Sins Among Royals

Indie woke groggy and drowsy.

Daylight danced over her eyelids making her recoil at the brightness. What had happened?

She tried desperately to open her eyes but met resistance at every attempt. “Rest, don’t move.” A stern voice sounded through the silence.

“W-who is that?” Indie stuttered through her words. “What happened?” The words left her lips as memories began surging back. The last thing she remembered was Felix and Noah and in an instant Indie sat bolt upright, “Noah!” She cried out loudly she scanned the area and realised it wasn’t sunlight that burned her eyes but bright lights at the top of the castle that had been turned in full.

She felt something close around her throat and force her down, “I said rest!” The voice bellowed loudly. “If I have to tell you again I won’t be so patient with you kid!”

Indie hated the tone of the voice, she hated how it spoke to her, how it treated her but Indie felt like she couldn’t disobey or do anything but listen to that voice, something inside her felt as if her life depended on it.

“Where’s Noah?” Indie pleaded with the owner of the voice. She couldn’t open her eyes and felt as if they were glued shut. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t.

As she lay there worry and concern bubbled away beneath the surface, anxiety took over and she felt a thick lump form in her throat. “Indie baby?”

The sound of her mother’s voice was like an oasis in the desert for Indie. She felt her mother’s lips press gently against her forehead before her hand started sweeping up against her face. “Mom?” She croaked as she felt tears begin to fall. “Where’s Noah? The last thing I remember-” her words were cut short as pain tore through every inch of her body. She arched her back and cried out. What was happening to her? A searing sensation ran through every inch of her, memories that felt wholly disconnected from who she was flooded her mind with an intensity she had never felt before. Indies mind raced at s million miles a second as her fists clenched and uncle ched so quick that her muscles tensed and seized up.

She began writhing in agony as she cried out again. Her eyes opened slightly but she could not make out the faces standing over her. She didn’t know who else was gathered.

“Hold her down,” the strange voice called out as many sets of hands braced against the young woman’s limbs.

“What’s happening Nathaniel?” Rita queried as the sight of her daughter’s convulsing body shook her to the core. She was distressed at seeing and hearing her only daughter in such a state and she was more than a little confused.

Before long Indie passed out from the pain as Rita looked to their ancestor for answers again.

Nathaniel was concerned, there was no way that someone so young could ever control something so strong and the stress of having such a beast was already taking its toll. “The monster is trying to take over.” He muttered quietly. “How long have you known of this?” He demanded of Rita quickly. Surely someone had taken notice of it before now?

All Rita could do was shrug her shoulders. “I haven’t seen her wolf since she was little. She bit a human girl and after that she refused to shift after that.” Rita racked her brain trying to remember any other time she had seen her daughter shift but she hadn’t. After a year of pestering Indie to run in her wolf form Rita gave up. She was always met with resistance and stubbornness.

“And what of the human girl? Did she live?” Nathaniel asked quickly as Indie jerked about despite the fact she was passed out.

Poppy stepped forward and smiled, “I survived.” She nodded quickly but when she saw the look on Nathaniel face grow darker she soon shrunk back to hide behind her parents who had also gathered.

Standing from his spot Nathaniel loosened his grip on Indie, he didn’t like what he was hearing.

“So what’s going on?!” Rita demanded again, this time a little louder.

“That beast form she transformed into is trying to take control of her body. Somehow this kid has managed to suppress the thing for so long that all it wants is to do is be rid of its human side and run amok.” His words caused a gasp to echo through the small group.

“Is there anything we can do to stop it?” Rita asked again. It sounded like a terrifying thing to deal with as she looked down at her daughter with nothing but worry and concern in her heart and in her mind. What were they to do?

“There isn’t anything you can do,” Nathaniel muttered carefully, “There is something I can do but it’s risky, it’s dangerous and there is a chance she won’t make it.” He had only ever heard of it being done a handful of times through the years but the results were mixed and not everyone survived.

“Well?” Rita asked again impatiently.

