway. She stopped suddenly and looked around her, wondering again whether she had imagined the meeting.

She felt the card still held in her hand, moving it until she could read the inscription. Her brow furrowed for a moment as she tried to recall whether the name was familiar, but she was sure she knew no one called ‘G.O.D’, smiling to herself at the irony.

Rereading, her eyes fell on another part of the description: Minor Mage. She shook her head, laughing at herself, at her stupidity. She began to move, the warmth of the Palace calling to her cold body.

That’s how he disappeared. Magical illusion.

She smiled as she recalled how as a child her father would invite the best magicians in the country to astound and entertain. She had fallen under their spell then, and she had fallen for it again.

So, you are a magician, Lord G.O.D?

Stepping through the doorway, Gehenna put all thoughts of the intruder to the back of her mind, sure that they would never cross paths again…

Ainulindalion watched her for a long time as she sat in the gardens of her palace, so outwardly self confident, so strong externally. But Gehenna of Tartarus lacked an important piece to her, a piece that, when missing, made her not quite fully human, not all she could be.

Her emotions were there of course. They weren’t missing entirely. Anger, hatred, darker emotions. They were all present in more than sufficient quantity. And the lighter, brighter emotions were there as well. But they were only surface emotions, not deep inside her.

That was where her lack of balance was. As he had told her, it did not make her a bad ruler, for rule had to be done by logic, for the greater part, and not by emotion. That was where so many dictatorships failed.

No human, no organic, indeed, Ainulindalion was convinced that no thinking being was perfectly logical. Emotions could be suppressed only so much, after all.

As it was, Gehenna of Tartarus had had her emotions suppressed for far too long, and it was damaging her. Perhaps not quickly, nor right away. But it would happen, and another soul would be forever changed by it.

Unfortunately, he had picked her before he’d realized entirely who she was. That could be a problem.

But then, he wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot.

But how close did that come to violating his promise? It would bear thinking upon.

But yes, Empress, they would meet again. Of that, Ainulindalion was sure.

Looking out of the main reception room, the window was full of the luxury liner, the biggest and most elaborate ship to be launched from Tartarus. Measuring over a thousand feet in length, her sleek lines grabbed the eye, every detail an attention seeker in its own right.

Gehenna gazed out, looking past the ship to the crowds who had turned out to watch the event, always amazed how an object could draw such attention. Most of the people watching would never step foot inside her beautiful interior.

A voice at her side drew her thoughts away from the view, returning them to the room. Filled with many of the individuals who gave their all, be it financial or manual aid to make this moment possible, their pride written plainly on their faces.

“Your Majesty, everything is ready for you.” The man’s voice filled with respect, awe and a little worry. It was his duty to ensure that everything went to plan, and with the eyes of Tartarus focused, he would not want anything to go wrong.

Following her host, Gehenna made her way to the launching platform, the bottle of champagne – only the best for the 800 million Acheron ship – was resting in its cradle, waiting for the moment it would crash against the hull, officially sealing the naming of this seafaring vessel.

Stepping onto the platform, the band moved into its final few notes of the piece that was performing, dying down as the Empress moved in front of the microphone, her speech and blessing memorised, a copy in her hand just in case.

Smiling, she said gave her praise to the hard work that had been put into the design and building, describing to the crowds the glory that would be shown to the world as this globe travelling ambassador made itself know.

Positioning her hand above the champagne release, Gehenna moved into the last part of her speech, her part in the history of this ship almost at an end. “I name this ship Iniquitas. May her journey never falter, and may she return home safe from every voyage.”

Then she saw him, standing at the front of the crowd, smiling at her. Her eyes locking onto him, his face playing with her memory, forcing her to remember him. She’d seen him before, but where? She recalled starlight, and the moon, the scent of roses…

“Your Majesty…?”

The voice again breaking her reverie, her finger hitting the button, sending the bottle hurtling towards the ship, smashing against the hull. The band began to play the Tartarian anthem.

Taking this opportunity, Gehenna looked back into the crowd, but he was gone…

The car pulled up outside Imperial House, a huge white building, originally built as the home of the Marquis of Lytham, but returned to the state when he had been killed for treason over four hundred years ago. The Emperor had turned the once powerful man's home into a love nest for his mistress, until years later it had moved into a place of formal setting. Four huge columns framed the doors, reaching up to the roof, dominating the front of the building. Through the door the light from inside shone forth, welcoming the guests into the warmth of the main hallway.

Stepping out of the car, Gehenna smiled at the man waiting to greet her, his head bowed in respect. Walking several steps behind was her companion for the evening, Lord Stratton, a cousin that filled the role of official escort for such occasions. Walking through the main hall, the man led her through the throng, stopping briefly so that one of the attendees could her cloak, then led her up the elaborate staircase, a single set of stairs, spitting into two, branching off to either side. Slowly climbing, Gehenna smiled to the people around her, graciously accepting their bows and marks of respect. Entering the main hall, the doorman made the announcement, and she entered the room, the room silencing, as made her way through the hall. The evening had started.

* * * * *

The musicians were coming to the end of the orchestral piece they were performing, as the dancers paid each other respect and moved off, looking for their next partners. Dresses of the ladies rustling against the carpet, shoes echoing against the marble floor.

Gehenna left her dancing partner, being led by another waiting official to be taken to her next audience. A smile fixed to her face, as she listened to the man and woman before her.

Ainulindalion stood silently against the wall. He could dance, but he saw no need to. He was dressed as he had been seen before, in solid black, though on this occasion, lacked his sword. He stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd, perhaps why he was not in it, and was instead, barely above a shadow on the wall, observing Gehenna of Tartarus as she mingled. She has the skills of the game of her power. Impressive in one so young.

As she continued to listen, Gehenna allowed her eyes to roam around the room, looking at the other guests. The women's colourful evening gowns adding a splash of colour, contrasting the darker clothes of the accompanying men. Gehenna lightly swung the purse she was carrying, matching in colour the midnight blue dress full length dress that she had chosen to wear, the material covered with tiny diamonds, catching the light, resembling the night sky. Her dark hair piled up on her head, curled strands falling around her shoulders, a diamond hair ornament finishing her apparel. Returning her gaze to the speaker, Gehenna catches a glimpse in the corner of her eye. A thought provoked, she quickly dismisses it as she resumes her conversation.

Ainulindalion watches the Empress' gaze pass right over him, and slowly moves from his position, his clothes seeming to draw in the light around him. He moves easily through the throng of people to a table with refreshment, and with a glass of wine in hand, proceeds to watch the Empress from here, slightly more visible, away from the wall, clearly obvious when he moves.

Again her gaze was drawn, her eyes moving to the spot that she first thought she had seen something. A niggling sensation in her mind, as if she had experienced this before, but more than that she felt like she was being watched. Not that she wasn't used to that kind of attention, it had always been her way of life, but this was different, more focused. Letting her eyes move around the room, she begins to search the crowd for anyone who seemed to be paying her slightly more attention than normal, slowly working her way around the room so as not to draw attention to her actions; not wanting to appear on edge.

Gehenna was just about to put the whole incident down to a trick of the mind, when she caught a glimpse, a face that suddenly seemed out of place, but not entirely unfamiliar. But before she could get a better look, the crowd moved, blocking her sight of the man sitting at the table. Her thoughts turning to where she had seen his face.

Then like the sun rising at dawn, it came to her. The garden. He was the man from the garden, the magician. She struggled to recall his name, remembering with some amusement, that his initials spelled out GOD.

Lord Danvers? No. Lord David? Lord Daniels. Yes, that was it. Her glance rested in his general location, waiting for the people obscuring her view to move so she could confirm her thoughts. As she watched, another memory revealed itself. One that she had almost forgotten, or one she had tried to put to the back of her mind. It had been him, standing in the crowd, watching her at the launch. She thought that she had been mistaken, but now she was sure. For some reason, he was following her.

Ainulindalion felt the Empress finally spot him, and he smiled internally. As the crowd subconciously adjusted to his will, blocking her view of him, he moved again, slightly, playing a game. He didn't move far, and never let his gaze stray from her, and felt her recognition dawn across the room, and he smiled outwardly, waiting for the crowd to part and for her eyes to find him again.

As the people moved, her eyes fell onto an empty chair, where she was certain he had been sitting. Confusion flashing over her face, before her Empress mask replaced it, her slowly seeking gaze the only evidence of her task. Just about to give up and forget the incident, she spotted him again, sitting a short distance away. She kept her eyes locked to him, expecting him to disappear.

Ainulindalion met the Empress' gaze without any hint of fear, or the respect for her position that everyone else showed. He met her gaze as an equal, and flashed her a dazzling smile, white teeth contrasting his deeply tanned skin and dark clothing.

A look of determination gleamed in her eye, as she watched him sitting there, his eyes fixed to hers, unflinching. The smile he gave her was like a challenge, a show of his own confidence. A lack of respect, something she had not experienced during her lifetime. Turning to those with her, she made her excuses, leaving them talking between themselves, feeling their eyes on her back, as she moved slowly throw the crowd, people moving out of her way, smiling. She show nothing, her mind focused on the man at the table, but more importantly, on his reasons for being here.

As he watched the Empress approach him, now that she had found him, he sat, waiting on her arrival. His gaze left her eyes and traveled piercingly over her body, observing her outfit, and everything about her, noting, as he had not before, that for an organic, she was quite attractive. But so very young to be hurt as she was. As she came upto him, he rose, and looking down at her, he spoke a single word in greeting. "Empress."

Calmly she approached him, her eyes remaining on his face, noting his assessment of her, again it was hardly a new event, but there was something about his appraisal that displeased her. As if he was judging her, but not just externally. Gehenna smiled and presented him with her hand; head tilted slightly upward, professional to the last. "Lord Daniels, if I recall".

Ainulindalion lightly grasped her hand from underneath, and bowed over it, lips barely caressing its back. He straightens, and smiled back. "Your memory is as unfailing as your beauty, Empress. I do indeed remain Lord Daniels."

Gehenna continued to smile, his sudden propriety striking a contrast against his original behaviour. The man was challenging but not insulting, quite an enigma. She allowed her eyes to move over his body, taking in his clothes, his form. Puzzled why she could not recall so fine a specimen of manhood. "You have me at a loss, Lord Daniels." Her gaze returned to his, watching for signs that might give her some clue. "I do not recall you, or your family name. Are you from Tartarus?"

Ainulindalion suppressed an inappropriate grin, and instead, slightly widened his perfectly symmetrical smile. "Do you not recall my card, milady? I am from Ainulindalion." Technically correct. This form is from my will, after all. "I would not assume you to know more of me than I have told."

Gehenna nodded her head, "Oh, yes. Ainulindalion." Her mind was suddenly working overtime as she tried to put a location to the place, but as much as she tried she could not recall hearing the name. "And you are a mage?"

Ainulindalion chuckled. "Amoung other things, Empress."

Indicating a chair, Gehenna smiled at him, her interest peaked. "Please, shall we be seated?" Not waiting for his consent, she sat down, straightening her dress around her, as he takes his seat. "And what is it, Lord Daniels, that brings you to Tartarus?" Before he can answer, she jumps in again, eyes sparkling in a teasing fashion. "Apart from helping me, of course. I remember your offer." Surprised by how well his words had imbedded in her memory.

Ainulindalion returned her smile as he seated himself, cape draping in perfect symmetry on the chair. "Empress, that is the only reason I am here. Well, other than to get a free glass of wine or two. I've always found the fair at Imperial affairs to be quite excellent, no matter who is running the show."

Gehenna laughed lightly, his answer not entirely unexpected. "And how did my need for help reach all the way over to Ainulindalion?" She lowered her eyes to her hands, as she again tried to place the name. "I am sure there are people closer to home more in need of your help than I." She raised her gaze back to him, her lack of amusement slowly showing in her face. "Why don't you stop this ridiculous façade and tell me exactly what it is you want?"

Ainulindalion chuckled. "Your need for assistance was something I felt in my travels. Word did not reach my land. In fact, I doubt anyone but you and I know that you need this help. And I truly do not desire anything more than to help you."

Gehenna laughed again, this time there was no mirth or humour present, as her eyes remained locked to his, searching for a falsehood in them. But he either believed what he was saying or he was a damn good actor.

"Lord Daniels - if that is truly your name - are you trying to convince me that I have a problem of some kind?" She frowned, her eyes clouding over, as she ran her hand absently over her lap. "A problem that you - a complete stranger - and I, only, know about. You can understand if I am a little sceptical."

Ainulindalion smiled. Entering her mind quickly, he pressed a surpressed memory, of what he didn't pay enough attention to find out, to the surface, and exited her mind. He spoke quietly as he did this. "This is why you have a problem, Empress."

The thought came into her mind, a tear threatened to fall, as the image of her father ordering the death of a young man filled her head. He had done it, the mage had conjured up this image from her past, a part of her life that she was sure was buried deep.

"How dare you?" Her anger flared, eyes flashing with years of hurting behind them. No longer able to keep the mask in place, her emotions were plainly written on her face. "How dare you look in my head? Help me? I don't need your help! Do you call this helping?" She tapped the side of her head as she rose from her seat. "I've seen these mind games before. I don't know what your ultimate goal is, but you are not getting it out of me."

Ainulindalion struggled to keep a straight face. His goal had been exactly the reaction he had provoked. "Your reaction only proves how much you need my help, Empress." His calmness was a direct contrast to her anger. "You either need to completely eliminate those memories which cause you pain, or you must deal with them. Before they deal with you. But for now, I bid you fairwell." With a flash of light, he was gone.

She was about to answer when he vanished, just like he had in the garden. Looking around her, she searched for a clue to his whereabouts, again wondering if he really existed, or whether he was just a figment of her imagination.

He has to be real. He has to be.

Breathing deeply, she began to calm herself down, the long dead memory returning deep into the recesses of her mind. Turning, she entered Empress mode, and made her way back into the throng.

The ball continued into the early hours, Gehenna finally returning to the palace just before three. The night air was cool on her skin as she made her way to the door.

Acknowledging the guard, she walked across the hall and made her way to the office. Too pent up with anger to sleep, she walked along the corridor leading to her office. Opening the door, she moved over to the desk, pressing the release that brought her computer into view.

Sitting down, she made herself comfortable, bag falling to the floor near the chair. Her mind intent on her task, she barely heard the knock at the door. Calling her assent to enter, she paid little attention to the gentle entry of her assistant.

Looking up, she dismissed him before he could close the door. “I have no need for you tonight, Alex. You may leave.” She watched as he nodded his head, and left without uttering a word.

Turning back to the screen, she entered the object of her interest: Ainulindalion.

Hitting the enter button, she waited as the search was processed, the screen filling with options. Clicking the first, she was not surprised to learn that it wasn’t a place at all.

“You come from a land of myth and legend, do you, Lord Daniels?” She spoke out to the empty room, her voice echoing in the quietness. “Continue this game of yours, and you shall enter myth and legend yourself, and it won’t be pleasant.”

She sat back in the chair, fingers steepled, deep in thought…

<tag>

And as Gehenna's mind cleared to its task, Ainulindalion prodded it gently, bringing the memory to the surface once more, forcing it into the forefront of her conciousness.

And as he did so, words typed themselves out on the computer screen. Lady Gehenna, until you can look into your heart, and not quail of what you see there, it will never truly be gone. Lord G.O.D. And then, with barely enough time to read them, the words faded away.

And so, from that point forward, at first only when she was alone, the memories, the one of the boy, and others, returned to her unbidden. When her mind would clear, whenever she thought they were gone, they would return.

Soon, though, it did not happen only when she was alone, or asleep. It happened with increasing frequency in public situations as well. Memories, full of pain and hate, loss and despair. Whenever Gehenna would turn around, she would be confronted with her own relived nightmares.

And so this continued until their next meeting.

Darkness…

Cries echoing down the empty corridors. Fear heavy in the air…

The door opens…

He’s there. His face filled with pain. Body battered and damaged…

Hand reaches out to touch…

The voice thunders. Anger chilling the blood…

Heartbeat rises…

A whip cracks. Leather against flesh. A heart rendering scream…

Eyes pleading. Tears fall…

The flash of a blade…

“No!”

Eyes flew open, staring into the darkness. Heartbeat pounded in her ears, as she looked about her, recognising the familiar features of her room, relieved that she was in her bed not back there.

Slipping out of bed, Gehenna walked over the to bathroom. Turning on the tap, she splashed her face with cooling water. A process that was quickly moving into routine, as these dreams became more and more frequent.

Looking into the mirror, her eyes fixed to her reflected image, the purple patches growing nightly. Not that she could escape her thoughts by not sleeping, they appeared unbidden, showing up when she least expected them.

What’s the matter with me? Why won’t they stop?

Drying her face, she returned to the bedroom. She looked at the bed, but shook all thought of sleep from her head. Her eyes are drawn to the bedside table. Walking over she picked up the little business card.

“This is your doing!” She shouted into the darkness. “You will not win! I will not let you!”

The last week had been long, and as Gehenna entered the lift a small sigh escaped her lips, as she tried to focus on the voice of the man standing beside her, desperate to keep her thoughts active. She caught her reflection in the mirrored surround, her blue eyes shaded, brought on by her recent inability to sleep.

Stepping out into the corridor, Gehenna found herself on the second floor of the Rinaldi Medical Centre, the new state-of-the-art hospital to grace Erebus in many years, the nation finally giving something back to the people, though not entirely for unselfish reasons.

Gehenna followed her host, Martin Rushmore, Head of GT Medical & Pharmaceuticals, the branch of the country owned divisions that funded and built this medical institute. The pride was evident on the man's face as he led his Empress to the cardiac unit.

As she walked along, footsteps echoing down the near empty corridor, she brushed her hand over the skirt of her red with black trimmed suit, her hair tied back in a French pleat, keeping with the whole hygienic stance of the building. Her eyes flicked around, giving the impression that she was taking in the décor, but if she was honest, she was searching for a familiar face, one that had been haunting her.

Ainulindalion sensed the Empress seeking him. She'd apparently figured out that he appeared when she was out. Well, that was high marks for her intelligence. He allowed a brief glimpse of himself to be seen, though she would not see him fully for another few minutes, and then he would haunt her throughout the tour, ever present, without giving her the chance to speak to him.

As if the mere thought of him was enough to bring him into her presence, she saw a flash of an image, her brain unsure as she followed her guide. She turns her head for another look at the spot she thought she had seen him, but there was no one there.

It was a shadow, nothing more. Merely a shadow. Shaking her head, she breathed a sigh of relief. You are becoming obsessed.

She turned her head, again looking down the length of the corridor, passing several doors before turning left into a large room, full of cardiac equipment. Lying on one of the beds was a patient, one of the few that had been brought in to give the place a feel of what it could be. Forgetting the thoughts that had recently crossed her mind, Gehenna gave her attention to the doctor and his patient, as she listened to him describe the processes and hopes of his department. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a niggling doubt continued to grow.

Ainulindalion stood behind the Empress, smiling as she watched the patient. Perhaps this chore will not be as hard as I had thought. Though she doesn't seem to care about the patients themselves. Not like that matters.

A shiver run down her spine, the feeling of being watched ever present in her mind, not by the eyes of the people around her but of more critical eyes. Again she tried to shake the thoughts, thought they refused to disappear completely.

Taking the hand of the patient, a camera flashing in the background capturing the moment for the people to look at over breakfast the following morning, Gehenna smiled and thanked the doctor for his presentation, giving a few encouraging words.

Ainulindalion remained where he was, wondering if she would see him in the shadowed corner of the room, if not, he would follow the reporters, and pick a slightly more obvious place the next time.

The feeling of discomfort grew, the room growing oppressive, Gehenna moved towards the door, turning slightly to look at Martin, as if willing him to continue the tour. She suddenly stared into the corner, her eyes falling upon him, holding his gaze as her mind tried to establish whether he was really there or not.

Making a move to walk over to him, Martin took that opportunity to step up to her. "If you have seen everything you wish to see, Ma'am, perhaps we should move further along."

Breaking eye contact with the man in the shadows, Gehenna nodded her consent, not wishing to draw attention to her behaviour. "Please, lead the way." She flashed him one more glance as she stepped into the corridor, sure that she would have another chance to catch up with her strange stalker.

Ainulindalion followed the tour, always staying far enough away to be in sight, but too far for the Empress to easily interrupt the tour to speak with him.

If the tour had been difficult to begin with, it suddenly took a turn for the worse, as she watched him move around the facilities as one of the tour group. Wherever she seemed to look, he was there taunting her with his presence. Several times she tried to dislodge herself from her guide, but Martin seemed to have an itinerary mapped out and was going to give it his best effort to keep to the letter.

Gehenna found it harder and harder to listen to each of the department heads showing her the delights and benefits offered, and as they slowly made their way up the building, Gehenna could feel her own temper begin to rise, fighting to keep herself under control.

Ainulindalion grinned as he caught the Empress' eye in the last part of the tour, and then he vanished, just before the last department. He would return during the festivities, when she would be able to speak with him.

Annoyed at seeing him, she was more furious at his disappearance, his smile the final straw that threatened to tip her patience. Fortunately at that moment, Martin announced that they had finished the main body of the tour. "Unless there is anything you particularly wish to see, Ma'am."

Shaking her head as she smiled, Gehenna declined the offer, and was informed that they would then return to the restaurant, where a buffet lunch had been laid on, for everyone to informally discuss the different aspects of the hospital before the final unveiling of the plaque, which would take place outside the main entrance, in full view of the waiting media.

Upon arriving into the hall, Gehenna excused herself from her host, and made for the powder room, needing a moment to herself to bring her temper back under control, as her mind began to fill with the images that haunted her dreams at night, and threatened her wakened hours.

Ainulindalion reformed himself in the restaurant, directly across the room from the door the Empress would emerge from, waiting until she did, a suppressed grin quirking at his lips.

Entering the washroom, Gehenna took a moment to cool off her face, and retouch her make up, allowing her to face the gathered guests with a more presentable appearance. Standing alone, eyes staring at her reflection, she laughed lightly to herself, almost in relief as she finally came to terms with the fact that he had left.

Taking several deep breaths, before straightening any loose strands, Gehenna again felt ready to face the world. Giving her appearance one last check, running her hand over her suit, removing tiny specks of dust, she moved over to the door and re-entered the hall.

She stopped suddenly her eyes focused on the one face she had just cleared from her thoughts. She felt her body begin to shake, as her anger again began to build. Then suddenly her eyes shone, her lips brought to life by the smile that had just appeared.

Ainulindalion watched the Empress, not at all surprised by her reaction to his continued, or even, renewed, presence. He stood calmly, idly regarding her in the attractive suit, and waited to see what Gehenna would do. If she wished to speak to him, she would. If not, it mattered not to him.

Looking around briefly at the others in the room, before quickly locking her gaze to his, Gehenna made her way over to where he took, her step not rushed, as she chose a casual pace. Her smile grew as she finally reached him, her hand extended in greeting. She had no intention of showing him the anger he had caused in her.

"Lord Daniels, what a pleasant surprise." She shook his hand, her grip firm. "Are you here to help the sick and needy, or is it still just me?" Her voice light, but there was an edge to her words.

Ainulindalion bent low over the Empress' hand, lightly kissing the back as opposed to shaking it. He could sense her anger, and her determination not to show it. "I'm afraid I'm still just here to help you, Gehenna of Tartarus. But I hardly think the surprise is a pleasant one to you. Perhaps you should let your true feelings for me show."

Gehenna fought the urge to let go of her feelings, as she laughed lightly at his suggestion, the sound not entirely one of humour. She shook her head and smiled. "I assure you, Lord Daniels, that you are seeing my true feelings. Did you think that I would put a performance on for you?"

Ainulindalion chuckled, and as her laugh, the sound was not entirely pleasant. "Yes, I do think you would. Especially since you must be angry at me for this..." He pulled the memory to the surface again, forcing it to the forefront of her thoughts.

"No!" In a flash her nightmare was right there, lowering her face, she closed her eyes willing the images to return to their place deep in the recesses of her mind, the place they had been buried quite successfully for many years.

When raised her gaze to him, her eyes held a haunted look, as slowly her anger began to boil below the surface. Her voice was low, and full of emotion. "Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?" She searched his face. "Who are you working for?"

Ainulindalion used her hand, which he still held to pull her close to him, their bodies nearly touching. "Gehenna, I work for no one save myself. I want nothing save to heal you. You buried the memory; you did not deal with it, as a human should. Now you will." And with that promise, or was it a threat, he vanished.

Gehenna just stood there as he vanished, his words playing over and over in her mind. Her body shaking as she fights to bring her temper back down, as she feels a new sensation surging through her body, one that she had not felt for many years…fear.

She closed her eyes as the thoughts returned unbidden, fighting hard to remove them from her mind. You can't make me do this! I won't do it!

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Gehenna opened her eyes, gasping as she spun around expecting to see him standing behind her. Her relief was evident as she saw Martin instead, his face full of urgency.

"Ma'am, if you are ready, we will proceed with the unveiling." Nodding, Gehenna followed him out of the restaurant, her professional persona returning to the forefront…

Returning to her room, Gehenna kicked off her shoes, and ran her fingers agitatedly through her hair. No longer trying to hide her anger, she paced back and forth across the room, her breaths becoming heavy as her temper began to rise. Stopping by the fireplace, she looked deep into the flickering flames, her own fire raging out of control.

She closed her eyes, fighting back her anger, only for those images to return. Flashing through her mind, bringing with them the pain and hatred that were associated with the past. Shaking her head, she tried to dislodge them, but her own temper was fuelling them, giving them power.

“No!” Reaching out, she caught hold of the first object within reach, an ornament resting on the mantelpiece. Fingers tightening around it, she moved her arm, sending the innocent piece to its doom against the far wall.

As the sound of smashing died away, a sound from the bathroom caught Gehenna’s attention. The distressed looking face of Isla appeared. “Ma’am, is everything alright? I thought I heard…” She caught sight of the broken figurine, and walked over to pick up the pieces.

“Leave it!” Gehenna took a deep breath, the presence of her maid helping her to slowly bring herself back to a more calmed state. “It can be dealt with in the morning.” She turned back to the fire, indicating that was the end of the subject, as Isla nodded briefly.

She knew that the Empress had things on her mind; she had seen the way Gehenna’s temper had altered of late. Looking at the young woman’s back, she had noticed the signs of her lack of sleep, not only the visual evidence, but the internal ones. She’d seen them before.

Gehenna stood silently for a moment, and then turned as if she suddenly remembered that she was not alone. “You may retire, Isla. I will not be needing you again tonight.”

She watched as the other woman dropped a slight curtsey, before making her way to the door, closing it softly behind her. Her eyes fell upon the broken ornament, as she lowered herself into the chair, feeling the comforting embrace of the fire’s warmth. Within minutes she drifted off to sleep, her body and mind exhausted…

Coming to the end of another full day, even one that was a national holiday to most of the country, Gehenna looked down at the clothes laid out on the bed, her fingers caressing the fine white material carefully.

The Sommer-Sonnenwende had always been her favourite holiday of the year. A day full of festivities to celebrate the Sun, the bringer of life, without who all life on earth would cease to exist. The nation for once letting its people enjoy life, to have fun unrestricted.

The daylight hours had been filled with parties and activities aimed at the younger generation, but it was at night the country really came alive, when the adults came out to play. There were official functions and celebration events, but it was the less formal ones that really made the people happy.

Slipping into her dress, Gehenna smoothed the light fabric over her body, hand moving slowly down her body. Strolling over to the mirror, she checked her appearance, running her hand through her hair, shaking the strands free. Swishing her head, she watched as her dark brown locks nestled about her shoulders.

Walking over to the side table, she picked up a white, feathered mask, the last part of her costume for the night. Brushing her hand over its shape, straightening the odd feather, she moved towards the door, slipping on a pair of simple white shoes, the paleness of the outfit contrasting against the darkness of her hair. As she neared the door, she picked up a black cloak, which hung over the back of a chair.

Slipping it over her shoulders, she stepped out of her room, turning towards the back stairs, doing her best to steer clear of the busier parts of the palace. Although she managed to avoid many interactions with staff, there was never the chance to leave entirely unnoticed, but her usual evening stroll in the gardens, meant that few took any notice in her actions.

She had planned today carefully, knowing the security of the palace that stopped people getting in, also meant that it restricted her getting out, and leaving the palace was her plan. But she knew there was a way, she’d used it several times in the past. Two of them were to take part in the event she would be attending tonight.

She ran the length of the garden, cloak trailing behind her, dress pressed against her legs. Racing through a little gate, into a car parking area, she heard the soft droning of an already running engine. Slipping silently inside, she took the driving seat. Knowing that as she reached the gate, the ever-familiar member of staff’s car would not be too strictly checked, and the errant Empress would appear to be her, the maid’s pass already borrowed.

Pulling the hood of the cloak over her head, the mask now in place, Gehenna guided the car down the drive to the checkpoint. Presenting her pass for scanning and mumbling the odd answer to the guard’s question, she left the palace grounds…

The last rays of the sunset streamed over Erebus, turning the buildings a golden crimson with reflected light. Shadows raced across the ground as the sun itself abandoned the longest day of the year, and darkness consumed the land.

But not for long. The city was soon ablaze with a different fire. The Solstice had come and gone, and now there was celebrating to be done. People streamed to the parks of Erebus, for tonight they were free. Bonfires began to dot the night, soon roaring to a fever pitch. Huge numbers of tents, large and small, dotted the green spaces of the land, usually circled about a fire.

Rhythmic beats began to fill the air, as primitive drums, made of wood and hide, saved for this occasion, were brought out, their booming unmistakable. And the dances began. Erotic and fast, the dances were the dances handed down through all humanity, the dances of the most primitive man and his ceremony.

But of course, there could be no party among humans without imbibing, and doing so, on this night, heavily. The wines flowed freely, cups overflowing as many took their first of many drinks during the night.

The dances, already erotic in nature, became that which could only politely be termed frenzied. Flesh intertwined, bodies, pressing against one another, minimal or no clothing required. Soon, many of the tents were occupied, the frenzied sounds of lust issuing from inside them, in groups or pairs, the people vanished into the dark tents to engage in the animal tendencies released this night. But more kept arriving to take their places, dancing before the fire, their shadows casting across the ground, physical desire and sensuality evident in everyone of them.

The wine continued to flow, the drums, to beat, and dancers, to dance. Many were not bothering with the tents arranged for the purpose, instead, partaking of their desires before the fire, dancers swirling about them.

Ainulindalion swirled into existence near the edge of a small park at the edge of the city, far from the Palace. To understand her people, to understand the Empress. If he did not know her, he could not help her. And that was his goal.

He was not dressed as was his usual, for he would have stood out immediately. Instead, tight brown leather pants showed off everything he had to offer, hugging his muscled legs, and showing his other endowments quite well. He had no intention of partaking tonight, but it was best to fit in. Which explained the mask he wore. He wore a wolf's head as his own, his dark eyes, with a hint more blue than black tonight, shining through, examining the scene, as he tossed back a glass of the bitter wine, liquid pouring through hanging fabric over his mouth, that so characterized the festivities...

And she was here. Gehenna, Empress of Tartarus, was in this very park. And she was alone. He stretched out his senses, separating out the carnal lust and high emotions about him, seeking her exact location. Perhaps she was moving on. Perhaps she was freeing herself of the burden of her father. Perhaps she was proceeding on the path he wished to help her along. Perhaps...

He spun towards her in the dance, firelight gleaming off the muscles of his chest, shadows delineating their smooth lines, his very form screaming masculinity. And hers, hers proclaimed for all the world she was a woman, as she reveled in the dance as he began to match his movements to hers...

The beat pounded through her body, closing her eyes she could feel the rhythm slowly taking control of her, leading her with its will. Moving as one, her soul and the music connected, a union too strong to break even if she had wanted to.

This was the one time in her life that she was totally free, away from the shackles of her world, her position, her duty. Free from the ties of the nation, a time to be Gehenna. Just like all the other Tartarians who gathered for the celebrations, she was here to be herself. To break the ties that forever held her in her father’s shadow.

Gazing absently at the people around her, she couldn’t help compare her life, even the problems that coming to such a simple event had caused. The lies, the deceit, the sneaking away from her security, just to be able to dance, to feel the raw passion in the beat of a drum.

But it had to be done; she had to make the journey, just like she had on the two previous occasions. This was the final rebellion, the one thing she knew would torture her father’s soul. She smiled as she imagined his words of condemnation at her mixing with her people, dancing with them, sharing their desire.

Spinning around, carried away by the sounds and beats, she found herself in front of a man, his wolf mask obscuring his features. Though his eyes seemed intense, as they peeked out from the two small holes, buried deep.

She smiled, her own features hidden behind the image of a swan, the feathers fluttering gently in the slight breeze. She could feel the soft material of her white dress, moving lightly against her skin as she moves fluidly with the music, the air cool on her exposed flesh, the dress doing little to hide her body. Her gaze, hazy from the effects of the wine and atmosphere, fixed upon his.

