Arcanus 4

[catriana_fiction]

Title: Arcanus (Previously known as Demon King)
Series: Original
Genre: Fantasy/Drama/Romance
Rating: M
Chapters: 16/??(WIP)
Summary: He is the Demon King of the West, one of the few true immortals of the western lands. When his kingdom is frozen by 'Olde Magick' he goes out into the world to find clues and answers. Along the way he binds himself to a young vampire, encounters a half-elf that is more than what he seems and quickly begins to realize that freezing his kingdom was only the beginning.
Notes: Rioran hates stupidity. This includes when he's being stupid. He's pretty pissy in this chapter.

 

4

 

Today is my birthday Rioran.

“So it is. With that said, no, I’m not going to answer the question that you have been asking me every year for the past four years, do not even try for I refuse to indulge you.”

Liari paused in her brushing to frown at the mirror. Maybe I wasn’t going to ask this time. Mentally, she sniffed indigently. Then you’d feel like a right ass.

“Yes, well, I have known you practically your entire life, you were going to ask. I was trying to be a good friend, now you won’t have to waste your time asking a question you won’t get an answer to.”

Fine. You could have at least wished me a happy birthday.

“Happy birthday.”

Sighing, she continued to brush her hair, Rioran was in a mood tonight it seemed. Although she hated to admit it, he had been right, she had been about to ask. Of course, every year her reason for asking changes but he didn’t need to know that. Every year on her birthday she asks him whether or not he will tell her when they could possibly see each other again. Every year he tells her that she’s not old enough and refuses to tell her when she will be old enough. This year she had been confident, she was sixteen after all, a few more years and she’d be considered an adult by vampire standards. She decided to try another tactic.

You know, if I was a human I’d be considered an adult.

“I suppose then it is a good thing you aren’t a human, isn’t it?”

Why would it be a good thing?

He didn’t answer her at first and she frowned. Rioran?

“Vampireling, we shall have to continue this conversation later.” And with that he completely withdrew from her mind, leaving her not a little upset and frustrated.

The fact that Rioran refused to tell her meant that whatever it was, it would be extremely important and she honestly wanted to know what she was going to be facing, not knowing was torture. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing he was keeping from her and she knew it. There were a lot of things that her longtime friend hid or didn’t tell her and she really didn’t think it was very fair considering the fact that she tried very hard not to do the same thing. Didn’t he trust her?

She decided to dismiss it for now, she had other things to worry about. Putting her brush down she pinned her waist length dark tresses up and walked over to the gown she would be wearing. It was made of thin material as was standard for younger women and flowed beautifully. The color was a dark violet with black trim and layers which was significant. This tradition was not very old and was somewhat borrowed from humans but when a vampire child was around sixteen years of age it was custom to wear violet during the celebration. It denoted that very soon she would be of marrying age and so could be approached by suitors if they so desired. It was little more than an annoyance for Liari because it meant that instead of enjoying her birthday tonight she would instead have to stand around and smile politely while being hit on by any and every eligible male. And of course she would have to dance with all of them, it would be considered rude if she didn’t.

Rioran picked a fine time to disappear. At least with him around she could have inwardly laughed at the jokes he would make concerning the horrible pick up lines and bumbling she’d have to deal with. She wished at times that she had been born into a lesser clan, being the heir to the second strongest clan in the vampire community was uncomfortable at times like these; Liari hated being the center of attention.

Once dressed she called for her handmaiden and then not even five minutes later a barrage of females entered her chambers. From there she was sat down in a chair, hair unpinned, and the ladies worked their magic. Since there was a mirror in front of her she watched with idle fascination as a good top portion of her hair was pinned up and little corkscrew curls started emerging. Her bangs were brushed to the side, framing her pale face as more curls were shifted so that they fell down on both sides. Because her hair was so long they had pinned her hair in a way so that the curls grew longer, a few dozen curls at the back drifting down past her shoulders. With the hair that wasn’t pinned a few thin pieces of hair was curled and then the rest held massive curls only at the ends for volume.

From there the women had tried to put makeup on her but she insisted only on a light application; she was going to have to smile and make nice all night and she preferred to do so without a healthy amount of paint on her face. They griped at her, only her servants had the audacity to do such a thing because their mistress was so laid back and caring, but she was stubborn and refused to be swayed this time. Liari was perfectly fine with looking plain, maybe it’d keep some of the men away.

