Emerald And Aharon

Chapter Eleven

“I might have to leave,” Aharon said to me.

I didn’t let the flash of emotions that ran through me show. It didn’t bother me that Desiree was coming to stay at the house; I knew there was nowhere else for her to go. What did bother me was him saying he might have to leave.

I finally shrugged my shoulders and tried to keep my answer light, “we’ll deal with that when the time comes, 2 heads are always better than one.” 

Aharon looked at me and I looked back, “what?”

“You didn’t answer me about Desiree,” he said quietly, his dark eyes studying me.

I relaxed slightly and smiled again, shrugging one shoulder. “It's fine if she comes and stays with us, it’s probably better that way then leaving her on her own in Sellan.”

His posture didn’t change but there was confusion traveling over his face and I laughed. “My straight answer, from the hilt, she lives with us, fine, but I’m going nowhere.” I touched his cheek, “I like it where I’m at,” I grinned before letting my hand fall. “I’ll see you later Aharon, I have some things I want to get done.”

I walked away to Aurianna’s house and let myself in heading to the kitchen and finding Aurianna there canning Ausia Pears. I leaned against one of the counters and said, “well, it seems our planned worked, Desiree is now a widow, and moving in with us.”

Aurianna locked the lid down on the kettle and looked at me, brushing a few damp stray locks out of her face, “so where does that leave you and Aharon?”

I shook my head slightly, “same as before, I’ve crossed my sword for him and that won’t change unless Aharon himself sends me away.”

Aurianna studied me with her azure eyes, and suddenly she smiled, “you two fit well together. If only he had met you first.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “if he met me first, Alleyne and Fire may not exist, and that would truly be a shame.”

Aurianna glanced at the door and back at me and said, “True, but I sometimes wonder about Alleyne.”

I frowned and arched an eyebrow at her, staying silent and waited for her to continue.

She looked out the kitchen window and back at the door obviously checking to see if anyone but us were around. “About the time that Desiree told me that she was pregnant with Alleyne, her and Aharon started to have a few problems in their marriage.  She even tried to force a miscariage.”

I felt my jaw drop open, “what?” I said in a hushed shock tone but at that moment Blaze and Kiara came into the kitchen. “Hey guys,” I said in greeting to them and ruffling  Blaze’s hair as I passed her out the door. I waved at Aurianna and sent her a look that said we’d talk later and she nodded her head.

Outside I came across Auron and Daystar practicing sword fighting and I couldn’t resist giving Daystar a few pointers to knock his father down a peg or so. ““Duck down and roll in close,  popping up close and swing at his midsection forcing him to step back.” As Daystar followed my instructions I continued, “Now shove at his exposed shoulder and you should topple him down.”

Auron looked up at his son, the wooden sword pointing at his throat then glared at me, “He’s supposed to learn on his own Emerald.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Not my fault he’s a fast learner.” 

I could see Auron’s mouth open to retort but my mind was elsewhere as I felt a harsh cold sting that came from the presence of an immortal wash over me and the fire of another immortal’s death burning over my skin.  What made the burn worse was I recognized the feeling of the immortal that died. “Oh gods, why her?” I murmured.

At Auron’s arched eyebrow I shook myself out of it and shrugged my shoulders. “Sorry about that, have a pressing meeting I need to get to, tell Aharon if you see him I’ll meet him back at the house ok?”

Auron nodded his head and I started off into the woods not far from Auron’s home and headed deeper in. I followed the cold wash that was seeping deeper into my bones. As I walked that cold fueled a fire that made me burn with rage.

The trees soon gave way to a clearing and there stood a man who I had left in charge of a woman who needed protection, my god daughter. “You son of a b***h,” I hissed.

He smirked at me, the years that had passed since I had last seen him hadn’t changed him physically but I could feel the change inside of him.  “Come to be next in line?”

I looked at the body that lay at his feet, grief and rage churning inside of me.  “I didn’t come to be next in line, you son of a bitch.” I drew my sword and stepped further into the clearing, “I thought you had honor.”  The air around me started to grow charged and I tried to keep my anger in check but I knew I was starting to fail.

“She was an immortal, so was I, what’s it matter?”

“What does it matter? What does it f*****g matter??” I yelled.  “You swore an oath in blood to protect her! In that same oath you swore to teach her to fight until she could defend herself and then you would part ways, never taking her head!” Grief was gone at this point, I was just mad.  I wanted to kill the son of a b***h, and I was GOING to kill him.

“She knew how to fight, she just couldn’t best me,” he smirked as he stepped towards me, the air around him starting to charge. “You have my word she knew...”

