Sunshine

The Great Ash Kingdom

They came to a crevasse near the top of the peak and the wind whooshed through with frightening intensity. The canyon was a narrow path just big enough for one at a time to pass through. It winded through the rocks for fifty yards before disappearing down the other side of the mountain. Eris stopped where the path opened to the view below. His breath caught at the beauty of it. The red mountains stretched before him as far as he could see in any direction. The sun was just beginning to settle between the Western peaks and the sky was the same clear blue as his mothers’ eyes. Stars began to wink their existence from the East. Far below he could see the Great Ash Kingdom stretching along the valley floor. The sight of his home so far below warmed his soul and was like the light at the end of the journey ahead of them. It was as if the Mother herself had painted the landscape, the bright red rocks glowing in the sun’s waning light.

He felt her presence before he saw or heard her approach from behind.

Her sharp intake of breath told him she appreciated the view as much as he did. He looked at her awe-struck face. Her mossy eyes reflecting the red hues making them glow in her golden face. Her dark pink lips slightly parted in wonder. The girl’s beauty was just as breathtaking as the scene laid out before them and he began to pant again when the tip of her tongue slipped out to moisten the object of his attention.

Lupin let out a playful yap behind him, instantly making heat course through him. He was glad to be in his canine form to hide the blush. He felt his father’s warm chuckle rather than heard it. With a nasty snarl, he continued down the path towards his alpha.

“What was that about?” he heard Lianna ask from behind him. Lupins answering bark sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Eris ignored him.

By the time Lianna had caught up to the two leaders, she was weary to her bones and almost cried in relief when she found them resting in the security of a well-rounded crevice the trail had begun to darken significantly as the sun descended behind the mountain peaks. The temperature had begun to drop quickly as well and had her shivering uncontrollably even with her cloak for warmth. She moved quickly into the shelter of the rock and sank to her knees in exhaustion. She lay down and curled into herself, pulling her cloak up so that she was completely covered and cocooned within the fur. Her teeth began to chatter despite the cloak and shelter around her. The light was completely gone now, and the frigid air was uncaring of whether she froze to death or not.

Lianna felt the wolves move in on her and lay down beside her. One at her back, the other two, shielding her front. She felt their heat immediately and could not hold in the sigh that slipped out as her body relaxed into their warmth. One of them let out a grunt in reply, she was not sure which one as her head was still tucked beneath her furs. She was asleep before she had enough time to even catch her breath.

It took the better part of the next day to make it down to the valley floor. Mountains rose high in all directions, and Lianna wondered if this is where the dragons once called home, it was certainly majestic enough that her ancestors could have blended in well with the scenery. The ancient trees towered above the forest floor, some with trunks as large as her cabin, making her feel small and humble in comparison. Lupin had decided to grace her with his Fae form that morning. He was a handsome male, near her age, probably younger. His black hair and piercing blue eyes held a twinkle that had her feeling at ease quickly. His face was still very boyish, and he was quick to tell a joke and keep her smiling.

The closer they got to the valley below, the more excited he became. It seemed the exact opposite was true for his cousin, Eris. Whenever he would catch her laughing at some nonsense he would huff and bound off. Sometimes snarling outright. Lianna did not try to hide her confusion at his ridiculous mood swings and even stuck her tongue out at him once.

“He is just cranky. Not being the center of attention for once will do him good.” Lupin grinned. “jealous of all the smiles you offer me and not him.” Lianna’s brow lowered. Why would he be jealous? He never tried to make her laugh. He had not even tried to speak to her since the confrontation on the first day of their journey. Lianna had the grace to feel somewhat ashamed of her waspish attitude towards him, but he had to understand she was used to being alone, doing things by herself and she saw no reason to pity that.

As they made their way through the trees, she began to make out mounds beneath the ground, the rolling hills punctuated with giant ash trees was a sight to behold indeed. The beauty of the forest took her breath away. Birds sang happily as they soared from tree to tree, the sunshine pouring through the canopy above, washing the scenery in a golden hue that made everything look like it was glowing. The leaves on the branches had turned gold and red enhancing the enchantment of the forest. Lupin shifted into his canine form and began to chase the birds like a puppy. Barking and leaping after them in bliss. He threw himself to the ground and began rolling back and forth on the crunchy grass as she watched him in delight.

The day had dawned bright and clear at the edge of the forest, the beautiful day banishing some of her trepidation of arriving in their village. Her smile faltered as she wondered for the millionth time how people would react to her presence. Where would she stay? What would she do with herself every day without her usual chores to keep her occupied?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice Erin slip in to keep pace beside her. The feeling of his power rubbing against hers becoming a common occurrence over the last few days, that she barely noticed it anymore. Her fire had not tried to surface since that first day, seemingly content to slumber deep inside her.