Backlit by the fire, a sensuous white flame writhed before Ainulindalion in time to the music, a direct contrast to the icy, calm Empress. Was this really her then? It was, and it was not. This was Gehenna, the woman, not influenced by her father. Her body was shadowed in the flame, revealing all the dress did not. Extending a hand, he took hers in his own, and pulled her closer to him, as his body joined into the erotic, driving dance, as he smiled behind the mask. Slipping her hand into his, she closed her fingers lightly. A shiver rushed through her body, as she continued to look into the masked face, eyes locked into his blue pools as they reflected the flame, tiny points of light flickering in his gaze. Making them seem more alive behind the unemotional dead wolf head. Pulling her close to him, so lost was she in the music that he barely pulled her from in front of a nude couple stumbling across the grass, towards a tent, the woman’s legs wrapped around the man’s waist, her hips moving in time to the beat the only evidence they were aware of anything outside themselves. Ainulindalion felt her soft body press against his own, the fire reflecting off both of them not the only thing heating his skin. The shimmering effect of the pure white dress was erotic and arousing, cool against his bare skin, and he forced himself to remember that that was not why he was here.

As she pressed against him, Gehenna gasped gently, her body continuing its movement to the music, as it followed the rhythms commands, swaying against him. She could feel the material of his clothes through her dress, pressing through her fine covering. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she smiled at herself, as she felt the first tinge of courage seep into her body. Her fingers traced down to his arm, her touch light, tentative, as she remained staring at him, lost in the music and his closeness. She could feel the people around her, could smell their excitement in the air, but she did not see them, so transfixed in this moment. Wondering and frightened, she moved against him, body caressing, teasing.

Ainulindalion moved into the dance, hands sliding onto her hips to hold her close, hips beginning to move in time with hers, back and forth together as his thighs pressed against hers. His eyes blazed with the fire’s light, as the night was shattered by a scream of fright.
A young woman, about the Empress’ age, similarly dressed in white, with the head of a dove, not a swan, was covering her breasts as three men advanced upon her, one with a strip of fabric in hand. Either too inhibited or not yet drunk enough, the woman was afraid as the men threw her to the ground, though somewhat gently, tearing her dress away as they removed her clothing, before the first man moved to take her virginity.

Pulling her back to the now, the girl's cries echoed through Gehenna's head, hiding the music's message. Head moving towards the scene, her eyes wide as she suddenly saw not the stranger but herself lying on the floor, flesh bore for the world to see. A tremor of fear raced through her, stopping her movements.
She broke her contact from the man in front of her, hand falling unconsciously to her side, face frozen in a look of horror. Swallowing hard, she stepped back, attempting to free herself from his touch, her thoughts now focused on one thing. The fate of the woman dressed like her. Is that my fate too?

Ainulindalion catches Gehenna by the shoulder, and places a finger against her lips, though his touch is light, escapable. After a moment, as the second and third man move to take their pleasure with the girl as well, her screams of fear turn to moans of pleasure. Eyes questioning, he makes a gentle motion to pull the Empress back against him.

Eyes remaining still for a moment longer, she is unable to tear her gaze away from the transformation. She feels him pull her towards him, her body putting up little struggle. As she slowly turns her face to his, her eyes blaze with a million questions. She resumes moving to the music, her body losing a little of its courage, as she fights to remove the evidence of fear. Her loudly beating heart drowned the sound of the drums, as she begun to dance to her own tune. Her hand slowly moved up to his shoulder, as she tried to bury the images from her mind.

Running his hands through the hair that hangs below the back of the mask, Ainulindalion pulls her against him, internally hating what had just happened. She’d been coming along so nicely, breaking out of the mold. And now, she was burying her fears again.

Another man came up behind her as she faced him, obviously aroused and wanting what was happening across the way, to the innocent dove, as his hands were rough, attempting to pull the young Empress against him wantonly.

The fear rose in her again, as the man hand touched her skin, the slowly disappearing images once again forced back into the forefront of her thoughts. The young woman's fear, just like her fear. The young woman's pleasure…
Shivering as the man's touch lingered against her skin, she felt herself shudder, pressing closer against the first man, wanting the other to leave. She looked up into the wolf's face, the terror evident in her eyes, her voice pleading. "Please, help me."

Ainulindalion smiled behind the mask, teeth glinting through barely, and he stepped away from her slightly, as if he were leaving, before he growls, exactly as the wolf he wears, loudly enough to be heard over the drums. The man is undeterred, and grasps at Gehenna, as Ainulindalion pulls her from the other man’s clutching hands.

In a voice deeper than the ocean, and more powerful than the sun, rumbling with hatred and command, Ainulindalion speaks. “Leave us.” The man shakes his head, lustful eyes fastened on the young woman whose body is now guarded by Balion’s own. His fist clenches, and moving like the hurricane wind, Balion strikes the man, flattening him to the ground, collapsing him like a dead man.

Watching the events unfold as if looking in from the outside, Gehenna saw the man fall to the floor, her sigh of relief loud to her own ears. Shivering all over, she moved closer to her saviour, her arms around him, her body pressed firmly against his. As her fear begun to subside, she closed her eyes, her fingers moving lightly over his back. The sound of the music growing, she once again heard its message to her soul, as it begun to win the battle over her thumping heart. Her hips begun to sway to the rhythm, as she let herself return to its control.

Ainulindalion gently took Gehenna into his arms again, glad he could protect her from harm, glad he could help in ways not just to which he was called…

He blinked quickly at the strange feelings, as he began to flow back into the music, moving with her, against her, feeling the pulse of the music become his own, and rising with hers, matching it. He lowed the wolf’s head to the swan, and gently pressed his cheek against the top of her head.

The beats began to slowly feed her body, intoxicating her more than the wine she had consumed. His closeness, his protection, helping her courage to flash into existence, as her body moved against his. Her hands moved from his back, sliding slowly around his waist, traveling lightly over his chest. Tilting her head, careful not to jar his own with her movements, she looked deep into his eyes, her own now showing a different emotion, no longer filled with fear they glowed with want, with need. As her hands finished their journey up to his neck, hands entwined, she pulls him towards her, lips pressing against his, her desire burning through her body.

Surprised by the sudden change, Ainulindalion had no way to resist as her lips claimed his. His avatar body gained control of the situation, his hands pulling the soft body against his own, as the raw passion of her kiss, and of the music, took control away, forcing him to respond with instincts. One arm around her waist, the other lower, around her hips, he pulled her in and up to him, deepening the kiss, as his tongue passed between her lips. The pounding of the drums was like the pounding of the surf on the beach, relentlessly wearing away his resistance to giving in completely.

Giving in completely, Gehenna lets her desire take over, feeling free in his embrace, like a bird taking flight for the first time, she let herself sour high over her fears, leaving them far behind. Her thoughts, her body focusing on him and the music, as their lips and tongues danced. She moved one of her hands onto the back of his head, fingers lacing through his hair, as the other glided lightly down his chest, tracing the contours, feeling his heat. Caught up in the passion of the beat, the living flame casting its charm, she moves her hips, grinding her body against his.

Want. Need. Passion. Desire. Lust. All these flashed by, deep behind the eyes of the wolf, in Ainulindalion’s human body. Fighting them down, he returned what she gave, with equality of feeling, but no more than she offered him. The cold logic, hidden behind a façade of animal lust, was slowly fading from him, though. The vibrant young woman in his arms, against his body; she fought against the detachment he had for so long maintained. I must not hurt her more.

Breaking the kiss, she breathed deeply, chest rising and falling rapidly. She looked into his eyes, searching for something, not sure exactly what. A glint like that in the eyes of those around them, a burning hunger that could only be satisfied in one way, one that match the one in her own eyes. She stood before him, now removing all contact from him, as she begun to dance, sensual, slow movements, hands moving over her lightly clad body, her eyes never leaving his, as if locked by some magic.

It appeared to have worked. The Empress was no longer just the Empress, at least for now. She was Gehenna, and he had found her. He gathered himself to depart, but found he could not. He was locked in place by her gaze, full of a lust, blazing like the bonfire before which she danced. The display which she was putting on compelled his human body in only one direction.

He stepped forward, a burning hunger written in his human eyes, as he took her body in his arms, crushing her softness against him with his strength, and his lips came down on hers, with passionate, desirous, bruising need. He took a step away from the fire, towards a tent, moving slowly enough she could stop this, if she wanted to.

Gehenna made no move to stop him, her arms sliding over his shoulders, refusing to let go, was evidence of her consent. The desire blazing in her eyes the total confirmation if it were needed. Her body ached for him, as she trembled with her barely contained need. She pressed her lips against his skin, kissing up the side up his neck, over his cheek and eventually claiming his lips. As they walked away she caught a glimpse of the Dove, her face glowing with pleasure, as she continued to enjoy the attentions of her three worshippers.

Ainulindalion carried the Empress out of the fire’s blazing light, into the shadow of a small tent, mercifully unoccupied. He returned her kiss hungrily, knowing that this was what he had been hoping she would do, just not with him. Or had he? Was this what he had wanted all along? It could not be so, could it?

Pressing his chest against hers, he lowered her to the floor without breaking the contact of their lips and tongues, so hungry, so wanton, so carnal and animalistic. His hands grasped at her body in much the same manner as the man he had put down had, groping and caressing, feeling her supple body through the dress’ thin material.

As he had said when they first met, Empress, I will be there when I am needed. But if you should have need to me, and I am not there, this will do. But he was there, and she needed him. He cupped her to him, lost in the moment of lust as the Celebration passed by around them, its only evidence in the flickering fire light coming through the slight opening in the tent flaps.

Gehenna was consumed with feelings she had not felt before, her need for another eclipsing all others, as she kissed him with a hunger that left her breathless. Her body yearned for him, ached with her desire for him, begged for him. Barely breaking the kiss, she ran her hand over his body, seeking the fastenings that would allow her to free him of his material bindings, that would bring him to her, unrestricted. Sliding her hand down his chest, she continued until she felt the leather tie that held the key to his freedom.

As the leather dropped from this body, his hands moved over her, seeking the way to open her simple dress, but there was none, and he slipped the straps from her shoulders, kissing the flesh he bared, biting gently. Peeling the dress down her body, each new inch of bared skin awoke a greater hunger, which he longed to fulfill, kissing and nibbling desperately, working his way downward with the fabric.

Kisses still caressing skin being bared to his lustful gaze, he worked the dress to her hips, before running his hands back up her body to caress the soft, hot flesh, his mouth following, working her body like someone possessed. As he reached her lips with his own needy ones, his hand pushed her remaining fabric free of her body, pooling with a soft whisper at her feet, as he held her to him, kissing, seeking, exploring her bare flesh with his own.

Feeling the heat of his skin against hers, Gehenna felt the rising passion fill her body, no longer fearful, no longer running. The time had come to claim this part of her life back from her father's hold. Giving herself to his man, a man who would have faced death at the mere thought of his actions, would rid the Emperor's control over this aspect of her life.

Ainulindalion hooked his arm behind her legs, sweeping her from her feet. Kneeling, he laid her naked body on the soft bed of rushes, and bent to kiss her, his hands still exploring, yearning as steel restrained. He moved atop her, gently guiding her in what to do, showing her body how to respond, preparing her for him, as their kisses deepened, and their eyes locked. He was in control, and he knew she had let go all control. He had accomplished his purpose, at least for now, in the immediate time. As his hands moved over her, as she showed him what she wanted, responding to him, he met her need, consummating her freedom.

TAG

The sun began its steady journey, creeping over the horizon, its fingers of light reaching out across the land, catching the night away, a new dawn with new promises. The moon was little more than a faint trace of its former glory, taking with it the last traces of celebrations.

Fires smouldered, as the embers grew cold and slowly winked out of existence, leaving nothing but burnt offerings. No longer aiding those around it with any warmth, the feel of the cold earth awakening the sleeping.

The flap moved, allowing a rush of cool air into the tent. Kissing bare flesh, a small sigh slipped from parted lips, as dreams departed and awareness was approached. Eyes opening slowly, the confusion of sleep causing a moments alarm, until the memories came flooding back.

Pulling the blanket over her body, Gehenna reached out, seeking tentatively for another’s presence. Finding her hand touching nothing but ground, she sat up, staring around the tent, which was empty save for her and her discarded clothes.

Her hand moved instinctively to her face, coming into contact with the feathered mask, her identity still concealed, if nothing else had been. For a moment she felt saddened, hoping that she could have had a had the chance to… But she knew that wasn’t what the festivities were about. That was why she had come, the anonymity. To be another for one night, and she had been. She had tasted the freedom and more.

Gathering her clothes to her, she dressed quickly, before the chill could claim her skin, tiny bumps already beginning to show. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a shawl, and was about to exit the tent, when she spotted his clothing, still lying on the floor where they had fallen. She walked over and carefully picked them up, cuddling them against her body, as a smile of remembrance spread over her lips.

“Thank you.” She whispered into the silent tent, before turning and making her way out into the ever brightening daylight. Watching as others slowly began to awaken, some still wrapped in the embrace of their chosen partner.

Edging carefully to the end of the park, Gehenna made her way to her car, her pleasant thoughts leaving as she now turned her attention to returning to the Palace, to her duty. She glanced over her shoulder, catching one last look of the place where one of her ghosts was finally laid to rest.

Climbing into the car, her thoughts turned to the wolf, an image that would now provoke memories. Memories that would remain forever secret…

Ainulindalion slipped his presence from Tartarus as the Empress made it safely back to the Palace. He had to think about what had just happened.

He returned to the Fortress, the seat of his power.

What had happened the night before? What did I do? Whywhywhywhywhy?

He was disgusted with himself. He had taken advantage of her situation, a situation, that in no small part, he had caused. He was the one forcing her to relive her past, to face it down.

Then why had he felt like that?

Why had he felt satisfaction after he'd stopped the man who had tried to take her?

And why had he given in? He was stronger than that.

A job. An assignment. Something more?

He didn't want it to just be a job anymore. His detachment seemed to be slipping. But why was it slipping?

What was so special about Gehenna of Tartarus?

Music played through the open doorway, giving the room a gently background sound, filling the gaps that appeared between conversation. The room was brightly lit, contrasting slightly with the more subtly lit one adjoining it. Moving slowly to the door, Gehenna watched as couples swept over the floor, a little entertainment laid on for those who needed more than talk, those that needed a little relaxation. Smiling, she spotted the familiar faces of Ambassadors and government employees, as they partied away. Not that this was merely a pleasurable event, business and deals had a tendency to be brought to a close quicker during these occasions. Tuning in briefly to the discussion concerning the possible introduction to the Military fleet, Gehenna turned and slowly walked through the doors, taking her closer to the dancing, and further away from aspects of her daily life, knowing that if she remained still for any amount of time, she would be drawn into some new or imagined crisis that was occurring. Moving to the side of the dance floor, positioning herself beside an ornamental plant holder, obscuring her from people entering the room, she smiled as she swayed slowly to the music.

Ainulindalion smiled to himself as he slowly faded out of thin air into existence. It appeared that the Solstice Celebration had been good for the Empress as well. All seemed to be going according to plan. He was helping the Empress to break free of the restricted upbringing of her father. But she could be free. She had shown that before, two weeks before, at the Celebration of the Solstice. He appeared behind her, dressed in his customary black, cape ruffling behind him, though without the sword he would have preferred to have. No need to scare people. It had been five weeks since she knew she had seen him. How she would react to his presence was anyone’s guess. Ainulindalion reached out and placed a hand on Gehenna’s shoulder. “Hello, Gehenna. Care for a dance?”

The touch on her shoulder was enough to make her look around, her eyes falling on his now familiar face, her eyes clouding over the happiness with the usual horrified look that seemed to take over her until it was eventually replaced by the niggling anger than showed itself in his presence. A sigh escaped, as his question reached her ears. She looked at him, her eyes displaying her desire to refuse, but she knew that his appearance was meant to rile her, but she wouldn't let it happen today. She wouldn't play his game any more; she wasn't going to let him spoil her evening. Smiling at him, she nodded her consent, and presented him her hand. "I would be honoured, Lord Daniels."

Ainulindalion took her hand, and led her onto the floor as a new song started. A waltz began, slow and stately as Balion put his hand in the small of the Empress’ back. He pulled her slightly closer than propriety indicated and smiled down at her as he began to lead them around the dance floor. “So, Gehenna, did you enjoy the Summer Solstice?”

Looking up into his eyes, she continued to smile, her face lit up as the dance began. Knowing that he had overstepped the mark with his closeness, she simply brushed it aside playing along, as she placed her hand on his shoulder, her other holding his. "Yes, thank you, I did. The Sommer-Sonnenwende celebrations are my particular favourite." She moved with him around the floor, her eyes not leaving his as they swept amongst the other couples. "And what about you, Lord Daniels? Did you enjoy it?"

“Yes, I certainly did enjoy. The wine was most excellent. An interesting additive, I must say.” He looks down, matching the level of her gaze. “Interesting that your people pick animal masks, though. I saw some interesting sights, to be sure.” His voice loses almost all inflection. “I would have thought a wolf more likely to eat a swan than protect her, myself.”

Gehenna stopped suddenly, thrown out of rhythm by his words. She felt the smile disappear from her face, her eyes wide and searching, her brow furrowing. The sound of her heart pounding in her ears blocking out the music. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words emerged. He couldn't know. No one knows.

Ainulindalion smiles, and pauses in the dance. “Is something wrong, Empress?” He knew everything of course, but he also knew there was no way she could know he did.

The look in his eye told her exactly what she needed to know, his tone confirming it. His pleasure in her discomfort was unbearable, her eyes began to fill with barely contained anger. Her answer was on the edge of her lips, an angry outburst just threatening to escape. Then as soon as it arose is abated as an appearance of calm came over her. She knew that his words were meant to bring her into a temper, he seemed to like seeing her upset. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lord Daniels, but today you are going to have to work. A smile spread over her lips, her eyes sparkled with humour, though hidden deep was the tiniest hint of her anger. She caught his gaze. "I merely missed my step. I apologize." She laughed lightly. "Shall we continue?"

“Of course, Gehenna.” His eyes unfocused, as he listened, and then moved them back into the dance. He returned his gaze to his partner, and for just an instant, his black eyes seemed almost blue in the reflected light of the room. As the song ended, he smiled. “Another dance, perhaps?” His mind, though was manipulating the next song to be what he wanted, though, if she accepted.

A myriad of thoughts swam through her mind as they continued to dance, silent until the music drew to a close. She was about to extract herself from his company, when he spoke. His words almost sounding like a challenge to her ears. He would expect her to run, to get away from him. She would show him that she did not need his help, showing him that she could face her problems head on, and right now he was the biggest. She lowered her eyes, giving the request a moment's thought, before raising her smiling gaze back to his. "My next dance is free, I would love to dance with you again." She nodded to a couple of new arrivals on the dance floor as she waited for the music to start. "If I may say, you dance enchantingly."

Ainulindalion smiled as the next dance, not the one on the program began. Tango Argentino. It was one of the most popular classical tangos of the day. But it shouldn’t have been next. In surprise, the other couples moved off the dance floor as Ainulindalion swept Gehenna into the swirling dance.

As surprised as the other dancers, Gehenna cast a questioning gaze about the room, moments before feeling herself pulled into the middle of the floor. Her eyes locked to his, a look of excited fear reflected, her breath already unsteady. Something about his lack of reaction playing in her mind, causing her to be a little off her guard, as he lead her through the moves.

Emphasizing the steps of the dance far more than was required, Ainulindalion drew Gehenna close and swung her out wide, as the dance required. During the first time he spun her away, his other hand produced a red rose which he deftly stuck over her ear as she spun back to him.

The fast dance, sensual dance was long, but not overly so, but Balion continued the dance vigorously and skillfully all the way to the end. As the final notes sounded, he was not even breathing heavily, as he looked on her face. Smiling broadly, he gazed down at her. “So I see even the Empress needs a little freedom?”

She froze again, her face a picture of horror. Fighting to bring her emotions under control she feels the gaze of the people around her boring into her. The sound of their applause resounding in her ears, as she brought her focus entirely onto him, sending everyone else to the back of her mind. "Am I not allowed some freedom?" The images came unbidden, the gaze of a wolf, raised and hidden just as quick. Her voice began to shake, even as she tried to keep it light and carefree. "Do you think I sit on my throne rigid? I'm only human, Lord Daniels, not a caged animal." As the words left her lips, she regretted her choice of phrase.

Ainulindalion grinned broadly as he turned to escort her from the dance floor to a nearby table, arm still linked with hers. “Of course you are only human, Gehenna of Tartarus, but you are the Empress as well, and not permitted to run free like the wolf or fly free as a swan.” Single-handed, he pulls out a chair for her, deliberately changing the subject.. “Are you sleeping any better than you were when last we met?”

She looked at him speechless, lowering herself to the chair as she finally admitted the truth. He knows. Her hand began to shake with a mix of anger and fear. If there was one person she did not want to know her secrets it was him, she knew that she had given him one more turn of the screw. "How…?" Before the question could be completed, he had moved the subject on, her mind whirling as she battled to keep up, her thoughts still lingering, she barely noticed her own answer. "No, I am not." Her voice sounded far away to her own ears.

“Come now, Gehenna, don’t you think it is time you dealt with this memory? It’s been what, five years?” Ainulindalion slid into a seat opposite hers. “You need to move on, and that’s why I’m here: to help you move on, out of the shadow of the man who has controlled you, even after you rid yourself of him.” He reached out and took her hand across the table. “Do you want your father to plague you the rest of your life?”

Like the key to the door that was holding back her temper, the mention of her father brought her anger racing through her body. Her voice perhaps a little louder than she would have liked, was hidden slightly by the music, which had now returned to its original programme. "What do you know about what is right for me? I laid my problems to rest the day I buried my Father. You were the one that started these memories, and you can make them stop." She looked at him, her face like thunder, eyes blazing with the fire of her hatred. "This has got to stop. I do not need your help. I do not need your endless criticism. I control my life, no one else."

Ainulindalion snorts, holding back a laugh. In his quiet voice, full of arrogance and knowledge, experience beyond her ken, he spoke. “You control nothing.” He yanked the memory to the fore again, forcing her to watch it all. “This…” he yanked another memory, even more private, of what happened in the tent two week previous and forced her to replay it as well, “and this. They control you, your life. And because they control you, these memories, both of your father, related to what he has done to you, they control your nation. Erebus still rules Tartarus, not Gehenna.”

"That isn't true." Her anger, triggered by not only the sight of her memories but more so his use of them, would no longer be contained. The pain of the first and the unreasonable guilt of the second stirred up her emotions. "My father is dead, I know he's dead. He has no hold over me. Tartarus if free of him and so am I. And nothing you say alters that fact." She laughed, any humour it contained was hidden by the raw passion that she displayed. She touched her head, as the last image disappeared back into her secret place. "Stay out of my head, and stay out of my life. I have no need for your help."

An unnatural fire blazed to life in Ainulindalion’s eyes as she buried the images again. “You’re wrong.” Power dripped with contempt from his voice. He ripped the images from where they were buried, forcing her to confront them directly. “Until you can face these images, until they do not cause emotion you fight down, until they don’t keep you up, until you do not become angry at the mere mention of your father, he wins, and you lose.” He hammered the image of the boy being killed into her mind. “Until you confront them, and move past them, without burying them, Erebus wins, just like he did this day.” The image replayed again, focusing on the boy’s eyes, boring straight into her brain, lifeless and questioning.

"No!" The cry was ripped from her throat, as her hands pressed against her head, trying to force the images away. Anger took on an edge, voice now coated in a new emotion, regret. The boy's face, his dead eyes, threatened to loosen her will. Her father's voice pounded through her head. His laugh as loud as the day it happened. She raised her eyes to Ainulindalion's, pain and pleading growing with each passing moment. "Stop it. Stop it!" Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought against the memories, willing them to fade, to ease the feelings that ignited in her.

From Gehenna’s shout, silence rippled outward, ending conversations and even stopping the music, people looking at their table in askance, wondering what was going on. Ainulindalion seemed to increase in size, slightly, and the lights in the room seemed to dim. “Why should I?” He laughed, and there was no humor or friendliness in it. “With these memories, I can control you, I can control Tartarus. Is that what you want? Another ruling through you?” He sneered, standing smoothly, and his eyes blazed. “You think burying these memories, these feelings makes you strong?” He was shouting now. “It makes you weak, vulnerable. I can help you, or I can control you. It is your choice, Gehenna of Tartarus.” Ainulindalion stared down at her, as the room rumbled away the last bit of his anger, the lights flickering, breathing more heavily than he had after the dance. The darkness seemed to draw in about him, as well. When she didn’t respond fast enough, he prompted, in a voice colder than space itself. “Well?”

"These memories do not rule me!" She could not bring her voice or temper under control, feeling it rising with every word he spoke. She knew that the room had silence, but she no longer cared. Too long she had allowed this man to trouble her, now was the time to end it. It was time to claim her life back from him. "This has nothing to do with my father. I removed him from my life, it's you that brought him back." She felt the anger slowly move into fear, a haunted expression passed over her eyes. His words affected her more than she cared to admit. "You have no control over me, and you never will. You think that making me relive my past gives you power? You do not know me."

Ainulindalion laughs, a horrible, bone chilling sound, before his voice drops to a deadly whisper, as he leans forward, placing his fists on the table. “They give me no power? You blatantly lie before everyone? I played these emotions, feelings and memories, and I took from you the control you worked so hard for. And I took it easily, just as the other man took that control from you two weeks ago.” His eyes burned into her, piercing her with his barely restrained fury. “You are a slave to these memories, as long as they remain. Your past is who you are, and you are denying yourself. Do not cut it out. Learn from it. I ask you again, would you rather suffer and deny it, or do you want to face who you are, and accepting it, move on?”

She looked into his eyes, silenced by the anger portrayed in his actions and words. Her body shook, as her anger fights against her fear, each bidding for dominance. In one fluid motion, she stood facing him, no longer feeling as vulnerable as her seated position had made her. Her blue eyes appeared almost the colour of night, as the years of pent up emotion raised to the surface, pouring over her body. Her voice deadly calm, carrying more passion than shouting would convey. "You don't understand. You don't know what you are asking me to do." She lowered her eyes, for a moment the frightened child showed herself, facing the ghost of her father. She returned her gaze to him, her voice low, almost a whisper. "You ask for too much."

Ainulindalion’s anger flowed away instantly, like a whisper of cloud passing in the breeze, his voice calm and gentle. “Strength does not come easily, Gehenna of Tartarus. I know this, and you know it as well. I have said I will help you, and I will.” He reached out and took her hand. “You can do this, and all will benefit.” He squeezed her hand. “And now, I shall see you again.” Releasing her hand, he straightened, and slowly began to walk towards the door.

Standing watching him walk away, Gehenna felt a strange sensation of disappointment. After his arguments and the power behind his speech, this sudden turnaround left her feeling empty, as if she had expected more. It had been that easy, just a few simple words and he was gone. Turning slowly, she saw a couple of the other guests begin to walk towards her, obviously unsure whether they should have approached earlier or left it until now, their faces asking a million questions that they all knew would not be answered. If she didn't want to speak about it, they would not pry. With a raise of her hand, they ceased their movements, knowing that she wanted to be left alone. As if by magic, but more the signal from one of the hosts, the band resumed its playing, as the people slowly returned to their dancing each putting the scene behind them, though they would discuss it long and hard for many days afterward, each trying yet not quite managing to understand or remember exactly what had happened. Feeling how dry her mouth suddenly felt, Gehenna picked up a glass from a passing waiter, drinking half of the clear liquid in one go. Retaking her seat, she watched the party come back to life, as she slowly forced her memories back to where they belonged.

Ainulindalion quickened his pace as he left the room, feeling her burying the memories she has just promised to face. He nearly turned around, to confront her duplicity...

But he did not. He had to get out of there. His detachment seemed to have vanished. Had the other night been a fluke?

By this outburst, it appeared not. That disturbed him greatly. Something was wrong with him.

He walked until he was out of the house, out of sight. Then he vanished.

She would not find it so easy to lie to him in the future.

That night the dreams became worse. The dreams took a turn down a path they had never before traveled, no longer just memory, but imagination as well.

That night, as Gehenna slept, she dreamed of the wolf at the Solstice, strong and powerful. That night, she removed his mask. And that night, the eyes of the dead boy stared back at her...

Sheets tangled against damp skin, as she moved again. Tossing and turning in the darkness, thoughts blazing with colour. Soft murmurs grew, sighs of pleasure escaped. Hands pressed against imagined flesh, invisible mouths caressing, sensations consuming. Heat rose, her body turned, eyes locked onto unseeing eyes, hand touched a phantom wolf’s mask, stripping it away, as her breath became ragged. Moans filled the room; growing, growing until they become cries, called out as her gaze fell onto a dead face…

Eyes flew open, staring blankly into the darkness. Trembling, Gehenna pulled the covers over her body, feeling the chilled air biting at her sweat-covered body. She took several long, deep breaths as she forced the image from her mind. The pleading eyes threatening to remain, filling her with dread, until they too finally subsided.

It’s a dream. It’s just a bad dream.

Placing her hands around her body, she hugged herself tightly, remembering her mother’s embrace during childhood nightmares. Feeling safe and protected from harm, she slowly sat up, eyes instinctively moving towards the clock’s face, seeing its illuminated dial scream out a distressingly early time. She sighed, knowing only too well that she would not be able to sleep again, another wasted night.

Twisting, she lowered her feet to the floor, the soft white material of her nightdress sticking to her skin. Picking up her negligee resting on the bottom of her bed, she walked over to the window, staring out into the starry night. Her thoughts turned immediately to him, he had caused these dreams, had released them from their safe hiding place. He had spoken of help, yet all he did was tortured her nights, and haunt for days.

She turned her eyes towards the moon, as it shone brightly in the night sky. The Wolf’s Moon. The thought lingered, as the images returned to her, her hatred for the man growing deep in her chest. “Why me? Why have you chosen me?” She called out to the ethereal sphere before her, looking up at it as she had looked into his face, his eyes had been the colour of the midnight sky.

Shivering, she moved away from the window, walking over to the chair before the cold fireplace, she lowered herself into its welcoming embrace. Curling up, her arms wrapped around her knees, she sat in silence, listening to the steady ticking as the hands of the clock marked out the passing time, until hours later her weary body gave in, sending her into another fitful sleep…

The Imperial Citadel, home of the Order of the Knights of Tartarus, was decorated in the nation's colours, the huge flags flying at full mast to mark the knighting of the newest member. The hall was full of dignitaries and officials, including the other twenty-three Knights. Each of the knights wore a beige pair of breeches, a white ruffled shirt, adding a touch of decoration, to the otherwise plain outfit. On top of this was a burgundy doublet, threaded with gold. The stockings of cream, covered by a knee high boot, finished the main part of the ensemble. Over the top, was worn a rich burgundy cloak, made of velvet, with a white fur collar and gold trim to complete the look. On their left breast rested the Order of Tartarus star, resplendently made up of thirteen rubies and twenty-four diamonds. Draped over their shoulders, a gold chain, each disc depicting a scene or image of a previous knight, made up of twenty-five links, one for each companion, the last containing the seal of the order. On their heads they wore a small coronet of gold, encrusted with jewels, at their waist they wore their swords, falling against their left legs. The hilts were finely decorated, the blades were true weapons.

Or that was what all but one of the Knights was attired in. The last was dressed slightly different, her doublet was gold, trimmed with burgundy, and her star had the Tartarian Seal embossed in the centre, detailing her rank. She stood on a raised platform, the twenty-two knights flanking her on either side, two of them carrying banners of the Orders crest, a rampant demon, similar to the one on the nation's flag. The rest faced forward, crossing their gaze over the other man who knelt in front of his Empress. Gehenna smiled down at the man before her, his head bent forward, looking upon the floor. The ceremony had been running for fifteen minutes, with declarations and the swearing of oaths, leaving now just the simple task of bestowing the knighthood with a gentle tap on each shoulder with her sword. At the approach of a young boy, she turned to her right, facing him, a smile passed briefly over her lips, as she placed her hand on the hilt of the ornamentally decorated sword that lay across a burgundy velvet cushion. Raising it slowly, she held it upright, both her hands level with her waist, the tip towering over her head.

But if someone were to count, there were twenty-three Knights standing in the room, watching the Empress. The last was Ainulindalion, leaning nonchalantly against the back wall. He was somewhat in the uniform of the Order of Tartarus, but he had mutilated it nearly beyond all recognition. For starters, it was black, or at least, mostly black. The doublet and breeches were solid black, as were of course the boots. The ruffled shirt and the stockings were in a burgundy nearly dark enough to be black. His cape, with no change from normal color, was edged with white fur, the only thing offsetting his darkness. The star decorating his chest gleamed slightly, composed of black diamonds and internally glowing fire-gems. The golden handle of his sword exactly matched the pure gold that lightly decorated and gleamed throughout his entire outfit. The scabbard of blackened platinum hug from a loose sword belt, edged in tiny fire-gems. It was completely out of character for Ainulindalion, for he normally tried to blend in, not stand out, to not be flashy. But in this case, blending in required being flashy.

