Serena felt his presence before she heard the soft thud on the balcony behind her, she felt his aura tonight stronger than before. Only now did she realize that she had been standing there in the cold, waiting for him to come. She couldn't explain, even to herself, how she knew he would come, all she knew was that she couldn't leave this balcony until he did. She didn't turn around but waited for him to say something, anything just so she could hear his voice. The fear she had felt before when she saw him angry had faded into the night and left her cold and empty.
"Serena", his voice was barely a whisper.
She didn't answer but remained standing with her back to him, her body stiff against the wind blowing across the balcony.
"It's cold out, we should go inside", he said.
Ivar sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair, he wanted to pick her up and carry her inside but she seemed determined to freeze to death. The silence between them hung heavy in the air as the snow swirled faster around them.
Serena could feel his eyes on her and she resisted the urge to turn around, afraid that he would see clearly everything she was feeling. She was confused and overwhelmed by her own emotions and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't trust herself to speak. She didn't want to appear weak in front of him, even though he had saved her twice already. Minutes passed but it seemed much longer, as if the silence was somehow stretching the minutes into an eternity.
"I was waiting for you", she said softly.
"I know", he replied.
Gathering her courage, she finally turned to face him, "I have never, in my life, felt so alone as when you left the room tonight, the way you did"
Her eyes shone like precious amethysts in the dark and he knew that she was just barely holding back the tears. He ached to close the distance between them and take her in his arms but he restrained himself. She had to willingly come to him, for while he wanted her trust, right now he needed her acceptance. He needed her to show him that she accepted him, not just as a vampire, but more importantly as her husband.
"I will always be by your side, Serena. Always", saying this, Ivar held out his arms to her, knowing that she was fully aware of what it would mean to accept his embrace.
She nodded slowly, her hands clutching at the sides of her nightgown before she calmly walked towards him, her eyes never leaving his. She stepped into his arms and leaned into him as he rested his chin on top of her head.
"I am cold Ivar, will you take me inside?", she breathed against his shirt.
In a flash, he lifted her in his arms and strode through the balcony doors and into the room. He kicked the doors shut behind them and walking to the bed, he sat down, with her still in his arms, and pulled the covers over them both. He leaned back against the pillows and positioned Serena between his thighs, cradling her head on his chest.
They both lay quietly, watching the flames from the fireplace create shadows on the wall. The room had slowly turned warm while outside the wind had started to howl sending the snow down in sheets of white.
Ivar's chest rose and fell as he breathed, its rhythm gentle and soothing, and Serena closed her eyes, feeling drowsy all of a sudden and though she tried to fight it, she eventually fell asleep, curled up on Ivar's chest.
He listened to her heart beating until it slowed to a steady rhythm and her breaths became deep and even. He felt the tension leave her body as she relaxed against him, her hand sliding down his shoulder onto his arm, where her fingers loosely gripped the sleeve of his shirt. Turning slightly in his arms, he felt her thigh gently press against the front of his pants and he felt himself stir. Twisting carefully to one side, he tried to dislodge her thigh from there but she just moved it back again, the movement itself wreaking more havoc than the first.
Afraid that any more attempts at removing the offending thigh would only serve to further aggravate the situation, Ivar lay unmoving as he tried to ignore his discomfort. His breath hissed between his teeth as he lay looking up at the ceiling of the canopy, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.
Outside in the forest surrounding the castle, just beyond the border, a dark figure stood hidden amongst the trees. Much time passed but still the figure stood motionless, staring in the direction of the castle, as if watching or waiting for something. That part of the forest faced the eastern side of the castle where the King's chambers were located and just at that time there was only the King and Queen awake, outside on the balcony.
Finally after a long while, as if knowing that the King and Queen had gone inside and retired for the night, the figure nodded slowly,as though satisfied, and turning, glided soundlessly across the snow and into the forest.
On the other side of the castle, on the third floor of the west wing, just as the dark figure disappeared into the forest, a pair of blood-red eyes snapped open.
Grabbing his sword from beside his bed, Rathgar strode purposefully across his room, his shoulders tense beneath his cloak. Reaching the window, he stepped up onto the ledge and leapt out into the night.
Using the castle's parapets to leap across the roof, Rathgar circled around the castle before coming to stand on the roof just above the King's balcony. Without pausing, he stepped off the edge of the roof and landed with a muffled thud in the snow that had gathered on the balcony.