Erin’s soft whine snagged her attention and she looked down at him. His intelligent eyes winked at her before he took off in a trot, then an all-out run. She glanced ahead to the direction in which he was headed and stopped short as a woman appeared around a giant tree. She was smaller than Lianna, with long silver hair pulled back into a braid that reached her knees. Her ears were delicately pointed revealing her Fae heritage and she wore a gown of purple and green that reminded Lianna of Springtime, it was made from a material she had never seen before. It looked to be woven of spider silk, it was so smooth and made the woman’s golden complexion glow in the sunlight. A silver chain adorned her thin waist and the bright jewels woven into the strands winked at her even from this distance.

As Lianna drew nearer she watched Erin shift, still running, he swept the woman up into his arms and spun her around. The woman wrapped her arms around Erin’s neck and kissed him deeply. Lianna looked away to hide her blush. This was Eris’s mother. The woman pulled away from her mate and her azure gaze that immediately bought to mind the sky at twilight fell to Lianna. Her fire felt the purr of the lady’s power rub questionably against her own, and her beast raised its beautiful head to take notice of the new scent and aura that reached out to her in question.

Her brows raised over her crisp eyes, she looked Lianna over from head to foot and turned to her husband for answers. Lianna wondered if the woman could feel the beast inside her just as the males could.

“Lianna saved Eris from a mountain lion.” Erin grinned at his wife. “She herself required assistance, so we brought her home to your loving care.” It was Lianna’s turn to look surprised at the short explanation from the alpha.

“Lianna, meet my mate and wife, Varise.” She was not sure what to say or do and was saved from having to react as Eris came striding forward to greet his mother with a kiss on the cheek.

“Mother” He greeted respectfully. She threw her arms around her son and squeezed him tight. Lianna’s eyes grew round at the show of affection. Her own mother had never greeted her in that manner, had even gone so far as to swat Lianna away as if she were a pesky insect that needed squishing when she had tried to hug her.

The woman made a show of looking her son over, turning him around and patting him down

“Well, I smell no blood and all your parts are where they should be, so I must thank this child for saving you it seems.” She drawled, smiling at Lianna.

“It was only a few scratches mother, Lianna was just there to witness the quarrel. A mountain lion who was too cocky for his own good.” Lianna blinked at his side of the story unable to think of a single response to the blatant lie. The gashes she had seen on his neck and shoulders could hardly be called ‘mere scratches’.

Varise slid her arm through Lianna’s and began to tug her around the tree. She barely had time to register the shock of the woman’s touch when Lianna stopped short. They had rounded a root as tall as she herself stood and found a wooden door carved into the base of the tree. Short steps led down to the entrance of the den, where Erin had hurried ahead to open the door for them.

The woman beside her inclined her head at her mate in appreciation for the sweet gesture. With Eris and Lupin on their heels, she was led into a grand chamber that had been carved out around the root ball of the giant ash tree. The floor was made not of dirt as she had expected, but some sort of hard flat red rocks that had probably been carved from the mountains.

The roots of the tree gave the room its grand dome-like shape, twisting and winding through each other, holding the walls in place. The space was large enough that two of her cabins could have fit inside. Tapestries were covering the empty spaces between the roots along the curved walls and no windows to be seen. The light was provided by small glass balls of some glowing green substance hanging from the ceiling throughout the chamber. The tree’s taproot was a thick column of twisting vines in the center of the room and had been made into a bookshelf containing hundreds of them spiraling around from floor to ceiling. Lush carpets had been arranged around the column and divided the room into quarters. Two wooden couches were set near a large stone fireplace built into the far wall and were piled with large pillows upholstered in vibrant blue and silver colors.

There were two passageways carved on opposite ends of the room, the entrances marked by carvings of forest creatures and odd symbols. The room was luxurious and colorfully welcoming. Varise waved a delicate hand towards the arched entry to her left as Lianna took in the grandeur of the space.

“The kitchens, dining hall, and barracks can be found through there, as well as the servants’ quarters and a communal bathing chamber.” Keeping their arms linked, Varise placed her free hand atop Lianna’s arm in a kind gesture. She had to fight the urge to pull away from the touch. It was not distasteful, just unnerving to someone unused to such things. The woman’s deep blue eyes met hers and Lianna found nothing but welcoming warmth there.

“I will show you to your sleeping chamber and let you freshen up before we go to the dining hall to meet the others.”