Looking up, he sighed softly, slightly disgusted by the outfit he was wearing. He attempted to catch the Empress’ gaze as she lifted the sword. Even though his outfit was different, no one there would question his presence. No one except the one person he was there to meet. The Empress of Tartarus.

Casting her eyes over her fellow knights, Gehenna's gaze fell upon the face of her nemesis, standing off against the wall. Her face expressionless to his presence other than the smile that was already gracing her features, she passed over him, barely giving him a second thought as she returned her attention to the task at hand. "Today we are gathered here to bestow the great honour of the Order of Tartarus upon a most worthy recipient." She looked upon the man kneeling as still as stone upon the step before her. She lightly lowered her sword, pressing the tip of her sword upon each of his shoulders. "Arise Sir Leon Hawkridge. Knight of Tartarus." Smiling, she lowered the weapon, and presented her hand to him, which he took hold of and kissed. He then stood, walking off the dais backward, until he cleared the steps, before turning and joining his fellow knights. Gehenna watched the proud look on his wife's face, as she and the other invited guests applauded.

Scowling internally, yet smiling externally, Ainulindalion was slightly surprised he had not managed to get a reaction from the tired Empress. He knew she was not sleeping well, for the dreams, if anything, were worse than ever. He continued to watch silently, still attempting to meet her gaze.

Not being able to shake the feeling of his gaze, Gehenna refused to turn and look in his direction. She was not in any frame of mind to deal with him today, feeling weakened mentally through her lack of rest. Smile still in place, she took a moment to speak to each of her companions, until they were surrounded by their family and friends. Taking this opportunity, she moved slowly away from the crowd, and with little more than a glance behind her, she took herself out of a side door. Wanting nothing more at this moment than to be alone, away from the eyes of the man in black.

Boots clicking softly on the floor as he moved, Ainulindalion followed the Empress. It wasn’t as if she could hide from him. His cape fluttered behind him as he walked briskly along, flexing the fingers and wrist of his right hand.

Rushing away quicker than she would have ever admitted to, she missed the look she received from a couple of staff members walking in the opposite direction. She pulled her cloak with her left hand, her right still holding the ceremonial sword, both of which were causing her to struggle in her escape. Turning the corner, she could hear footsteps. Shaking her head she dismissed them as those of the people she had passed. Silently berating herself for her foolish behaviour, she walked through the door leading to an anteroom, empty save for a table and several chairs. Breathing unevenly, she rested her hands on the polished surface, fighting to control her already ragged nerves.

Ainulindalion paused at the closed door. He knew the Empress was behind it. Worse, she was still armed with the sword. He was fairly certain she was supposed to have given the huge blade back to the page. Apparently, though, his presence had flustered her. Grinning, he turned the handle on the door…

Spinning around at the sound of the handle moving, Gehenna stood facing the door, her breath held as she hoped against hope that it wasn't him. Again she shook herself, bringing herself back to her senses, she watched as the door slowly swung open.

Smiling, Ainulindalion stepped through the portal and said, “So you don’t wish to speak to me, Gehenna?”

Standing for a moment, silent until she could be sure that she had herself under control, she merely smiled at him as he entered the room. Her eyes rapidly moved over his attire before coming to rest on his face. "Lord Daniels, what a pleasant surprise, I didn't know you were attending today. And you even dressed for the occasion."

“I do try to dress appropriately, when I can.” His mind flickered back over the mask and leather pants five weeks before, broadening his smile. “And I must say, the colors of the Order look very becoming on you as well.”

"Thank you." She kept her smile in place, a little concerned that the moment it slipped slightly, she would be hard pressed to get it back, spoiling the carefree image that she was trying to portray. "Those are the pleasantries out of the way." She moved away from the table in a circling motion, not getting any closer to him, but freeing herself from the restriction behind her. "I don't suppose I need to ask why you are here?"

Containing a chuckle, Ainulindalion’s lips quirk upwards. "If you did, I would be most disappointed in you. As before, I am here to offer my assistance in something you said you would do." Waiting a beat, he finished. "And didn't."

Gehenna's brows furrowed, indicating that she was searching her memory, attempting to clarify his statement. She knew all to well to what he was referring to, but she had no intention of making this easy for him. Shaking her head slowly, she smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I recall no such promise that I have broken." She continued her walk around him, stopping before speaking again. "Are you sure it was me?"

“There is no doubt it was you, Gehenna. Beautiful blue eyes blazing with barely contained emotion, attractive body shaking with fury. Truly a sight to behold, as you said you would attempt to deal with your memories. You didn’t. In fact, you buried them again the instant I left the room.”

Ainulindalion grinned at her, noting her progress around the table, and his fingers flexed loosely, hidden by his cape. His voice is perfectly calm, though. “Do you not recall our meeting at the cocktail party?”

Gehenna laughed, more so at herself than anything he had said. She had been expecting him to shout to continue in the same vein as he had used at their last meeting. She was more than a little surprised. "Yes, the cocktail party, how could I possibly forget?" As if the words were her cue, her temper slowly began to grow. She remembered the party very clearly, not to mention the dreams that came after them.

Smile devolving into a smirk, Ainulindalion wondered, “I do not know. It was certainly memorable to watch the Empress of Tartarus lose her cool in front of all her subjects. But then, one’s mind has a tendency to forget things when one isn’t sleeping well.”

As his smile disappeared so did hers, but in quite the opposite fashion. She began to pace the floor as her anger threatened to rear its ugly head, giving him exactly what he wanted. She sighed deeply, as she tried in vain to calm herself. "I'm pleased that we both enjoyed the occasion, Lord Daniels." Her voice was soft, but shook slightly. Her fingers tightened on the hilt of the sword she still carried, feeling the cold metal press into her palm.

Ainulindalion chuckles. “I gather from your tone that you were less than amused by the occasion? I found it quite enjoyable.” His tone gives no trace of his lie, however. He wanted to see just how far he could push her. “I hope we have another opportunity to dance and discuss your past in such intimate detail.”

"You will never get another opportunity." Her voice dripped with venom, raised slightly, but still under some semblance of control. Her eyes searched his face, taking in the mocking gaze, the pleasure he was getting from her discomfort. "After today, I never want to see you again. Do you hear me?"

“Sorta hard not to, Gehenna, with you raising your voice that way.” His gaze returns hers calmly, his voice almost bored sounding. “But do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?”

Before she even knew what she had done, Gehenna had leveled the sword, the point close to his throat. "Yes, I do believe that I can get rid of you that easy." Her eyes flamed with anger, as her voice lowered to a more deadly calm pitch. "You have a choice, Lord Daniels, you can either walk away or you can leave in a box."

Faster than any human eye could follow, Ainulindalion drew his sword. With a whisper of cloth it was free, and with the clash of steel upon steel, it deflected her sword from his throat. Smiling, he then spun away, opening the distance between them. He raised his eyebrows in question, silently asking if she wanted to continue.

Stunned by his movement, unaware that he was carrying a weapon, Gehenna kept her eyes locked to his as he stood across from her. A smile appeared on her face, answering his silent challenge. Lifting her left hand to her chest, she released the catch holding her cloak, and felt it fall onto the floor by her feet. Breaking eye contact for the briefest of moments, she kicked it away, under the table. Raising her sword before her, in recognition of her acceptance, she moved into the opening stance.

Flipping the sword to his right hand, Ainulindalion raised the blade into the classical fencing stance. Left arm behind him, blade an extension of his right, pointed towards her chest. Unlike hers, his cape remained in place. Then, rolling his sword between his fingers, ending with it pointed back at the young woman, he winked in challenge.

Touching the tip of her blade against his, she nodded, before swinging her sword away with a flick of her wrist, bringing it back to his with a clatter of steel. Knowing she had to keep the offensive, she circled the blade low, bringing it up in an arc coming now from the opposite side.

Lazily dropping his blade low, Ainulindalion countered her attack, deflecting it away, out wide. He made no move to follow up the opening, though, as he took a step to the back and to the right.

Anger again rose at his lack of effort, her smile innocently playing on her lips, as she adjusted her balance. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of practice." As she spoke, she swung her sword back up, meeting his in mid stroke, before pressing downwards, taking her blade around his. Freeing her herself slightly, she slashed quickly in an upward motion.

Ainulindalion easily danced back a step, avoiding the blade with little effort, stepping in as the blade moved from effective striking position. With a snicker of cloth, the tip of his blade cut open the front of her doublet before he danced back out of range. "Perhaps you should practice more."

Looking down at her outfit, she fingers the now open doublet, before resuming her stance, eyes once more focused on his. "You really shouldn't underestimate me, Lord Daniels. It will be your downfall." She moved quickly, parrying to the left, before pulling back, and around, attempting to fool him into thinking she was coming at him from the opposite angle.

Not fooled at all, Ainulindalion easily traps her blade with his own, and closes the distance between them with two steps, pinning the blades upright between their bodies. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” His breath from just above her head lightly ruffles her hair.

Gehenna placed her hand on his chest, pushing him away from her, stepping back and raising her sword in one fluid motion. Circling her wrist, she brought the blade through an arc until it was once more in the starting position. Twisting her body, she placed her other hand on the hilt, bringing it down with force, not concerned that she had not waited for him to be ready, as her anger begun to control her actions.

Sidestepping easily, Ainulindalion pushed her blade through the completion of its arc, turning her body, placing her back towards the table. While she was still unbalanced from her strike, his blade whispers through cloth again, this time cutting open both the sleeve of her doublet and her shirt, but again, not touching the skin. He withdrew to give her recovery time.

Breathing heavily, a mix of her exertion and her temper, Gehenna ignored the cut to her clothes. The cool air touching her skin was enough to indicate the amount of damage he had afforded. As she stood watching him, his casual manner and her dawning realization that she was no match for him, she approached slowly, both hands still on the sword. Turning her whole body in a circle, she added her weight to the next blow.

Smiling, Ainulindalion steps and leans back out of the path of the blade, and as her motion continues, his sword strikes cloth again, this time slicing open the back of her right breeches leg as he steps forward again, catching her from behind, pushing her against the table with his body. “We can keep this up all day, Gehenna, if you want.” His breath is warm on the side of her face before he steps back again.

Gehenna ran her hand down the back of her leg, feeling the tear in the material. Remaining with her back towards him, she sighed deeply before speaking, her voice bitter and full of anger. "Why are you doing this?" She turned to face him. "Not the helping me reason. Why are you doing this? What has my life got to do with you?" Each question was asked with a raise in voice, until the last was practically shouted. Feeling her temper take over, she rushed at him, sword swinging wildly. Her desire now was to hurt him, as he had hurt her. The endless bad dreams, his constant criticism taking her to the point where she would bear no more.

Ainulindalion remains silent as he intercepts her attack, using his sword to push her back into the table again, then leaning her back over the table somewhat, swords above their heads, he leans in to kiss her, in a move designed to do only one thing. Make her even madder. He withdraws his lips from hers, resisting the sudden urge to kiss her again.

“Why me? And why not someone else? Because I can. I have the ability, the skill, the experience, and the patience to help you. Most importantly, I have the ability to recognize the need you don’t even admit to yourself, Gehenna of Tartarus.” He looks down at her face, flushed from exertion and anger, his expression completely serious.

She stared at him for a moment, mouth opened and brows furrowed, before she brought her right hand hard across his cheek, her sword dangling in her left. "How dare you? You have no right to do this to me." She lowered her eyes to the floor, her body weary from the fight, from the mental exhaustion, from her anger. Her voice dropped to a whisper as the last of her fight left. "You can't help me."

Removing the sword from her hand with a finger, Ainulindalion set it on the table, then slid his own into its scabbard. He took a step back from her. “You’re right. I had no right. But I had the ability, and the power. And with that comes a responsibility to help when I can.” He tilted her face up. “But you would know about that, wouldn’t you? The responsibility of power.”

He holds her eyes with his own, the power in them keeping her from looking away. “The problem is you’ve helped other so much, burying yourself. You’ve been trained that way, grown up in that environment. As your power lets you help others, mine lets me, no, forces me to help you, Gehenna of Tartarus. Will you accept my help?”

Unable to pull her gaze away, she looked deep into his eyes, his words igniting a new feeling in her body, as her anger left her completely. She felt vulnerable, more so than any other time in her life. She was wide open, all her barriers were down, making her easy to hurt, easy to destroy. She nodded her head, slightly at first, growing as her courage flowed back into her. "Yes." Her body visibly relaxed as the word passed her lips.

Dropping his hand, he helped her back to a fully upright position, and somehow had her cape in hand, wrapping it over her shoulders. “Very well, Gehenna, I will help you to overcome what you cannot. I give you my word that I will help you heal yourself. The journey will be painful and long, but you will reach the end. Tonight, you must rest, for tomorrow the journey begins. Your past will not haunt your sleep this night.” And in a flash, he was gone, leaving her alone.

Gasping as if a weight had been release from her, Gehenna pulled the cloak tightly around her body, blocking out the chill that she now felt, even though the room was warm. She stared at the spot that he had just vacated, her mind too full of thought to be concerned with his disappearance. Slowly turning towards the table, her hand came into contact with the sword, her fingers wrapping slowly around the hilt. Holding it close to her chest, she slowly retraced her steps back to the main hall, no longer feeling the need to hide.

Ainulindalion sat in his great chair, in the Great Hall of the Fortress. He had retained his human form, and in fact, the clothes he had been wearing at the knighting. Not really paying any attention to what he was doing, he spun his sword between two fingers, end over end, sending scattered reflections of light throughout the room, ripple-patterned steel distributing the natural light of the fire-gems.

But his thoughts were not on the sword, or the patterns of light...

Though they did run through patterns...

Something had changed Gehenna of Tartarus from a job he had taken on to prevent boredom into something more. He was not sure, but it was indicated that the change was in him. It certainly was not her.

She hated him. Hated what he was doing to her. He knew that what he was doing was cruel, if he had stopped to think about it. But he had not thought.

And that was causing him some consternation. He had intended to heal, not harm.

But something in their relationship was different. Something in the way he related to her was different.

He ran back through the confrontation in his mind. He pinpointed the moment. The kiss.

The kiss had been a mistake, apparently. He had wanted to do it again. Why?

Not to make her mad at him. The kiss, if anything, had broken her.

She had given in, though. Gehenna, Empress of Tartarus, was going to accept his help to heal. If only he knew how to help her heal.

Should he apologize for what he had done?

Probably not. Or at least not yet. He would wait until he had finished. He would see if an apology was still needed then.

What had changed?

He could have broken her earlier. He could have forced her harder to accept his help.

But would that not have accomplished what he did at the cocktail party?

Absolutely nothing. He did not want her hurt again. He was there to heal, not wound.

But he had promised her rest this night. He extended his will, and simply blocked the memories from surfacing as dreams, as nightmares.

Tomorrow she would face them. But she would face them fresh, awake.

And he would watch her, to make sure she did not resist. When she would bury the memories, he would call them up. He would prevent her from hiding from the past, but he would not throw it in her face.

He would be gentle, for now. But she was volitile. How long could he retain control?

TAG

Returning slowly to the main hall, Gehenna caught her reflection in one of the picture frames adorning the wall of the corridor. Stopping before it, she cast her eye over the battle weary woman staring back at her, the haunted expression that had been in her eyes for the last few weeks seemed to have vanished.

Running her fingers lightly through her tussled hair, guiding them along her jaw, caressing her lips, their colour heightened, the lingering trace of his kiss. Her thoughts rested with it for a moment, before they followed her hand down her neck and chest, until it came to rest on her ruined doublet. New memories flared as she replayed her easy defeat at the hands of a man who she was loath to admit had the ability to raise her temper quicker than any other.

Even my Father had to inflict pain and suffering to earn my hatred. You, Lord Daniels, merely have to show up.

She ran her eyes over her appearance, sighing as she realised she could not return to the celebration in this state. Her torn clothes would draw far too much attention, and she really was far from being in the mood to come up with some plausible excuse for her bedraggled attire.

Shaking her head sadly, she moved back up the corridor, away from the cheerful voices she could hear coming from the opposite direction. Her desire for company had been snatched from her by her opponent’s expertise with the blade. Though for the first since they had meet, she didn’t feel anger over his actions, she felt strangely calm.

I must be more tired than I thought.

She raised her left hand, the blade still resting there suddenly felt heavy. Her whole body grew wearier with every step. As she reached the door, she barely acknowledged the guard as she stepped out into the warm afternoon sun, the heat adding a fresh burst of energy.

Heading across the courtyard between the citadel and the Palace, Gehenna changed directions heading towards the entry to her private quarters rather than her more formal office, not really feeling up to ploughing through the endless paperwork that was most likely sitting on Alex’s desk, ready to be presented the moment she showed her face.

Finally reaching her room, she dropped the cloak from her shoulders, leaving it exactly where it landed, the sword falling upon it, the dull clang as it hit the floor obscured by the rich velvet. Walking over to the bed, she sat on the edge, and with more than a little effort, she released her feet from the confines of the leather boots she had been wearing.

Reclining back, she stared up at the ceiling, the afternoon sunlight casting strange patterns, her gaze transfixed to their movement. Blinking once, twice, each one more of a battle to regain her focus, she gave in for the second time today, and drifted off to sleep, her last thought before unconsciousness claimed her, was her whispered ‘yes’ to his offer of help...

A slight breeze rustled through the trees, bringing the temperature down to a more bearable level. The midday sun shone down, reflecting its image off the large expanse of water, as tiny diamonds sparkled on the rippling surface. A heat haze rose from the land, aiding the mastery of nature, as it blurred sharp edges into soft contours.

Lake Dre nestled in the embrace of the Abyss Mountains, some of the peaks high enough to keep a sprinkling of snow all year round. Around its base, a forest grew up in its shelter, the perfect place to hide away, the perfect place to disappear, to relax. A little distance from the lakeside, and isolated enough to be private yet safe, stood a modern house, although it had been outfitted to fit in with its surroundings, its newness was evident, it was missing that elemental touch, detailing its fight against all that nature could throw at it. For the building had barely been completed a year before, and was being used for the first time.

Sitting on the shaded patio, looking down towards the lake, Gehenna sipped a refreshing glass of lemonade, the sour bite of lemon awakening her mouth, awakening her. She leant back in her chair, feeling strangely uncomfortable in the silence, the only noises coming from the gently lapping water and the birds singing happily in the surrounding trees. She closed her eyes, making the most of the peace and tranquillity, a far cry from the usual hustle and bustle of her daily routine. Free to spend some time on herself, to relax and get back some of the sleep she had been devoid of lately. Her dreams had been less troubled in the last few days, another reason for her to make the most of this freedom.

Remaining still for several minutes, Gehenna opened her eyes, fixing her sight upon the flowing waters of the lake. Standing up, she felt the light material of her pale blue, sleeveless dress, brush against her bare legs. A feeling that always spoke of summer days and comfort. Moving slowly down the path, she made her way past trees until she reached the bank of the lake. She took off her shoe, dipping her toes into the cooling water, before removing its pair, feeling the soft grass beneath her feet. Shoes in hand, she began a casual walk along the lakeside, lost totally in the sounds and scenery surrounding her.

Without form, Ainulindalion watched the Empress wander along the edge of the lake. She seemed to have marginally improved in the last month, but he was not sure. It was time to check up on her. He wondered how, though. She was not trapped by walls or official duties here; she could simply walk away. Then it hit him. He created a small wooden boat about two hundred yards from the shore, easily visible, painted white. Then he laid a spell upon it: the instant she fully absorbed its presence, she would simply be relocated into the boat.

She watched the sunlight glinting on the water, the mesmerising effect clearing the last of her tension and thoughts, as she succumbed totally to her surroundings. Feeling able to breathe the first breath of fresh air since ascending the throne, Gehenna suddenly felt grateful that she had commissioned this getaway retreat. Moving slowly along, she saw upon the bank, resting in the water, a boat. Its gentle bobbing motion made her smile, as she let her gaze remain on its movement, she felt the rocking motion. Her mind played tricks, as she stood on solid ground. But looking down, she was no longer on the bank; she was there in the boat, the feelings not imagined but real.

Not only was she in the boat, but the boat was exactly in the center of the lake, far from any shore. And then, Ainulindalion appeared, his body flashing into existence in a heatless burst of flame mere inches from Gehenna...

Barely recovered from her discovery of her location, the suddenly appearance of the man before her caused her to take an involuntary step back, positioning her precariously near the edge. A rock of the boat at her movement sent her balance off, tipping her over. Arms flailing against thin air, she felt herself falling.

Ainulindalion moved with what seemed to be absurd slowness, but in fact, was just enough speed to catch her as she tumbled from the boat. Pulling the Empress back upright, resettling her on her feet, her small body pressed against his, wrapped in his arms, he felt his face become a mask of contrition. "Sorry about that."

Breathing rapidly, trying to catch back her breath that she had lost, Gehenna looked at the man before her, holding on tightly to him as she regained her composure. Suddenly becoming aware of whose embrace she was in, she carefully but obviously extracted herself. She stayed close enough to him, in case she should need to reach out, not that she was able to get too far away in the confines of space the boat had to offer.

Releasing Gehenna from his arms, he sat down on a small padded seat at the front of the small craft, gentle breeze stirring his cape, his black clothing, which had to be hot under the sun. He sat silently, watching her standing. He would allow her to become comfortable with the situation she found herself in before continuing.

As he sat down, Gehenna realised that it was in her best interest to do the same. She had been in boats before, and knew that standing in one was not always a wise move, her earlier near miss confirming this decision. Careful not to move any more then necessary, she lowered herself into the opposite seat, straightening her skirt about her legs. Running her hand through her tussled hair, she pushed it lightly behind her shoulders, the odd strand falling about her face. Feeling again in control of herself, she turned her attention to her companion. "And to what do I owe this sudden appearance, Lord Daniels?"

Ainulindalion smiled, white teeth flashing in the sunshine. "I thought I would check up on you. You seemed pretty wiped out when last we met. Doing any better?" His voice was casual, friendly, his eyes masked with a slight concern.

Gehenna was puzzled at first, expecting a less cavalier response to her question, she slowly smiled, although her eyes contained that little hint of doubt at his sincerity. "Yes, thank you, I am. I seem to be sleeping a little better." She turned her head towards her the bank, studying the distance between it and the boat. "How did you…we get here?"

Grinning, Ainulindalion followed her gaze. "Come now, Gehenna. You've seen me appear from thin air before. And relocating you into the boat was a fairly simple trick." The distance between the boat and the shore suddenly appeared to be greater. "If you don't want to be here, you're welcome to swim for shore."

"Swim?" Gehenna laughed, as she looked at the distance between her and safety. Her eyes slowly returning to his face, as she spoke with a trace of her amusement still present. "Lord Daniels, do I look like I am dressed for swimming?" She indicated the dress she wore, the material moving lightly against her body. "If I wish to get out, you will row us back to land."

"Row back to land?" He laughed. "That is funny, coming from someone as observant as yourself." His eyebrows arced up in question. "Do you see any oars in this boat?"

"There have to be oars." A quick look about her confirmed his statement, there were none. There had been a little niggling fact that had played on her mind, and now she knew why. Nothing about this trip seemed real. She couldn't remember getting into the boat, or it moving out into the lake. "Am I asleep?" Her voice held that questioning tone, which indicated she already knew the answer.

Ainulindalion snorted. "Not at all. I just needed to get you somewhere where we could talk and you couldn't walk away."

Tucking some imagined loose strands of hair behind her ear, Gehenna smiled, her confidence slowly growing as she came to terms with her situation. "Have you ever thought about just asking?" She raised an eyebrow, questioningly. "This," she waved her hand in front of her encompassing the boat and their position, "This is a little extreme. It's not like I am unwilling to listen."

"Asking? Novel idea, perhaps I'll try it sometime." He smiled. "Well, it has been my experience you do not wish to hear what I have to say, at least, on previous occasions. On the other hand, when last I left you, I believe you had just finished agreeing to accept my help with your situation."

Gehenna felt her heart sink as she was reminded of their last encounter, one that she would sooner forget. The memory of her easy defeat and the agreement she had made now played heavily on her mind. She had given him her permission for him to continue this abuse, all in the name of aid. Sighing deeply, she nodded her head. "Yes, I did accept your offer. I also recall saying that I didn't see how you could help." She smiled sadly. "The past is usually best left forgotten."

"The past makes us who we are, Gehenna of Tartarus. To forget it is to forget ourselves." He shrugged. "But there is something I do not understand in yours. The memory of the Solstice, and what you did there. Why does it bring up such negative feelings in you? Was the experience truly that bad?"

Gehenna stared at him, the look of horror hard to hide. Her face flushed in a mixture of anger and embarrassment as his invasion into that particular memory, the images themselves coming to the forefront of her mind. “I don’t know what you mean. And to be honest, I don’t really think that is any of your business.” She lowered her eyes to the bottom of the boat. “I would rather not discuss it.”

Ainulindalion considered, for a mere instant, telling her why he was so concerned with the memory. Possibly because it plagued him as well. He then dismissed the thought. "You agreed to my help, but how can I help you if you don't talk to me? I can feel that the memory bothers you, so there is no point in lying further." He paused, while the Dove's remembered cried of pleasure echoed in her head. "If you want me to help, you will have to talk to me."

Closing her eyes, she saw the image that went with the cries, before she was overwhelmed with the way she had felt, first the fear then confusion, then she relived the her own pleasure, her freedom. "I just…" She raised her face to his, catching his eye, a glint of defiance resting behind her gaze. "It's not something I can or wish to speak about."

After a long moment of simply gazing at her silently, he sighed. "I thought we were past this stage, Gehenna. I don't want to have to induce the memories again..." His voice left the threat hanging in the warm air.

Fear soon replaced the defiance as his words hit home, then that was slowly overshadowed by her growing anger. "Am I allowed no privacy? I have agreed to talk to you, but I do not see how discussing what I did at the Solstice is going to help matters." She moved with her agitation, causing the boat to echo her with its rocking. Holding onto the sides, she settled herself, eyes never leaving his face.

"Well, we discuss it because it shows something about you. From what I can tell, the memory should bring up nothing but remembered pleasure. Yet it brings up something else, something that does not belong with it. I believe that the cause of this pain is the same as all the other pain." Shrugging, his smile became slightly darker. "But if you do not wish to discuss it, we can always start with the boy..." A blade flashed. "Or I can make you deal with it..." His voice trailed off as the memory of the wolf's mouth on heated flesh was brought back to her.

"Please, stop it." She looked deep into his eyes, pleading with him. She didn't need his help to see those images, to remember how she had felt. Those memories crept up on her when she least expected them, when she least needed to be distracted by them. They haunted her thoughts, but not in the way he had described. "I do feel pleasure from them, more than I expected too. But I also feel a loss, like I touched something that I can no longer have. I was wrong to follow that path."

"So you regret what you did?" he asked more sharply than he intended. But the images stopped. "Why do you regret it? The pleasure, the passion of the moment. You enjoyed it then, and you enjoy the memories now, whether you admit it or not. So what makes your action wrong?"
Her self-loathing reared its ugly head at his taunts. "Yes, I enjoyed it, and I enjoy remembering it. But don't you see that is wrong?" She sat forward on her seat, her agitated fingers clutching at her skirt. "I am the Empress of Tartarus. I should not find pleasure in giving myself to a stranger in a tent. I am above that. I don't even know who he was, and that more than anything is wrong. I am no better than the women who stand on street corners, except I did it for free." She felt her anger rising as she gave her reasons. "I did it to spite my father, and instead have caused myself to be ashamed."

"That's your father talking, Gehenna. Is that what bothers you? That you gave into pleasure so easily? You are only human. If you did it to spite your father, make it complete. Don't let him rule the memory of what you did as well."

She shook her head, knowing that no matter what she said he would not understand. "This has nothing to do with my father, this is all about me." She looked about her, feeling isolated out in the middle of the lake, no way to remove herself from his questions or from her own fears. "It was not meant to become personal. There were not meant to be any feelings, other than the satisfaction of ridding myself of my father's hold." She laughed, devoid of all happiness. "Why do you think I choose that place, with someone socially lower than me? Not for pleasure, not for enjoyment. And that is why I feel ashamed."

Ainulindalion sighed. "You went to a festival of carnal pleasure and didn't think you would feel any? You thought you would just go get fucked and not have to worry about it anymore? That was foolish." His voice dripped with contempt, then cleared. "But would you have truly have been rebelling against your father had you not felt pleasure in the experience?"

"I'm tired of this conversation." Her voice was raised, a sign that she was beginning to lose control of the situation. Her inability to remain calm around him annoyed her more than anything, which only helped in increasing her anger.

"Are you really tiring of this conversation? Or," his voice grew dark, "are you tiring of hearing what might be an unpleasant truth? That your father, no matter how much you think yourself rid of him, will always haunt everything you do."

Gehenna looked into his eyes, her own blazing with her now uncontained anger, his words taking her over the edge. "I do not fear my father, and he has no control over my life." She again waved her hand, this time in her mind indicating the whole of Tartarus. "Everything I have done removes his memory not only from me, but from the people too. He is but a distant shadow that belongs in the past. I am free of him. And that is the end of it!"

Ainulindalion stood in the boat, rocking it slightly. "Do you really think you can command me like one of your subjects? That I will listen to what you say simply because it is you, the Empress? You are just another human, Gehenna of Tartarus. Do not forget it. It is an accident of birth that lets you rule, nothing more."

Moving less carefully than she should, Gehenna stood before him, her face like thunder. "And what makes you so special, Lord Daniels, that you should ignore the 'accident' of my birth? I am the Empress of Tartarus, and you are a guest in my country. If you have a problem with me then leave, I shall shed no tears." She could hear the pounding of her heart and the angry intonations of her voice.

Feeling the smile drop from his face, Ainulindalion spoke softly. "But you would shed tears each night, and will, for the rest of your life, if you do not resolve this foolish issue in your heart. You are naught but human, no matter how you try to deny it. Until you accept your humanity, you will never be healed."

"I know that I am human, and I know that I have human failings, I have seen and felt them. But I do not cry myself to sleep, Lord Daniels, no matter how much you wish that to be true. I don't know what kind of sick pleasure you are getting out of this, but stops, right here, right now!" Temper finally flaring, her body shaking with rage, Gehenna raised her hand, wanting to strike out at the man before her, who so easily managed to control her, to goad her into making a fool of herself.

Dropping his voice lower, making it still more quiet, Ainulindalion smiled internally. But no hint of it touched his frigid tone, one that spoke of death. "You think to strike me, Gehenna." His cape flapped up behind him in a sudden wind, revealing the sword on his hip. "Last time you were armed." He stepped right next to her and placed his hand on the front of her shoulder. "I might not be so forgiving this time." He easily pushed her back, to the edge of the boat, and watched impassively as she tipped over the side.

Not having time to come to terms with his speech, Gehenna felt herself hit the water, going under completely. Finally breaking the surface, she looked up at the man standing above, before tearing her eyes away from him. She reached over and grabbed the edge of the boat. "I suppose you think this is funny. I have had people killed for less."

Extending his arm down to her, Ainulindalion smiled, his voice light once again. "I think you would be hard pressed to have a death order for me carried out. And yes, I do think this is funny. Funny that you will not admit the truth to yourself." Then the darkness returned as he grasped her arm to lift her up. "And until you admit it, I cannot help you."

Gehenna tried to shake her hand free from his grasp, not wanting his help in any shape or form, but his grip was too tight, and she knew that he would not let go even if she begged, possibly less likely to. Again feeling vulnerable and disadvantaged, she felt herself be pulled back into the boat, her temper not helped by this latest incident.

After lifting Gehenna into the boat, his eyes focused on her a bit too much, the wet dress sticking to her skin, and for an instant something flashed in them Gehenna might or might not recognize. He pushed her down onto her seat. "Now, are you going to embrace the fact you are human, or deny it as your father taught?"

Hands moving to her wet skirt, she began to wring the water out, her body shivering more from her emotions that from being cold. "I have never claimed to be anything other than human." The look she gave him was full of bewilderment, her brow furrowed. She felt streams of water run down her face, made worse as she pushed the excess from her hair, feeling it cool against her back. "And I have already asked for your help. What more do you want from me?" Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "Do you want me to beg?"

"No, Gehenna of Tartarus, I do not want you to beg. I want you to understand. Your father trained you to think of yourself as above other people, unconsciously. And your position does make you above them. But you Gehenna, not the Empress who lives in you, are still a young human woman. To be you, you must learn to separate the Empress and Gehenna. You must be able to do things for Gehenna that do not affect the Empress, and vice versa. I know you cannot talk to anyone else about this, and that is where I will help. You can speak with me. But the majority of the work will be on your own, and our contact will be on my terms. Can you accept that?"