There was a soft knock on her door and the sight that greeted her was nothing short of shocking. Larian entered, long black hair tied back and grey eyes – the only thing that denoted that he was not entirely pureblood – were warm as they took her in. The fact that he could even genuinely look kind was amazing to her, the only time she ever remembered him smiling was usually right before he tried to hurt her in one way or another. The servants shrank back a bit, frightened, but his smile didn’t waver as he entered her room, if anything it grew wider.

“Sister!” even his voice sounded genuinely kind and Liari wondered if this was going to be a new way to torment her. When he noted her suspicious glare he bent, gently taking her hand and bringing it to his lips “I come bearing no ill will little sister.” He actually sounded honest “I am only here to wish you a happy birthday and to inform you that all of the guests have arrived. It would appear that you are ready, I am to escort you down the stairs.”

“Escort or throw?” the words came out before she had time to think. It wasn’t often that she spoke back to her brother but then again he had never given her an opportunity.

He actually had the audacity to look offended “My dear Liari, if I wanted to kill you I would hardly do so out in the open, I would end up joining you shortly thereafter. I am only to escort my beautiful sister down the stairs, it is up to you if you wish for me to remain at your side.”

He knows something I don’t. There was no way Larian was genuinely happy about her turning sixteen. Regardless of whom she decided to allow to court her after tonight she would not be going to their lands if they married. She came from the stronger clan, the male would be brought into the family and she would still remain heir. Since she wasn’t going to get any answers from him she decided to play along, it’d probably be the first and last time he would be kind to her. Slipping into the dark violet low heels that were brought to her Liari took her brother’s offered hand and he helped her up. Being so close to him was extremely uncomfortable, especially with that grin on his face. He definitely knew something she did not, something that worked in his favor. Taking his arm they ventured out.

The low murmurs of all of her guests below brought a sinking feeling to her stomach, she hated being the center of attention. If Larian sensed her discomfort he didn’t show it and more than likely he didn’t care. Of course, Rioran was still remaining silent which meant that she was on her own. Perhaps it was for the best, she couldn’t always depend on him to be there for her when she needed him and it probably annoyed him having to cater to her all the time. He never complained but maybe she depended on him too much. She would be unable to do that in a few years when she was eventually forced to marry.

That was another reason why she wanted to know the answer to her question so badly. Once she turned twenty she would have to marry and she’d probably never be able to see him again. If there was a chance that she could see him a few more times before that she was sure she would be able to endure it when she finally had to break away from him. She had no idea what she would honestly do when that time came, Rioran has been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, it didn’t feel right not having him there. Of course, he has no idea or if he does he has never mentioned it.

Oh…I suppose I do hide things from him after all.

The murmurs stopped as eyes shifted to her at the top of the staircase. Apprehension filled her and she could swear her heart was pounding in her chest. Liari took in all of the fake smiles and eager gleams in the eyes of her guests and knew she was going to be in for a long night. If one of them started rubbing their hands together in anticipation she wouldn’t be surprised. As promised her brother led her only to the end of the staircase and when she did not ask him to remain he – for the first time in his life – gave her a small respectful bow and walked away.

Immediately she was bombarded by males of all different ages making her highly uncomfortable. She had never even seen any of these males before and now they were in her face. Liari tried very hard to smile at all of them and hold small, pleasant conversations before moving on like she had been taught. The night was only so long and there were many, many single men in her home.

There were females but almost all of them were attached which meant that they were much older than she. No single women had been invited, the clan didn’t want any competition. So she, when able, tried to converse with one woman or two and had surprisingly found them to be pleasant company. Of course, they also knew what she was going through because they had gone through it themselves. A few had even given her some tips and pointers.

“Try and get through all of the men as fast as possible.” An older Descorda had told her, a small smile on her face “Ignore us girls, despite the fact that they tell you to speak with us we all understand and none of us will blame you if you disappear without introducing yourself. Once you’ve gone through the males get the heck out, I promise you they won’t miss you as much as you’d think.” The small group of females that had been around her had all nodded sagely, making Liari feel a lot better.

So that was exactly what she had decided to do, although she quickly realized it was easier said than done. Men were spread out from the reception hall to the ballroom and there was an alarming amount of single males it seemed, for there seemed to be no end to the sea of men that wanted to get her attention for a minute or so.