"You felt it", Ivar said, as Rathgar walked to stand beside him.
"Whatever it is, it's gone now", Rathgar replied.
"I haven't felt anything like that before"
"It's using a Cloaking Spell", Rathgar stated.
"And a powerful one at that ", Ivar muttered in agreement.
The snow was falling heavier now, making it difficult to see anything but for the two vampires, their heightened senses enabled them to clearly scan the landscape in search of clues to the mysterious visitor. The minutes ticked by and the wind howled loudly around the castle, shaking the bare branches of the trees, threatening to snap them off at any moment.
"You should go back inside. I'll check the perimeters, just to be sure", said Rathgar.
"Take the west side, I'll meet you out front", Ivar replied, before leaping from the balcony.
Landing in the snow that covered the ground, Ivar stood and glanced around carefully, searching for anything unusual. Finding nothing amiss, he took off in a blur of vampiric speed, heading towards the castle's eastern border.
The two vampires moved silently across the castle borders from opposite sides before working their way towards the front of the castle. Ivar arrived first and waited on the portico, casually leaning against a pillar with his hands in his pockets. Some time later, Rathgar approached him from the western wing, his boots clicking against the marble floor while his hair, wet from the snow, hung limply across his shoulders.
"Nothing but snow", Rathgar snorted, stamping his boots to remove the snow clinging to them.
Ivar, deep in thought, nodded slowly before speaking, "Get some sleep, we'll talk after breakfast"
The two vampires parted ways, each returning to his chambers, knowing that neither of them would be getting any sleep.
When morning came, Serena woke up alone in bed once again. She sat up and looked across at Ivar's side of the bed, noticing that the sheets remained largely undisturbed, as if he had not slept there. She remembered him, holding her in his arms when she fell asleep but he must have put her down during the night. Where did he go if he hadn't slept beside her? And where was he now?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the chamber doors before her maids entered to bathe and dress her. Heeding Ivar's words, she allowed them to bathe her, not wanting to risk inadvertently accepting his offer of attending to her, himself.
Serena sat at her dressing table while Inga brushed her hair. Looking at the maid's reflection in the mirror, Serena asked, "Where is the King?"
"His Majesty is waiting for you to join him in the dining hall", Inga replied as she continued braiding Serena's hair.
"Do you know when he left the room this morning?"
"No, Your Majesty"
"Does he not have anyone attend to him?"
"No, Your Majesty", Inga paused, her brow creased in thought, before continuing, "His Majesty, keeps odd hours and so does not wish to trouble anyone with attending to him"
"Yes, I suppose he does", Serena murmured.
Inga accompanied Serena to the dining hall, leaving her outside the doors, just like before. Entering the hall, Serena found Ivar sitting alone at the table, deep in thought. Catching sight of her, his lips turned up in a lazy smile and his eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Good morning my Queen. I trust you slept well"
"Well enough, and you, Your Majesty? Did you sleep......well?"
"Unfortunately, I didn't get much sleep last night as my mind was preoccupied with....something other than sleep"
She could feel him smirking as she fought the blush rising to her cheeks. Why did he constantly say things to make her feel this way? Did he derive some form of pleasure from seeing how his words affected her? She was relieved when the servants entered with the food, providing her with a distraction so she could compose herself.
Once the servants left, Serena focused on her food, trying to ignore the presence beside her but her efforts were in vain.
"Twice now I have had to rescue you, my sweet Queen, bearing you away to safety in my arms ", Ivar drawled lazily, his eyes studying her.
"And I am most grateful, Your Majesty", she replied, refusing to meet his gaze.
"I am sure you are but if all you want is to be in my arms, you only have to ask"
Feeling the familiar warmth on her face, Serena glared at him in annoyance, only for Ivar to smile back at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Just then, much to Serena's relief, the doors to the dining hall opened and Rathgar walked in. Before taking his seat, Rathgar bowed his head to Serena and greeted her in a low voice, "Your Majesty"
"Lord Bane", Serena returned his greeting, while hoping that he wouldn't notice the flushed appearance of her face.
Sitting down, Rathgar noted the color lingering on the Queen's face and Ivar's mischievous smirk. What has he done now?, Rathgar wondered.