The men had already started down the hall towards the smell of food wafting through the air, leaving the two women to themselves as they headed down the opposite hall. Lianna was still in awe at the openness of the space, even the corridors were wide enough that four grown men could walk through side by side and not be crowded. More tapestries and paintings were hung on the walls, some depicting scenes from a hunt, wolves racing through the forest behind a great stag. Others were portraits; presumably of family members. Arched wooden doorways peppered the walls between the hangings, and the green orbs hung from the red stones above, lighting their way.

“Your home is very beautiful.” Lianna dropped her eyes to the floor and the dark red tiles “You must excuse me; I am unsure of how to address you. I have been on my own for some time. I am afraid I am not versed in the ways of village life.” She dared to meet the woman’s direct gaze once again. The smile Varise offered her was kind.

“You may call me Varise. Others who are not friends or family would call me ‘my lady’, or ‘Omega’.” They halted before one of the many arched wooden doors. The hallway kept going for quite a distance before it ended with a solid wall of the same red tiles. Glowing green lanterns hung on hooks there, illuminating a painting of Erin in his canine form. The silver wolf was beautiful and held his head at a proud angle. His silver gaze was extremely life-like and Lianna almost felt as if it were watching her.

Varise opened the door and walked ahead of her into another grand chamber. Lianna gasped in surprise at the lavish furnishings decorating the space. A monstrously sized four-poster bed nestled into a hollow against the far wall was decorated with deep purple curtains pulled back to reveal lavender bedding piled high with sage-colored pillows. On either side, light poured in from tunnels that led to the outside she assumed. The tunnels were dug out into the walls and the bases were carved at knee height, piled with more light green pillows. To her right was a sitting area, a wicker chaise upholstered in the same deep purple. Beside it a wide couch that faced a hearth so large she could walk inside of it.

On the opposite wall, an armoire was flanked by more tapestries, depicting scenes of jagged cliffs and rocky beaches. Lianna walked slowly to where a decorative screen had been carved from what looked like ash branches and spider silk. It hid a giant bathing tub and a shelf full of soaps and jars. She spun around slowly. Never had she imagined such luxury to exist. Tears glossed her eyes as she found Varise watching her intently.

“My lady, this is more than I can take in. I have never seen such beautiful furnishings before. The materials are exquisite, and I am honestly afraid I will get them dirty.” The wealth and magnificence of the room made Lianna feel insignificant and out of place. It was a feeling that was not wholly new to her considering how the villagers near her valley had made her feel, but this… this was too much.

Varise made a small noise that Lianna could only describe as a snort.

“There was a time, long ago, when such luxuries overwhelmed me as well. I was young and impressionable just as you are now.” She waved a hand toward the tapestries.

“ My home. Erin found me long ago, on those very cliffs. As the daughter of a fisherman and simple water fae, I never dreamed of life such as this. I was waiting there for my father to return from a long fishing trip out to sea.” Varise had come to stand beside her, staring at the tapestry depicting a long pier that stretched into a rolling sea. The wooden structure blended into the rocks where it met the land. A woman stood there, a forlorn expression on her beautiful face. The face of the woman standing before her lost in memory. The surprise must have shown on Lianna’s features, for a ghost of a smile appeared on the Omegas tight countenance.

“I was nearly twenty summers when Erin found me still waiting for my father who would never return. My mother died giving birth to me and so I was all alone, just as you seem to be. He dragged me kicking and screaming from that pier and brought me here. Determined to look after me, even though I could have done well enough on my own.

“This was my room, then. Until the mating bond between us snapped into place. Some of the pack members, many, were none too happy about their alpha being mated to someone who was not a member of the pack. But the mating bond is a force that cannot be altered. Those who chose not to accept me left the pack to lead different lives. It was so long ago…”

Varise let her words trail off and Lianna wondered just how long ago it was. She knew from her mother’s stories that fae lived to be hundreds if not thousands of years old. It seemed rude to ask her how old she was and so she remained silent.

Footsteps behind her had her whirling around, sparks shimmering to life at her fingertips, in time to see two young fae girls walk in, both dressed in the same pale blue dresses made of the same beautiful silk material that their lady wore. Varise offered them a benevolent smile, not condescending, but a lady greeting her servants. She walked over to where the bathing tub stood against the wall, a small hole in the wall above the tub caught Lianna’s eye, and her brows furrowed in curiosity. She watched in astonishment as the lady turned the silver handle and water poured from the hole, into the tub.

“What magic is this?” She gasped in delight.

“Plumbing.” Was her only explanation for Lianna’s shock and awe.

“I will leave you to get washed up, Laena and Isolde will provide you suitable clothes, and show you to the dining hall for supper.” Lianna watched the lady glide away, her skirts swaying in a phantom breeze as she disappeared through the door, closing it softly behind her.