Apprentice of Death

The Summer Solstice Festival was happening that evening in a field behind the palace, as the entire Kingdom had been invited to the Annual event. Sebastian had been placed in charge of the arrangements and was relieved it was finally finished, even if the experience had been good.

He was in his room, preparing for the FestivalFestival that would start in a matter of minutes. His thoughts were straying to the full moon happening the following night. He dreaded the following day even more because Cinder was slotted to return to work for Dominique. His anger flared, thinking about the vampire. He heard Cinder come through the door connecting their rooms.

“Here, let me help you with that,” she offered him.

He was standing in front of the mirror, trying to fix his black cape to the silver and black livery collar he wore. He watched her walk up to him in the mirror, and his words caught in his throat at her beauty. He turned to really look at her.

She was wearing a beautiful white gown with a sweeping neckline of loose fabric. Her hair was swept back in curls cascading down her head and back, with sprigs of small white flowers crowing her face. The image of her running across the meadow to him on the night of her ‘Coming of Age’ came to his mind. She smiled at his memory and turned for him. The back of the gown dipped low in the same sweeping style and flowed down behind the dress into a train. She wore simple drop earrings, with a pearl swaying from each, as she turned for him.

He couldn’t help but bring her close with his hand on her neck for a gentle kiss.

“You look as beautiful as ever,” he whispered, their faces still close. Cinder kissed him again and saw his eyes begin to glow as he looked at her. He took her into his arms and slowly started to dance with her, gazing at her with his illuminated eyes.

“I’m stealing the first dance, but you’re too lovely not to Cinder,” he smiled at her. She smiled at him and caressed his face with the hand on his shoulder.

“I love you, Sebastian,” she said. He bent and kissed her as their dancing stilled.

“I love you too, Cinder.” She brushed his hair to the side and kissed him again.

“Now turn, so we can get you ready.” He turned, and she reached under the jeweled collar to fix his black cape.

He also wore black leather pants with a belt of silver grey fox furs, black bracers with silver accents, and black boots. She met his eyes in the mirror, over his shoulder, as she worked and smiled at him; he was so handsome and striking.

When she was finished, she kissed him on his shoulder, saying, “All finished.” He turned to her and gently touched her face.

“Thank you. Is the King ready?”

She shook her head, making the pearl earrings sway again while she thought, “I don’t know.”

They were to arrive together, and Adrian had requested for her to dance the opening dance with him, so he would be escorting her out onto the royal platform and then the dance floor. She had dressed to match the King’s color but had chosen accessories that matched Sebastian’s sliver; her earrings, bracelets, headpiece, and even her sandals matched his silver.

“I guess I’ll go check on him,” she thought, gazing at Sebastian with love.

He kissed her forehead, thinking, “Meet you in the hallway outside then.”

Cinder turned and took the hidden door to the King’s room, located on the same back wall in Sebastian’s room. Adrian stood near the balcony opening, lacing up one of his bracers with one hand. His were made of white leather and had gold accents to match his livery collar. His cape was also white with a gold emblem of his Kingdom, the royal colors for his Kingdom. He had light brown leather pants and a belt of white animal furs dusted with browns of various shades.

He stopped and looked up at her when he heard her enter. His eyes took her in with an inaudible gasp of the mind while he drew in a breath that had his chest and shoulders rising slightly. He was blown away by her beauty and couldn’t take his eyes off her, tracking her every movement with his sharp blue eyes. She blushed a little at what she could hear in his mind but held his gaze as she came to him.

She walked up to him with a small smile and reached out to help him with the bracer; it was easier to do with her two hands than his one. She stood close to him, focusing on her task, but she could feel his eyes on her as he watched her work. He was thinking about how grateful he felt that she was with them, with him, and how much he appreciated her presence and friendship. He couldn’t help thinking about his feelings for her, wondering if she cared for him as deeply as he did for her.

Cinder couldn’t look up at him with what he was thinking and what she was feeling at that moment; her heart was aching for him, echoing what she could hear in his. She swallowed when she acknowledged that they were in love, both scared because of their past and denying the truth and hiding their feelings. She sucked in a breath, her heart catching and making her fingers tremble, as she finished lacing up the bracer.

