Loras wasn't at the castle for days, since the night he spoke with his brother. He sometimes liked to take some days alone away from home all to himself and to his passion. What he did on those trips was playing his guitar and hunting animals. Those were the two things he knew how to do best, now all the wolfs knew how to kill things, but his music was something special about him. Maybe Loras did not feel confident enough to play everything in the castle where everyone could hear him, maybe he wanted to experiment all by himself.
He was now shooting a target with an arrow in the gardens around the house, he was good at that too. He noticed his mother near the plants there for a long time, and he was constantly looking at her. Josephine looked like an angel between all of those plants, she was an expert actually. Gardening always reminded her of her old life and of her house, the variety of plants her mother had. It was rare for a werewolf to be out at the light of the day instead of sleeping in their home, but most likely they both couldn't sleep in those late noon hours. It was beautiful tho, Josephine's hair were shining brighter at that little of sun that impenetrated in the forest that at the light of the moon. She spent a lot of time there watering all of her plants one by one, and she was also taking care of the soil and of their bodies.
She noticed her son looking at her all the time, so after finishing up she got close to him, while he just made a center shot at the target with his arrow.
- That's a great shot Loras, - she said.
- Mother! You finally decided to come and talk to me.
- You are my lovely son. Of course I want to talk to you, don't be stupid.
- Did you take good care of your plants?, - he got closer to her too.
- I didn't pay much attention to mother's garden either when I was young, but later on I understood how much that garden did mean to me. It was something that I always had, so it made me feel comfortable. I didn't know his value of course, but when I got away I learned it.
- But I pay attention to yours! I love each of your plants and their gardener! - he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
It looked like she didn't pay much attention and went on:
- I missed my home, I missed my mother's garden, and I missed everything that I had there., - she stopped for a bit and looked at her son, - So I immediately started to build my own garden, so I would always have a piece of my home with me. Before you and your brother were born, the garden was all that I had, and even after I never let it behind.
- Are we not enough to fill your emptiness?, - her son gently asked.
She still looked like she didn't pay any attention and went on:
- I know every each of them so well, I know what every one needs. And I know to recognize each one's beauty and uniqueness. Some of them are small and some big, some have colored flowers and some are just green. The colored have their different color and the green have different shapes and nuances. Some of them are potted and some are in the earth directly, some of them need more water and some less., - She kept a bit of silence, - But all of them miss the light down here that's why are pale and long, and most of them are from my mother's garden.
- Your garden is growing bigger and bigger. I want to come and care of the plants with you someday., - Her son felt the need to be closer to her.
- Nothing would make me happier!, - she smiled, - And my dear, you and Sebastian are a lot to me, I would be a lot less happy without you. I thank God every night for giving me such particular and loving children!, - she hugged her son, - were you again away with your guitar?
- Yes!, - they both looked at each other and smiled.
- You have done that since you were small. You should play someday for me, especially those melodies that you like to keep private.
The night had started to fall, the queen took her pot of water and the rest of the gardening tools and left for inside, while Loras decided to shoot some more arrows. Mary came from inside, just waken up with the pajama on and called:
- Loras! Where are you sexy!
- A nice way to greet me I must admit, - he smiled and rotated her up and gave her a kiss on her lips, - I missed you so bad!
- I looked out for you for days, where were you?
- On my usual trips. Sometimes I like to sleep in the open or in caves.
- Do you remember that cave we slept in years ago?
- Could I forget it, I visit it sometimes, it reminds me of you. It was right before our marriage, it was a lot of fun the things we did to each other!, - the love in Loras's eyes was huge at this point.
- You played me with your guitar. Come inside in our room, you need to play me something, let go of your arrows for now. You have already shot straight into my heart.
When vampire or werewolf people married, they usually had each by a room and a common one. They went to their common room, a place like the rest of the castle, but where books and musical instruments could stay by each other. He took the guitar and started playing a melody that his wife liked.
- MMM, I'm melted, - she said and went behind him and took her white pajama off.
Her husband stared at her naked at the mirror in front and she knew it, but he continued playing and said:
- I want you!
- You have me., - she went beside him and hugged him by the neck giving him kisses on it, - go on I like the melody.