Nodding slowly, Gehenna kept her gaze locked to his, meeting his eyes to show him that she was not afraid, that she was free to make her own decisions. "Yes, I accept that." Her voice was at its normal level, neither raised in anger nor lowered in fear. "But you have to remember this is not easy for me. You are asking me to unlearn everything I have ever been taught. But I will try."

"I know what it is I ask, Gehenna of Tartarus. And I will help you as much as I can." He extended his hands, and oars appeared in the oarlocks, in his grip. "Now I believe you wanted me to row you back to shore?"

Gehenna smiled, as she held on to the side of the boat. "Yes...yes, I did."

Ainulindalion moved his arms, oars biting into the water, propelling the boat smoothly. After a few strokes, he smiled at her. "Do you have any questions for me you think that I might answer?"

Laughing lightly, Gehenna shook her head, causing several strands of damp hair to fall about her face, which she casually brushed aside. "I know I have a million questions, but at this moment I cannot think of one." She sighed heavily, as she continued to wring out her skirt.

Smiling, Ainulindalion watched her as he continued to row towards shore. He was moving them much more rapidly than the water seemed to be passing underneath them. A trick of the eye, no doubt. "Perhaps you should try researching Ainulindalion again, Gehenna. I won't limit the search this time."

"How do you kn…?" She berated herself internally. She didn't need to know how he knew about her search, the fact that he knew what bad enough. "I will, but I know I will find little information on it, as Ainulindalion does not exist."

Chuckling, Ainulindalion stroked the oars again. "Oh, but he does." And with that cryptic remark, he was gone, as each time before. The boat ground to a halt in the sand of the beach with a soft crunch.

Gehenna sat for several minutes, staring again at the spot where he had been only moments before. Climbing out of the boat, she stood on the shore, convinced that if it were not for her wet clothes, she would have believed that she was in a dream. Making her way up the path, she walked back to her room. Even before stepping into the shower, she switched on the laptop, getting it ready for her return…

The warm jets of water revitalised cold skin, bringing life back into a tired body. Closing her eyes, Gehenna tilted back her head, allowing the droplets to pummel against her face, before travelling down her form until they disappeared down the plug taking her cares with them.

Feeling refreshed, she towelled herself before slipping on a robe, and moved back into her bedroom, making straight for the laptop. Making herself comfortable in the chair, sure that this was going to be another futile attempt to find anything concerning Lord Daniels, she entered ‘Ainulindalion’ into the search function, and waited for the answer to appear.

Wondering, not for the first time, why she was wasting her time on this endeavour, she shook her head and was about to switch of the computer, when the screen flashed to life.


Ainulindalion
Language: Quenya
Translation: "Son of the Song of the Holy Ones" "Son of Creation"
Creature, mythical: Usually ascribed godlike powers. Unlike most elements of Elven-lore, little is known. Considering the existence of much of Elven-lore as fact, with the fairly recent return of Melkor, the Vala to the Mortal Plane, the existence of the creature known as Ainulindalion seems doubtful at best, as there is little supporting evidence.
Place, mythical: Also known as The Hidden Isle, this is said to be the home of Ainulindalion. Most elements of the mythology suggest that it is usually represented by a taller, young human male, with deeply tanned skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Usually seen in dark clothing, as well. Myth credits this man with magical powers as well, ranging from conjuring and tricks to nearly godlike. Said to be undefeatable with a blade, or any weapon. Usually named in such as way as to suggest godlike or other higher being status.


Reading the information several times, Gehenna laughed. “I like your style, Lord Daniels.” She leant back, staring at the words before her. “A magician with a gimmick, even if you choose to play a god.” Suddenly another thought struck her, causing her to laugh again, as she recalled his business card. “Lord G.O.D., very ingenious. Very ingenious, indeed. And you are quite the comedian too.”

Getting up from her chair, she moved over to the window, looking down upon the lake. Scanning along the edge of the water, although obscured by the trees, she could see no sign of the boat, which seemed to vanish just like him. “Who are you, Lord Daniels?” She sighed, then moved back into the room, and began to dress.

Ainulindalion floated through the Earth, the ground flashing by beneath him.

But it was not the ground, or what was on it, that concerned him. Having dispensed with physical form to clear his mind, he considered what was happening.

Four things had happened in the last confrontation with the Empress that were bothering him.

Firstly, the way he had not let her go when he had caught her. This seemed to be related to the second thing, which was the feeling he had felt shoot through him when he had pulled her from the lake, wet dress sticking to every luscious curve of her...

STOP IT!

That was apparently the first thing. She was attractive, but he had been with more beautiful women, human and not, in ages gone past. And he had already had her, whether she knew it or not. She had been good, especially for her first time, but not that good....

But could he remember one he enjoyed more? Not at the moment. That bothered him as well.

Also, there was the matter of encouraging her questions, and of encouraging her to find out about him. That was not just not done, it was, well, wrong.

It was against what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to complete his job, revealing as little as possible, and then move on.

But he was not entirely sure he wanted to...

STOP IT, BALION!

He had to finish this. As quickly as possible. Before he lost the ability, (or had he already?) and the will, to remain detached.

The darkness had begun to claim the sky as its own, pushing the last of the sun’s brilliance behind the horizon, allowing only the moon and stars an appearance on its blanket of blue. The air was still warm, the heat of the day lingering, refusing to go the way of its master.

Walking down the path onto the lawn, her footsteps were light and barely audible in the quietness. The gentle rustle of her clothes against her body, like a breath on the breeze, as she moved silently to her favourite spot. A place away from prying eyes, away from the trials and tribulations of her life.

Finally reaching the rose garden, Gehenna sat down on the bench, the white rose still in bloom, yet closing its eyes as it pulled its petals snugly around it for the night. Placing her hand on the stem, she pulled it forward, breathing in its scent, before letting it spring back into position. Her eyes on the flower, her mind recalling an event several months ago, right in this very spot.

She recalled the moment he had appeared, as if it was yesterday. Seeing him standing before her with no regard for whether he should have been or not. Not that had changed over the last few months. Wherever he appeared, he only seemed to do his utmost to rile her into a temper, and he was claiming he wanted to help.

Shifting uneasily on the bench, she felt a shiver run over her body, a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature out in the garden, but more to do with the feelings he caused in her. She couldn’t help wonder if her father would have employed him or befriended him into making her life hell, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was already cold in his grave. Another shiver rushed up her spine at the thought of her father, and an image appeared in her mind.

Strangely, this one was not of her father or Lord Daniels, but of another, one that should not still be claiming her thoughts. One that she would not recognise even if she met him face to face.

I would remember his eyes. Those deep blue eyes. How could I forget them?

She stood up from the bench as she tried to clear the thought from her head, her hand moving lightly through her, before brushing over her neck, and down unto her chest, where her fingers caught hold of the necklace she was wearing, running it lightly through her grip.

Why can’t I stop thinking of him? Was breaking my father’s hold that important that he refuses to fade into distant memory? Did I enjoy him?

Stopping suddenly, Gehenna looked inside her head, replaying her thought, replaying that evening, her eyes closing against the now as she moved into the past, recalling her feelings, her desire, her pleasure. The sounds and atmosphere filling her spirit, talking her back to the festival, to the fire, to the tent…

Eyes shot open, dispelling the thought before it could take hold, although it was less disturbing that the other one. She shook her head, keeping it safely locked away, it had haunted her sleep too often of late, she didn’t need to bring out here, into the peaceful night. She couldn’t face it, regardless of her promise.

Suddenly she looked around her, wondering not for the first time whether she was alone. Lately she had found herself becoming more surprised when he didn’t show up than when he did. Laughing lightly at herself for her paranoia, she moved further into the garden, further from the palace behind her.

Why do I try to hide how I felt? Did I do anything wrong? Why should I feel ashamed? Because I do. Because it’s not what an Empress does. It’s not what Gehenna of Tartarus should have done.

She felt her heart sink, as she slowly headed back up the path, no longer wanting to be left alone with her thoughts. Yet she knew she would have to look at them, that was what she had promised to do, that was what she had promised him.

Anything for a quiet life.

Gehenna smiled to herself, yes, that was why she had promised him, to rid herself of his presence, why did she suddenly get the feeling it was more than likely going to have the opposite effect. Still, she felt better for making the oath, she was sleeping better now, like he had said. And a rested mind was a sharper mind, and she needed to be able to match him strike for strike.

Stepping back into the palace, Gehenna cleared her mind of all thoughts of Lord Daniels…

Flowers dominated the scene, all carefully positioned in arrangements, the colours carefully chosen to complement each other, and to add the finishing touches to the décor. Ribbons, and other adornments were scattered around the garden, all leading to the marques standing prominently on the lawn. The inside was decorated in the same colour scheme, the same flowers appearing as small centrepieces on each of the tables, which filled half the area, the rest being made up of a dance floor and musicians. A single couple were dancing, her flowing white gown brushing against the ground, as her groom swept her around to the music. As the dance came to an end, the guests clapped as the couple moved off the floor, being replaced by several others as he band made themselves ready for the next song. Walking over to them, Gehenna greeted them both with a smile, and shared with them a few words of congratulations. She turned and watched as the music started, then excusing herself she made her way out of the tent. Stepping outside, she breathed in the flowery scent of the afternoon air, nodding to the other guests who also had the same idea, Gehenna moved further from the marques entrance, feeling the steadily cooling air on her skin. As she passed one of the displays, she picked out a pink flower, running it gently between her fingers, before breathing in its aroma, smiling to herself.

Watching her from across the lawn, Ainulindalion stood out of sight, hidden by others, a black shadow among the blossoms. His cape was draped over him, obscuring his form, for he was not yet ready for her to see him. Hopefully she had worked in the last month, on what they had discussed, or today’s meeting might be fairly stressful.

Gehenna gazed around the garden, eyes falling upon the flowers, paled in colour compared to the outfits that some of the women present had chosen to wear. She smiled as she watched one elaborately adorned person, who had felt it necessary to have the most ridiculously large and grotesque hat perched upon her head. Smiling, she patted her own dressed hair, grateful that she had decided to keep it simply tied up. As a waiter walked passed, she picked up a glass from his tray, taking a brief sip, before cradling it in her hand. She moved towards a group of people, speaking to them for a moment, before making her excuses and moving on. Making pleasantries were always easier at weddings, as every had come to see the happy couple, and she was almost just another guest.

Striding across the grass, his cape lightly fluttering in the breeze, he slowly faded into visibility to mortal eye. Standing before the entrance to the hedge-row maze, he gazed back over the garden. So many of them, everywhere. Pain and hidden desires, lusts and hatreds. He could feel it all, covered by a sickening overtone of false happiness. All but…

He blinked in surprise. Gehenna seemed to be truly happy for the young couple. Were her thoughts buried, or were her cares truly released? Had she made more progress than he had expected?

Turning her head slightly, as she laughed with the rest of the group, Gehenna spotted a familiar figure. It had been a while since she last saw him, the thought of the lake incident crossing her mind briefly, but her good humour. With a few words, she moved away walking slowly across the lawn, towards him. Normally she would have tried to avoid him, but she knew that was futile, he never seemed to leave until he had said his piece.

Noticing her approaching him, he stepped backwards, into the maze, until just the next intersection where he paused, waiting for her to figure out where he had gone. Drawing near to the entrance, she saw him move into the maze, knowing that he wanted her to follow. She turned to look back at the other guests, checking to see whether anyone had spotted her movements, then she too disappeared. Looking about her as she walked, she moved deeper into the living puzzle, seeking him.

Staying just ahead of Gehenna as he moved, he showed her the way he traveled, varying his pace enough that she could always follow the black-on-green flash of his cape as he rounded the next corner.

Puzzled by his movements, wondering why he didn't stop and confront her, she followed him deeper and deeper into the maze. She took no notice of the turns she made, as her mind focused on his cloak alone, walking fast enough to keep him always in sight, without wanting to appear impatient or rushed. She knew they were playing by his rules, and for the moment, she was happy to go along with them.

He led her deeper and deeper into the maze, around corner after corner, always tempting her with his cape. Until he got her to the center of the maze, knowing she had not been paying attention to where she was going. There, in the center, when she entered it, he was gone.

Looking around her, Gehenna was disturbed to find herself alone. "Lord Daniels?" Her brows were furrowed in puzzlement, her voice conveying the same feeling. She had seen him, she was sure she had. Shaking her head, she turned around once more to take in her complete surroundings, strangely hoping that he would be there. Sighing loudly, she called his name once more, before heading back to the path, suddenly realizing that she didn't know the way out.

As she moved towards the exit, his voice came to her, from behind. In fact, directly against her ear, his breath on it. “Hello, Gehenna.” He was close enough to her she could feel him. But it was as if he had suddenly appeared there.

Gehenna smiled, grateful that she wasn't imaging him. Turning slowly, she moved round to look at him. "Lord Daniels,” She cast her eyes about her looking for his hiding place, before returning them to his face. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Her voice was light, and cheerful.

“Somehow, Gehenna, I doubt you are surprised to see me anywhere anymore.” He stepped back from her, opening the distance between them to something less intimate, and indicated a small marble bench with his hand. “Shall we be seated, or would you prefer to stand?”

Nodding her agreement, Gehenna moved over to the bench, running her hands over the back of her skirt, she took a seat. Her eyes remaining on him, as if she feared as soon as she looked away, he would be gone. "I took your suggestion. I looked up Ainulindalion." She smiled, her amusement at her discovery returning.

“Did you now? Find out anything interesting? Or, at the very least, help you resolve any of those million questions about me?” Each of these was said as he moved over to the bench and sat next to her, turned slightly to face her.

"If I am honest, Lord Daniels, I would say it raised more questions than it answered." She broke her gaze from his, and looked directly before her. "I think it might have told me a bit more about you though." She smiled to herself as she recalled their conversation about her remembering that she was only human.

“Oh? Do tell."

Turning back to him, she smiled, her eyes twinkling with humour. "Well, delusions of grandeur spring to mind." She raised a questioning eyebrow. "I would have thought you could have come up with something more believable. I'm assuming you aren't even called Daniels."

“No, I am not called Daniels, or anything close to it. But as for delusions of grandeur?” He shrugged. “If you say so. But that is enough about me. How are you, this fine fall afternoon?”

Gehenna went quiet for a moment, as she stored his sudden change of subject to her memory, wondering if she had managed to win her first point against him. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you. I'm among friends, it has been a pleasant day, even your company has not altered that." She laughed lightly. "Yet."

Eyes twinkling with restrained laughter, he smiled. “Am I really that bad?” He moved on before she could answer him, though. “But I was thinking more in general. Are you sleeping any better? Is Gehenna sleeping any better?” His use of the third person, his tone, recalled their conversation of before, the difference between Gehenna and the Empress.

Her smile vanished slightly, as the conversation moved fully back to her, knowing that he intended to start all friendly before checking up on her progress. She felt like she was back in the schoolroom. "I am sleeping much better, in fact, the bad dreams have become more rare." She sighed slightly, recalling all those hours of lost sleep. "Thank you for that." Her voice lowered considerably.

“I didn’t do that. You did. Now that you’ve stopped covering them up, and started facing them, they go away much faster.” Since I stopped forcing you to examine them. His smile was gone, but was only replaced by a neutral expression. “Now, how are you doing on separating yourself from the Empress? Does the memory of the Solstice still feel wrong?”

Rubbing her hands together, feeling her agitation rising, she lowered her eyes from his face, her brows furrowing. "Why do you keep returning to the Solstice?" Her puzzled expression still on her face, she turned her body more towards him, sitting almost sideways on the bench. "Is that the only event that separates me from myself?"

He scowled at her. Ainulindalion did not know exactly why he kept returning to the Solstice either. Or perhaps he did. “I doubt that it is. But it is the most evident since I’ve met you, and to identify another, I would have to reach deep inside your head. Do you want me to do that? To know everything about you? Everything you would rather keep secret?”

"No, I don't want you to do that." The painful thought of him pulling even more memories from her head filled her with fear, her eyes widened as she looked at him. "I still think that I may have made a…rash decision." She smiled coyly, as the image raised itself. "But I still have pleasant memories of the occasion."

His managed to keep his eyes from widening in surprise. “So you no longer feel ashamed at your decision? That you went to someone beneath yourself for a night of guiltless pleasure? You have managed to separate that activity, Gehenna’s rebellion against her father, from the Empress? So you do not regret your decision anymore?”

"I cannot say that I feel totally unashamed." She lowered her eyes again, knowing that she couldn't look him in the face when she was being this honest, perhaps more so with him than any other person she had ever met. "I was always told the first time should be, you know, special." She laughed awkwardly.

“Special? I suppose.” He shrugged, and looked away briefly. The sun was beginning to descend below the height of the hedges. “But you no longer feel that you have betrayed your duty as Empress, your position, or your birthright? Just ashamed that you went and lost your virginity to a man you did not know?”

"No, it's not just that he was a stranger." She sighed deeply, shaking her head, her eyes closing against reality for a moment, as she tried to clear her thought into some order. Her fingers moved unconsciously to her necklace, twiddling the gem between them. She returned her gaze to her surroundings, bringing herself back to the moment. "It's so many things that I cannot explain. I should be above sex in a tent."

Ainulindalion chuckled softly. “Not even I am above that. Why you should be any different from other people? You feel lust, desire, all of those feelings in the same way every other human does. But you feel that you betrayed yourself by doing so? I suppose that is one form of an improvement.”

"Yes, I do believe I betrayed myself in doing what I did, just so I could prove to my dead father that I could go against my upbringing." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Now, I think we've covered this event enough, haven't we? We've both agreed that I am human, and have human desires." She smiled, although her eyes were filled with a silent pleading.

With her pronouncement, the sun began the final piece of its daily journey, creasing the sky with purple and gold fire. “Very well, we will end this discussion.” He stood and offered her his hand. “And it is growing late. You’ve probably missed most of the party by now. Shall we go back, or do you anything else you wish to discuss with me?”

"Have we been here that long? We've barely discussed anything." Gehenna looked at the steadily darkening sky, before looking back at him, and accepting his offered hand, rising from the bench in a fluid motion. "Do you realize this is the first time you haven't made me want to kill you? I hope this doesn't mean I'm beginning to like you." She laughed, showing that she meant no offence.

“You spent longer than you thought following me in the maze, Gehenna.” He linked his hand with hers. “Fortunately, I know a faster way out.” He led her to a different entrance than the one they had entered by and turned to the left. After a couple more turns in silence, he spoke again. “I hope you realize then, what we’re going to discuss next time I’m here.”

"Are we going to discuss the real you?" Gehenna knew that wasn't what he meant, but she couldn't be co-operative all the time, he would think she was behaving strangely. She continued to be lead by him, her hand resting in his, as she looked about her, wondering how he knew so much. "Have you been in this maze before?"

“No, not the real me.” He paused again, in his step and his speech. “I know you don’t want to, but you’ll have to face it.” He started moving again, and led her around the penultimate turn, and stopped just before the exit. “Now, I don’t think I can leave without you wanting to kill me at least once…”

He turned to her and trapped her body against his, as his mouth came down hard on hers. The kiss was brief, but just enough to take away her breath, to give her face a flush, to alter her appearance slightly, to make it appear that the two of them, alone in the maze, had been doing something completely other than talking. Then, hand still on hers, he led her out onto the lawn.

Gehenna looked at his profile as the moved out of the maze, her eyes blazing with barely contained anger. When she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper. "What do you think you are doing?" She pulled her hand, attempting to free herself from his grasp.

Eyes twinkling mischievously, he smiled at those around them as they walked by. Out of the corner of his mouth, he spoke to her. “Making you want to kill me.” Meeting peoples’ gazes firmly as he led Gehenna across the lawn, his grip was like iron, restraining her hand without hurting her.

Somehow, in the gathering dusk, his normally immaculate appearance was off, his hair disarranged, his clothing slightly crooked, his lips and cheeks slightly flushed. Much as the Empress’ was, thanks to his quick work. Again, the quiet aside to her. “The Empress should smile for her subjects, Gehenna.”

Anger rising quickly, she attempted to smile at the other guests, but her lips refused to co-operate satisfactorily. She took several deep breaths, trying to bring her temper down, but her humiliation was too great for that. "I was wrong, Lord Daniels, I haven't met you when I haven't wanted to kill you." Her voice remained low, even though she wanted nothing more to shout at him.

Still smiling, though more of a satisfied smirk, spoke, this time just loud enough for the closest people to hear. “Kill me?” His voice was disbelieving. “When we were getting along so well in the maze?” He grinned broadly, and winked at her as he delivered her to her car, which was waiting, somehow. He released her hand as he opened to door for her.

"I hate you, Lord Daniels." She practically spat the words at him, her desire to strike him was fought down, as she knew that such a move would give the gossipmongers even more fuel. "I never want to see you again." She quickly got into the car, wanting nothing more to be as far away from him as possible. She had hoped that just once she could walk away from him without losing her temper, she knew she was asking too much.

He shut the door, smirk obvious on his face. “Goodnight, Gehenna.” Again, loud enough to be overheard. “Sleep well.” As all eyes followed the car, he vanished.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I do that?

The more I make her hate me, the harder I make this task.

That kiss was uncalled for, Balion, and you know it.

You have no need to make her upset everytime you see her.

Damn it, why do I do it? Why did I?

Why do everytime my lips touch hers do I want to do it again?

The Solstice.... Don't go there, Balion. I don't want to think about it any more than Gehenna wished to speak about.

Of course I couldn't tell her why I keep coming back to it.

She wasn't that good, damn it. Was she?

NO.

It must be something else. But she's only human.

What makes me feel like that around her?

Footsteps broke the silence in the empty corridor, like the sound of a drum of war, echoing ahead warning everyone of the approaching tempest. The air shimmered with anger, gathering like a cloud, the storm grew, ready to break at any moment. The sound stopped, and a door flung open, crashing against the wall, the noise filling the room.

The man looked up from his computer, standing as the woman entered the room, his expression one of confusion, as he had not expected to see her, this evening. “Your Majesty…?”

Before he could continue, she had moved to the other door, and with a resounding bang, she disappeared from his sight. He lowered himself back into his chair and continued with his work, this display hardly new to him, especially the last few months. He had never seen the Empress as angry as she had been lately. He gave the matter no more thought.

Inside her office, Gehenna walked over to the mirror, her horrified expression at her reflection said more than a thousand words could. She looked a mess, her hair was dishevelled, her clothes creased, with that hurriedly dressed look about them.

No wonder everyone was staring! But how…? Her mind returned to the maze, the conversation, the kiss. No. One kiss couldn’t have done this, could it?

She pulled the clips out of her hair, shaking her head her brown locks fell about her shoulders. Running her hand through, she tussled her hair, as her eyes began to take in her less than perfect makeup. Her lipstick was smudged for the kiss, but her whole appearance resembled someone who had just experienced more than a stroll in the garden, more than just a kiss.

“What are you trying to do to me, Lord Daniels?” She spoke to her reflection, but her question was aimed at him. “Do you enjoy making me the laughing stock of my people?” She sighed heavily, and moved over to her desk, sitting down in the chair, looking at the pile of papers sitting in on top of it, all seeking her attention.

Leaning back, she closed her eyes against the work before her, her mind not focused on doing anything but replaying Lord Daniels. Giving up trying to fight them, she let them flow, feeling her anger increase as she recalled the startled faces of the other guest. They had misread her reaction, and instead of looking annoyed at his antics, she must have appeared passionate, but the wrong kind. She just wished once they could talk without all the fighting and shouting. She had believed for a moment that they had managed to find a common ground, and to show her trust she had opened up to him, had spoken of her most personal moments, just for him to repay her by humiliating her.

Her eyes sprung open, the anger in them slowly dying as she regained some semblance of self-control. She had been playing the game by his rules, perhaps it was time to add some of her own.

“Two can play at that game, Lord Daniels.” She smiled, not through happiness, but through a determination that he would not triumph over her again. She would be ready.

The afternoon would be drawing to a close soon, bringing night to Erebus, capital of the Empire of Tartarus. From his non-corporeal view point, Ainulindalion watched as the city bustled below him. It was time to meet with Gehenna again. Somehow he doubted, after their last meeting, she would have any desire at all to talk to him. But here, in the Palace, her home, there was no simple way to corner her. Pieces of a plan fell into place, but as to what, Balion was not sure. It would come in time. Time passed, how much, Ainulindalion never knew. He did not keep track of it obsessively like organics did. But the golden rays of the sun were beginning to fade into other colors. He paused. Dusk began to dawn on the land. There it was. The Empress routinely took evening walks in the garden. When she did, he would… He would what? He examined the gardens, the Palace itself. The roof. He could stand on it. There was no way she could, not with the slope such as it was. She would have to trust him, and listen to him. But it had to be her choice. And so much like the boat, he laid a trap, one she would willingly walk into, without realizing it. He took on the form of Daniels again, and he stood, precisely balanced on the top of the tallest tower. His back was to the setting sun, and the Empress would not be able to avoid seeing him if for any reason she looked in his direction. And then, like the boat, he would bring her close as soon as she focused on him.

Looking down towards the rose garden, she smiled and shook her head, really not feeling in the mood to be thrust into a position where she would end up thinking of him. She had a dinner to attend to this evening, and wanted to be the right frame of mind, not wanting to add more gossip to that already going around. She could still feel the eyes upon her, and hear their silent questions. Moving around the palace, Gehenna moved onto the lawn, where the entrance to a walled garden, it was quiet, but it had been her father's favourite part of the garden, he had like the seclusion. It had taken a large bit of persuading from several acquaintances before she had changed her mind about pulling it down. But at this moment, she was pleased she had taken their advice. She wandered slowly around the square, the patterned flowerbeds causing her to walk a particular path, which upon reaching the far wall, meant that she was looking back at the palace. And for a moment, she thought she saw, standing upon the roof a man. No, it can't be…

But it most assuredly was. And as she thought, as her eyes made contact with his sunset silhouetted form, she was relocated to the roof of the tower, its steep angle for keeping the snow off just as effective at removing humans who had no right to be there either…

She clung tightly to him instinctively the moment he had appeared in front on her, her eyes already ascertaining her precarious situation. Her hands gripped his arms, her face a picture of alarm, as she looked into his face, knowing how far off the ground they were. She opened her mouth to speak, but for a moment no words would come, finally she managed to gain her composure, and her voice. "What do you think you are doing?" She lowered her eyes to the garden beneath, wondering instantly if that had been a good idea. "Why are we on the roof?"

Holding her hand with just enough strength to prevent her from falling, Ainulindalion smiled. “We’re on the roof to talk.” The wind blew, much fiercer atop the tower than on the ground, whipping their clothes about them, the pull indeed strong enough to pull Gehenna from her feet even…

Keeping her gaze focused on his face, Gehenna tried to forget her location, imagining that she was standing safely on the ground, but no matter how hard she believed, her hand closed around his tighter than she would admit. "I would have spoken to you on the ground." Her voice a little shakier than normal, yet still firm. "Again you have taken this situation to the extreme. I am not unapproachable, in fact, I would say I have been more than little co-operative."

Ainulindalion smiled broadly. “Where would the fun be on the ground? Up here, you have to trust me, you have to let someone else be in control.” He released her hand for the slightest of moments, then grabbed it again. He took a step closer to her, and pulled her closer to him, as his cape continued to billow out behind him in the cold wind. “Shall we be seated, or would you prefer to stand?”

"Seated?" She laughed and shook her head incredulously, looking about her she could not see anywhere that had the appearance of being safe to sit on. Feeling the wind whipping around her body, her light jacket fluttering around her, her trousers pressed tightly against her legs, she began to shiver, not entirely due to the cold. She couldn't help imagining herself being blown off the roof at the next heavy gust, her hold on him becoming even firmer. "I think I would prefer to sit."

He pulled her right next to him, and twisted his body slightly. His cape, freely blowing in the wind one instant was wrapped around her the next, removing the chill of the wind from her body. Then, wrapping her in his arms, he held her steady while he sat, pulling her into his lap. He smiled. “And you thought there was nowhere to sit. Now, how have you been since we last parted company?”

It took all of Gehenna's resolve not to extract herself from his embrace and cast her hand over his cheek for this new humiliation. But her own safety held her temper back, knowing that if she did anything foolish, the only one of them that would end up paying for it would be her. Sighing, she resigned herself to remain where he had placed her, feeling like a child on its parents' knee. She refused to look at him, and focused her gaze on another part of the roof, knowing that the only way off was to again do as he said. Pulling his cloak tightly around her, she felt her body growing warm, the chill leaving her, as well as her fear. She felt oddly safe in his company, even if it had been him that had placed her in this position. "Oh, yes, our last meeting. How could I forget it?" She turned to face him, her eyes briefly fiery with anger, as the images filled her head. Their conversation, their kiss… Why does it keep coming back to that? "I believe it's still being spoken about now."

“Truly?” He shrugged, though he knew she spoke the truth. “Perhaps if you had not looked like you enjoyed it so much…” His voice trailed off, knowing he was teasing her to make her mad, and that making her mad might have unfortunate consequences in their current position. With his right arm, he pulled her closer to him, shielding her more fully from the wind. “I… I wanted to apologize for what I did last time. The kiss, the manipulation of your appearance… it was… uncalled for.” He swallowed. This was harder than he thought it would be. “It was rash and impulsive, and I regret any hardship it has caused you.” I don’t regret the feel of her lips on mine… or her sitting in my lap… Or…. STOP IT! What is wrong with you?

Gehenna looked at him, stunned into silence, she barely noticed his tightening grip. Whatever she had been expecting him to say it was not an apology, and this change of events had caught her off guard as she had prepared for a fight. "You are right, what you did was not very nice, and was most definitely not called for or deserved on my part." She ran her eyes over the scenery below, as she thought about her course of action. She could have made this difficult for him, refused to forgive him, but their location made walking away with a victory very difficult. Instead she caught his gaze in hers and smiled. "It is forgotten, we all make mistakes, even you are not infallible, Lord Daniels."

He breathed deeply, as if a weight had been removed from his chest, and then he smiled, that all-knowing, insufferably smug smile that he had perfected. “I never said I was infallible. But since it did happen, shall we use it as a lesson?”

"A lesson?" Her brows furrowed as she tried to follow his train of thought. She could not see what there was to learn from the situation in the maze, other than not to show him when she had the winning hand. And she was holding it then, until he had kissed her. Her fingers moved instinctively to her face, lightly tracing where his lips had touched hers. "I do see any reason to dwell it, it is in the past. I believe we should just forget it happened.”

He was silent for a moment as the stars began to sparkle overhead. Oh no, Gehenna of Tartarus, I do not believe either of us will forget that kiss for a very long time. From her motion, he saw that the feelings had remained with her as well. Why do… You need to finish this conversation and get out of here. Something is wrong with you.

“I’ve told you before,” he began softly, “the past is what makes us who we are. But we will apply the incident to your current dilemma, learning how to balance the Empress and Gehenna.” His lips quirked upwards in a brief smile. “Obviously, you still need to work on your ability to switch between the two roles. That is why I am here, to help after all.” His eyes twinkled slightly in the starlight. “In a public situation, such as that wedding, you should have been the Empress, even after I kissed you. But you allowed Gehenna to continue to control you. That is why those rumors persist. Not because you, and I, did something, but because the official persona was gone. The Empress would have commanded, even then, and the people would have obeyed. But you were Gehenna, no different from them. I suppose that is my fault as well. I’m the one who managed to get Gehenna to reemerge, after I don’t know how many years of hiding behind the Empress. So I’m going to help you get back the control that you’ve lost, to give you the ability to switch between Gehenna and the Empress at will.”

Gehenna looked at him, even more puzzled by his sentiments than ever before. She shook her head and averted her gaze, trying to bring her thought into focus, organizing them into an acceptable order. "I am still the Empress, I have not changed. Do you think I have forgotten who I am?" She moved as if to stand before she realized her danger, and remained seated against him. His closeness not helping her in any way, his arm around her bringing back many thoughts of their past meetings. The dance, the boat, the kiss… Sighing deeply, she returned her eyes to his, looking deep into them, putting her soul on show. "The only time I have any problems is with you. You make me so…" Angry was the word she had wanted to use, but she feared that gave him too much power. "Out of sorts. You confuse me."

I confuse her?! What about what she does to me? His eyes blanked as he thought for a moment. “Then you only have problems when I am around?” He snorted. “So you are saying my efforts to help you are more hindrance than help? That you’ve integrated all your memories into who you are, and the only division in your soul is the one that belongs there, between Gehenna and the Empress, both of whom you control at will? If that is so, I shall not trouble you with my presence further.” His body began to become translucent, as if he were about to vanish.