She reached for his other one, still not looking up at him, placed it on his other wrist, and began lacing it up. Her breaths were shallow, and her fingers continued to tremble as she worked, refusing to glance at him. She couldn’t, or she wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings from him at that moment. It was a simple moment, but it felt intimate, and her heart was aching from his closeness. She finished lacing up the bracer and drew another breath, just looking at her hands that were frozen there.

Adrian reached over with his free hand and gently covered hers, thinking, “Cinder.” She looked up at him at last, and he looked back into her eyes, a gentle look that spoke of his deep feelings on his face. “Thank you for agreeing to dance the opening dance with me, Cinder.”

She nodded at him, thinking, “Of course.” She knew her eyes reflected her vulnerability, how she felt about him, and how scared it made her.

A small smile came to his face, and he reached up and gently caressed her cheek. He had seen it there in her eyes, and she could feel the same ache in him that she felt in her own heart.

“Is there anything I should know?” she asked him, still feeling vulnerable under his piercing blue gaze.

He gave a slight shake of his head as they looked at each other, the back of his finger caressing her cheek lightly, coming to rest at her jawline for a moment before his hand returned to cover hers again. He admired her beauty in his thoughts and how it stirred him to caress her, causing her to blush and look down. His hand slid off of hers to come to her face and raise it to look at him. She met his eyes, still unable to hide her feelings from him, and she could see his feelings in his eyes as well. They sat frozen in time for a long moment, just looking at one another, and then, almost subconsciously, they drew closer to one another.

Still holding her face gently, he slowly lowered his face to hers, and she held her breath in anticipation of his kiss when a knock at his door interrupted them.

He gently released her and answered, “Enter!”

His chamberlain entered and bowed low, saying, “They are ready for you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, we will be right there,” Adrian replied. The chamberlain bowed low again and backed out of the room. Adrian sighed and then smiled at her, “Shall we?” He held out his left arm for her, and she took it.

He escorted her out of the room, and Sebastian fell into step, just behind the King to his right, as was his proper place as Second. They walked down several corridors, ending with one that opened to the area behind the palace used for celebrations. Across the way was a coliseum that went up a couple of stories, but inside was dug out of the earth with rock seats and steps. It was a beautiful backdrop for the celebration.

The three were announced as they walked out onto the short royal platform that held three thrones, “His Majesty, King Adrian, accompanied by Her Highness Cinder, High Advisor to the King, and His Highness Sebastian, Second to the King!”

The crowds bowed as the trio reached the platform’s edge and rose when the King extended his hand to them. The King turned and led Cinder down the small set of stairs in the center of the platform and out onto the large dancefloor right in front of the platform.

Sebastian turned and took his customary seat to the right of the King’s throne, which resided in the center. The thrones rested in the middle of the platform covered in animal pelts, and had flaming torches burning on either side, creating an atmosphere of wild royalty.

The musicians began playing a slow song to which the King and his chosen partner were meant to do a slow waltz. Adrian took Cinder’s hand in his and brought his other hand to her back. Her free hand came to rest on his bare shoulder. His touch on the skin of her back made her draw in a quick breath and meet his eyes that were intent on her.

He began leading her in the dance as everyone around watched them, this being the first time for most outside of the palace to actually see the witch that the rumors referred to. She had been speculated about, but this was the first time she was being seen, and in the arms of their King, no less.

She had never had so many sets of eyes on her at once, so many different minds trained on her all at the same time, and it brought a rosy blush to her cheeks as she looked around her nervously. Most were even more curious about her now that they watched her dance with their King.

“You’ll be alright, Cinder. Look at me instead,” Adrian encouraged her, noticing her nervousness. She did as he said and focused on his face, looking into his eyes and doing her best to not pay attention to all the eyes trained on them. “Just follow my lead and forget that they are there,” he gently drew her attention back to him. She drew a deep breath and refocused on his beautiful blue ones.

Her eyes started to slip from his again, so he slowly twirled her out and back to him, catching her perfectly. She smiled at him and lost herself in his eyes, the others around them finally fading into the background as they looked at one another. His gaze was so intense and focused on her that she couldn’t mistake his feelings for her, even if she wasn’t hearing his thoughts. She felt his feelings for her in his mind and heart, all the way down to his core. She swallowed with the intensity of it and only broke away from his gaze when he sent her out for another spin before drawing her back close to him.

