Forbidden: The Eternal One

Chapter Five: Queen of the Damned

I awoke with a start and a hand clutched to my stammering heart.

Where the heck am I?

The lower half of my body is covered in a fluffy cream colored duvet and I find I am laying on a bed of clouds compared to the makeshift mattress of feathers and straw I had at home. I am cloaked by a thick, navy blue canopy swathed over the four iron posts of my bed frame. As I sit up and untangle myself from the layers of blankets embracing me, memories begin to flood my brain. The portal, fighting the obnoxious skeleton hyena creatures, losing my powers coming into the castle…The castle! I must be in the castle!

I moved the heavy curtains out of my way and scream, closing them abruptly.

“G’evenin, m’lady.” Says the female troll from the outside.

I slowly opened the curtain again after composing myself. I looked at her blue wrinkled forehead to avoid staring at her large, razor sharp teeth and slowly said, “Good evening.”

The creature in front of me had to be at least 8 foot tall. Her one, giant red eye was the size of a dinner plate and thickly framed by Snow White lashes. Her thin lips were stretched into a ghastly smile and made her jagged teeth all the more intimidating. A large, hooked nose sat proudly between her single eye and pin-needle mouth. She was wearing a maids outfit that clung to her three breasts and left little to the imagination. Her blue, tree trunks of legs were stuffed into netted stocking and her two giant toes for feet were barefoot upon the obsidian marbled floor. In her hands with three, pudgy sausage fingers, she held a pitcher of water and a cup. She promptly poured me a drink and said, “Are ye thirsty, M’lady?”

Since I were lacking my powers and afraid to offend her, I hastily took the cup and nervously gulped down the water. “Th-thank you.” I rushed out.

She peered at me quizzically with her massive eye and then threw her head back and gave a hearty laugh that sounded more like a growl. “Ma’am ye need not fear! Lord Vakthra told me ye might not ‘member us. Now I know why ye looked like ye sawt a demon! Hahaaaahahahaa!” She doubled over and clutched her stomach as she continued laughing.

My cheeks flames red with embarrassment and I glared at her harshly. “I am glad you find my confusion so entertaining. Maybe instead of laughing at me you could tell me what’s going on!”

The troll’s laughter stopped abruptly and she straightened up and bowed her head in remorse. “I’m sorry M’Lady, forgive me yeh?”

“Only if you tell me what happened after they brought me in from the Arena.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

She nodded somberly. “Ma’am, ye were drained by the Blood Magick protecting our fortress and ye fell into a deep sleep. It’s the only way to protect our King from the Crowned Fam’ly. If they knew how strong he was, why they’d a’skewer him like meat and put one of their own as head of Muspel. It protects ye too ye know. Ye can’t be sought out by enemies if they can’t trace ye aura.”

“How is there even Blood Magick around the castle? I thought the last Dark Master died eons ago? It’s impossible to perform a ritual without the Rex Empire calling treason.” I asked.

“Ma’am, ye truly don’t ‘member do ye?” She said with a voice laden in sadness.

I shook my head in confusion. “Don’t remember what?”

“ ‘Twas ye M’Lady. Ye were the last Dark Master!” She placed a giant hand on my shoulder. “Welcome home, Queen Amara! We missed ye.”

I suddenly felt extremely ill. The room began spinning surround me and I started to hyperventilate.

“Ma’am! Ye don’t look too good!” The troll said, swiping the back of her hand against my forehead. “Ye are burning up!”

The edges of my vision got hazy and I felt the bile trying to bubble out of my stomach. Not again. I swallowed my vomit back down and took a series of deep, shallow breaths. Somewhere in my misery, I felt a memory trying to claw into my consciousness. Slowly, but surely, like the talons of a beast, it ripped through the protective barriers of my mind and surfaced with an intensity that made me fall back into the bed and writhe in agony. White hot, searing pain coursed through my body as I clutched my pounding head in my hands. A blood curling scream pierced out of my chest.

“O’ no! M’lady! Please hold on. I will fetch ye some help!”

I was vaguely aware of heavy footsteps receding into the halls.

“My love, please don’t do this!” Said the most beautiful, deep voice in my mind.

“I have to! Don’t you see? The Alarics will destroy us! I am Eternal, you are not! I will return and you shan’t! Please, see reason! I cannot lose you, Vakthra! Not this way.” My voice was velvety and powerful. It was me, but not me - the ghost of a woman I was not any longer.

“The sacrifice is too great. I cannot allow you to forge the blood screen. We will fight together and if necessary, together shall we perish! You see reason.”

“Hoc pugione cod meum terebrare ad protegendum dilectum meum ab inimicis abundant. Mater, exaudi preces meas. Sanguinem meum magicum ad capiendum prabeo!!!” (With this dagger I pierce my heart to protect my beloved from enemies abound. Mother, hear my pleas. I offer my blood for magic to seize!!!)