"No, wait!" Fear like she had never felt before consumed her body, as he began to vanish, her hand instinctively reached out to him. She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment that she would topple from the roof, meeting her demise on the ground below, the vision already playing in her mind.

Ainulindalion’s physical form snapped back into focus, laughing. “You think I’d let you fall now, after all the effort I’ve expended helping you?” His laughter ended. “Or did you want me to stay because you still want my help with yourself?”

Eyes opened slowly, his voice calming her with his reassurance, although her grip remained tightly on him. "Yes…yes to everything. I mean…" She shook her head as she tried to recover from her fright, staring death in the face was not always easy. She would not normally have panicked so easily, she had faith in her abilities to handle a crisis. What has happened to me? "Yes, I still need your help. Please, help me." The last three words were carried on a sigh.

He smiled. It was not his normal, superior smile, nor a smile of victory. It was a friendly smile, of one friend to another, a smile of equals. He wrapped his other arm around her reassuringly. “I’ve made you look at yourself enough, I’ve given you the answers enough times. Now, you tell me what you need my help with. Surely I’ve shown you enough to figure that out.” His voice made it a slight challenge.

Again she felt like a child, listening to her parents' as they held her close to their bodies, but it had never been like that. Her father had not been there to hold her, and her mother had wanted to, but had not. "I'm afraid. What if I turn out to be like…him?" She lowered her face, eyes focusing on hands as they twisted around in her lap. "The night of the Solstice, it was a test, to see if I could feel, and looking back, I don't know if I passed or failed." She shook her head sadly. "I have no markers, I do not know if I am doing things right or wrong." She laughed lightly, her thoughts were being rearranged as she thought. "I don't mean as an Empress, I know if I'm doing that right, but as Gehenna, I fear I will fail without your help." And yet, I fear your presence more than anything. She raised her eyes slowly, bringing them up the length of his chest, until she again found herself staring in his eye. I fear my loss of control.. Her eyes held a certain sadness.

“How will you fail? And how will I stop it?” He knew the answers to the questions already, but she had to say it, because until she said it, until she admitted it, he would be telling her, and it would not be the same. She would not know it. He resisted the temptation to comfort her in the light of the moon and stars, now fully shining on a cloudless night. “How do I help you, Gehenna of…” He did not finish. She was Gehenna of Tartarus, but she was not. He needed her to understand just being Gehenna first, for she already understood the ‘of Tartarus’ part. She was the Empress. But until she was both Gehenna and the Empress, separate and together, she would not be ‘Gehenna of Tartarus.’

Brushing a lose strand of hair from her face, that the wind was blowing against her cheek, she smiled sadly. "I need you to show me that I'm doing it right. To be someone I can I ask for guidance, when I need it." She laughed, more at herself than anything, before returning to silence for a moment. "I want you to help me face…my past. I cannot do it alone."

“You will not be alone, Gehenna,” he quietly promised. “As for guidance, I will provide it, but I think you already know the path, and how to travel it. But I will travel that path with you.” He smiled faintly. “But to face your past, we must first identify what must be faced. What do you have in your past to face, that you cannot face alone?” He was pushing her, but now… now was the time for it.

Her heart sounded loud in her ears as she realized what he was asking of her. He had caused the image to appear before her more times than she cared to recall, the dreams had kept her awake at night, and had haunted her waking thoughts. "I do not think I can do this now." She shivered, this time the wind was not the cause.

“No? I do not want you to face it, I merely want you to identify it. Facing it will be for another time, Gehenna.” He pretended the wind was the cause, though, and pulled her closer to him. “Are you cold?” He did not know why that was important. But he could not, would not cause her more pain that was absolutely necessary to finish this.

Gehenna's sigh was audible, as she let herself be held in his embrace, feeling calm for the first time since she had met him. His arms felt reassuring, as if she could face anything with him beside her and win. She smiled to herself contentedly. "Thank you."

“You’re welcome,” he replied, not entirely sure for what, but he knew it was the right thing to say. “I… I think… I think we’ve done enough for tonight.” Whether that was what he had started to say, he was not entirely sure, but that was what he said. “What about you? Do you wish to discuss anything more tonight?”

Smiling, Gehenna nodded her head slowly. "Well, there is something I would like to discuss. Something quite important." She sat upright, and looked about her, taking in her surroundings. "How do we get off the roof?" It had not even crossed her mind to ask exactly how she had gotten up there in the first place.

Ainulindalion smiled at her. “That’s simple. We jump.” His voice was completely serious.

Gehenna swung around until she was facing him, her eyes searching his for some trace of humour, and found none. "Jump? You want us to jump?" She turned, until she was looking down the drop, the floor barely visible in the fading light. "You are kidding…" She lost the amused expression that briefly touched her features, as she looked back in his direction. "Aren't you?"

Feeling his smile become a grin at her reaction, he shook his head. “There are other ways down, but jumping is the most fun.” He continued grinning. “But whatever I do, you have to do too, unless you’ve figured out how to stand on the roof on your own.” He rose smoothly to his feet, still holding her against him, though letting her feet touch the roof, as if she were standing on it.

"You're going to kill us." Gehenna spoke low, her fear even greater now, as she held on tightly to him. Her body began to shake, seeing her life begin to flash past her eyes, as she tried to recall all the good things she had experienced, but they mingled unfairly with all the bad.

Tilting her head so he looked her directly in the eyes, he spoke. “If you cannot trust me with this, how can you trust me with what is inside you?” His voice had an odd intensity to it. “Do you trust me, Gehenna?”

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then breaking her gaze from his, she nodded her head, more than a little puzzled by how much trust she had in him, considering past experiences. "Yes." She whispered, as she raised her face to his, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips. "I do trust. I can't explain why, but I do."

“Good. Hang on.” He scooped her up in his arms, one arm behind her knees, the other around her back. He stepped to the edge of the roof…

Arms looped tightly around his neck, head buried against his shoulder with eyes screwed up closed, Gehenna waited for them to hit the floor, hoping that it would be over quickly and without too much pain. Smiling, he jumped clear of the roof. The wind rushed by as they hurled downwards. Ainulindalion began to laugh as the ground rushed up to meet them. Gehenna felt her breath catch in her throat, her body trembling against him, while somewhere deep inside a little pinprick of belief, slowly grew until her body was overwhelmed with a sense of safety, her fear disappearing. Ainulindalion slammed into the ground, his knees flexing under him, the heels of his boats making a slight indentation into the dirt. He was smiling broadly, though he made no sound except his laughter, slowly dying away. “I told you it would be fun.”

Eyes slowly opened, while her arms remained locked around his neck, Gehenna could not move for a while, as her relief began to flood her body. Slowly she loosened her hold, fidgeting in his arms, although she found she was reluctant to leave his embrace. "I would hardly call jumping off a roof fun, Lord Daniels." She smiled to show that she was not about to start another row. "To each his own, I suppose."

Lowering her feet to the ground, he held her for another moment, to make sure she was steady. “I must apologize for causing you to miss your dinner. Can I do anything to make it up to you?”

"Dinner?" Brows furrowed, slowly rising as her eyes opened wide, as she finally understood the meaning of his reference. "Dinner! Oh, no!" She ran an agitated hand through her hair, as she felt her feet touch solid ground. How are you going to explain missing an important dinner because you were sitting on the roof? She shook her head. "No, there's nothing you can do."

He smiled. “There might be something I can do.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, and the world lost focus, then brightened, then refocused. The sun was just setting behind the Palace. “You have now not missed dinner, Gehenna.” His smile broadened. “Go, be the Empress, and remember what we discussed.” He made no move to leave, though.

Gehenna stared at him for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes to the sky, which held the golden glow of the setting sun. "How…?" She laughed, and tried to figure out just what had happened, but her mind would not see the whole picture, or it did, but it altered it slightly to a more believable conclusion. "I will remember. Playing the Empress is my favourite game." She smiled as she remained standing before him.

Nodding, he smiled, and his hand on her shoulder slid off, running a short distance down the arm of her jacket. “Goodnight, Gehenna… Empress.” He vanished instantly, as all but once before in her sight. But in her brain, his voice echoed… Remember…

Standing silently for a moment, his voice echoing that one word around her mind, she again found herself looking at an empty spot where he had been standing, although this time, it barely registered as odd. Looking once more at the sky, she entered the palace, noting for the first time that she had managed to remain calm in his presence.

Ainulindalion flashed his avatar into existence again, this time an inch above the bed in the Fortress. But by the time he hit the sheets, his mind was already back on the subject of Gehenna of Tartarus.

His detachment from his job was clearly gone. He had to stop it, and stop it now. But he did not want to stop.

And that was where the problem lay.

He had to stop, but he could not.

For one, if he did, it would probably break Gehenna permanently. That would not do at all. It would violate his promise, but more importantly, it would hurt her.

WHAT?! His thoughts slid to a screeching, incoherent halt. Violation of his promise would end his existence, he was fairly sure of it, and knew he had been walking a thin line with Gehenna up until now.

But that was over the line. Preventing the pain of another was more important to him than his own continued existence. Never before had that happened. It could not happen.

He could not let it happen. Clearly, Gehenna of Tartarus was something special, something set her apart from all the other organics with whom he had ever interacted.

What was it?

He ran back through his memories of her, trying to identify it. Something had called out to him the first time he had seen her, something... Had it truly been her pain that I felt? Was that why I stopped, to investigate? Why did I?

He shook the thoughts away, continuing. The teasing, the way she stood up to him, the way her eyes flashed when she was angry... the way she had felt when she had surrendered her body to him... STOP IT AINULINDALION!

But... the feel of her body. I wanted to protect her.

You can't, Balion.

Damn it, I know that.

She... Gehenna... The Empress of Tartarus... The Promise...

What am I going to do?

Returning to her room after the dinner, Gehenna moved through to the bathroom, and turned on the taps of the bath, adding scented oils for calming and relaxation. Once it was full, she undressed slowly, and slipped into the warm water, feeling her body shiver away the first of her cares, as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

Her thoughts turned instantly to the roof, and Lord Daniels, as they usually did when she found herself alone. He puzzled her more than she could understand, there was something about him that set her mind working overtime, like it was always trying to solve his mystery, coming close but holding back, teasing her.

I don’t think I will ever understand you, Lord Daniels. Even if I spent every day of my life attempting to.

She laughed to herself, finding that she was in a very pleasant mood, which in itself was strange following a working dinner, but even more so after a meeting with him. Normally she spent the rest of the evening plotting his downfall or her revenge, but not tonight. He had been different, almost – dared she think it – considerate. There had been no pushing her further than she wished to go, no pressing her into a temper. He had even apologised for the maze incident.

Have you changed your game plan, Lord Daniels? Are you testing whether being pleasant gets better results? No more stealing kisses?

She was surprised how that last thought made her feel, not as happy as she had hoped. She laughed at herself again, shaking her head, trying to persuade herself that they meant nothing, and yet, her thoughts always returned to them, lingered on each moment, that they had kissed.

Gehenna, you are turning into a fool! Brooding over a kiss, as if was something special. She sighed deeply, before another little voice spoke. It was.

She sat up in the bath, cradling her knees, as she searched her feelings. Then she laughed again, this time a full bodied laugh, one that came from deep inside, one that was full of humour, not condescending but happy and joyous. One not aimed at her, but enjoyed by her. Yes, today she felt good about herself, and nothing was going to spoil that.

He wants to help me. He’s promised to be there for me. No one’s ever done that for me before. The others are there for the Empress, but he’s here for Gehenna, that makes him special. Yes, that makes him very special.

Smiling, she lay back in the water, feeling it washing over her body, as she rested her head against the back of the bath. Content in the knowledge that she had someone to call upon in her need, and that he had promised to be there.

"Thank you."

Imperial Protection Agent Nathan Cook stood loosely on guard outside the Imperial Box in the Antaeus Theater. The Empress was in attendance tonight, which explained his presence, and the presence of at least nine other IPAs throughout the building. Two stood on guard in the Box, with the Empress, while Cook and his partner stood outside. The other six were distributed through the building. Cook had worked for the Empire for a number of years, first guarding Erebus, the Empress’s father for three years, and for the last two and a half years, guarding the Empress after her father’s untimely death. Of course, he knew the truth about that sad day, the day when a woman had come to the throne of Tartarus. And for two years, he had buried his resentment until he had discovered the truth. But now, as he innocently watched a wall hanging on the far side of the hallway, he was in a position to do something about it. After tonight, the throne would be returned to a man. All he needed was that one perfect shot.

Ainulindalion watched, formless, as Gehenna watched the performance on stage, Taming of the Shrew. In the darkened auditorium, the reds, gold, and rich woodwork was dimmed, with the only lights coming from the front of the room, where the actors went through their lines with skill. There was something subtly different about the atmosphere tonight, of those people near the Empress, and this would be the first time he had confronted her with her guards present. The shadows of the darkened Imperial Box swirled, and shifted, resolving into the figure of Lord Daniels, sitting in the plush chair to the right of the Empress, dressed in his customary black. As he solidified, his arm reached out, and settled onto the back of Gehenna’s chair. As his hand settled on her shoulder, he spoke softly, with apparent disregard for the actions of the two guards in the box. “Good evening, Gehenna.”

The two IPAs began to spin towards the unexpected voice, hands dropping to their weapons, and then paused as they saw the familiarity of his positioning with the Empress. Turning at his voice, Gehenna sat for a moment in stunned silence, before a smile spread across her lips. She raised her hand to still the IPAs movements, nodding her head to inform them that she was quite safe. "Good evening, Lord Daniels." She returned her gaze to the stage before them. "This is an unexpected surprise. If I had known you like the theatre, I would have invited you officially." The sound of her laugh filled the box, kept low so as not to disturb others.

Smiling sardonically, Ainulindalion watched the two guards return to their previous postures, gazing out into the theater, watching for things dangerous to their Imperial charge. “The theater is nice, but I am not here for it. It has been five weeks since we met on the roof, Gehenna. Are you ready to continue?”

Gehenna smiled to herself, her eyebrows raised in wide-eyed surprise. Placing her hand on the skirt of her gown, she moved slightly in her chair until she was facing him, her eyes no longer on the actors on the stage, the show about to kick off in the box grabbing her attention. She looked at the others in the box, trained not to listen, to become visible, but suddenly after all these years of having them silently follow her, their presence was felt deeply. "You want to discuss my life here?" She waved her arm in front of her, the faint light glittering against the gems she wore on her wrist and fingers. "You have a strange sense of occasion, Lord Daniels."

Ainulindalion fought down a grin. He had chosen now because she was in public, not just with the upper crust, but for once, with all her people. She could not afford to give into anger here any more than she could have on the roof of the Palace. “I take it you are less than pleased with my choice of venues? I told you, contact would be on my terms. Do you wish my help or not?”

"You know I want you help." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "You could have chosen the interval though. Do you know how much tickets for this play are?" She ran her hand over her knee, caressing the scarlet material with her fingers, as her eyes darted back to the stage to check the action, before moving down to her lap. She frowned slightly, as she realized what would be coming next. Am I ready to face this now?

Smiling, he shrugged, briefly tightening his grip on her opposite shoulder. “I’ll pay for it, if you want me to. And as for the interval, would it have been at all proper for me to corner you in a restroom?” His voice was light, full of laughter, though still soft, belying the seriousness of the subject he had come to discuss with her.

The thought of him following her into the ladies, as she powdered her nose, made her smile. And she wouldn't put it passed him to do just that, he didn't seem to have any compunction, and the more he embarrassed her the more he seemed to enjoy himself. "I think you were wise to come when you did." Her face became serious, her eyes glassing over, as she tried to hide the emotion that threatened to show itself. "So, Lord Daniels, where do we start?" The sooner I start, the sooner it ends.

The smile vanished from Ainulindalion’s face, replaced with a carefully cultivated neutral expression. “Gehenna, I told you last time I’d given you enough answers. You must do this on your own. I can help, but the majority of the effort will be on your part.” Then, knowingly echoing her thoughts, knowing it bothered her, he finished with, “The sooner you start, the sooner it ends.”

She frowned as she heard her unspoken words repeated by him, his ability to see into her head frightened her, made her feel more vulnerable than she normally felt. Somehow he managed to make her feel like a child, scared and guilty for doing nothing, and yet there was something else, he made her feel… What? Like a human being? Like a real person? Not just some figurehead? "I know what you said, and I know I have to do it myself." She turned from him, her gaze disappearing into the darkness of the auditorium. "Looking at yourself isn't always easier. What if you don't like what you see?" Her voice had lowered until the last sentence was little more than a whisper.

“Gehenna.” He waited until she looked at him again. “If you don’t like what you see, you change it. But you cannot change it without first knowing what must be changed.” His voice was gentle, kind, compassionate. “But you will not know unless you look.”

Gehenna sighed, knowing that what he said was true, but the images they hurt, the pain as fresh in her mind as the day they had first happened. She lowered her eyes. Her fingers nervously playing with her ring, spinning it and pulling off her finger, before replacing it again. "What makes it harder to face is the fact that I should have done something." She looked again into his eyes, a sadness resting in her own, as her mind began to take her back to that moment. "I should have stopped it happening. Perhaps not then, but before." She went silent, remember the good times that had taken place, the times leading up to her nightmare. "I should not have taken him for a friend."

Regarding her silently for a moment, Ainulindalion considered his response. “You should take anyone you want as a friend, Gehenna.” He dropped his voice softer, so only she could here. “We’ve already established you can take whoever you want to your bed, so why not as a friend?” He smiled wryly. “But what could you have done anyway? No one can control where their heart leads them.” Perhaps not, Balion… But perhaps they can, a little voice in his head told him. “And how would you have stopped your father’s intervention,” the word was sour in his mouth, “into the situation?” He knew what had happened, from her memory of the event, and the sight sickened even him.

"I should have remained distant, not become so friendly." She swallowed, a lump forming in her throat, as she struggled to see how she could have stopped what had happened. Her father had warned her, all through her life, but she had ignored his teachings and her 'friend' had paid the price. Is that why I refuse to let anyone else get close? Am I afraid they will leave me too? She smiled suddenly, as she turned further in her chair, her amusement aimed at herself, than the situation she had been discussing. "It's strange, talking like this. I don't usually talk about me, in this sense." She frowned, her forehead creased in puzzlement. "I don't know why I find it easy to talk to you about such personal things."

Maybe because you are simply telling me what I already know. Your words are not at all unexpected, Gehenna. Something stopped him from saying that, though. Instead, he chuckled softly. “You’re changing the subject, avoiding it, like you’ve always done. Stop.” The last word, though he still spoke quietly, was clearly a command, and without laughter.

"Lord Daniels, do you have a friend? Someone that you trust with all your secrets?" She again turned away from him, her question asked with no expectation of an answer. Running her gaze over the darkened circle of the theatre, the low light accenting her jewelry, causing little stars to appear. "I thought that I could do without one, that I could keep my secrets to myself, but sometimes the burden is heavy." Moving her hand to her neck, she played with the chain that fell around her throat, fingers intertwining the diamonds. "He was someone I thought I could tell everything to, but I was wrong. He broke my trust; he spoke to another about me. I remember the look on my father's face when he told me." She brought herself back from the past, and looked at the man before her, her gaze taking in his normal black attire. Black is definitely your colour, Lord Daniels. Very nice, indeed. She blushed slightly, as her thoughts wandered off of topic.

A friend? No, I don’t have a friend. But perhaps I could… Don’t go there. Ainulindalion shook his head. “No, Gehenna, I do not have a friend. Like you, my position places me so that I cannot trust anyone with my secrets, though I do not believe I share the same burden in my past that you do.” He blinked as her thoughts crossed his mind, then smiled as if at a hidden joke.

She isn’t giving me anything to follow up on. Well, there is a solution for that… “You’ve never discussed this with anyone before, have you?”

She shook her head slowly, a tendril of hair falling about her face as it loosed itself from its hairgrip. "No, I've never spoken of this to anyone." She absently brushed the loose strands away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. "No one has ever been interested before. My father always said that it was the sign on a poor ruler to show your subordinates that you had emotions. I must have done a good job at hiding my feelings."

“That you have. You did such a good job you hid yourself along with them.” His voice was dry, without inflection, obviously trying hard not to return to the easy contempt that it carried so well. “You don’t always have to hide your emotions, Gehenna. Learn to use all of them to benefit you. With that will come the control you want, so that you can deal with things like the boy in your youth.”

He kept himself from calling up the images when he spoke, but it would not prevent her mind from doing it. He tried to stay out of her mind as much as he could, but it was hard. It called to him, drawing him in. He gave his head a tiny shake.

*****

In the hallway, Nathan Cook glanced at his watch. How long until intermission? I don’t want to do it while the theater is quiet. Better to have the noise cover it up. He smiled at his partner, an attractive young woman. Pity she has to die. I bet she’s good in bed.

*****

"I know you are right, Lord Daniels. I have hidden myself away, but only so that I can face my duties with a clear head." She picked up a pair of theatre glasses, and stared down at the stage, seeing the actors faces up close, as if reaching our her hand she could touch their flesh. "You know, there was nothing I could do. I told him right from the beginning that we couldn't be friends, but he persisted." She smiled as she saw him in her mind, his smiling face, his kind gestures. Everything he did was done in friendship, her entertainment his only concern. Then she saw his face, heard his anguished face, saw the pain, and even then he was thinking of their friendship, and she had turned her back on him, had for a moment ignored his pleading for her own selfishness, and she had lost him anyway. Swallowing down the growing lump, she sighed heavily, the sound loud in her ears. "Why is it so much easier to remember the bad things that happen in your life?" She turned her face to his, her eyes sparkling with the increased moisture that had appeared. "When the good seems to fade to almost nothing?"

Ainulindalion smiled, and squeezed her shoulder. “The good fades when you dwell on the bad, Gehenna. The bad would fade if you dwelt on the good.” He sighed. “But even that would not be enough. Injustice is always remembered longer than justice, evil over good, because it can more profoundly impact.” His voice was gentle still, caring. “Why did the boy persist if you discouraged him so?”

*****

Cook glanced at his watch again. Close enough to the intermission. I want the applause to cover me. He moved from his post, flashing his handsome smile at his female partner. She was new, and young. Like the Empress. They would both die this day. Approaching her, he sensed her nervousness at his closeness, but he knew the reason behind it was wrong.

His hands came up as he took either side of her head and spun her around into him. She gasped, not quite registering what was happening, and she never would. His hands blurring, Cook moved them across her face, and then twisted. Her vertebrae shattered, and he dropped her to the floor, watching her boneless, silent collapse impassively. One down.

The Empress was the primary target. He lifted his wrist mike to his lips as he drew his gun. “Coming in,” he alerted the two guards inside, which would delay their reaction hopefully just long enough. He chambered a round in the semi-automatic, feeling the reassuring weight of eleven steel-jacketed rounds in the grip.

*****

She sat in silence as she thought about his question. It was something she had asked him countless times, and he had always answered the same. Everyone needs a friend. She had always found that amusing, and had repeatedly told him that she had lots of them, but the day he had been taken from her, she realized just how wrong she had been. "He was a friend." She smiled at her companion, as if those four words encompassed everything she wanted to say. She heard the swish of the curtain, and the growing applause of the audience. Turning back to the stage, she joined in giving her appreciation, even though she had barely been following the performance. But she didn't want to give the play a bad press due to her inattention.

“It doesn’t sound like…” the rest of Ainulindalion’s words were cut off by the crack of a pistol shot, echoing even over the applause. He began to spin, his arm coming away from Gehenna’s back…

Who the fuck is that? The thought screamed through Cook’s mind as he fired, betraying his careful aim. The sight of Ainulindalion with his arm around the Empress had thrown him off. He began to adjust his aim as the Imperial Protection Agents in the Box began to turn around, drawing their weapons…

The bullet tore into Balion’s arm, but the speed of his motion changed its intended path. Instead of tearing out of his arm into Gehenna’s spine or lungs, it ripped through her shoulder, just below the collar bone as a second bullet tore into his palm, passing behind the Empress head, shattering bones there, but its vector also changed when it left his body, missing Gehenna completely as her body was spun by the first shot.

Before Gehenna could even register what the sound was, a searing pain shot through her shoulder, a cry escaping loudly from her lips, as the second shot resounded in her ears, her body already reacting to the impact of the bullet, spinning towards the floor.

Cook paused at Gehenna’s cry, his finger catching on the trigger. She shouldn’t be able to scream. She should be dead. The pause was just long enough for, as Ainulindalion’s cry rose involuntarily to join Gehenna’s, one of the bodyguards to get his gun up.

As Cook depressed the trigger a third time, determined to finish the job, his body jerked back as if a marionette on a string, throwing his aim yet again, his third, and final, shot going high. The second bullet came in from his shoulder, and the third tore his heart to mangled muscle. The other agent’s first shot blew apart his head.

As screams began to fill the theater, patrons realizing what the noises were, Ainulindalion fought down the pain and gasped out her name. “Gehenna?” The guards spun towards him, and then one of them called, “Your Majesty?” as he knelt over her downed form, gun still in hand, eyes searching for more threats.

Her mind was fuzzy as everything moved around her in slow motion, her hand instinctively moving to her shoulder, as she felt the warm sticky blood coating her hand. She watched the crimson fluid flow down her skin, soaking into the red material. It matches my dress.

As the noise around her grew, Gehenna tried to focus on one voice one sound, her eyes staring at everything and nothing, as people rushed around her. She saw a fallen body at the back of the box, and her eyes widened. "Lord Daniels?" She couldn't see the face of the prone man, so she tried to move to see if her companion was alive, causing a bolt of paid to shoot through her body.

“I’m alright, Gehenna.” His voice told that his words were lies, but he could not let worry for him trouble her now. Feet pounded on the floor of the box as more and more IPAs arrived, and stumbled to a halt at the carnage before them. Fighting his pain, he spoke to them, his voice harsh with command and pain. “Do your duty. Get the Empress to Rinaldi Medical Center.”

As the rest drew their guns, the two largest men carefully picked Gehenna up, one trying uselessly to stop the bleeding from the hole bored through her shoulder with his hand. They began to move out into the hallway. One stopped by Ainulindalion, one of the ones from the box. “Lord Daniels? Are you okay, milord?”

“I’m fine. Go with them.” The pain in his voice, and the mangled, bloody ruin of his left arm said he was lying, but the agent followed his instructions. As the last of them left the box, leaving Ainulindalion alone with the body, he vanished as well, dispersing the avatar to lose the pain.

Everything became a blur, voices echoed in her mind, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. They sounded so far away, almost if they belonged in another world, another time. She tried to see what was happening, but her view was blocked, large black shapes keeping out everything expect the overhead lighting.

Someone cried out, the voice familiar, but Gehenna could barely distinguish herself from all the shouting that was happening around her, as security personnel and theatre staff anxiously arranged for the Empress’ removal from the foyer, where a medical team were waiting for its charge.

Feeling herself lowered from the arms of the man carrying her, she felt the pain shoot through her shoulder, and a cry filled her ears, before there was nothing but darkness…

Turning round, she smiled at the man sitting beside her, she was used to seeing him, his black attire as familiar as her own face in the mirror. He was talking quietly, his mouth moving but she could not hear the words, her forehead creased as she watched his lips, struggling to decipher his message.

“I can’t understand. I don’t know what you want from me.”

She leant forward, her ear close trying to catch a sound. His warm breath tickling her skin distracted her, turning she looked deep into his eyes, before pressing her lips to his, losing herself in his kiss. Her arm moved around him pulling him close, as her other hand gently cupped his cheek.

The sound rang through the air, as she pulled away smiling, her eyes resting on his face. She watched in horrified wonder as a red dot appeared on his breast, steadily growing, getting bigger and bigger, until his black apparel slowly turned a crimson red.

“We’ll all die for you, Gehenna.”

She felt him go limp in her arms, a cry on her lips as she stumbled against his weight, pulling them both onto the floor, her body trembling as she placed a shaking hand on his chest, trying to stem the flowing blood.

“Help me! Please, someone, help me!”

Hearing the footsteps, she looked up from the fallen man’s face, travelling up the form of the person before her, his presence overpowering. Gehenna gasped, her eyes fixed to the familiar face of the one man she hated more than anything. Getting up from the floor, she rushed over to the man, her hands pounding against his chest, as his laugh filled the air, echoing around the empty auditorium, in his hand, hanging loose by his side, he held a gun, the barrel smoking, western style.

“Not again! Not again! You killed him!”

She crumpled to the floor, her father’s laughter ringing in her ears, growing louder and louder, as she tried to block out the sound with her hands. She turned away from him, and moved back to the prone body of on the ground. Her hand gently stroking his hair, as a scarlet pool continued to grow around him.

“I’m so sorry, Lord Daniels. You shouldn’t have tried to help.”

Emperor Erebus drew closer, his gun hand rising, the barrel levelled at her head. Gehenna turned slowly, looking into the face of the man before her. She rose to her feet, the weapon remained pointing at her face. Feeling something cold in her hand, she struck out, the blade burying itself in his chest, as another shot rang out, throwing her to the floor.

“N—

“—o!”

Eyes flew open, breath ragged and loud as she gasped in some much needed air. Disorientated, she gazed around the room, her movement sending a searing pain through her shoulder, as the memories began to slowly flood back. She caught sight of her cousin, Lord Nefarious standing near the door, talking to a nurse, both of whom had turned at her cry.

“Lord Daniels?” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. “What happened to Lord Daniels?”

Ainulindalion slipped from physical existence, immediately losing the pain of the Daniels avatar’s mangled arm. He started to transfer himself back to his Fortress…

…and found himself once again in form, standing in a white room he had never seen. What in the name of Eru?

That’s what I was going to ask you, Ainulindalion.

He spun around to face the voice. A figure, barely visible, of humanoid form, but in shifting spectra was before him. It hurt to look at him. Balion tried to look away.

No. He felt his eyes snap back to face the painful figure. The rolling colors made him sick.

“Who…”

Who am I? I am The Watcher. Ainulindalion again tried to turn away. No. The simple command was overwhelmingly powerful.

“What…”

What do I watch? The way the being could read Balion like an open book frightened him. It reminded him of what he could do to organics. I watch gods and goddesses, those with roles, and those without, and especially, those with promises.

Ainulindalion felt a fear like he had never felt chill him like an icy blast. The core of his being simply froze. The Watcher waved his hand, producing a simple piece of parchment. This is why you are here. The document unrolled, and a wave of power rolled over Balion like a storm tide. It was his promise, his oath.

You saved the life of one who was meant to die, Balion. It should not be. She… The image of Gehenna laying unconscious in a hospital bed flashed before him. …should not be. This is what should have happened. Would have happened, had it not been for your interference.

Gehenna was watching the play, and began to clap as the curtain came down. Cook stepped into the box, gun leveled at her. The first shot sounded like a thunderclap over the silence of the applause. The bullet ripped into the base of Gehenna’s spine, where it joined her skull and tore out through the front of her throat with a spray of blood. A lethal wound. She would drown in her own blood. A second shot rang out, tearing into Ainulindalion’s heart. It penetrated her skull, tearing her from the chair. She was dead before she hit the floor. Cook fired again, taking down the first bodyguard, and then a fourth time, killing the last agent guarding the Empress. Then he approached the Empress’ fallen body and toed her onto her back. He emptied the seven rounds into her face, and then turned the gun on himself, and placing it in his mouth, pulled the trigger.

Ainulindalion stared in silence as the image faded away. He was stunned, and his confusion quickly became anger. He leapt for The Watcher, his hand already attempting to call his sword to hand, as he snarled, “LYING BASTARD.”

DOWN! The Watcher’s voice cracked like the thunderbolts of an angry god. And that is what he was. Ainulindalion slammed to the floor of wherever this was, his sword vanishing as if it never was.

He tried to press himself up, and found he could not. “Let… me… up…” He spoke slowly, as if an intense weight were upon his chest. Which was, in a sense, exactly the problem.

YOU. VIOLATED. YOUR. PROMISE.

What?! “I… didn’t…” Again the words were forced through clenched teeth.

No? The Watcher pointed to his left, and Ainulindalion felt his face rotate in the indicated direction. A huge pair of scales hung, clearly unbalanced. That is your fault. His head snapped back to face The Watcher, who was kneeling before him now, holding a pair of golden scissors. Trillions upon trillions of names lined either side of the blades, each with its own little notch. Except one. Gehenna of Tartarus.

Ainulindalion stared at it silence. Cook’s name was nearby. Through your interference, the notch that would end the life of Gehenna of Tartarus at her appointed time is gone. YOU UPSET THE BALANCE. YOU PLAYED WITH FATE. You. Did. The. One. Thing. You. Swore. To. Eru. You. Would. Never. Do.