- If you stay naked behind me longer I can't promise I can hold myself back.
She smiled and went to the wardrobe and wore something. Than she said:
- We have a bit of a problem, I fear.
- What kind of problem?
- Oh my love you don't pay much attention to a lot of things, do you? It's about your brother and his relationship with vampires.
- I know about it and what is wrong, are you my father to have phobia of the vampires?
- You are a bit naive and you lack a bit of curiosity apparently.
- So, what did you discover, my sly curious queen?
- I'm not a queen yet and neither you are a king, but that's a matter to be discussed later., - she went on, - some days ago I followed your brother's traces after he came from his lover.
- And?
- And what I found out was that he had slept with both a vampire girl and her brother without her knowing.
- How did you find out?
- I had a nice little adventure with Sebas's girl and I also found out that for irony of the fate those girl and guy are the princes of the Vampire Kingdom.
- What?!, - he suddenly stopped the music., - You can't be serious!
- I am! And you got to start being more serious too from now on, because things are starting to get delicate.
- Maybe I can talk to my brother and make him stop.
- What you actually need is someone to watch your pretty back.
- But why all those precautions?
- If a war starts the spell might be casted again over all the werewolves.
- You are already talking of war, are you crazy?
- If your father found out he will start the war again and Anabel will make us all pay for that. You need at least to stay strong for your family.
- Where do you want to get?
- I want us to go to the High Hill and meet the witches. We need to make alliance with them.
Those words literally got Loras of surprise, he could expect everything, but not this one.
- You are officially crazy, - he said, - what sense does it make, the witches are openly queen Anabel's friends, they cast a curse on us years ago. If only my father learned about it we'll be done.
- Not all of them are her friends and your father can do nothing to us! I'm a half witch too, did you forget?, - Mary said.
- Of course I didn't forget, but no one knows this and you are a werewolf, that's the important thing!
- I am, but my mother was a witch! Come on we have to go!
- Now? You mean right now immediately?
- Well I waited you for quite some days.
Both of them wore a cape and left the keep without anyone seeing them. They walked a lot until they reached the witches home, the High Hill. It was the highest place od the Forest of Shadows, away from both the kingdoms. The place was scarier here, on some parts it was everything dead, the trees were black and with no leaves, while on some places there were green trees kept in life from the magic of the moon. The hill had five big houses too much away from each other and in each of them lived a particular order of witches. Around the big houses there were some small ones were other witches of the same order live. Each of the four houses were on one part of the horizon and the fifth and the biggest was in the center and was the home of the Great Witch, the leader of them all.
Mary and Loras went in the western order, where her mother belonged once. They entered inside and there was strange, some witchy things were there, the classical cauldron, the brooms, paintings of strange rituals and the rest of them. The witches never left their hill for ethical reasons. Petra, one of the witches, an old woman welcomed them and they seated on the table.
- Welcome, - Petra said, - we were expecting you, Mary said you needed your help.
- And how could you possibly help me?, - Loras asked.
- My dear young man, we are the witches, - Petra went on with a bit offended voice, - we are the ones that manage the equilibrium of nature, with the sun, the moon and the stars. We had the power to permit to couples to have no more than two children and that only after marriage. We are the ones that made the vampires burn at the sun.
- We are afraid that if a war begins between us and the vampires, a curse may be cast on our kind once again and make us feel the pain. In such circumstances we would be endangered., - Mary said., - We need to make sure that we can fight queen Anabel.
- I don't know what makes my wife bring me here today, but there is not a war in plan, so there is not a problem!, - Loras said with a relaxed and ironic tone.
- We are not here to start a war, but you need to promise us that you will be ready to defend our kind., - Mary was convincing her, - We need to make sure of that. So my dear witches what I need is a spell to be made on my husband. One that prevents his from being cursed with the transforming pain, so their best arm won't work against him.
- That would not be a problem, - they responded and turned back to Loras for approval.
- Alright, if it makes my beloved wife happy, than let's make this spell!, - he smiled taking his wife's hand and looking at her from the chair on the table as she had stood behind him. She kissed him as to thank him.
- Than let us soon find all the materials and we will soon make it, - Petra responded, - but remember, the Great Witch mustn't know about this!