My body began to convulse and seize as I relived my excruciating death. Every fiber of my being stung as if I were being attacked by a thousand wasps. I could feel cool hands doting on me and metal restraints binding me to the posts of the bed.

“Amara, no!” As blood spewed out of my heart, a red beacon exploded from my body and cast a protective barrier over the fortress. The metal clang of swords clashing and haunting battle cries echoing around me came to a still. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop as I fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

With my dying breaths, I choked out one last curse on my enemies. “If Muspel shall fall, so shall thee. I take thine souls to be servants of Vakthra forevermore.”

My dark haired beloved cradled me tenderly in his lap. “What have you done?” Tears streaked down his dirt crusted, handsome face.

I chortled weakly. “I secured our future.”

He brushed a dampened curl out of my brow. “When will you return to me?”

“There are some things even I don’t know. Stay strong for our people my warrior king. Until we meet again.” I let out one last, strenuous breath and smiled as I felt my soul begin to Ascend to the Heavens. “Mother, I’m coming back to you.”

After what seemed like eternity, my body stopped convulsing and I felt a wave of calmness wash over me. A cool, wet cloth sat soothingly on my clammy forehead. I opened my eyes to find myself peering into two gorgeous pools of molten amber. I felt a warmth spread from my chest into my toes as I took in his chiseled cheekbones and full, kissable lips. “Vakthra..” I breathed out.

His honey eyes widened in shock. “Amara? It’s really you!”

I resisted the urge to bite my lip as my eyes trailed down his bronze, well sculpted torso. “Surprise?” I squeaked out.

And then, something incredible happened. Vakthra, cupped my face in my hands and kissed me with the ferocity of a starved lion. It was my first kiss in this lifetime and my body was loving every second of it as the sparks erupted between us. I moaned and deepened the kiss by swirling my tongue into his mouth. He let out a gruff growl and fisted a hand around the back of my long, red hair. He took his mouth and gently sucked on my tongue, sending tendrils of pleasure to my core. I wanted to reach around him and pull him closer but realized my hands were restrained by leather belts. I knew I should have been scared, but instead I felt nothing but arousal.

He smiled into our kiss. “Gods, I forgot how delicious you taste.”

“Ahem!”

I was broken out of my trance by another presence in the room. I blushed with embarrassment and whipped my head away from Vakthra, burying it into my pillow since I couldn’t move very much in my restraints. “I- I am sorry.” I murmured to the troll servant.

“It’s alright M’Lady. I will leave ye be. Summon if ye need me.”

I heard a heavy door shut and then a deep, booming laughter next to me. “Oh! Amara! You have come back to me so pure. I remember a time when you’d have taken a head for interrupting our love making!”

I felt my heart stammer in my chest. “I’m sorry. I am still getting used to who I used to be.” I kept my face buried in the pillow.

Vakthra took my chin into his warm hand and gently turned me to face him. “My love, if you have changed then I look greatly forward to learning who you are in this lifetime.”

I melted at his words. He was perfect in so many ways. From his black, shoulder length curly hair, to his broad and muscular shoulders, to the dimples in his cheeks. He looked so familiar, but so new to me at the same time. It was the most profound yet most comforting feeling I’d experienced in this life so far. “And I look forward to knowing you again.” I breathed out.

He removed the leather restraints from my arms and legs. I flexed my wrists and winced at the sharp pins and needles feel of them waking back up “Sorry, it was for your safety.” He murmured, taking them both into his hands and placing sweet kisses on my wrists. The hairs on the nape of my neck raised in pleasure.

“I-it’s ok.” I stuttered.

Vakthra chuckled. “How many summers are you in this lifetime, Beloved?”

Heat spread to my face once more. “Seventeen.”

“Hmm..You were Twenty One the last time we met.” He said, brushing a wisp of my long, ginger hair out of face. “You were blonde then, too.”

I shrugged. “From what I can remember, my appearance changes each time I am reborn to protect my identity.”

Vakthra’s brows furrowed together in confusion. “But your name remains the same?”

“I don’t make the rules.” I said, giving a nervous laugh.

He nods understandingly. “The important thing is that you’ve returned to me. Now we can finish what we started.”

I gnawed on my lower lip, “And what was that?”

Vakthra smiles darkly, “My Queen, did you forget your destiny so easily?”

“I wish I could remember faster.” I admitted.

“Don’t fret. You are the Eternal One. It will all come back in due time. I don’t want to overwhelm you so until then, I will just say this: Muspel will rise again with the help of our allies and dismantle the seven empires. The Alaric family will pay for their crimes. And you, my Love, will save us all.”

I gulped.