I spat on the ground and interrupted him,  the disgust plain in my words, “your word? You’re word is about as good as breasts on a f*****g stallion.”  I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly, “ an immortal only has their honor, integrity and their sword to last them until the end of their days, and you Mikalem, all you have is your sword, and that’s going to be mine.”

Mikalem swung first, I blocked his swing easily. Where the 2 swords meet sparks flew and made the air around us crackle with energy.  I pushed him back and swung again, our swords clanging against each other and throwing more sparks. The cocky smirk he had been wearing gave way to uncertainty as the fight went one.  He felt the power and the blood that stained my sword, and that I was no easy match like what he normally picked.

The fight continued, metal clashing against metal, sparks flying, the energy in the air building and letting off sparks of their own until the grass around us char black. He swung low, trying to cut across my stomach. I dipped back and rammed forward, my sword going straight into his torso.  Before he could react I yanked my sword back, pulling him slightly with it and in the next motion sliced through his neck. “Rot in limbo bastard,” I hissed at him as his head toppled from his shoulders and his body crumpled.

The air exploded, knocking me back onto my butt as blue and green flames pooled out of his body and swirled around, circling me and closing in like a nightmarish colored tornado, bathing me in the ice-cold flames and seeping into my skin. Memories flitted before my eyes; his, my god daughters, others he had beheaded. Tears pooled in my eyes as I fell onto my side trying to catch my breath as the flames subsided.

I heard someone approach, but couldn’t tell who they were as my other senses were still reeling from the fight.  I started to shove myself up to face the possible new threat. I relaxed as I saw Aharon come into the clearing.

“You aren’t in any condition to use that, you know,” Aharon said as he came up to me and offered his hand to help me up.

I grabbed a hold and pulled myself back to my feet, “you’d be surprised what I can do in this condition,” I retorted.

Aharon half shrugged and half nodded but didn’t let go of my hand and together we headed back to the house that we shared, holding hands.

When we reached the house Desiree saw us walk in holding hands and that’s what her attention zeroed in on but she said nothing.  “I’m going to go clean up,”I murmured to Aharon. Fire was coming around the edge of the table and I managed to slip out of sight before she saw me covered in blood, though Alleyne had seen me.

I slipped upstairs and started cleaning up when a knock came at my door.  I slipped a clean tunic on and answered, “come on in,” as I undid my braid and grabbed my brush.

Alleyne came into my room, and quietly shut the door behind her, “where did all the blood come from?” She asked.

I chuckled softly, “trust you to ask, child,” I brushed my hair in silence for a few moments before answering, “I got in a fight with another immortal, rarely are those fights blood free.”

“Did you kill them?”

I paused and looked at her, meeting her gray blue eyes, “Alleyne, when immortals really fight, only one walks away.”

Alleyne met my gaze, and something flashed through them that made a prickle of unease flair across my skin, “What was it like?”

I stopped brushing my hair, and seriously considered her question. “Taking someone's head is not something I would recommend to any.  I don’t care for it, but I don’t have a choice, if I don’t, those that will, will kill me.”

Alleyne slowly nodded her head, “do you look forward to the fights?”

“The fights? Yes, the end of the fights, no.”

Alleyne looked at me, clearly puzzled and I explained, “I love the fight, the challenge of the opponent.  The battle of wits and strengths, but those fights only have 1 outcome, one of us will die, and that is the part I do not like.”

Alleyne nodded her head, and the prickle of unease I felt faded away as quickly as it had skittered across. I soon finished with my hair and the 2 of us went down stairs and ate dinner.

Life fell into a quiet pattern around the house.  Desiree took care of the house and the girls, and I took care of the girls outside the home, teaching them old ways with magic and sword fighting.  Fire showed an interest in magic even though she was young, while Alleyne preferred the sword.

Aharon spent his time either home, over at his brother’s or elsewhere on local patrol. Time passed like that for about a year, I was lucky in the sense that I came across no other immortals. One night after the girls were tucked into bed and Desiree was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner Aharon came up to me, “come take a walk with me?”

I nodded and followed him and we headed outside to the garden. He led me to one of the benches in the garden and took my hand. He pulled me down to sit down next to him and he glanced around before focusing back on me. “I love you, Emerald.  I love you more than I thought possible.” He reached up and stroked my cheek, “seems like I fell in love with you from the day you and I meet.”

I smiled faintly and placed my hand over his for a few seconds before he pulled his hand away. “I love you too Aharon, but I’ve already told you that. I’ve loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you though at the time you intended to kill me.”