Ainulindalion realized that The Watcher was right. He had violated his promise. He had broken the trust, however unintentionally. Then….Why…

Why are you still here, Son of Creation? The answer is simple. You did not intend for this to happen, and I, and Eru, know your heart, perhaps better than you do. Everyone is given a second chance. The Watcher leaned closer, making Ainulindalion more and more sick to himself, increasing the pressure and the pain. His voice became quiet. There will not be a third, Balion. The Watcher’s lack of eyes blazed with unnatural flames as he stood, backing away.

And then, in a gut wrenching swirl of power and color, of negative energies, The Watcher vanished, and Ainulindalion felt himself almost be ripped apart by the power. The weight vanished, and all faded to black…

At her question, Lord Nefarious moved closer to the bed, his face etched with concern as he looked down at the Empress. Her face was whiter than he had ever seen, contrasting with her dark brown hair, her eyes were like deep pools of water in a winter snow scene. Her gaze followed him as he drew near, searching his face for some answer, his expression filled her with dread.

“Is he…?” She could not bring herself to say the word, it caught painfully in her throat, threatening to wrench her heart out. He was trying to help you, and you killed him, just like…just like… She tried to sit up, feeling useless in her prone position, wanting to regain a more professional stance, but her shoulder did not like the idea, and repaid her effort with another stabbing pain.

Lord Nefarious, watching her movements but making no move to aid her, stood looking puzzled. She had called out a name, and he tried to place it, searching for a face but came up blank. There had been talk that there had been another person in the theatre box, but if he really existed, he managed to vanish without a trace, and no one could give a clear description. And this bothered him.

Gehenna saw the confusion crossing his face, and misread its meaning. Her eyes widened and her heart sank, suddenly feeling lost and alone. “I have to see him. Where is he?”

Her companion shook his head, his forehead creased with a frown. “Who is he, Gehenna? You were brought here alone.” He smiled kindly at her, but his eyes shone with something, hidden deep and easy to miss. He turned to the nurse, as if waiting for confirmation, his movement taking the Empress’ gaze with it. “Was anyone else from the theatre admitted?”

Gehenna watched as the woman shook her head. “No, my Lord, there were no other casualties.” The nurse’s voice shook, as her desire to leave grew, uncomfortable under the gaze of the man before her. She had been having this very conversation with him before her patient had awoken. “I shall inform the doctor that you are awake, your Majesty.” And with a brief nod from the Empress, the woman left.

“What about the…?” She swallowed hard, not wanting his death confirmed, but she had to know, she couldn’t remain in ignorance, no matter how much it hurt to know the truth. She remembered what he had said, knowing when to be the Empress and when to be Gehenna, her expression changed, her pain almost forgotten. “The people who did this this, what of them? And the other victims?” Please let there be no others.

Nefarious could see that she wanted to know everything, unfortunately there was little information for him to impart, the would-be assassin had been taken down, his motives hidden forever, as he took them to his grave. “The man responsible was taken down after he shot you.” He watched the Empress’ eyes for signs, but her expression remained unaffected. “The other fatality…”

At this Gehenna looked at him, her face anxious, almost afraid to hear the rest of the sentence, her mind blocked out the words, as she closed her eyes, already imaging the worst.

“…her family has already been notified.”

“Her?” Gehenna’s voice rose in question, as her eyes snapped open. Her gaze fixed on her cousin’s face. Her heart skipped a beat as his words finally sunk into her conscious, her sigh low but still audible, a point picked up by the man beside her, so much so, that she could see it showing in his face. “We should be grateful that the casualty count was so low. I want a full investigation on how this managed to happen. I don’t want another repeat.”

He nodded his head. “An inquiry has already been initiated. Heads will roll for this oversight.” His anger showed in his tone, his eyes blazing as he thought about how different things may have been. “We were fortunate tonight.”

“No.” Gehenna smiled, as she moved her hand carefully to her injured shoulder. In her mind she could see him, sitting beside her in the theatre, the images changed, and she could see him no longer, panic began, but then…she heard his voice. He had called her name. “I was lucky tonight.” Her expression turned serious. “I want you to head the investigation, I need someone I can trust to get to the bottom of this breech.”

Nefarious nodded his head. “I will get onto it right away. If you will excuse me, Gehenna.” He waited for her acknowledgement, and moved to the door, with a brief look back, he departed, leaving the Empress alone in the room.

Staring at the door for a moment, Gehenna relaxed, sighing visibly as she finally replayed the conversation. He was unharmed, her dream had been nothing but that…a dream. Suddenly the thought didn’t make her so happy. Why aren’t you here, Lord Daniels? When I need you.

As if summoned by her thoughts, a form of a man flowed out of the wall. Or perhaps he stepped through it. But however it happened, Ainulindalion was there, standing next to the wall at the foot of Gehenna’s bed. “Did you need something, Gehenna?” he asked with a smile.

Looking up, Gehenna was surprised to see him standing before her, her face lit up with a smile as his presence registered in her mind. "Lord Daniels, this time I can honestly say I am pleased to see you." She looked about the room, before indicating with her left hand a chair that rested by the bed. "Would you care to sit down?" As she spoke, her eyes passed over his body, checking for signs of injury.

Watching her eyes, his smile grew. "I am unharmed, now. The first shot passed through my arm, and the second shattered my hand. Most unpleasant, but nothing I couldn’t deal with." He shook his head, and smiled to remove the sting from his next words. "I’ll remain standing. Sitting next to you seems to be dangerous." The advantage of his current position was that the room’s security camera could not see him.

"I understand." Her voice may have given the impression that she was unaffected by his decision, but her eyes told a different story. It was a moment before his previous words registered, her face clouded with puzzlement. "If you were injured, how do you show no sign of your wounds?"

“I told you, nothing I couldn’t deal with. But it was not an experience I am eager to repeat.” He leaned back against the wall, noting the expression in her eyes. The best way to make sure he did not interfere again was to not get close to her.

Watching as he moved back against the wall, Gehenna fought to hide her disappointment at the distance he was creating between them, in all their meetings he had always been so close, so reachable. Today he was different, something had changed. Has death frightened you, Lord Daniels? I tried to warn you that people who got close to me were made to suffer. She finally managed to control her emotions, the practical Empress coming to the front, taking over the situation as she slowly began to bury the hurt she was feeling. Sitting up, she jarred her arm, as another wave of pain flashed through her shoulder, bringing a faint cry to her lips. "Thank you for coming. I was worried that something might have happened to you." She smiled, her eyes showing genuine warmth. "My fears have been alleviated."

“Is that all you wanted me here for? Or did you have something else you wished to discuss?” His tone was brisk, businesslike. The gentleness and the compassion she had heard earlier were completely absent.

Gehenna's brows furrowed, as she stared at him, this change in attitude confused her. Only hours before they had been sitting, and talking like two civilized people and now… "I'm sorry I have wasted your time." She lowered her face from his, feeling a prickling of tears threatening to fall. Closing her eyes, she willed them away, as she worked on her composure.

He wanted nothing more than to cross the room to her, to hold her, to comfort her. But he could not. He could not interfere more than he already was. His voice did soften, though. “Time spent with you is never a waste, Gehenna. I am grateful for your concern.” He smiled at her, some of the old sparkle back in his eyes. “I believe the doctor is coming, so by your leave…”

"Before you go." She looked up to face him, her smile firmly back in place, as she pushed yet more painful thoughts to the back of mind. "I think it would be for the greater good of all concerned, if I break my word, and tell you that I no longer need your help. You have done enough." I cannot allow you to suffer for me, and I cannot bear these feelings you stir up in me. "Goodbye, Lord Daniels."

The door slammed shut and the lights dimmed. “No.” The simple word conveyed more than any lengthy explanation but he continued, his voice colder and darker than the night outside. “You are not giving up that easily. You cannot be rid of me like that. I’ve expended too much effort, I’ve taken a goddamned bullet for you, for you to give up now. Is this clear?”

Gehenna nodded her head, his reaction startling her. She had merely wanted to give him the chance to walk away, and he repaid her with fear. "I do not know what you want anymore." She turned her gaze to the window, not being able to bring herself to look at him, her body experience a multitude of emotions. "You will not come near me, and yet you will not walk away." She placed her hand on her forehead, fingers moving over her brow, trying to push away her increasing frustration.

Ainulindalion did not know what he wanted anymore either, and in addition to frightening her, his own reaction frightened him. His voice became curt and choppy again as the door swung back open, and the lighting returned to its normal level. “You are alive, and you will heal. Concentrate on the good things.” The darkness crept back into his voice. “Deal with the bad.” He vanished, his final words coming from thin air. “I will see you again.”

She sat in silence for a moment, not sure exactly what had happened in that brief exchange. She had been so happy to see him when he first appeared, and now he had left her angry…no not angry, hurt. His words had cut through her like a knife. Back to the beginning, Lord Daniels, just when we were becoming… She suddenly felt delight and heartache. …friends.

Ainulindalion flashed back into the Fortress, half expecting to end up in the white room again. He breathed out a sigh of relief, human style, that he did not.

He flopped into the chair, and watched as the great fire place ignited. What the Hell were you thinking, Balion?

Her. Gehenna of Tartarus. That's what I was thinking of. Hell itself, or at least, herself. Damn it all.

The expression on her face when he'd stayed where he was, on the wall. Oh, how he had wanted to move, to take her into his arms again, to hold her in his embrace, to comfort her.

Instead, with his fist clamped around her heart, he had withdrawn, pulling it with him. He had hurt her, in a way no bullet ever would.

But he had made a choice, himself over her. He had hated it, but he looked at it rationally. He would hurt her far more if he was unable to finish this activity with her. And so, he must continue until she was healed.

Which meant keeping his distance until then, and afterwards, departing, never to see her again. It was surprising how much that thought ripped at his own heart. But the thought of hurting Gehenna clawed at it more, and fear pulsed through his blood at the thought of violating his oath.

The Promise or The Job? Myself, or Gehenna?

You're a coward, Ainulindalion.

Winter had fallen over Tartarus, the cold air chilling the country, plunging its people into freezing conditions. Over the last few days, a snow blizzard coated several cities and towns in a blanket of fresh white snow, creating chaos, but also fun, as the young emerged from the warmth of their homes and played happily making snowmen and riding sleds. Although Ord had always been a favoured summer location for the upper classes, Gehenna had always preferred it at this time of the year, not that she had the opportunity normally to witness the changing season with so much freedom. But she had been persuaded that she would heal quicker away from the Palace and the heart of the Empire, while still being only a phone call away. Feeling the need for a breath of air, she stepped out onto the snow encrusted path, a concerned staff member's face displayed his reluctance to let her go, but he knew better than to try and talk any sense into the woman before him. She would just throw the same argument in his direction that she had every day since she began this afternoon ritual. So he kept quiet, and watched as she walked down the path towards the field. She took her time as she moved carefully away from the house, her balance precarious with the snow beneath her feet, her desire not to fall made more difficult with her arm still being supported by a sling. As she reached the fence at the end of the path, she rested her left arm on the top bar, and watched the horses that called the field their home.

She probably did not know how long she stood there, but it could not have been more than a few minutes, before a perfect sphere of white powder broke itself open against her left shoulder, spraying itself onto her back, against her cheek, and down over her front. There was no other sound besides the soft crunch oh snow under the horses’ hooves and the sound of snow splattering on fabric.

Gehenna gasped as the snow splattered against her skin, her eyes instantly looking for the person responsible, but after a quick look, she could see no one else around. Running her hand over her cheek, she brushed away the dusting of snow that had yet to melt as it touched her body.

The next one came from in front of her, visible as it arced through the air, but too close to avoid. It hit her stomach in a powdery explosion, covering her front with cold snow.

"Who's there?" Gehenna called out, as she passed her eyes over her surroundings, looking again for the culprit. She knew that security was tight, in fact since the incident at the theatre, she found it increasingly difficult to have any time to herself, which was one of the reasons she had chosen this retreat for her recuperation. It was one of her least known residences, and one of the safest. Getting onto the exclusive island was hard enough, without attempting to get into the residence.

No response was forthcoming. Or at least, no verbal response. But there was a response, in the form of yet another snowball, landing directly on top of her head, showering her in particles of snow.

Gehenna closed her eyes and stood still, involuntarily shivering, as tiny pieces of the projectile hit her skin. "Who are you?" She looked around, focusing on the direction the last snowball had originated. "This is not funny. Show yourself!"

For a long moment, nothing happened. And then, the sound of snow muffled hoof beats could be discerned, coming closer, as if from a great distance. A black shape moved against the snow, a horse and rider, directly between Gehenna and the winter sun, the shadow preventing any attempt at identification.

Then another sound, that of the horse’s cry. But its neigh was not the rough sound of the horses Gehenna knew, it was the musical sound of a Mearas, a lord of horses. The rider approached, and details began to resolve. He was cloaked, and wore a sword at his hip, and he rode bare-backed. Then he spoke, his familiar voice removing all doubt to his identity.

“Good day, Gehenna.”

Gehenna looked wide-eyed at the rider, her features moving into a frown as she focused on his face. Before she said a word, she turned, and began to walk away, not feeling up to dealing with him today, his reaction to her in the hospital still fresh in her mind.

When she turned away, Ainulindalion frowned. What do I say? How do I… I don’t know. “Gehenna.” His voice was soft, half hearted, as he called after her. And then louder. “Please.” But he made no move to follow her, horse and rider perfectly still where they had stopped before her.

Hearing his voice, she stopped and stood with her back to him for a moment, before she slowly looked back in his direction, her eyes puzzled as they searched his eyes. "Why are you here? You made it quite plain, the last time we spoke, that being around me was…" She thought for a moment to find the exact phrase. "Oh, yes, dangerous." The smile that appeared on her lips was anything but friendly.

“Of course it is. You’re the Empress of Tartarus. But dangerous or not, I did promise to help you, and so I will. I will just have to be more careful about how I go about it.” His voice dropped lower, tone edging towards matching her expression. “And as I have done before, I will help you even if you do not want that help.” His smile was colder than the frigid air about them. “We can begin at the beginning again, if you want to.” The threat in his voice was perfectly clear.

Gehenna shook her head and laughed, she couldn't explain what it was that she found amusing, but something tickled her. She looked up at his face, a smile still remained after the laugher ceased. "And would you be performing this lesson from the other side of the field, or are we far enough away so that you will not take another bullet for me?" Not that she wished him too, but his cutting remarks from the hospital kept creeping into her head.

Ainulindalion frowned again. This was not going well. At all. He sidled his mount up to her, looking directly down at her. “I’ve checked everyone within a five mile radius of you. None of them plan anything of the sort.” I might be, if you don’t cooperate soon, though. “So shall we continue where we left off before the unfortunate incident with Agent Cook?”

The mention of the man's name was enough to remind her how close she had come to dying. And somehow, although not altogether sure how, she knew that he was more than a little responsible for her still being here. He had taken the bullet for her, he said so himself, she suddenly felt a little guilty. Even if he is distant with me, I owe him. Even if it's just some civility. "Yes, if you wish." Her voice was quiet, as she lost her fight. She looked around her, and walked over to a tree stump that was positioned a little way from the fence, increasing the space between them. "I'm afraid I don't really recall where we got to." She looked up into his eyes, her own showing her sense of defeat.

A brief smile danced across Ainulindalion’s features. “Understandable, under the circumstances.” He edged the horse closer to her. “Would you rather ride than sit on a tree stump, Gehenna?”

It had been a while since she had been in the saddle, and the prospect of a ride was more tempting than she could resist. Suddenly she recalled that not only did she not have a saddled mount, but she also had the slight disadvantage of her arm, the sling would make riding a little difficult. "A ride would be most pleasant." She smiled genuinely at the prospect. "As long as we can take it steadily. I'm afraid I do not heal as quickly as some."

He smiled at her barely veiled reference to his relatively instantaneous healing process. “Would you prefer a mount of your own, or would Shadow be acceptable to you as well?” From his tone, he was clearly indicating his own mount, and with a certain amount of affection. He was trying to bridge the gap he had made, without intent, that fateful day.

She wanted to say yes, wanted the trust that had been growing between them, but at the same time she was afraid. If he offered the hand of friendship and took it away again, she didn't think she could bare that. But he was trying, and the least she could do was accept, even if it pained her in the end. "Perhaps sharing would be easiest, I'm not sure I would be able to handle a horse single-handedly at the moment." Her own unintentional pun making her smile, as it dawned on her what she had said.

Chuckling, Ainulindalion moved Shadow right next to the tree stump, so she could stand on it to make mounting the large stallion easier, and offered her his hand. His smile looked and felt more natural now, and the gleam of mischief in his eyes, ever present in their earlier meetings, had returned.

Looking up into his face, she carefully stood on the stump, and took hold of his hand. She smiled back at him, as she tried to capture what a bullet had so cruelly stolen from her. How could something so small…? It wasn't that, it's Me. With his help, she finally managed to settle in front of him, his closeness making her shiver.

Wrapping his arms about her waist, Ainulindalion spoke a simple command in a foreign tongue, and the horse began to trot through the snow, moving slowly, the restrained power of its body evident in the rippling of the muscles under their thighs.

He pulled her back against him with his arms, pressing her into his torso as Shadow began to move across the field. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again, his breath hot against the side of her face. “We were discussing the boy, and why he was your friend, Gehenna.”

"Yes, we were." She felt a sadness begin to creep slowly through her body, as his face appeared before her eyes, blinking she removed his image and replaced it with the boy's. "I don't know why he befriended me. I know it was not because of who I was, he wasn't like the others. He made me feel like a real person." Like you did.

“A real person?” His voice was questioning, sharp, but still kind. “Could you perhaps explain that a bit more?” He squeezed her against him, very briefly. “You certainly feel real enough to me.” His hot breath on her cheek was certainly real enough, as he tried to ignore the very pleasant sensation of the young Empress so close to him.

She was finding it hard to concentrate, his breath on her skin warm and strangely pleasant. It's the cold. His arms around her made her feel safe and comfortable. In case I fall off. She shook her head, trying to focus on his words. "People do not treat me like they treat others, Lord Daniels." She turned her head slightly, shivering as she felt his breath on her cheek. "All my life, those that have taken an interest in me are out to get what they can from my position, my connections. He didn't. He spoke to me like I mattered."

“So the boy treated you as Gehenna, not as the Empress? Is that all that made him special?” Ainulindalion frowned behind her head. He did not need this information. Or did he? He was not sure anymore. He was not sure when this had passed from something to prevent boredom to be something he wanted to do. He wanted to help her, Gehenna.

Her brows furrowed at his question, as she dug into the past, remembering the friendship, the fun they had as he showed her his life, his favourite things, how he filled his day. For the brief time that she was with his, she was free of her ivory tower, and her father's watchful gaze. "He was a friend, that's what made him special. He made me laugh, and he didn't deserve what happened to him." She felt her heart sink as her memory changed. "I wasn't worth his life. My father assumed that there was something between us." Images of the Solstice swam through her mind, the pleasure, the excitement. "But it wasn't like that. What made him special, was that he remained himself, and did not pretend to be something other than he was. If he disagreed with me, he told me so." Just like you.

Ainulindalion was silent as Shadow began to head between more closely packed trees of the woods bordering the field, as the sun began to press down upon the horizon. The next question was one of significance. “Gehenna, was this boy… was he the only friend that you’ve ever had? The only one you’ve trusted, could be yourself around?”

"Yes, he was." Gehenna smiled to herself, in a sad way. She could speak to whomever she wanted, and all would listen, and yet she had no one she trusted enough to share her secrets, her hopes and her fears. She had begun to hope…but that too was shattered. "I don't think I realised how much I missed having someone to speak to, until you arrived." Even when you made me angry.

“Until I arrived?” Confusion was evident in his tone as he questioned her. “What do you mean?” Shadow paused in his motion, as the setting afternoon sun began to turn the sun covered trees from white to orange, giving them the opportunity to watch briefly, had they not been concentrating on other matters, before he began to move again.

Reeling from his words, Gehenna was certain that she had said too much. This is what happens when you talk to people, they ask too many questions. "I just mean, that you have been here to listen to me…to me and not my position." She suddenly began to feel uncomfortable, her eyes falling on the scenery before them. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

“Yes. Beautiful.” Though she could not tell it, Ainulindalion’s gaze was not on the scenery. At least until he shook his head, clearing it. Shadow came to a stop at the top of a hill, facing westward. “So…” He could not continue to question her tonight. They had covered enough, and he wanted to rebuild her trust in him. It would make finishing the job that much easier.

She sat in silence for a moment waiting for him to continue, her gaze wandering about her surroundings, taking in the wonder of nature, the sun's orange glow filling her with warmth, like his embrace did on a physical level. "So?" She tried to turn and look at him, but her movements were impeded.

Ainulindalion loosened his grip on her, now that they were moving, allowing her to twist somewhat. As the sun continued to drop from the sky, the temperature did as well, and their breath, already forming little clouds in the chill air, began to form larger ones. The sun was noticeably lower by the time he spoke again, almost long enough to think he had not heard her question.

“So do you have anything you wish to discuss?” This was quite clearly no what he had started to say before, but Balion did not want to go there any more tonight.

She shook her head slowly. "I have nothing more I want to discuss, but I do want to say…" She smiled slightly, as she struggled to look at him, managing to look at his face as she spoke. For a moment, she stayed silent, as she allowed herself to look at him, then she leant forward and brushed her lips lightly against his cheek. "Thank you, for everything, especially…" No words came, but her hand moving over to her shoulder, spoke volumes.

He felt something very much like that same jolt of fear run through him at the touch of he lips. And as if that had been a signal, the orange of the sun and sky shifted deeper, to blood red, bathing the landscape in crimson. “Gehenna, I…” Never before. Never before had he been at a complete loss for words like this. And worse, he knew it was written on his face. And so…

“You’re welcome.”

Suddenly becoming as silent as him, she turned back to the view in front of her, the red sky brilliant before her. "I've never seen anything like it, it looks like…" She swallowed hard, her head swimming, she tried to fight off the images that threatened to engulf her. "It's getting late." She wanted to stay and yet she needed to leave, feeling weary and tired, but at the same time safe and more alive than she had ever felt.

“Yes, it certainly is growing late,” Ainulindalion responded, as darkness began to creep across the sky, countering the brilliance of the setting sun. “I should probably return you to your keepers before darkness falls and they become worried about you.”

"Yes, I need to be returned to my cage" She laughed lightly, and although there was a hint of happiness, there was little humour, and perhaps a tiny amount of bitterness. "Yet, it's hard to feel safe when it was one of your own that tried to kill you. Still, I have to trust someone to look after me, don't I?" Sighing deeply, she watched as the sun slowly began to sink behind the horizon.

“Yes, you must trust someone.” He smiled, and tightened his arms back around her, forcing her to face forwards again. “Hang on.” And then he switched the language he had spoken before, and the great stallion whirled on its haunches, and took off like a bolt of lightning. Ainulindalion leaned forward, shrinking his and Gehenna’s wind shadows, as the scenery began to flash by at a most unsafe speed.

Gehenna looked for something to hold on to, her eyes closing involuntarily, until she felt worse by not being able to see where she was going, and reopened them. She tried to focus on items around them, settling in the end, to stare at the horse's head. At this moment in time, like when they were on the roof, she had no choice but to trust him.

Racing across the grounds of Gehenna’s retreat, Shadow raced the setting sun, the growing darkness threatening to engulf them. But he was always a step ahead. The sound of hoof beats left behind them, Gehenna, Ainulindalion and the horse sped through a soundless scene, the full power of the great animal fully unleashed.

Within seconds, the horse slowed, its breathing unchanged, as it glided to a smooth halt before the house, the sound of its hoof beats catching it like a thunder. Ainulindalion sat up, allowing Gehenna to move again, as Shadow let out his neigh, challenging the coming of the full darkness. Ainulindalion grinned. “Like my horse?”

Leaning forward, Gehenna ran her hand down the horse's neck, before raising her head and watching the sun creep behind the horizon, the early evening darkness engulfing all in its path. "Your horse is amazing. I have never seen one like it." She tried to get her breath back, feeling it steadily returning. "Thank you, for coming." She smiled at him, genuinely grateful to him. "I didn't really think I would see you again."

Ainulindalion grinned more broadly, teeth flashing white in the gathering darkness. “I told you before, I’m not easy to get rid of, Gehenna.” He released his hold around her waist. “At least, not until the job is done.” He dropped off the animal’s back easily and fluidly, and extended his arms up to her.

Placing her hand on his shoulder, she hooked her leg over the horse's back, and slid carefully into his arms. She smiled up at him, not attempting to move away from him. "Yes, you did, but I thought you might have had a change of heart. I'm grateful that you didn't." She sighed and slowly moved from him, the thought of being only a job hurt more than she could explain, so she laughed at herself to hide the way she felt. "I'm sorry you drew the short straw, but I'm sure you will finish your work here soon, and will be able to find someone more…co-operative."

“Short straw?” He barked a short laugh. “I picked this, picked you, because I saw you needed help.” He reached out and placed a hand on her wounded shoulder, any residual pain suddenly vanishing as he turned her back to face him. “Gehenna, I hope, for your sake, we finish soon.” But for my own, perhaps never finishing… He banished the thought. But another just as quickly replaced it. Your heart did change, Ainulindalion. Just not in the way she means. He took a step closer to her, and lowered his head to press his lips against her forehead. “Goodnight, Gehenna.” And then, with a hand lightly placed on Shadow’s back, he swung up in a motion too fluid to be human.

He looked down at her, standing the house lights, and smiled. “I will see you again, Gehenna.” The horse began to trot forward…

She watched him silently, as his horse moved away from where she stood. "Good night, Lord Daniels." Smiling warmly at his retreating back, she felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted. The fear that he had abandoned her slowly faded from her mind. She continued to stand out in the snow, her thoughts too far away to register the cold. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind her, Gehenna's reverie was broken, and she returned into the warmth of house.

Trotting slowly into the darkness, Ainulindalion and Shadow merged with Shadow's namesakes, and vanished into the dark of the winter night, as silently as they had come. Snow started to fall, and would soon wipe away even the prints of the horse's passage.

The night sky seemed almost pale, as the snow continued to fall, the flakes had grown larger as the sun finally disappeared, and darkness had claimed the land. The ground now was an unspoilt blanket of white, all traces of life outside had been wiped away, ready to capture the signs afresh in the morning. The temperature continued to drop steadily, as the last of the sun’s heat was stolen from the air.

Gehenna stood by the large glass doors that looked out over the gardens. Her gaze picked out a random flake, following it down to the ground, until it vanished amongst its brothers, before repeating the process. Her mind not on the task, but somewhere further out in the night, with a man dressed as dark as the moonless sky.

She moved her hand to her shoulder, the dull ache had returned, which for a moment had been free of pain, his touch taking away the memory of what had happened, however briefly. She tried to draw her mind to another topic, but he would not leave, and in a strange way she was pleased. She wanted to think about what had happened between them, as it puzzled her how quickly things had changed between them.

Returning her thoughts to the hospital, she remembered how his distance had pained her. What was really most confusing was when this transformation in her had happened. When he first arrived all she wanted to do was to be as far away from him as possible and now… And now, she felt hurt that he wanted to stay away. Could she blame him for wanting to keep a safe distance from her? He had been injured, just like she had, and he had just been an innocent victim in her life, just like…

When he had appeared on his horse, her heart had skipped a beat with happiness, but then she had also felt fear. Afraid that he would tease her with his friendship before stealing it away again, leaving her all alone with her thoughts.

When did I start to rely on you? To need you?

She moved away from the window, and sank into a chair, her mind still trying to recall the moment that had altered the way she regarded him. She ran back over their meetings, all had ended in her losing her temper with him. Especially if he kissed me. And yet, if they were so unpleasant, how could she still remember the way she felt when their lips had touched…?

Shaking her head, she tried to remove the memories from her mind. She needed everything clear to be able to see what had happened. What made her look to him as a friend, when he had done his best to hurt and anger her… He offered his help. Yes, he had been there for her, even when he had caused her to lose her temper he had been doing it for her own good. Was that why he was trying to distance himself, so that she wouldn’t feel it so much when he finally finished his job and left?

You’re too late, Lord Daniels. The thought hurts already.

And how it pained her, the prospect of having to say goodbye to another person she trusted. Yes, she trusted him, with her feelings and her life. She had put herself in his hands on more than one occasion, and even if she emerged from the experience slightly bruised, she had emerged in one piece, and looking back, she had become stronger and happier.

“What makes you so different, Lord Daniels? What makes me look to you? What makes you so special?”

He treats you like a woman.

She ran her fingers lightly over her lips, recalling the way they felt after his kisses. She closed her eyes, and could still feel herself pressed against his body, his arms holding her tightly as they rode, protecting her from harm. His gentle kiss on her forehead as he bid her goodnight lingered in her mind, as she smiled, losing herself happily in her thoughts.

Darkness swirled and churned, then extended out, solidifying into the form of a horse and rider. The bulk of the Fortress towered over Ainulindalion and Shadow, foreboding perhaps to others, but not to them, for it was home. Sliding from the stallion’s back to the ground, Ainulindalion wrapped his arms around Shadow’s neck, and pressed his face against the horse. With a soft whinny, Shadow turned his head and nuzzled his rider, his friend.

But Ainulindalion was not concentrating of the horse. Instead, he remembered his arms around something else entirely, around Gehenna, her body pressed against his as they rode. He shook his head, and let go of Shadow’s neck with a final, loving pat. As Shadow trotted away into the darkness once more, Ainulindalion walked towards the main gate of the Fortress, but slowly, as he walked, his form dissolved into nothingness as he shed the physical avatar, the human disguise.

As he entered the Fortress, Ainulindalion replayed every conversation, every word ever spoken with Gehenna with crystal clarity. Every time their bodies had been in contact, every touch, every stolen kiss, every dance, every embrace, and every comforting touch.

And of course, the Solstice Celebration. He sent his thoughts rushing on past that. Now was not the time for those memories, however pleasant they might have been. And pleasant they are. There was no point in denying it.

The problem was, there was something dreadfully wrong with his relationship with the Empress of Tartarus. He had tried, and knew, on his part, had failed, to keep the relationship at a, well, professional level. That was the only word for it. But it appeared that it was not professional on the part of Gehenna either.

Her disappointment in the hospital, her mentioning that she thought of him in the same way she had thought of the boy from her youth. She considered him a friend, the second friend she had ever had, the first of whom had been cruelly stolen from her by her father.

And now, I propose to remove myself from her life, just as permanently as the boy was. No wonder she was afraid.

He considered this as he moved through the Fortress. But there was nothing he could do about it. No matter what he told her, the contacts were no longer on his terms, but on the terms set by The Watcher. He had to remain distant, careful. He did not want to die, to end. I have nothing to live for, but nor do I have anything to die for.

But you would live or die for her, wouldn’t you, Balion? He could not, would not, answer that question, because he already knew the answer. But dying, whether for her or not, would cause the same wound he was trying to heal.

But you propose to yank yourself out of her life as soon as the job is done. Will that hurt her any less? Or more? Done voluntarily, as opposed to with resistance and fear?

I don’t know. But there is nothing else I can do...

The room was beginning to grow stifling as the twelve people present around the large table continued to talk, debate and even shout at each other, as a decision was discussed until every aspect of it was dissected and examined. The voices fighting to be heard over each other, as each person fought to have their ideas heard, until finally it was hard to tell where one argument ending and the next started. Gehenna picked up her glass of water and took a small sip, her mouth revitalized by the cooling effect. Placing it back on the table, she cleared her throat. "Gentlemen, may I suggest a small adjournment so that we may gather our thoughts, and return with a clearer focus on the topic at hand." She smiled, as she passed her gaze over the eleven men around the room. Receiving no quarrel from anyone, not that she had really expected any, they all looked like they could do with a break. She rose from her seat, the others remaining seated for the moment. "Then we will resume in one hour. If you will excuse me." She moved, not waiting for an answer. As she walked out of the door, she could hear footsteps as one of those present moved to confront her.

"Ma'am, if I may have a word?"

The voice had been the one she had been expecting. She turned to the speaker, a smile on her lips. "Lord Nefarious, I wonder if I could get back to you, I feel an overwhelming desire to freshen up." Before he could reply, she moved down the corridor, entering the nearest washroom. She sighed as she stood in front of the wash basin, her hands resting on the edge of the bowl. Turning on the tap, she ran her hands under the water, before spraying some onto her rosy cheeked face. The cooling effect working better than the drink she had taken earlier. She raised her eyes, and looked at her reflection, her deep blue eyes staring back, as she admired her image and smiled to herself.

As she looked into the mirror, her image blurred slightly, as if the mirror suddenly warped, and then, resolving behind her was a dark shape, that of a man. Then with an almost audible snap, focus returned, and night black eyes were staring back out of the mirror at Gehenna. “Hello, Gehenna,” said the man, a smile on his lips.

Staring at the mirror, her mind trying to work out what had happened, as his voice steadied her thoughts, and put everything in its place. She looked into his reflected gaze, her smile growing as she turned to face him, her eyes traveling over his body to confirm she wasn't imagining him. "Good day, Lord Daniels."