After about two hours she had found herself rather exhausted and her feet were hurting. She hadn’t even been able to feed and the dining table was full of containers holding blood. Rioran was still not speaking to her and she was growing rather miffed with him. For the past few years it has been that way, where he would just abruptly disappear and reappear hours or even days later. If he was so busy he should really just focus on one thing instead of showing up for a second, breaking their conversation short after a minute of talking and then leaving. It was a little disheartening and he refused to tell her anything. Sometimes she wondered if he even still liked her with the way he has been acting lately…

“Lia.” A warm male voice greets her. Turning, a smile graces her lightly painted lips as she takes in her friend Eris. While he had been a hellion years before after the night she had properly punched him in the nose he had apologized and his entire demeanor had changed. He wasn’t exactly any less arrogant or a jerk, he was a pureblood after all, but he was kinder to her and they had eventually become good friends. It has been a year since she has seen him but that year has been rather kind to him. He had grown quite a few inches and so now towered over her and his shoulders were wider than she remembered. His face had also thinned out, giving him slightly angular features. Long silver hair was pulled back into a low braid and there was still that look he would get in his eyes whenever he’d see her. Her friend smiled “It is good to see you.” He greets, bringing her hand to his lips as is custom. “Still being hounded?”

Giggling, she nodded briefly, feeling a lot better now that there was someone here she actually wanted to speak to. “Eris, it is always good to see you. Yes, it’s been absolutely exhausting. The dancing will begin soon as well and my feet are already quite upset with me.”

His laugh was refreshing to hear “If you’d like, I’ll keep you company until the dancing starts.” Leaning forward he trails a hand down her arm “I’ll keep the hounds away, they won’t dare approach you with me around.”

Liari was unable to keep from blushing at his close proximity, he really was handsome, there was a reason he was so highly sought after and it wasn’t just because he was Lotros. Taking his arm the two walked around the lower half of her home, lightly chatting and catching up on the year they had spent apart. He was right, no other male approached her once they had seen her walking with the Lotros heir and she couldn’t even hide her relief. He laughed once again at her expressions.

“You’d think you were being tortured, Lia.” He jokes, his voice a light baritone “You have to pick one of those poor bastards eventually you know.”

Flashing him a small smile she sighs dramatically “Do I have to?” she teases “I’d rather not.”

There was something strange about his smile this time “Is that so?” before she could ask him what he meant the bells denoting that the dancing was to begin sounded. He walked her back to the ballroom but before they entered he stopped, turning her to face him. She blinked owlishly at him and he smiled thinly, tilting her chin up to face him. “I have somewhat of a present for you,” the smile widened slightly “save a dance for me.”

“My friend,” she sighed once more “if I had the choice, I’d only dance with you tonight.”

“Lia, I do believe you’ve made my entire night with that statement.” With a short bow he departed and immediately at least five males approached her for a dance.

Since Liari was horrible when it came to surprises she tried to think about what her friend could have possibly have gotten for her. There weren’t too many things she enjoyed, spell books, magical artifacts, things of that nature. She was sure that he probably hadn’t gotten her anything like that, they were friends but he was still rather self-centered and at times insensitive, he didn’t actually know much about her interests and hobbies.

After about an hour she gave up, she’d just have to wait until he told her. By then she had danced with she didn’t even know how many men, she hadn’t been paying attention. Breaking away for a minute or so she was pleasantly surprised when she spotted Eris’ Guardian Markus off to one corner, observing. When he spotted her, however, he actually looked slightly agitated and upset, confusing her.

“Markus?” slowly she approached, unsure “Is everything alright?”

He smiled at her but it didn’t at all reach his eyes “I am fine, my lady, merely tired. I have been tending to extra duties as of late.”

They both knew he was lying but she wasn’t the sort of person to call him out on it “Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. I do hope you’re able to get some rest eventually.”

She was given a short nod and then he looked away, as if distracted by something. Still very confused she almost tried to get his attention again when she felt a warm hand gently take her arm. She turned to face Eris.

“Are you able to spare me a dance?” he asked politely and she nodded. Liari gave one last glance to Markus but he was gone.

“Is Markus alright?” she asked her friend as he pulled her to the center “He looked upset.”

Apparently, it was news to her friend, he raised an eyebrow “Was he? I am not sure why but I’ll ask him about it if you want.”

As they began to dance she shook her head lightly “No, that’s fine, I was just slightly concerned.”

Eris smiled “You’ve always been a strange one,” he commented “you’re different from any female I’ve ever encountered, perhaps that’s why I’ve always been so enamored with you.”

“Huh?” she asked rather ineloquently, heat rising to her face “What? What are you talking about, Eris?”

 The Lotros heir rolled his eyes “Come now Lia, surely you’re not that dense.” When she frowned at him he smirked “Why on earth do you think I did all of those stupid things as a kid? I was frustrated because you didn’t seem to like me and I had wanted to be noticed.”