He started to protest and I held my hand up to hold his protests at bay, “I know it wasn’t personal. You thought I was a threat, and were determined to protect your family; I don’t fault you for that at all.  After a few seconds of meeting you, I had found my match in sword fighting, and a little later my match in everything else.”

Aharon smiled faintly, “pretty words Emerald, I thought I was supposed to be the one to say them.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I’ve always had a way with words.”

“Aye, while I...” he started to say something but I cut him off.

“While you have a way with showing how you feel.  Like ruffling Alleyne’s hair in greeting, or gently patting Fire’s back after she wakes up from a bad dream or placing your hand on my waist.  Your actions or lack thereof speak more than a 1,000 words.” I squeezed his hand with mine to prove my point; he had taken it while I had been talking.

He glanced down at our hands, and I grinned and hauled his head down and kissed him.  It felt right as I did and when he pulled back he started to say something but I didn’t get the chance to find out.  “I’ll be right back, Tala wants a word,” I was cursing inside, trust Talatiana to pick the most inopportune time to visit, but she never came after dark so I knew it was important.

Aharon’s annoyance showed on his face but I shrugged my shoulders and explained, “She never comes around after nightfall.”  I felt myself shudder slightly as I thought of the reason why she never came calling after nightfall.

I turned away and headed deeper into the woods, and soon found Talatiana, leaning against a tree, tossing a dagger in the air. She stood up straight as I came close and sheathed her dagger, “2 things,” she said and dug in a pouch at her side and then pulled something out and held it out for me to take.

I glanced down at her hand and recognized the object as soon as I saw what it was.  It was the necklace I had given Anastasia when she was a small child, a necklace with a pendant of a dragon and woman entwined.

I took it from Talatiana and as I did she spoke, “number two is watch your back.  Hunters have been sniffing around the sisterhood, and there are a few who aren’t as tight lipped as they should be about past members, if you get my drift.”

I nodded my head and I shuddered slightly at the look that flashed over Talatiana’s face as she spoke of the loose-lipped members. “I’ll keep my eyes open,” I said.

Talatiana nodded her head and we clasped wrists, and we parted ways.  I headed back to Aharon and fastened the necklace around my neck. I sat back down next to him and grinned, “So, where were we?”

Aharon smiled faintly back and said, “I told you that I loved you and you said the same back, then you kissed me.

“Ah yes, guess that means it’s your move Aharon,” as I said that Aharon stood up and before I could react he had me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.  “Hey! Put me down!”

He slapped me on my ass and said, “Hold still, I’ll put you down in a minute.

I stopped trying to squirm and Aharon kept his word, in a few minutes he did put me down, in his bed.  I won’t go into details about what happened next, never have been a girl to kiss and tell, but if you use your imagination I’m sure you can fill in the blanks.

I woke up early the next morning and reached over to touch his shoulder, only to find the bed empty but for myself. I jolted upright and looked around, finding myself totally alone in his room and for a few seconds I was furious. That faded quickly and I shook my head ruefully.  I should have known something was up, he wanted to make sure I knew he meant what he said, so I wouldn’t leave, and he snuck off after I fell asleep to make sure I didn’t try and come with him.

I wasn’t going to leave, but I would have tried to go with him, there was no way I would let him face Isilk alone.

I got out of bed and dressed quickly and found a new necklace around my neck.  It was like the Celtic cross that Aharon wore and I smiled faintly. I finished getting dressed and headed out his door only to bump into Desiree. She had a look of shock, and then hurt flash across her face; I kept my face blank and turned away.

A few days later both of us were in the kitchen, and I said to her, “I’m going on a hunting trip, is it ok if Alleyne comes with me?”

She paused from making lunch and faced me, a look of betrayal on her face, “How long Emerald?”

I looked at her, thinking for a few moments, “it’d only be a few days, hopefully we’ll come abck with a good haul.”

Alleyne glared at me, “How long have you been sleeping with Aharon?” she hissed, “I thought we were friends Emerald...”

I stood up and took a step towards her and interrupted her, “hold it right there, Desiree, we are friends.  But last time I checked I didn’t have to tell you who I was sleeping with, nor is it any of your goddamn business who Aharon is sleeping with any more, since you aren’t his wife.”

I turned away and headed towards the back door, “you need to get your f*****g head out of your ass Desiree, before you wind up dead,” with that I went outside and soon found Alleyne, “pack a sack Alleyne, we’re going hunting.”

We left soon after that, me riding Ember her on Silver.  If I knew what was going to happen after I left I wouldn’t have gone on that hunting trip.