Leaning against the wall, he allowed his gaze to travel over her, in much the same manner as hers did. But his almost seemed, for an instant, to blaze with a blue flame, before returning to normal. “Is the shoulder better than when last we met?”

"Yes, it's improved." Her hand moved instinctively to her shoulder, before she dropped it to meet the other in front of her waist. "It's still a little stiff, but I can I live with it." She smiled, before it suddenly slipped off her face, as she recalled where they were. "You do know we are in the ladies washroom?" Her eyebrow rose in question as she recalled a previous conversation they had had.

His face split with a grin, Ainulindalion chuckled. “But of course. I always know where I am, whether it is a park, a maze, a roof, an island, or a ladies washroom. Why do you ask?” The final question was made with an air of playful innocence, as he stood up straight again and walked around her to sit halfway on the counter in which the sink was mounted.

"I'm very pleased to see you. It's so nice to see a smiling face." She sighed loudly as she recalled the meeting she had just extracted herself from. "I think I shall have to bring in a new rule concerning meetings and how they should be conducted from hence forth. Or ban them entirely and have everyone memo me instead." She shook her head, and brought her thoughts back to him. "What can I do for you?"

“Interestingly enough, that’s what I was about to ask you. Shall we continue from last time?” As he asked, he pushed more off the floor and settled back on the counter, leaning against the mirror.

Turning slightly, she removed her gaze from him, and leant against the sink, her back to the mirror. Following the meeting, she wasn't entirely sure she was up for another grilling concerning her past, but she also wasn't sure she could handle having an argument with him. "I do not think there's anything more I can tell you about it. You know everything, don't you?" She flicked her eyes in his direction seeking his reaction.

His reaction was uninformative to say the least. His expression did not change at all, though a slight twinkle appeared in his eyes. “Everything? No, not really. Specifics wise, I only know the details of the one memory.” He shrugged. “If you want, I can look for more.” His smile almost seemed to indicate that he was joking, but his expression was not really clear.

Her smile vanished suddenly as she turned her attention to the far end of the room, the cubicles becoming very interesting as she studied them for a while in silence. "I would imagine you have seen more of my memories recently than I have, although I have seen a fair few of them myself." She felt her bitterness growing at the thought of the nightmares she had endured and the sleep that she had lost. "You must be more than a little bored at playing them over, Lord Daniels. I know that I am." She smiled again, as she turned around, until she was facing the mirror, her hand moving over the once puffy skin below her eyes, which were once purple, but had now returned to their natural colour.

“My tactics may have been deplorable, Gehenna, but you must admit that they worked.” He sighed, having had no intention of forcing her to examine the memories again. “You mentioned that your father had the boy removed because he thought that you might have been intimate with him? How far was this from the truth?”

Her brows furrowed as she thought back to her friendship and the times she had spent with her only true friend. Her father had assumed that there was something between them, and there was, just not what he had believed. "If you mean, did we ever do anything other than what friends do? Then the answer is no." She turned to face him, her expression questioning. "The most we did was hold hands. I never even kissed him." Unlike you.

Ainulindalion nods, accepting this bit of information, and he tried to suppress the irrational way it made him feel good inside. He was not able to, but millennia of practice meant that his face showed nothing other than what he wanted it to. Then her expression registered. “What?”

"It was just an unexpected question." She ran her hand through her hair, her fingers playing with the ends as she found herself thinking of him, his kisses, his touch. She felt her cheeks growing warm, and lowered her eyes as she smiled fondly at the memories. "My father tended to jump to conclusions, and never bothered to clarify the facts before taking action." She returned her eyes to meet his. "That is one of the things I will not be letting happen during my rule."

Standing, he walked around a bit, nodding his acceptance, and perhaps even approval of her plan. Leaning against the wall again, facing her, he continued. “So your father was impulsive, and acted without regard to the consequences, even if they would hurt the people whom he loved?”

Gehenna laughed. "Lord Daniels, my father only loved one person…himself. So as far as he was concerned, the only consequences he had to deal with were in relation to his own happiness." She sighed, remembering all the times she had witnessed the way he conducted his politics, his marriage, his family. "Even you would have given up trying to bring him around to your way of thinking."

He smiled. “What makes you think I would have tried? He doesn’t sound like he would have been worth my time, Gehenna.” Unlike you. He shook his head, unaware that he had echoed her earlier thought. “Heck, I might have killed him myself. It does have a way of solving problems like that.” His tone is light, and joking.

Gehenna felt the smile wipe off her face, her eyes widened with surprise. She lowered her gaze, as if searching the floor for an answer, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. He knows nothing. It's just an expression. She breathed deeply, her hands clenched as she fought to bury the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her, her face had gone a ghostly shade of white.

Frowning at the sudden change, Ainulindalion felt his brow crinkling. He reached out his hand and placed it on her shoulder. What did I say? “Gehenna?”

Startled by his touch, she reacted as if his hand had been made of fire, moving out of his reach. "It's nothing." She ran an agitated hand through her hair, and laughed nervously, like a thief would with a bag of stolen goods. "I was…I was miles away. Your words merely caught me by surprise." What do you know, Lord Daniels? She couldn't bring herself to look at him, afraid that he would see the guilt in her eyes.

I said something wrong, and I don’t know what it is. And I don’t want to play around in her head until I find out. But… Her reaction had come on his words, and he could feel the confusion and guilt pouring off of her. He almost reached for her again, but thought better of it. “Gehenna, how did your father die?” he asked gently, as the pieces slotted into place.

"In a car crash." Her voice was low, and trembled as she spoke, her throat filling with a lump, which she desperately tried to swallow down. Her hands shook, until she folded her arms across her chest to hide their movements. He mustn't know. Please, don't let him hate me. "I would have thought you…" She took another deep breath. "You would have heard about it."

“No,” he replied, mind racing, “I didn’t hear about it.” Her reaction was completely out of place for her father dying in a car crash. Or at least, an accidental car crash. But she wouldn’t have… She was afraid of him knowing something about her, but what exactly? “Gehenna, the car crash wasn’t an accident, was it?”

She shook her head, her thoughts in a whirl. She could feel her heart sink and her stomach began to churn. This is my secret! He cannot know! "Not exactly." What if this is the reason he's here? He's trying to prove my guilt. She raised her gaze to his, her face devoid of emotion, her shock revealing nothing but the fear shining in her eyes. "The inquiry pointed to him being a victim of a terrorist organisation."

“Terrorists.” His voice was flat, all emotion completely absent. “Of course.” He stared at her for a moment, examining both her appearance and her emotions. “If it was a terrorist organization, why do my questions frighten you so? The way you are reacting, one might almost think that you did it.”

She stood silently, staring at him wide eyed, for a moment she could not bring herself to speak, then without warning she laughed, her body shaking with mirth. She slowly managed to bring control to herself and the laughter stopped. "Lord Daniels, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard." A smiled lingered on her lips, but her eyes were untouched by it as her fear threatened to show its ugly head.

His smile was grim, but it did touch his eyes. “Oh, what about an Empress who talks to a man with absolutely no evidence he exists, that no one can positively identify except for her, who can read her mind, and appears and disappears in thin air? A man who can do frankly impossible feats that defy the laws of physics? How crazy is that?”

His smile turned even darker. “Or how about an Empress who wanders among her populous to have sex with strangers?” He was between her and the door, now. “Or an Empress who cannot control her impulses enough that she appears upset, even angry in public? All those sound at least as crazy to me. And those stories are true.” His voice became kind. “So stop lying to me.”

"How dare you come here and accuse me of lying?" She felt her angry flood over her, her fear pushed to the back of her mind. "Is this some attempted blackmail plot, Lord Daniels? You make me appear mad until I confess I killed my own father. And then what?" Her voice rose with every word, as she began to pace the floor. "Tell me who are you working for? You at least owe me that!" She slammed her hand against the cubicle door, crying out as the pain pulsed through her palm.

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could slam her hand into anything a second time, and he yanked her bodily to him. His other hand came up under her chin, both forcing her to look at him, and keeping her from speaking. “I thought you trusted me, Gehenna. You have nothing I want.” Not entirely true… NOT NOW!

“I’m here to help you, and I am working for no one but myself. I don’t care if you killed your father or not. It sounds to me like he deserved it.” His voice dropped low again, cold and dark. “But I cannot help you if you will not tell the truth, either to me, or yourself.”

Her eyes flamed with her anger, his manhandling of her and his words working her into a barely contained fury. She moved her hand up to his, and started to work his fingers free from her chin. "I know the truth! I don't need to look into my soul!" She pulled against his grip on her wrist. Her voice lowered, as a new fear seeped into her body. "This is not a safe place."

He blinked, and there was a burning, cutting cold that flashed through their bodies, and then, they were somewhere… else. Or more precisely, nowhere at all. An infinite white space surrounded them, and his hands dropped from her. “There is no place safer.”

Blinking, Gehenna looked around her, wondering if perhaps she was indeed mad. "Where…?" She looked into his face, her brows furrowing, her body shaking in a mixture of his closeness and the shock of finding herself… Where are we?

“This place is nowhere. It is a place without time, without anything. It is everywhere, and nowhere. I would suggest you stay close to me, or…” He took a step back and vanished, then reappeared as he got close again, “…you might not get home. Now, say what we have come here to say.”

Taking another look about her, she stared at the whiteness all around, her hand lightly holding on to him. She looked into his eyes, her own losing their emotion, her face equally expressionless. "Yes, I killed him. I couldn't let him continue the way he was going." She felt for the first time…free like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. "And I don't regret what I did for me and the Empire." Her voice remained level, with no sign of anger or fear.

Equally emotionless eyes look back at her, deeper than any human’s should be. But they are not just without emotion. They are empty. Then it fades, and Ainulindalion’s face returns to normal. “Very well. I’m proud of you. That took more than you would have had in you ten months ago, Gehenna. You’ve come a long way.”

Gehenna was confused at his reaction, or more so his lack of one. She had been expecting something, anger, disappointment, regret, but there was nothing. "Is that it?" She tried to keep the puzzled expression from her features, to remain untouched, but she felt despondent, as if her confession meant nothing to him. He doesn't care. She frowned. Then why don't I feel happy about it?

Ainulindalion watched as Gehenna’s expression became a frown, and then he smiled slightly. “Is what it? The end of our time together? No.” His smile grew. “That was the Empress speaking. I believe you are well on your way to being master of both Gehenna and the Empress, and for that, I am glad, for it means my task will soon be done.”

"Done? Yes, I guess it will be." She smiled, although there was more sadness present than any joy. It was hard for her to imagine him not there any more, he had spent so much time with her, even when she didn't want him there. "So this is goodbye?" Her voice was low and contained a hint of disbelief.

He laughed. “Not hardly. You’re not that close to healed yet.” His laughter died away into a smile. Then he sat. Maybe. He was sitting, but on what, there was no way to tell, because if it was there, it was the same pure white as… wherever they were. He patted his knee, offering it to her to sit down on. “Tell me, what prompted your final decision?”

She accepted his offer and rested on his knee, suddenly reminded of the rooftop and how safe she had felt in his embrace. "Final decision?" She thought for a moment, and then turned until she could see his face. "I trust you, and you could have seen for yourself, a thought that I didn't relish at all."

He smiled gently. “I try not to go into your, or anyone’s, mind without a good reason. And making someone say something is usually even more effective than confronting them with it.” He absently, without realizing it, put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. “But I was actually referring to when you killed your father. What pushed you over the edge?”

"I'm not really sure." She leant her body against him, happy to let him hold her, as she thought back to the moment in question. "We were having a discussion, one that ended up rather heated. I was standing near the cabinet, looking at the artifacts." She could feel the dagger in her hand, could see the faint glow of crimson shimmering around the blade. "And then he drew close…and I used it." She sighed a little. "Seems the legend was true."

“Most legends concerning magical weapons are, in the right time and place.” He realized how close they were, and reviewed his memory, and realized he had started it. Too late to do anything about it. But honestly, do you want to? After a short pause, he spoke again. “It should be time for your meeting to begin again very soon, Gehenna. Do you want me to take you back?”

"Meeting? Oh, my meeting." Gehenna sat upright, pulling herself out of her comfortable position, one that she had barely noticed she had taken. "It seems I have a tendency to forget things whenever I speak to you." She smiled and moved off of his lap, yet she kept her grip on him, not entirely feeling easy being…nowhere. "Yes, I think I should get back. Thank you, for everything. Today really helped." You really helped.

“Glad I could help.” He rose smoothly, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. “Ready? Hang on.”

Looping her arms around his neck, she held on to him, again reminded of the evening on the roof, and her trust displayed in him as he leapt off carrying her with him. She had never had this much faith in one person before, and it excited and frightened her at the same time. I'll never be able to thank you enough.

Then, with a familiar flash of biting cold, they were standing in the hallway outside the room where voices could already be heard from the officials gathered inside, ready to resume the meeting, the chill of the transfer quickly fading in the warm hallway.

*****

Lord Nefarious was going to be late. But that, of course, was his intent. To make an entrance, fashionably late. But not too late. It would not do to make dear cousin mad at me. He rounded the last corner…

*****

Standing the hallway, Ainulindalion was still holding Gehenna in his arms as the chill finally vanished, her arms still around his neck. “Good day, Gehenna. Until we meet again, remember what I have taught you.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, not realizing he pulled her body more tightly against him at the same time.

A surge of hatred washed over him, and he pulled back, his eyes flickering until he found Nefarious at the end of the hall, the other man’s expression giving no clue to his anger. He returned his attention to Gehenna as his arms fell from around her, as he prepared to vanish.

Gehenna stood obliviously in his arms, until she felt his touch leave her body. She looked up into his face, before following his gaze, she turned around her eyes falling onto Lord Nefarious' person. Of all the people…. She moved away, standing a little distance away from him, bringing her attention back to his face. "Lord Daniels, I hope that we have the pleasure of meeting again soon." She smiled up at genuine feeling in her expression and voice. "Unfortunately I must attend a meeting, as Lord Nefarious has obviously come to tell me."

“No doubt,” Ainulindalion replied, a small bit of humor in his voice. He smiled at Nefarious, and inclined his head respectfully, though his voice was anything but. “Good day, milord.” He made the honorific a slur with his tone before vanishing, leaving Nefarious with no one to be mad at.

She watched her cousin for a moment, before walking up the corridor next to him. Although he tried to keep his features still, his eyes conveyed a trace of surprise at the other man's disappearance, a look that amused Gehenna. As he opened his mouth to speak, she began to walk towards the meeting room; he had no choice but to follow. They passed through the door and took their seats in silence; both their thoughts were taken up with the man in the corridor but for two very different reasons.

Returning to her office, Gehenna was pleased to be out of the meeting, it seemed to go on for ages, and still there was some argument left over the final details, but having had enough for one day, she had called an end to it. She had sat through longer meetings but during proceedings she could not but be aware of the constant stares from Lord Nefarious. His eyes seemed to bore into her very being; as if he intended to find the information he wanted by looking into her soul.

She had watched him talk to several of the other participants, and had walked out with them, she had lingered back making small talk with two of the other men, giving him ample opportunity to be out of the vicinity when she finally emerged. Turning the corner, leading to her door, she was surprised to see him waiting outside, conversing with Alex, who looked up at her approach.

“Lord Nefarious.” She had to stifle a sigh as she spoke his name, watching as the man’s eyes turned to greet her, a smile on his face that didn’t quite make the full transition to his eyes. She opened the door and beckoned him inside. “Won’t you come in? Alex, perhaps you could bring in some refreshments.” She moved swiftly through the door, not waiting for either man to answer.

Walking over to her desk, she placed her bag down on its surface, and moved to the fire, her back turned towards the door. She could hear his footsteps brushing against the carpet, as he entered the room. Her eyes stared into the orange flames dancing in the grate, her mind already on the situation she was more than certain he was here to discuss. She had read his sentiments in his eyes, even though he had attempted, unsuccessfully to hide them.

As he drew near, she spun around slowly, a smile placed convincingly on her lips, as she indicated a chair. “Please sit down.” She waited as he took the seat, her eyes never leaving his face. “This must be important. You couldn’t even wait until tomorrow to speak to me.” She looked at him questioningly, giving him silent permission to address his concerns.

“The meeting went well.” He turned slightly in the chair, until he was facing her. “If we had continued for a while longer…”

“We would have ended up with yet another hour long discussion and yet would still not have reached a satisfactory conclusion.” She raised a hand, indicating she was not in the mood to pursue the argument further. “I do not think you came here to discuss the meeting. Why don’t we skip the pleasantries and move on to what this is really about?”

He smiled slightly, admitting defeat at his failed attempt to hide his real reason for being here. Unlike her father before her, he knew that Gehenna could not be got around with a few complimentary words. “Of course, you are correct, Gehenna. I did not come about the meeting. More in fact to do with events that took place in the recess.”

She knew full well what he was referring to, but nothing said she had to make this conversation easy for him. She rested her hand on the mantle about the fire, her brow creased in a frown. “Something occurred after I left? Why wasn’t I informed immediately?”

Nefarious looked up at her, his face expressionless, but his eyes were alive with barely contained joy. “I was referring to the incident in the corridor, with, I presume, the mysterious Lord Daniels.” It was his turn to watch her for signs of emotion. “He was the man I…” He continued cautiously. “Caught you with?”

Gehenna felt the smile growing on her face, as she moved away from the fire, walking over to the desk and perching on the edge, remaining at all times in a position where he had to look up into her face, and she looked down upon him. “Yes, that was indeed Lord Daniels. An old friend and acquaintance.” Her thoughts returned to him making her lose focus of the conversation.

“Does it not strike you as odd, that this ‘friend’ of yours does not appear in any records? In fact as far as the world is concerned, he doesn’t seem to exist?” He kept his voice level, he was not here to rile her, merely to obtain the facts, and gather as much information that he could get, as in future it could be useful.

Her brow furrowed, her eyes containing a mix of amusement and annoyance. “So, you have taken to checking up on all the people I converse with now. I might ask what it has to do with you, Lord Nefarious, but I am sure you already have some reason already planned out.” Her voice rose slightly, though not enough to really convey the anger that was building inside her. “Did it not occur to you that I might have already had the foresight to run such checks myself?”

“Gehenna, my only concern is your well-being.” He pointed loosely in the direction of her shoulder. “Do I have to remind you how close you came to being killed? And am I the only one that is a little suspicious that this man, Lord Daniels, was around at the time, and instead of remaining on the scene vanished without a trace? Hardly sounds like someone with nothing to hide.”

Gehenna sighed loudly, no longer trying to hide her temper. “This has already been explained.” She moved her hand to her shoulder, the memory of the shooting still fresh in her mind, before consciously changing her action as she tucked some hair behind her left ear. “He had nothing to do with it, he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Or the right place to save my life.

Nefarious laughed. “People are only ever where they want to be, when they want to be. And if the man is so innocent, how did he get to meet you during the break in the meeting?” He looked into her eyes, the smile he gave resembling a sneer. “If he isn’t stalking you for purposes as yet unknown, if not to finish the assassination attempt, I…” He didn’t get to finish.

“He is not trying to kill me!” Her voice exploded, her temper refusing to be held back any more. “And whatever he is here for, has absolutely nothing to do with you, or anyone else for that matter.” She stood up, and moved closer to where he was sitting. “I will see who I want, when I want, without interference or questioning from anyone. Is that quite clear?”

“Gehenna, we are merely concerned for your safety.” His words were delivered without emotion. “We do not want a re-occurrence of the incident at the theatre.”

His words were like a red rag to a bull. Gehenna tore into him, her anger at his judgement of a man she respected bit deep, not helped by the past that they both shared. It was a known fact among certain circles that the two cousins did not get on. “No, I do not want a repeat of that incident. But you are so wrong, Nefarious. If it were not for Lord Daniels, I wouldn’t be standing here today. He took the bullet that was meant for me. So instead of condemning him, you should be thanking him.” Her anger appeared to vanish suddenly, and a smile grew on her lips, her eyes sparkling as she watched him.

His face remained expressionless, but his eyes flashed with anger, then was replaced as quickly with a compassionate look. “Then we should indeed thank him.”

“Yes, we should.” She moved back from him, and walked around the desk, this time slipping into her seat before she returned her gaze to him, just as there was a knock at the door. “Come in.” She didn’t turn to look at the new arrival; the sound of cups chinking on the tray indicated the person’s identity. “We shall not be needing two cups, Alex, as Lord Nefarious is leaving.” She smiled as she dismissed her visitor.

He rose to his feet, and nodded his head as a sign of submission. “Good evening, Gehenna.” He moved to the door, acknowledging Alex briefly, and then disappeared out of the room, taking the atmosphere with him.

Accepting the cup that Alex presented to her, she relaxed back in the chair and took a long refreshing sip, feeling more than a little happy with herself.

Ainulindalion flashed back into existence inside the Great Hall of the Fortress once again. More and more he seemed to be in human form, perhaps a concession to his work with Gehenna, or perhaps for some other reason. I know it has to do with her, somehow.

He had been surprised by her admission, though he had not shown it. To kill her own father. I wonder what they were discussing. I should have asked. He would remember to ask the next time he saw her. It might be important.

And what had he sensed from Nefarious? What a horrible name. I will call him something else…. Nefy. Ainulindalion grinned. What was the aura of hatred I picked up from him? That darkness, that sense of rot? And it wasn’t just directed at me, either. He shrugged. Nothing I can do about it. Maybe a deeper probe of his mind is in order.

He extended his hand and watched as a blade materialized in it. It was the same blade Gehenna had struck down her father with. He closed his eyes to feel its magic. Yes, certainly powerful. His eyes shot open. This is an elven-blade. Very odd. Why is it in Tartarus, I wonder? The knife vanished back to where it had come from.

He reviewed his conversation with Gehenna, though. Her admission had to have taken an absurd amount of trust in him. Trust? When I’m going to abandon her? Not by choice, but it must be done.

He wondered, anew, if Gehenna would be able to stand that. He knew he was closer to her than anyone ever had been, more trusted, and more intimate, though she did not know the full extent of it. Will she survive my abandoning her? Will I have made her strong enough to survive? Could abandoning her be the worst form of interference yet?

He would have to find out. He knew he was only delaying the inevitable, too. She was mostly healed of the damages she had suffered. All she needed was time, and not as much of that as she might think. Or, for that matter, as much I would like it to. Soon, their time would draw to a close, an eye blink in the course of history, and none would be the wiser, except for… One special human woman, and one god, who will remember it forever.

Shit.

Returning to her office, Gehenna ran over the lunch meeting she had just sat through, annoyed that it had overrun putting her behind schedule. She wouldn't be as prepared for the next one as she would have liked, or usually was. Today really was not running at all smoothly, she would be grateful when the evening finally arrived and she could retire to the peace and quiet of her own rooms. She walked through the outer office, smiling briefly at Alex, who was busy arranging paperwork. He looked up at her, an aspirated expression on his face, his usual one even though he would never admit it. Taking hold of the door handle, Gehenna pushed open the door, before turning back to her aid. "Alex, when my next appointment shows up, send them straight in." She moved on into the office, as he mumbled some words of acknowledgement.

Walking straight to the desk, Gehenna picked up a dossier that was resting on the surface, her hand running through her hair as she scanned over the pages, moving over to the window with it in her hands to catch the natural afternoon light that was streaming into the room. Pulling her gaze from the white sheets, she stared out across the garden, freeing her mind before filling it once more with work. She slowly turned and made her way over to her leather seat, half concealed behind the large mahogany desk. Settling into the seat she prepared for her next appointment, knowing that she had little time to get abreast of the issue that they had come to speak about.

A few moments later, Ainulindalion resolved just out of sight of Gehenna’s assistant. Taking her advice from an earlier meeting, he had scheduled an appointment, under the name Jesus Hector Cristobal. This was in keeping with his practice of suggesting godhood. He walked into sight, boots clicking softly on the floor, cape hanging around him.

Alex looked up from his duties as the man made his way toward him. He greeted him with a smile, as his eyes flashed quickly over the other's form. "The Honourable Jesus Christobal?" His tone though questioning was firm, as he merely confirmed the man's identity. "If you will come this way, Her Majesty is expecting you." He moved swiftly to the door, knocking once, then waiting until he heard the consent to

As he entered, he stopped beside the door, hand still on the handle as he ushered the visitor through. "Your Majesty, The Honourable Jesus Cristobal." As soon as the man was safely inside, Alex backed out leaving the Empress with her guest, his duties over until he was again called.

Gehenna raised her eyes from the paperwork she was perusing, fixing them firmly on the new arrival, her shock evident as his identity sank in, a genuine smile replacing the working one she usually wore. Standing up, she moved away from the desk, her hand outstretched to take his. "Lord Daniels, I'm afraid there has been some mix up." She laughed lightly to ease her embarrassment. "I have an appointment, who should be arriving any minute. I assume Alex thought you were he."

Ainulindalion chuckled. “I couldn’t very well give my own name when making an appointment, Gehenna. I had to surprise you, after all. Think about it. Jesus Hector Cristobal and George Oliver Daniels.” He smiled broadly, then, grasped her hand lightly, bowing over it, lips lightly touching the back.

Laughing lightly, Gehenna watched as he kissed her hand, her voice held a tinge of excitement that she did nothing to hide. "An official appointment? I am not sure whether I should consider this fortunate or an ill omen." She indicated a seat, as she continued to look into his face, as if surprised to see him. "Please, won't you be seated?"

Smoothly sitting in the indicated chair, he looked at her, a grin straining at his lips. “You did say I should try asking some time.” Crossing his legs, he looked at her questioningly. “Now, what else do we need to discuss?”

"Always straight to business with you, Lord Daniels." She moved around to the other side of the desk and perched on the edge. "Dispensing completely with pleasantries." She placed her finger against her lips, and gave the impression of being deep in thought. "I could almost believe that you were in a rush to leave." Her eyes twinkled as she smiled at him.

He chuckled again. “Very well, how are you today, Gehenna?” His voice took on an air of exaggerated patience, but with good humor as well.

"Now, did that hurt, Lord Daniels?" She ran her hand over her thigh, straightening her skirt, as she tried her best not to slip into more laughter. She found that his presence, though a surprise, made her feel…happy. "I am very well, thank you. And how are you this fine afternoon?" She raised her eyebrow, mocking his own humour.

“No, I’m afraid it didn’t hurt at all. As for myself, I am fine.” He looked at her, perched on the desk. “Are you comfortable on the desk? It doesn’t look that nice for sitting on.” He smiled. “I can sit on the floor, if you really want to be taller than me that badly.”

Sliding off the desk, Gehenna moved around to the other side of the desk and took her seat, feeling strangely alone being separated by the carved block of wood between them. She rested her arms on surface, hands clasped together. "So, now I guess we move on to business." She sighed slightly, wondering what there was left for her to admit to, she had shared with him her darkest secrets.

“Ah, yes, business.” His expression became a carefully studied neutral. “Tell me, Gehenna, when we first met, what did I tell you that you had a problem with?”

Gehenna went silent, her mind returning to their first meeting. So long ago it seemed that evening when he had appeared as she sat in the rose garden, and yet it felt like only yesterday. Over the course of their time together, there only ever seemed to be one topic of conversation…her. "Facing my problems? Hiding them, hoping they would go away on their own." She looked at him. "Or the one about me being human, or the one about me separating myself from the Empress?"

He nodded. “Yes, to an extent. But those were all elements of the same basic problem, Gehenna. I didn’t have a term for it then, and I don’t have one now, either, but basically, I believe that I told you that you were unbalanced inside.” He looked at her for confirmation. “That you were full of turmoil and chaos?”

She thought for a moment then nodded, the smile slipping from her lips as she adopted a more serious persona. "Yes, I believe you did." She leant forward in her chair, resting her weight upon her arms, her head tilting slightly to one side as she searched his face for a clue to where this conversation was leading. "And now? What is your opinion of me?" For some reason, she found herself on edge as she awaited his…judgment. What am I afraid of?

Nodding again, he ignored her question. “Then I believe that I began to show you just what I meant, did I not? Began to demonstrate for you just what things were causing this problem?”

"Yes, you took great pains to show me, exactly what you meant." Painful to me, anyway. She looked at him, wanting more from this meeting than him bringing up old memories. "And I… we talked about them, and solved them, didn't we?" Her heart sunk, a frown creasing her brow.

“Did we solve them? That’s what I’m here to ask you, Gehenna.” He shrugged, wondering what she was so disappointed about. I’ll get to that in a minute, I guess. “I told you before, my giving you answers stops being productive, after a point.”

Gehenna leant back in her chair, another sigh escaping her lips. "I think I have learnt much. I have spoken to you about things I have never uttered to another. I can even keep my temper when I talk to you now." She laughed briefly as she remembered past occasions that they had met on. "I do believe we solved them, or at least pointed me in the right direction."

“That was my goal, Gehenna, not to solve your problems for you, but to show you how to solve them yourself. So if I helped you in the right direction, I’m glad.” He smiled gently. “I wasn’t ever worried about your temper, except peripherally.”

"Are you going to tell me whether I passed or not?" She steepled her fingers under her chin, her eyes sparkling with humour, though she couldn't get rid of the sense of foreboding, as if at the end of this conversation he was going to impart some unpleasant news, make an announcement that wouldn't be good for her to hear.

He looked at her critically. “Passed? That’s not up to me. That’s up to you. If you haven’t passed yet, though, I think that you are close.” He smiled. “Something is bothering you, though. What is it?”

Gehenna frowned, her eyes looking questioningly into his. "Troubling me? Nothing is troubling me." She smiled, trying to cheer herself up, up the impending doom continued to grind her down. "So, if you are not here to tell me how I am doing, why are you here, Lord Daniels?" She decided her best way of skirting the subject was to change it completely.

“Why am I here? To confirm what I thought. That you are almost ready to be on your own again.” Amazing how much I didn’t want her to be when I walked in here, though. Can’t change what is, though. He smiled. “How does it feel, to know you’ll be rid of me soon?”

She looked at him in silence, her mind for a moment blank, and then the realisation hit her, that was the one thing she was dreading him saying, the black cloud hanging over her head. She fought down the feeling of emptiness that threatened to engulf her, and managed to place her duty smile on her lips. "It will be pleasant not to have you showing up at inconvenient times." I'll miss you.

“And inconvenient places, too, I assume? Like roofs and hospitals and restrooms, and such?” He chuckled. “I must admit, the more recent meetings have been almost pleasant, once you stopped getting mad at me. I’ll… I’m sure you won’t miss the sleepless nights, either, and the rumors?”

His words moved slowly into her thoughts, giving herself a moment to address all this arguments, and although she had to admit that the nightmares had worn her down, and she was happy when they stopped, she also had to agree that the recent meetings had been very pleasant, in fact she often found herself recalling all the good times they had spent together, images that seemed to come to mind quicker than any other in her life. "You are right, I won't miss them, but like you said, they weren't all bad." She smiled again, as she rose from the chair, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, unable to look at him. She swallowed hard before asking the next question, moving away from him, so he wouldn't see the disappointment on her face. "Is this goodbye?"

Goodbye? No, not yet. Because I don’t want to be done. Though I probably should be. “No, Gehenna, this is not yet goodbye.” Will goodbye hurt her? I think from her feelings, it probably will. He stood up and moved closer to her. “Though I do think that between now and the next time we meet, you’ll have to work preparing yourself for that eventuality.”

Gehenna laughed, though the sound was hollow to her own ears. She watched him rise from his seat, her eyes filled with the sorrow at the thought of him going. When did I become so attached to him? So used to him being there? "Believe me, Lord Daniels, when the time comes for you to leaves, I will be prepared, and possibly cheering." You keep telling yourself that, Gehenna, and one day you might believe it.

“Of course, Gehenna, I forgot, you don’t like me.” It came out levelly enough, but inside, the thought tore at Ainulindalion, though he was not sure why. He placed his hand on her shoulder and drew closer to her. “Anything else you want to talk to me about? There won’t be that many more opportunities.” But I wish would be.

Gehenna looked into his eyes, a sadness lying in her gaze. I don't hate you. How could you think that? She smiled at him, the smallest of smiles barely showing on her face, so strong was the dread of his going. "I can't think of anything…except." Leaning forward, she placed her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him into a kiss, her lips brushing against his.

Every element of Ainulindalion’s mind cried out against his soul and his body, and won. He did not deepen the kiss. But nor did he jerk away from it. “What was that for?” He asked, after a moment, once the shock had passed. He had forgotten the human body’s reaction to adrenaline, and was fighting against the shakes with most of his will power.

Moving away as if burnt, Gehenna looked back at him horrified. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…" She moved away from him, turning her back on him, in a low whisper she berated herself. "You fool. What were you thinking?" She ran her hand over her lips as if trying to erase the feeling. "Forgive me." Her voice returned to its normal level, but shaking with embarrassment.