The break in eye contact allowed her concentration to also hear some thoughts from the watching crowd again. Many admired the couple as they danced, and some were reading correctly into how the King looked at her, making her blush again. A few disapproved because she was a witch and not a werewolf, but most had never seen their King so enamored with a woman before; only the oldest of them remembered back to when he had been in love as a young man. Most who noticed were happy for him and amazed at this new image of him as a man in love.

“Adrian, you’ll start rumors if you don’t stop looking at me like that.” He smiled broadly and noticed her blush.

“What rumors? Listening to people’s thoughts, are you?” She smiled back at him and blushed deeper, looking away. But she couldn’t keep her eyes from his for long and soon found herself swept up in his intense gaze again.

The dance was almost over when Cinder began feeling a little weak. Adrian could see it in her face as he looked at her. He didn’t say anything to her; he just held her a little closer and supported her with his strength more, making their dance more intimate. Her heart was beating faster now; suddenly, her knees felt weak for an entirely different reason as they danced close, still looking into each other’s eyes.

At the final turn of the waltz together, he caught her up close to him, not taking his eyes off her, and he dipped her slightly as the music slowly ended. When he brought her back up, the crowds started clapping; most were enthusiastic with the sight of their King enamored with a woman, and that enthusiasm showed in their cheering.

The King escorted her back to the platform and ensured she was settled before taking his seat on the center throne. As there were no guests of honor at this FestivalFestival, the nobility would do the second dance. Adrian motioned to Sebastian to join them, as was customary if he didn’t do the opening dance with the King.

Sebastian walked down the stairs, found Jenny among the crowds, and asked her for the honor of dancing with him. Cinder watched Sebastian expertly lead Jenny, wearing a pink dress, along in the dance and admired him from where she sat. Cinder looked over at Adrian briefly, admiring him as well, and then back at Sebastian dancing.

The song ended, and the nobles, each dressed in formal wear or a colorful gown, cleared the floor for the general dances to begin. Sebastian stood beside the dance floor, speaking with Jenny, while the next song started and random couples began dancing. The music had picked up and had a distinctive folk song quality, her favorite kind of dancing. A few songs passed, and Cinder smiled and bobbed her head along to the music.

“Cinder, do you have the strength for one folk dance with me?” Sebastian sent the thought to her from where he was laughing with Jenny. He looked up at her, and she smiled and nodded; she would never pass up the chance to dance with Sebastian.

He excused himself from Jenny and walked up to her, holding out his hand. She took it, and they walked out onto the floor to join one of the rings of couples that were forming. The rings of couples began her favorite dance as the accompanying music started up, filling her with delight at the surprise. Her askance expression to Sebastian had him laughing.

“Yes, I arranged for them to play this one, so we could dance to it.” She smiled back at him with enthusiasm; he knew her so well.

With the correct number of couples dancing in their ring, she ended the dance in Sebastian’s arms, smiling and laughing with him in enjoyment. He escorted her back onto the platform to rest in her chair as he sat on the King’s other side.

Food was brought to them on platters and placed on small tables to the sides of their thrones. The three casually ate and discussed the couples and dances while watching the dancing and general festivities.

After she had rested more, Cinder fulfilled her promise to Tristan and danced with him during one of the slower dances. She had felt Sebastian’s and Adrian’s gaze on her while dancing with Tristan. The community of wolves also watched them dancing, though they tried to be discreet about it. Many continued wondering about her relationships with the various male wolves they had seen her with, including Tristan. All were still shocked at seeing a witch in their midst, willfully touching and being close to werewolves; it was like watching a mystical creature moving around the dance floor, laughing and smiling.

Tristan walked her back to her place beside the King to continue watching the dancing. The FestivalFestival would go long into the night and even early morning, but Cinder was tired and ready to turn in at midnight.

“Adrian, may I retire to my room, please?” He looked over at her with a warm smile.

“Of course. I must stay until it is officially over, but you may go. Sebastian can escort you, or I can call for Captain Lyles.” She recognized Tristan’s last name.

“Sebastian is supposed to stay with you, correct? ”

“He can escort you and then return.”

“That’s alright; I’ll just have Tristan walk me.”

Tristan was called and came and offered his arm to her, escorting her to her room. He bowed and left her before she entered. She collapsed on the bed in her gown, too tired to change, and fell asleep dreaming about dancing with the King.

The following evening, Cinder entered Sebastian’s room, preparing to help him with the change on the full moon.