“Well, I either do nothing and hope that she’s strong enough to control it.” He paused and frowned, “I already sense she isn’t. She has barely begun to understand the thing. It’ll only grow stronger with each passing day before it eventually consumes her completely.” Nathaniel seemed rather certain that Indie wasn’t strong enough to handle herself, but from what he had seen so far he knew leaving her as she was would not be an option.

“And? What are the other options?” Rita cried out again. This time Nathaniel growled at her.

“The other options are to take her beast from her and separate her from the Loup-garou, but in doing so she will never be able to shift into her wolf again.” That revelation again sent a gasp rippling through those gathered. It bothered Nathaniel so much that he wanted to be done with them all. They acted and lived like sheep, all mindlessly following and idle leader blindly and without question.

“And the other option?” Rita asked with devastation and sadness maring her voice. She wasn’t too hopeful that any of Nathaniel’s options had great outcomes.

“I’ve only heard of the last option, no one has ever successfully done it before,” Nathaniel thought about the outcomes of all options presented. The decision wasn’t really up to him and all he could do was offer his thoughts but they had to do something or risk losing everything at the hands of Indies beast. “There is a chance for me to restore her wolf back to its normal form.” He muttered as he stared down at the incapacitated girl.

“Do it!” Rita ordered him quickly.

“No one has ever done it before and I don’t know the consequences,should I fail.” Nathaniel didn’t like failure and he didn’t like the unknown. “If I fail she might die, I might take too much from her and leave her in a weakened state, I could take her human side and leave the beast,” Though the situation called for seriousness Nathaniel couldn’t help but grin, “I could turn her into a damned monkey for all i know.” Nathaniel felt it strange that he was suddenly so uncertain of himself. He had been confident of his abilities for so long, only to be presented with a challenge as huge asinine and herniated, crazed and savage monster. As he stood over the young woman who occasionally twitched and writhed in her sleep a thought occurred to him. “The boy that is dying, is that her mate? Is that Noah?” he questioned Rita carefully. The thought he wanted to try was something else that had never been done before but Nathaniel felt that if he could pull it off the pair would balance each other out and bring Noah back from the brink of death.

“Yeah, that’s him. What are you planning on doing?” Rita was skeptical as Victor walked towards them. He had been so concerned about the welfare of his son but upon hearing that Noah would survive he let himself relax a little. Noah was not out of the woods but worrying was going to do nobody any good at all.

For a moment Nathaniel paused and thought about what he would do. He had many options but the outcome for all of them was so far from certain that it made him uneasy.

“Well,” he began slowly as he glanced towards Victor, “your son is dying and his mate, let’s say she has too much energy, too much life.” He paused momentarily as he got his thoughts into order. He wanted to sound like he had some clue of what he was talking about. “If Andrew and I can create a spell of pull Indies twisted beast away from her and leave her with her normal wolf we may be able to put that energy and power into her mate. It would bind them forever in a way that no other pair has been bound before.”

Victor and Rita turned to look at each other, the concern both parents had for each of their children was clear for all to see.

“What does that mean for Noah. Will he be stuck with a beast? Will he be Loup-garou?” It was one of many of Victors concerns. What if everyone turned from the crown because their leader was a monster what if everything Victor and his ancestors had worked for became irrelevant?

Nathaniel smiled as he heard Victors silent concerns. “The crown became irrelevant long ago Victor. Your son having a different form won’t change that.” his cheeks flushed with colour as Victor looked wide eyed at Nathaniel. “I hear many thoughts. Not just yours.” It was a trick he had picked up many years ago. It informed him of people, both human and supernatural, when they grew too near the cave he called home. It allowed him to distract and deter them from entering his cave.

“Well, I guess we go for that option and hope to hell you don’t kill them both in the process.” Victor tried to laugh off his embarrassment quickly.

“If this works then neither of them wi have a beastly form. They will be, from a human perspective, wholly normal. Theor wolves should function as all others do, one may be a little more sensitive or the other may be a bit more aggressive. No one will know till its done,” Nathaniel sucked in a breath and chuckled. “Besides. If I accidentally kill them both I can revive them as vampires.” Though Nathaniel forbade Andrew from setting foot near him there were exceptions in times of trouble but Nathaniel really didn’t want two more vampires to watch after. He often had his hands full with Andrew alone.