Ainulindalion stepped towards her, and placing one hand on each of her shoulders, turned her around to face him, their bodies nearly in contact. “There is nothing to forgive, Gehenna. Do not trouble yourself on my account. I must admit to women kissing me being fairly common, though few are as beautiful as you.”

What in the name of Eru did you just say that for? I don’t know, damn it. You are trying to get her to detach from you, damn it, Balion. He loosely draped his arms around her, almost hugging her. “I think I had better go for today, though, Gehenna.”

Gehenna slowly nodded her head, though her heart was begging him to stay. She looked into his eyes, the glint in her own contained an emotion that she would not even admit to herself. "Yes, perhaps you should. Thank you for coming, Lord Daniels." She smiled up at him, attempting to break the tension she was feeling. "At least this is one meeting that hasn't generated a stack of paperwork."

Chuckling, he squeezed her against him slightly without realizing it. “I suppose that probably is a good thing, in your position. I will see you again, Gehenna.” As he pressed his lips to her forehead in the now customary goodbye kiss, the second door to her office slammed open.

“Gehenna, I…” Lord Nefarious began, and then trailed off into a strangled, “Whaa?”

Ainulindalion smiled tightly, and stood back, though with one arm still loosely around Gehenna’s shoulder. “Good day, milord.” He would encourage whatever Nefarious thought about him, as he drawled out the honorific. “I must have run over, if you’re the Empress’ next appointment.” His stress on her title merely pointed out Nefarious’ omission of it.

Gehenna smiled at him before turning to face the new arrival, her eyes flaring with hardly concealed anger as she watched her cousin's face. "Lord Nefarious, I'm afraid I am running a little late. If you would return in fifteen minutes, we can begin our discussion then." She knew full well that his unannounced arrival and subsequent witnessing of events would more than likely double the length of their meeting. She continued to look at the man standing by the door, could feel his desire to say something, but knew that he would remain silent, at least for the time being, until he had gained a better knowledge of Lord Daniels. He nodded curtly, and turned to leave, his eyes lingering for a moment at the two people standing in the middle of the room, then vanished through the open door, closing it behind him. Once he was safely out of sight, Gehenna turned back, her eyes instantly meeting his. "I'm sorry about that." She smiled again, this time her whole face lit up. "Thank you for coming. I hope that we meet again soon." I don't want to have to say goodbye.

Soon? I hope not. For next time will quite likely be the last. And if you knew that, Gehenna, I don’t think you would wish for it either. “I could not help if I did not come,” he replied, still confused by the emotions he had felt from Lord Nefarious. Hatred, directed at him, he thought, and something more, tantalizing familiar, yet twisted, darker.

His hand and arm dropped from her shoulders. “Until we meet again, Gehenna.” He strode towards the door Nefarious had used, but as he reached for the handle, he vanished abruptly.

Staring at the door, Gehenna felt suddenly alone, more than any other time in the past. She knew that one day he would disappear, and he wouldn't come back. And how do I face that problem, Lord Daniels? Do I bury like all the others? She ran her fingers lightly over her lips, recalling the feel of his against them, as she slowly closed her eyes.

Please don't leave me. I need you. But deep down, she knew no amount of pleading would make him stay. When the time came, she would have to face the fact, and deal with the pain, a nightmare worse than any she had ever had so far.

What in the name of Holy Eru was that, Ainulindalion? He flashed into existence, gaining a corporeal form again. And the feelings flashed through him anew. Adrenaline flooded through his human avatar and slammed into his mind like stone wall.

The avatar exploded apart in a blaze of color as he lost control. Shock reverberated through his mind, rationality clawing, scrabbling to stay above the waves of emotion. He felt the flow, the power, and was sucked under, continuing, reveling in it…

STOP IT! His mind cut through the turmoil. The kiss still echoed in his mind. And would be echoing in my body, but for… He chuckled mirthlessly, the hollow sound filling the great hall of the Fortress.

Gehenna of Tartarus was proving to be more trouble than he had bargained for, that much was clearly evident. It was becoming clear what she had been afraid of, what had been troubling her all through their meeting. She was afraid of him leaving. She had figured out, just as he had, though by a different process, that their time was drawing to a close.

Apparently, she had grown more deeply attached than he had envisioned. Well, it would be a test of how good a healer he really was. Had he given her the ability to deal with losing him?

Not only that, but can I deal with giving her up? He did not know the answer to that, or if he did, he would not admit it. Because for the second time in his existence, since the beginning of time, he was afraid. He reviewed their meeting in his mind, skimming over the kiss as quickly as he could, and then…

Nefy.

What is with him, I wonder? Ainulindalion had continued through the door when he had left, though he had purposely lost his corporeality. He had come across Nefarious fuming in the hallway outside the door, and has paused, to see if he could figure out what was wrong with the man.

He had sampled his rage, his hatred, and all his other emotions, and there he had found a curious rot, a disgusting sickness not even he could heal. Well, he could have, but only at the expense of making Lord Nefarious into a completely different person. And after promising not to interfere, well… not going to happen.

But he had identified the strange emotion at Nefarious’ core. It was a lust, a love of power, and the things that came with it. And some how, Nefarious had extended that lust to Gehenna. It was rather frightening, because it was not a clean lust. It was a lust that would cause pain, and suffering, a lust borne of utter hatred. It shocked Ainulindalion, and somehow, he knew that he would have to protect Gehenna from it, because she would never know it was there. Unless it was too late.

I can’t let that happen. But I can’t interfere.

Not again…

Shit.

The fire flickered in the grate, its flame slowly dying as the night moved into morning, the darkness slowly disappearing as the sun made ready to bring its brilliance to the land. The first fingers of light creeps over the horizon, a gentle touch to each the earth to full awareness, as the dawn breaks on a new day.

Eyes stared, tiny firelights reflected in blue pools, a slow breath exhaled, released on a sigh. She had been sitting in the same position for hours not fully away, yet unable to slip into sleep, her mind whirling, thoughts filling her mind. So many questions with so few answers, problems that could not be solved by her, all swirled through her head.

Gehenna had been replaying their meeting, over and over, word for word, action for action. Her heart ached at the thought of him leaving, and she knew he would be, this was like his attempt to warn her of the inevitability. Yet she had always known it was coming, hadn’t he told her he was there only to help her right from the beginning.

He never said he would be here forever.
“But I had…”
Had what? Hoped?
“I don’t know. It seems so unfair.”
Who said life was fair? You have to take the rough with the smooth.
“I wasn’t asking for much. I just needed a…”
Friend?
“Is that too much to ask?”
Is that all you want?

She looked hard into the flames, willing an answer, yet knowing that there was no need, her heart had already made its decision. A single word echoed through the room…

“No.”

The morning had started in a panic, the rushing around of staff to get everything ready was enough to put the whole Palace in a whirl, the daily life of all those residing inside was turned on its head. Not only with the increased levels of activities, but also the general interest in proceedings. The main ballroom was awash with colour, the result of several days worth of effort from a bevy of people, each carefully placing decorations around the room, the finishing touches of the flowers, added within the last few hours. Through a door into an adjoining room, there was, all meticulously laid out, table upon table. Each placing marked with the name of the future occupant. A mammoth job to ensure no one was sitting next to the wrong person. Feuds had been started through less than finding yourself beside a potential enemy. As the day drew on, the bustling moved from the main rooms into the kitchen and other behind the scenes tasks, as a huge banquet was prepared, the finest ingredients tended to by some of the finest chefs in the Empire.

Finally evening arrived, and slowly the guests arrived, each one formally announced to those already present, the room growing louder as the crowds grew. In the background soft music fought and failed to be heard over the general chatter. The people mingled happily until dinner was announced. The ballroom silenced for an hour, as everyone filled up their energy for the night ahead. Slowly people moved back in, by now the quartet had expanded, and their tune filled the ballroom, as guests began to move onto the dance floor, while others moved out of the palace into the huge marquee that dominated the lawn. Gehenna took the hand of her partner, and followed him to the centre of the floor; a space suddenly grew around them as the next song began. Her scarlet dress rustled as she walked, the material fitting snugly against her form, flowing from her knees, until it caressed the ground. The low décolletage was finished by a diamond necklace, a ruby sitting against her skin.

She smiled happily as she was whirled around the floor, gratefully thanking her companion, before finding herself moments later greeted by the next. Normally she disliked to dance as many sets as she was tonight, but today she made an exception. She could hardly sit off to one side; all these people had come here to help her celebrate her birthday. Partner after partner, song after song, until finally she reached the point in the evening she was least looking forward to. But she had no choice, people were already discussing her disliking of her cousin, she had to try to make things look normal. She watched him walk towards her, her smile already in place, though for the briefest of moments, a flash of loathing filled her eyes, but was quickly removed as she was guided to the middle of the dance floor. The music began, his hand placed lightly on her body made her shiver, though her expression displayed nothing but fun and enjoyment. She allowed him to lead her in the dance; her mind had already wandered by the time they had circuited once.

He slithered into the reality of the world, like a snake, nearly. But Ainulindalion was not yet in human form. Time for her birthday present. He solidified a form, neatly blocking the way of Nefarious’ dance with Gehenna, but in such a way as it would look like a complete accident, as he attempted to catch the Empress’ eye.

Moving backwards, Gehenna could not see what had caused her partner to suddenly stop in the middle of the dance, until her movements swung her round to come face to face with him, her smile growing instantly as she cast her eyes over him. Beside her, she could hear the slightly annoyed release of breath coming from her cousin. Before she could say anything in greeting, Lord Nefarious had moved her slightly to his side, furthest from the man before them, his eyes blazing with anger. "Lord Daniels, it is rather poor etiquette to stand in the way those that wish to dance."

Ainulindalion smiled politely. “I’m sorry, milord.” He did not sound at all sorry. “I’m glad you were wishing you could dance, though fortunately, the Empress can.” He stepped forward and put his hand on Nefarious’ shoulder. “I would suggest that you watch and learn.” He lifted Nefarious’ hand from Gehenna’s shoulder. “If I may, Gehenna?” he asked as he somehow moved between her and Nefarious without evidencing motion.

Nefarious glared as he watched his cousin place her hand on the intruder's shoulder and allowed herself to be swept around the floor in his embrace, her mouthing 'Sorry' did little to return his mood from the rage he was feeling. He moved swiftly from the floor, muttering the odd excuse to those he passed as he made his way through the crowds. Gehenna smiled happily, looking deep into the eyes of the man before her, recalling the countless other times she had done the same thing. "Lord Daniels, I am so glad you could come." She looked over his shoulder at the retreating form of her cousin. "Although I fear there is one here who in not at all pleased to see you."

Chuckling, he continued the dance, sweeping her skillfully around the floor. “Somehow, that doesn’t bother me, Gehenna. As long as you’re enjoying yourself. It is your party, after all, and not Nefy’s.” He spun them across the floor, one hand in the small of her back, the other grasping her hand lightly, as he moved perfectly in sync with her to the waltz sweeping through the ballroom.

"Yes, it is." She smiled again, her gaze once again on his face, tracing his features as if memorising them, not that she didn't know every detail already. "I'm surprised you chose to come here, this is rather an ordinary venue. Unless we are shortly going to be dancing on the ceiling." She laughed lightly, as she moved her hand slowly down his back, her fingers gently caressing.

As they swirled about the dance floor, Ainulindalion slowly closed the distance between them as the song carried on towards the end. “No, no plans to dance on the ceiling. The theater was fairly ordinary as well. In fact, more often we have met in an ordinary place than extraordinary.” He smiled down at her, eyes twinkling. “I didn’t interrupt anything with my sudden appearance, did I?”

Gehenna shook her head and sighed slightly. "Not really. Just an attempt to promote a unified front." She moved with him easily, her body putting up no resistance to his closeness. Her thoughts, for the first time that evening, were focused on her dance partner instead of lost on some cloud. "You don't intend to give me another lesson at my party, do you? Please say this is purely a social visit.”

“No, Gehenna, no more lessons. I’ve taught you enough.” He smiled as the waltz came to an end, his arms slowly lowering from her to clap politely. “Another dance? I believe the tango is next. As I recall, you are quite excellent at it.”

Nodding her head briefly, she smiled as she stood giving the customary applause as couples changed partners or new people arrived ready for the next one. "I'm not sure I would use the term excellent, although I will admit to finding the previous occasion memorable." She changed her position, altering the position of her hands, as the band prepared to begin.

Moving to grasp her hand again in preparation, Ainulindalion paused. “Oops.” He flicked his fingers, and produced rose, with no thorns, and tucked into Gehenna’s hair. “Beautiful,” he said, smiling down at her, then he grasped her hand, and moved into the dance as the band began. The fast paced dance, moving them quickly around the room, allowed him to display his considerable skills.

Gehenna blushed slightly, cheeks growing several shades of pink as he produced the rose, placed in her hair, and spoke the single word, her heart began to beat loudly, a mixture of the tempo of the dance and his closeness. She gave herself to him completely, letting him lead her around the floor, her body moving in time with his.

The fast, sensual dance echoed in the air, the waves seeming to up the temperature, as well as the tempo. But it was, in reality, the activity of the dance that was making it hotter. Closer to the Empress than he had even been while clothed, Ainulindalion gave in fully to the intimacy of the dance, his hands free of societal restraints, as he spun Gehenna away and back to him, thin cloth barely separating flesh.

Standing at the edge of the room, Lord Nefarious watched the action of his cousin, her movements with this stranger fuelling the suspicion that had been slowly simmering in his mind. His eyes turned several shades darker, as the dance picked up in tempo, the sensuality accentuated by the familiarity of the couple. He caught his cousin's gaze, her smile making her eyes sparkle. Gehenna had seen Nefarious, but she was having far too much fun in the arms of Lord Daniels to care about propriety or rumour. She knew that having a second dance with a relative stranger would have the tongues wagging the following day. Although her head screamed out that she was making a fool of herself, her heart had control of her body, and tonight she was going to have fun.

I might not see him again. The thought crept unbidden into her mind, and for a moment she felt saddened, causing her almost to miss a step, before the realisation that she would be wasting her precious minutes with him if she dwelt of something that may not come true. Throwing herself into the rhythm, she pressed against him when close, feeling him hot against her body; trusting him implicitly when he swung her from him, smiling as he brought her back into his arms. She hoped that the dance would never end.

The scarlet flame and the black smoke moved across the floor, wrapped in each other, their dance perfectly matched, flickering as if with the wind, sinuous and skillful. But Gehenna’s hopes were dashed as at last, the song came to an end, and Ainulindalion dipped her back deeply, his lips nearly touching her as he leaned down with her.

He held the position for a moment while the absence of music created absolute silence in the room. Well, silence but for the pounding of their hearts, and their breathing, hot, but not quite heavy as he slowly stood them up, his hands sliding up her body. His eyes were locked to hers as he asked, “One more?”

"I would love to." Her voice had a hint of breathlessness about it, as she returned his gaze, unable to draw her eyes from his even if she had wanted to. "I just hope my reputation can take it." Thoughts of Nefarious came to mind, but she quickly brushed them aside. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, her other smoothing over her dress, as she flicked out the bottom with her foot. "A waltz and tango, what could possibly be more exciting?"

Yes, indeed, what could be? Ainulindalion smiled. “Perhaps a slow dance,” he answered as the music started, and other couples drew close to each other on the floor. He dropped his hands to around her waist and pulled her close to him. “You sure your reputation can stand it?”

Gehenna looked deep in thought for a moment, before a smile spread over her lips. "I hope so." She moved her hands to his shoulders, before sliding them until she was softly looping her arms around his neck. She moved against him, her body reacting to his closeness, feeling his form as she pressed against him. She let her eyes wander around the other couples, for once being a part of the dance, rather than sitting it out, afraid to choose a partner, needing someone she felt safe with, and she trusted him with her life. "So, why did you come here tonight?"

He smiled down at her. “How could I not come to your birthday party? I told you we would dance again.” The soft music filled the air, and he began the slow swaying steps of the dance, their bodies pressed against each other, showing more familiarity than even the tango. He breathed in deeply, taking in her scent, knowing goodbye would come too soon.

Smiling up into his face, Gehenna had never felt so happy. She had hoped that he would make an appearance, but she knew he always tended to show up when she least wanted him there, although lately, she found that she had made a habit of looking for him wherever she went, finding it harder to deal with each bit of disappointment. She ran her finger over his neck, her eyes held a teasing glint in their depths. "Yes, you did. I really should learn to believe you." She closed her eyes, feeling the movements, the music flowing over her. If she hadn't wanted the tango to end, she definitely didn't want this one to finish. She felt at home with him, comfortable…happy.

A chill ran down Ainulindalion’s spine at her touch to his neck. “Yes, you really should believe me, Gehenna.” He gently ran his hand up and down her back, returning the tease, his eyes glinting. He could feel her body pressed against him, strong, yet yielding to his lead in the dance. After a moment, he spoke again. “I don’t think I’ve ever danced with someone who could match me like you do.”

"You are too kind, Lord Daniels." She lowered her eyes from his face, her smile changing into a slight laugh. "I fear I am a little out of practice." Although I have never danced like this with anyone. She continued to follow him, her body moving with him perfectly, as if she knew exactly what he wanted from her. Feet, hips, everything tuned into him, feeding from him. She raised her eyes, stopping as her gaze met his lips, lingering on them as the memory of their feel against hers flooded her mind. You must not think that. Now is not the time.

Ainulindalion chuckled softly, his chest rumbling against her. “If this is you out of practice, I wonder if I could keep up when you were in practice.” The perfection of the dance was only matched by one thing in his experience… I MUST NOT THINK OF THAT NOW! He managed to suppress his body’s reaction before it manifested, as there was no way she would have missed it, as close as they were.

Gehenna laughed. "If I am dancing well, then it is your influence, not my talent." The song filled her with a joy that she could not remember experiencing before; a moment in her life when she felt…whole; a contentment that made her heart beat loudly. Or is that just him? "I can't express how pleased I am that you came. You've made the day complete." She let out another little laugh. "And for once you are not here on business."

Smiling down at her, he heard the song come to an end. But it was secondary, peripheral to him and her, standing there. “No, no business.” As the other dancers bustled about them, he lifted his hands to unentwine her arms from his neck. “Perhaps we should go for a walk in the gardens, away from so many people.”

Nodding slowly, as she lowered her arms, Gehenna moved through the other people in the room, making her way to one of the French windows, which had been left open to allow in some air, the room stifling with the crush of guests. She walked beside him in silence, as she smiled at and acknowledged anyone along their path. Finally stepping through the door, she took a large breath of air, suddenly feeling heady in a pleasant way. She looked up into the night sky, the stars twinkling upon their blanket of blue. "Do you wish to talk here or somewhere more private?" Please say here.

He smiled down at her, gently guiding her away from the door with a gentle pressure on her back, subtle enough she probably did not notice immediately. “Why don’t we talk while we walk, Gehenna?” He offered her his arm as his cape blew lightly in the breeze.

Slipping her arm through his, she walked down the steps until they reached the lawn. Off to their left, the marquee was bustling, and the noise of mingled voices could be heard. She looked over at his profile, smiling as the cool air brought life back into her body, shivering slightly as her body got used to the coolness. "I love walking in the evening. It's so peaceful." She gave a little laugh as she recalled their first meeting. "It was like this when we first met."

“Yes, it was like this when we first met, in the rose garden. That was almost a year ago, you realize?” he asked as he led her slowly across the lawn, idly headed towards the gardens.

She looked at him and frowned. "A year ago? And yet I can remember it as if it was yesterday." She tightened her grip on his arm, holding him tight, almost as if she was afraid of something, yet of what she wasn't sure…but somewhere in the back of her mind she could feel…what?

“You certainly have come far in that time, Gehenna.” They began to pass among the plants of the outer gardens now. “Farther than I actually believed you could. I’m proud of you.” A slight hint of a suspicious emotion colored his voice for a bare second, then vanished. “And you should be proud of yourself.”

"Thank you." She smiled as she walked with him. She let her hand skim across the flowers as they moved past, watching as they bounced back into place. "I couldn't have done anything without you, and even though I may not have shown it at the beginning, I appreciate everything you've done for me."

He led her inexorably towards the rose garden, still speaking quietly. “No, I don’t think you showed it, but I probably deserved the response I got, for how I operated. I am sorry there was not a less painful way to go about it, Gehenna. You did not need me to hurt you more.”

"I probably wouldn't have listened if you hadn't been the way you were." She ran her eyes over her surroundings, her mind not questioning their final destination, as she had walked this path many times before. She turned her head towards his, a frown creasing her forehead. "Are you actually regretting your treatment of me, Lord Daniels? When you appeared to be having so much fun at my expense."

“Fun? No, not really. Entertainment, I’ll admit to. As for regretting how I treated you…” He shrugged slightly. “Not really. I’m glad I did it, more just wishing there had been a method less painful for you.” He smiled at her. “But of course, I’m now aware that you’re much to stubborn for any other method to have worked. So starting with that method, actually was best, I guess.”

She shook her head slightly, her amusement showing in the gentle laughter, and the tone of her voice. "I suppose it was a little too much to ask for. Still, it's over now." Suddenly she felt her heart sink, a hollow feeling taking the place of the happiness that was there moments ago. "I love this time of the day. It's normally so peaceful…but not today." The music and noises from the party could still be heard, although they were soft and far way.

He led her into the rose garden and looked at a white rose, closing back up against the night, near the bench where she had been sitting when he had first found her. His voice was even quieter than it had been. “Yes, it is over now. That’s why I’m here, Gehenna.”

"I see." Her voice was little more than a whisper. Her grip on his arm loosened, yet she did not remove her hand from his arm. She lowered her gaze to the floor; her mind whirling as the moment of impending doom came rushing towards her. I can't say it. Please don't let this be goodbye.

He smiled ruefully. “Yes, that moment you’ve been waiting for ever since I showed my face a year ago. The moment you would be rid of me.” Damn it, I don’t want to do this. I have no choice. He removed her hand from his arm. “Goodbye, Gehenna of Tartarus.” He stepped away from her. “We will not meet again.”

Gehenna stared blankly, her mouth moved but no words would form. Her thoughts flew through a multitude of answers, each one detailing how little she cared, and yet her heart would not let any of them be uttered. "Just like that?" She turned her eyes to his face. "You just walk away?" She could feel her disappointment slowly begin to change, a new emotion taking its place.

He looked at her, fighting down a highly inappropriate amusement at her reaction. He was silent for a moment, and then... “Yes, I would. My task is done. Why should I stay?”

"Because I thought…" …you cared.. She turned away from him, her head and heart pounding equally. She clutched her hands together, as she fought to calm herself, she could feel her anger rising. "I can't see why it has to be forever." She sighed, loudly, still unable to look at him.

He snorted. “Why shouldn’t it be forever? With my job done, I have no reason to be here, even if I want to stay.” Which I do. Badly. “What I want has no bearing on what I can do, Gehenna.” He took a step towards her, then backed away, as if changing his mind about something. “Goodbye.”

She turned, her anger rising faster than she could handle, no matter how hard she tried. "So I mean nothing? This was just an amusement for you? A way to fill some spare time." She moved towards him, yet kept him at a short distance. "Do my feelings not matter? You come here, turn my life upside down, and then toss me aside like discarded rubbish."

Her breathing became heavy, as her voice rose slightly, shaking with ill concealed fury. "Well, I am pleased that you have had your fun. I suppose I now have to start picking up the pieces of my life you have scattered and get on with it, hoping that the gaping hole you leave can be filled." She stopped and faced him. "But please, do not give me another moment of thought."

“Yes, that’s precisely what has to happen. Yes, you were a way to fill my spare time, of which I have a rather lot. You somehow became more than that, and that is why I have to go.” He sighed softly, and spoke so softly there was hardly any chance of her hearing it, much less anyone else. “I’m not allowed to have a friend any more than the Empress is.”

Gehenna was stunned to speechlessness again as his words struck her. She blinked rapidly, feeling an increase of moisture building up in her eyes, threatening to grow until the tears fell. She swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. "So all the things we did together mean nothing to you?" She again went silent, as the memories of his kisses filled her head, the touch of his body against hers. "I trusted you. I told you things, personal things, I shared with you my most intimate secrets." She laughed suddenly, but there was no pleasure there. "And I was nothing to you. What a fool I have been."

“You’re wrong.” The words came out more harshly than he intended, and cut like a blade, fury barely leashed behind them. He briefly wondered why he had not gone yet, but dismissed the thought. “What we did does mean something, Gehenna. That is why I must go. I literally cannot stay, no matter how much I want to. You were supposed to be…”

“Whatever it was you were supposed to be, I cannot deal with what you’ve become. I nearly died for you.” He shook his head violently. “Not the bullets. From my interference in your life. I’ve finished my job now, and I will always remember you, but this is the end. Goodbye, Gehenna of Tartarus.”

"Then I wish the bullet had taken me." She could feel the first tear roll down her cheek, leaving a sparkling trace that reflected in the moonlight. "You think I want to carry on here alone? I can't do it. I cannot go on knowing that you are out there, yet never being able to see you." She ran her hand agitatedly through her hair, her voice rising. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you make me fall in love with you? Why?" Another tear fell.

The tears fell as time slowed, and then stopped for Ainulindalion, sparkling crystals frozen half way to the ground. Her words hit him like a thunderbolt, but they were nothing beside the impact of her emotions on him. Her emotions were his, the one thing he had refused to admit to himself. He loved her in return. He did not know why, or how, but it was love.

But he was who he was. Love would lead to him interfering again, and he could not do that. But who he was understood the structure of the universe as well. And love… love was the inherent structure behind reality. All realities. The most powerful force in the universe. It could not be escaped.

And with that realization, Ainulindalion could see what would happen. But there was a fatefulness to it. He could not avoid it now. Love… not even he could escape it. Eru knew he had tried, but now, now it was too late. The sparkling tear winked at him, mocking him, his powerlessness. A god, reduced to nothing by the tears of a woman. A woman he loved.

The crystal shattered as the tear hit the ground, but Ainulindalion was already in motion. He closed the distance between himself and Gehenna, giving in to the inevitable, as his arms went around her. Barely holding back tears himself, he whispered to her, “I’m sorry. So very sorry, love.”

"Please don't leave me." She whispered close to his ear, her breath warm on his skin. She began to shiver, not from the cold, but from the emotions that were running through her body. Until the words had left her lips, she had refused to give her feeling for him a title, but now there was no denying the way she felt. The way her heart beat faster every time she saw him, the joy she felt when he was with her, the emptiness she experienced when he left. She needed him, not to help her with her past but to fill her future.

His hands moved over her back, so much like when they had danced, but with a different quality now, evident love, not restrained. “I can’t always be here.” He angled her head, with his hand, up to face him. “But I’ll always come back.” He lowered his head to hers, and tentatively, questioningly, with none of the arrogance he had displayed before, he pressed his lips to hers.

Meeting his kiss with equal care, Gehenna pressed her lips to his, as she moved her hand to the back of his neck, her fingers brushing against his hair. For a while she forgot everything except him, her body trembling at his touch, her heart proclaiming its joy with a drum fanfare, loud enough for everyone to hear. Yet, there was something different this time. This kiss contained more than any that had come before, this was not a stolen moment, a bit of fun; this was two hearts declaring their love. When their lips finally parted, Gehenna was breathless. "As long as I know you'll come back. I couldn't live without you."

His breath caressed her face as he slowly regained control of his breathing, her body pressing against him not helping in the least. He was out of control, knew it, and did not care. “Always, dear heart. Always.” His mouth dropped to hers again, and this time his kiss was hungry, desirous.

She matched his desire with her own, kissing him with a hunger she had never felt before. Placing her hand on his back, she pulled him close, feeling him pressed against her body. The hand on his neck slipped upwards, until her fingers were entangled in his hair, pulling him towards her, as if she was afraid the moment she let go he would vanish.

His hands echoed his feelings, skimming lightly over the scarlet dress, his eyes lightening with emotion, darkness fading, a calm, penetrating blue when he made eye contact with her again, breaking the kiss, one hand in the small of her back, the other cupping the back of her head. The blue vanished after the merest instant, and his hand came around her head, tracing across her cheek.

Gehenna stood looking at him, a smile on her lips conveying the happiness she felt; yet even that seemed inadequate to describe her feelings. She let her mind wonder over their past, trying to pinpoint the moment it had happened, the moment he began to mean more to her than anyone else. As she looked in his eyes, a feeling of…what? There was something that stirred a memory, but it could not be clearly seen. She moved her hand from his neck, sliding it over his shoulder, bringing it to rest over his heart. "You have made today perfect."

“No more perfect than you,” he whispered, hot against her skin. He traced her jaw with his finger, running his finger lightly over her lips, slightly flushed with the passion of their kiss. He went back up the streaks her tears had left on her cheeks, disrupting her makeup. “No more beautiful, no more perfect.”

She continued to stand, her focus on him and him alone, her thoughts filled with him. Leaning forward, she kissed him briefly, her lips barely brushing against his before they were parted again. She glided her hand down his back, bringing it round his side, and moving it up his chest, the other joining in the journey, as they became level. Looking deeply into his eyes, she smiled, her passion written in her gaze. "I need you." She continued to guide her hands up his body, until her fingers reached his top button. One continued up his neck, tracing the outline of his lips, while the other flicked open the first fastening.

He fought the trembling at her touch, her words. His mind was blank, his love forcing all other thoughts from it, but his body knew how to respond to that declaration. His hand on her back slid upwards, easily finding the zipper that held her dress, his hand caressing the skin atop it, then beginning to work the zipper down. He held her eyes with his own, as his other hand began to touch flesh long denied to it.

Shivering as his hand touched her skin, Gehenna slowly worked her way down his shirt. As each button was opened she lightly pressed her fingers against his exposed body. Nibbling on her lower lip, she finally reached the last, both hands working to free him from the confines of the material. The darkness parted to reveal his chest, her fingers instantly tracing the contours of his body.

As the zipper came to an end, both his hands slid onto her back, caressing the soft flesh of her body, working upwards, spreading the back of the dress apart. His hand came up over her shoulder, and traced down her necklace, all by feel, as his eyes never left hers, his silent question echoing in them. He had to know, to confirm, that this is what she wanted.

In answer to his unspoken question, she leaned towards him claiming his mouth with her own, the kiss impassioned, full of need and desire. Stepping back, her hand left his body, delaying the unveiling of his flesh, as she placed her hands on opposite shoulders, and slid the dress down her arms, stopping before the dress uncovers her body. She smiled, silently giving her consent to him.

He stepped forward, trapping her hands between them as his mouth came down on hers hard, passionate, his hands taking the fabric, and peeling it down her body. His hands were on her, scalding in motion, as the whisper of fabric met the grass. His tongue slid between her lips as he deepened the kiss, claiming hers, all doubt gone from him.

Gehenna welcomed his kiss, her tongue greeted his, touching and teasing. Her body ached, as her bare skin brushed against the exposed flesh of his chest. Moving her legs, she stepped out of the tangled material at her feet, the spring evening air cooling her body, yet the internal heat could not be sated, not with a mere kiss or touch. Releasing her hands, she slid them to his shoulders, pushing the material over as her hands moved down the length of his arms, feeling the shirt give up its hold as it tumbled to the ground.

Breathing heavily, he broke the kiss, his lips just barely leaving her, just letting air pass between them, so they breathed in the same air. He held her tightly as he stepped out of his boots, lifting her slightly so her shoes fell away as well. Then he set her back on her feet, one hand caressing under the single piece of clothing she still wore, while his other tangled in her hair as he renewed the kiss fiercely.

The grass beneath her feet was cooling, and tickled slightly, but her body ignored those sensations as she began to lose herself in his kiss, her desire growing, her need beginning to overwhelm her. She wanted him, more than she wanted anyone. Her hands returned to his chest, moving tentatively downwards, until her fingertips reached his waistband. With her thoughts focused on his lips, her hands struggled to free the button from its hole, her body silently shouting for joy as she felt the ping as the fastening gave in to her perseverance. The zipper gave little resistance, and within seconds her hands were easing him out of his coverings.

With the kiss continuing, the sound of fabric sliding to the ground was lost in the beating of their hearts. After a moment of pressing their nearly naked bodies together, Ainulindalion broke the kiss for air once more, separating naught but their lips. The remaining fabric on their bodies was quick to join the piles at their feet. The rose came out of her hair.

Never breaking eye contact, he swept her from her feet, and knelt in the grass, lowering her, lighter than a feather, onto a green bed. Their mouths joined again as he lowered his body over hers, his cape fluttering down around them, cloaking their light in a darkness more powerful than the night.

The rose dropped to the grass, silently, while the shining stars looked down.

OOC: This thread is continued in 'Love on Trial (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2907243#2907243)'

[ooc: This story continues in Love on Trial (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=316921). It is also connected to Not a Creature was stirring (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=300835)]