She had worked in the hospital earlier that day and had been able to help save a werewolf miner, who had been brought in after sinking into a coma from a head injury while working. Jenny had been grateful for her help because they would have been unable to save him otherwise. The onlookers had been amazed at Cinder’s ability to heal the man’s mind from the trauma but also at her ability to bring him back from his coma.

It had been like entering a fog-filled landscape when she had entered the man’s mind, searching for his various forms. It had taken her some time to find him, as he was lost within his own mind that was clouded by the injury. Once he had been healed and found, she guided him back out of the fog with her, and his mind returned to normal, allowing him to wake up.

Word of her was spreading all over the Kingdom, spreading hope about the hospital’s ability to now help serious injuries that they hadn’t previously been able to save people from. Cinder felt good about being able to help but still felt like she wasn’t truly fulfilling her entire purpose in the Kingdom. She wasn’t sure what was missing, but she knew there was someplace for her in the community beyond just helping in the hospital.

Sebastian was slowly pacing in the center of his room. It was almost time and the anticipation of the pain shown on his face. He took a deep breath when he saw her, feeling calmer with her by his side; even if she couldn’t help him, her presence calmed him and gave him strength.

She came to him and lifted the livery collar from around his shoulders, placing it on the vanity counter as he stripped out of the rest of his clothes and then handed them to her. She folded them and placed them under the collar.

She felt his mind shudder with the first wave of pain as he sank to the floor. She walked to him and placed her hands on him to begin helping him with his change.

After his change was finished, Cinder stood and made to leave, so she could help Riley as promised. He had been brought to the changing cells earlier that night. She froze as a shout of pain, mixed with a roar, reached her ears.

Sebastian lay on the floor, breathing heavily from the change but was quiet and still otherwise. Another roar of pain reached her ears as she was looking at Sebastian.

“It’s the King, Cinder. He changes early like me because he is also a King Alpha.”

Cinder walked to the hidden door and put her hands on it, about to enter the King’s chambers, when Sebastian stopped her from behind with a great clawed hand holding the door closed.

“You can’t, Cinder. He could kill or infect you. You need to head down to Riley’s cell. Come on, I’ll go with you to ensure you are safe there.” She nodded at him, and they turned to leave. Another shout of pain coming from Adrian’s chambers tore at her heart.

Cinder and Sebastian made their way down to Riley’s cell before he started to change. Riley’s eyes were wild with fear at what awaited him, and Cinder could hear the temptation to change into a wolf to avoid the excruciating pain that awaited him; he wanted to escape it.

“No one escapes the curse, Riley. Don’t condemn yourself to become a Feral once again. You can have a good life here. I’m here to help you, as promised, and we will get through this together,” Cinder comforted him. He nodded at her and began stripping off his clothes, folding them on the cot attached to the wall with a chain on each end.

“It’s best if you get down on all fours,” she instructed him.

He did as she said and waited for the first wave to hit him, which came precisely at midnight. He started screaming, his fear of the pain making everything worse. Crazed, he roared and lunged for her through the bars, falling short of reaching her.

Cinder reached out with her mind and comforted his when the first wave of pain ended, allowing her to mentally reach him, ”Shhh, Riley. I’m here. Calm down and focus on managing the pain.”

She sent her magic into him from just outside the cell, speeding up the change. She took as much of his pain as she could bear while still controlling her magic. She, too, ended up on all fours, panting and sweating from the pain as she helped him; she was taking more from him than she had ever borne before.

Sebastian was guarding her, ensuring no rogue werewolves were out, changing where they shouldn’t be. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, knowing she looked the same when she helped him each full moon. Riley stopped screaming as soon as she took a large portion of the pain on herself and could focus on making it through each wave of pain.

At last, he lay on the floor of his cell in his massive Lycan form, panting. He looked at her with his glowing Lycan eyes as she rested on the ground outside the cell.

“Thank you, Cinder,” he thought as he closed his eyes and breathed.

“Shhh, just rest, Riley. I’ll be back to check on you in the morning before I have to leave, alright?”

He nodded, not moving from the floor of his cell, and she got up and began walking back to her room. Sebastian’s massive Lycan form looming over her from behind, keeping her safe. Sebastian saw how worn out she was, picked her up in his huge Lycan arms, and carried her back to her room with long strides. He stayed with her in her room, both falling asleep curled up with each other on her large green bed.