This did not immediately compute for her so she merely stared at him for a moment “Wait, you’re saying that the reason you picked on me –“

“Was because I liked you.” He answered for her “Even though you’re probably the strangest female I’ve ever met, for some odd reason that is your appeal.” He pulled her closer “Fine then, I’ll tell you the surprise I had mentioned earlier. This party is really for formalities and to be polite, you are already engaged to me Lia.”

What? She screeched it in her mind so that she didn’t cause a scene in the middle of the ballroom “What do you mean I’m already engaged to you, Eris? Why was I not told this?”

“I approached your parents about it about a week or so ago and they readily agreed. Why do you look so surprised? It’s not as if you want to marry anyone else here, I’m actually doing you a favor you know.”

Liari refrained from kicking his shins “Why did you not tell me that you wished to do this, Eris? A little notification would have been nice.”

At least she knew now why Larian had looked so damn happy. Because the Lotros clan was above the Varian clan it meant that she would have to marry into their family, she was technically no longer the heir. It really annoyed her that no one had bothered to tell her considering the fact that she was a direct player in all of this.

With one arm around her waist he pulled her flush against him, his other hand tilting her chin up to face him “I was afraid you’d protest, so I went to your parents instead. I’d have to go to them regardless so I figured I’d save myself a step.” He frowned slightly “Why are you being so difficult, Lia? You said it yourself that you didn’t want to marry any of these guys which only leaves me. We are friends aren’t we? Most arranged marriages don’t even have that luxury starting off.”

That wasn’t at all the point but she knew he really wouldn’t understand or care what she felt about it. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t right, out of all of the males here being married to Eris would be ideal. He wasn’t unattractive, annoying, but easy on the eyes. He was probably the only vampire male that would tolerate her unusual ways and beliefs and it was better than marrying a complete stranger. He also honestly held feelings for her, and it wasn’t as if she hated him or anything. In the end, it was already decided, being upset about it was pointless. With a sigh she flashed him a small smile. “Eris –“

“Liari, don’t you dare agree to marry him.”

She almost fainted as her entire body reacted violently to the amount of fury her friend was all of a sudden broadcasting. The young vampire had never felt something so powerful in her life and it actually made her sick to her stomach.

“Lia?” Eris shifted and she was being lifted into his arms but she couldn’t focus on anything. He said nothing until he was able to sit her down in a chair. Kneeling in front of her he took her hands in his “Liari? What happened? You look ill.” His voice was full of concern.

Just as fast as it had appeared the fury and – now that she wasn’t being overwhelmed by it – killing intent disappeared, leaving her disoriented. She had never felt such emotions from Rioran before and to be honest they scared the hell out of her. Still swaying slightly she gave her friend a shaky smile and nodded. “I think I’m okay now.” She lied, she didn’t at all feel fine, she was alarmed and frightened “I was just feeling a little faint. I’ve been too distracted to feed properly tonight is all.”

Straightening a bit he pulled her close “We are engaged now,” the words were soft “you may feed from me, if you wish.”

This time the sensation was so powerful that even Eris snapped back away from her, startled. Leaning back in the chair she tried to calm her stomach and heart, both of which were not very pleased with Rioran’s emotions flaring through her. She has sensed him angry before this…this was something completely different and her body was not handling it well.

Eris was silent for a moment before he moved once more, pulling her up into his arms “I think you’ve been a bit overwhelmed tonight,” her friend sounds worried and slightly confused “I’ll take you to your room, it is obvious you need rest.”

If she could have nodded she would have, instead she merely made a small noise and buried her head in his shoulder, trying to fight down the wave of nausea. Once again the sensation had passed but Rioran was remaining very silent and her body was still going through aftershocks. He was there in her mind, she could sense it, but he wasn’t doing or saying anything. When had he come back? He had been gone most of the night, she hadn’t felt his presence at all until then.

As promised Eris brought her to her room and laid her down on her bed. He sits down for a moment, his hand brushing stray strands of hair from her forehead “The official announcement will be given in a few days,” he told her “but I will return sooner than that to see you. Lia, are you alright?”

Weakly, she gave him a small smile and nod “I think I’m fine now, I guess I was just overwhelmed like you said. Forgive me for alarming you.”

“As long as you are fine I’m not worried about it.” He stood “I will inform your servants so that they may tend to you appropriately. Goodnight Lia.”

Rioran? She asked once she sensed Eris’ fading presence Rioran what –

Abruptly, an image appeared in her mind. She recognized the area, it was not terribly far by flight or by porting.”You will go there,” his voice was low and he definitely sounded angry “And you will summon me.” It was not a request. Before she could respond he cut the link.

xxxxx

Taking a deep breath she bit her lip as she stood in the middle of the clearing that he had wanted her to meet him at. She was still dressed in her ball gown, Liari had gotten the impression that he had wanted her to come here immediately. Taking another breath she briefly closed her eyes. “Rioran.”

He was taller than before although his hair hadn’t grown much. His body had filled out, he was no longer a lanky-looking teenager. He definitely looked around Eris’ age and he held more angular features as well. Briefly, she wondered if he ever changed his clothing style because he seemed to enjoy wearing simple shirts and pants. His wings were closed behind his back but it was his eyes that gave her pause. Those vivid green eyes were glittering with anger and she could sense something very powerful and dark about the boy standing in front of her. When he took a step towards her she moved back, afraid. Realizing that he was actually frightening her he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. The aura abruptly faded and when he opened his eyes he looked annoyed and agitated, but not angry.

“I see you vampires have a new tradition I had not been aware of previously,” the annoyance was there but it wasn’t directed at her “how…incredibly frustrating.” Putting a hand through his hair he began to walk towards her again and she forced herself to remain still although she was definitely still afraid. He stopped a respectable distance away, took in her expression and sighed “I am not going to harm you, Vampireling.” She found herself relaxing at the nickname. “Forgive me, I am…not exactly used to being…” he scowled “Anyway, let me see if I understand this correctly, at sixteen you vampires parade your daughters in purple around a bunch of males and then pick the ones you want to court you for the next four years?”

Rioran seemed to be back to normal, although he was obviously agitated by her situation. Why? “Y-yes…that’s usually how it’s worked. E-except in this case –“

“In this case the Lotros heir pulled his bullshit card and claimed first dibs, yes, I determined that much. Do you want to marry him?”

Liari was very aware that she was treading into territory she didn’t fully understand. Rioran’s reactions were confusing to her and she wasn’t stupid. It was obvious that he was jealous, of what she had no idea because he had never expressed a romantic interest in her. Ever. If anything over the past few years he had seemed as if he had been too busy to even be bothered so this turn of events was baffling to her. At least now she understood why he had been so incredibly angry. She was happy to see him, she was always happy to see him because he looked wonderful each and every time but she was a realist.

“It’s not really my choice,” she began but that wasn’t the answer he wanted.

“I asked you if you wanted to marry him,” he snapped, irritated “I understand the reality of the situation. Try to indulge me if you don’t mind.”

A hand flew to her throat and she let out a shaky breath “I don’t…really want to marry anyone.” She answered honestly.

“You don’t want to marry anyone or any vampire?”

Why was he cornering her like this? “Rioran…”

His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms “Forget it. Just answer me this, do you love that boy?”

For a moment she stood there, taking in her friend of eleven years and how strangely he was acting. She found herself growing angry. Who was he to demand anything from her anyway? He was the one always hiding things from her and keeping her at a distance and quite frankly she was tired of men controlling her. It was bad enough Eris had gone behind her back, now Rioran was growling at her and she had had enough thankyouverymuch.

“Why do you even care?” she snapped, surprising him “What does it even matter to you who I love or marry, you have never expressed an interest before so it’s rather hypocritical of you to all of a sudden become angry with me because I might hold an interest in someone else besides you.”

They locked into a glaring contest and she refused, refused to back down. Rioran was being absolutely ridiculous, he had absolutely no right to be jealous about anything.

After a long moment something dark crossed his features “Liari,” it was a warning but as far as she was concerned he could go stuff it.

“Rioran.” She mocked “At least Eris has always held an interest in me, I can hardly say the same for you. Although we have been friends and although you are only a few years older than me you have always treated me as if I was somewhat of an ignorant child, holding me in contempt –“

He actually growled, sounding like a wild animal “I told you I’ve never held you in contem…” now angry with her he closed the distance between them, grabbing her arm. She glared up at him “I have always made it clear that I hold feelings for you –“

“Of friendship, yes.” She cut in “Which is fine and good, I have always valued our friendship…” she was cut off when he actually shook her slightly. Apparently, he was growing close to his limit.

“Just answer the damn question already!” he snapped, his eyes narrowing when she raised her chin at him and gave him a rather defiant look.

“Make me.”

A very slow grin spread along his handsome features and she began to feel a little apprehensive “Alright. Just remember you asked for it, Vampireling.”

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