Dont abduct me I'm Welsh!

Seperation

“What have you done?!” Valdagerion said flatly as he straightened from the prone position that he had remained in for some time after the porthway had closed, struggling with his emotions. His silver hair veiling his face until he flicked it back with an imperious toss of his head.

“What have you done?” He demanded again, sharper this time, glaring daggers at the queen.

Rillian and Nearwen had followed him, and were now standing in the entrance of the room coming to a halt as they took in the confrontation. “Mother, what has happened where is Mary?” Nearwen asked. Rillian coming behind her pulled her back when she would have gone forward and shook his head in warning.

Valdagerion paid them no mind his entire attention upon his mother.

“It was for your own good.”

There was a frosty silence. When Valdagerion broke it, his voice was harsh and biting. “Do not pretend it was for me that you did this thing. The mortal was an embarrassment to you.”

“Your association with the mortal was an embarrassment for all our kind.” The queen’s gaze fell away under the fury of her son’s, and she turned from him. But her voice was steady, calm. “You shame the family for the sake of slaking your lust rather than taking a true consort. You degrade yourself to irritate me.”

“This has nothing to do with you!” His fangs were born in a brief snarl as he advanced upon her with a stalking stride. “I owed the mortal a blood debt. She came to my aid when I was in need. She a mere mortal as you called her would have sacrificed her life for mine.”

“Just as you saved her life in turn.” The queen replied. “I know, I read her memories. And now she is back on her home world safe and the debt is paid in full. No harm has been done, and you can both now go about your life’s as the great order dictates.”

“How can you know she is safe? Her world is not safe.” Valdagerion bit back acidly. “You had no right to interfere in my business.”

The queen turned and looked at her son over her shoulder, her eyes a sliver of silver under heavy lashes. “I had every right. The mortal belonged on her own world, she wanted to go back to her family. Just as you belong here with us. The porthway was merely convenient. After all you were going to take her back to her own world were you not?” There was a long pause, silence filling the room like a question in itself. “Where you not Valdagerion?”

Still he said nothing, setting his jaw stubbornly.

“You intended to keep here?” The queen’s eyes widened.

That was something even he had been unsure about, but hearing his mother say it made him realise the truth of it. “No! I would not have forced her to stay, but had she chosen to remain with me…”

“What madness is this? Has lust totally over ridden your senses!”

Valdagerion’s was genuinely appalled . “Not lust.” He said. “Love.”

“ I love her.”He repeated, a threat in his low voice daring any to contradict him.

Nearwen standing in the doorway gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

“Then you place your own soul in danger. “ The queen stated harshly. But held out a placating hand seeing her son’s proud head come up sharply, his shoulders tensing. “Human’s have such short life’s. Take her as a consort and when she aged you would face years of watching her fade, unable to find an outlet for your passions the frustration would have driven you mad, and if that did not then when she died you would lose in the terrible grief of our kind. There is very good reason why we avoid forming such bonds as well you know.”

Valdagerion’s anger went from raging hot to dangerously cold in an instant. “Then it is too late, you have already condemned me to that fate mother.”

He left the room, brushing past Rillian and his sister who would have restrained him. Rillian caught hold of Nearwen when she would have followed her brother. “Leave him be.”

Nearwen watched after him, before she shook herself lose and approached the Queen who was now standing looking out of the balcony her hand upon a stone pillar as if for support. “Mother, mother what has happened?”

“I have sent Valdagerion’s human back to her own world through the porthway.”

“Mother…you did not harm her did you?”

“Not you as well?” The queen replied wearily, rubbing her forehead. “All this fuss over a mere human. Porthway travel is not comfortable for Mortals but it is hardly dangerous. I am bored of this topic. It is done, and Valdagerion will soon put her out of his mind. He is being very melodramatic, human’s and elfs do not have the chemistry for the bond, he is in no danger..”

The younger elf backed away from the queen, going back to where Rillian was standing waiting for her. “Oh, poor poor Mary.” She whispered then looked after the direction that Valdagerion has stormed off in. “Poor brother should I..?”

“Let him be for now. If I know the Rhi’Arran he will wish to be alone. ”

The warrior lead the young princess back through the darkened hall. He could do nothing for his friend right now, but he could distract his youngest sister for the time being. Perhaps he needed the distraction.

““Valdagerion was always so serious, so mindful of his duties. I have never seen him quarrel with mother so.” Nearwen said softly. “Rillian, did he really love Mary? Is it possible to fall in love in just three weeks?”

“I don’t know.” Rillian said. “I really do not know. But I suppose it doesn’t matter now, its all over.”

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Out of the darkness she came like a wraith. The gauzy silk of the elvish dress clinging to her shivering body, plasterd to her skin by the driving rain. Mud stained her legs, stuck to her bare feet. But Mary was numb to the cold, to her mind dazed from the portal, as if she was dreaming – or just waking up from one. Mary kept moving mindlessly forwards, to what? But she kept going until she stood on something, that was not a stone. Crouching down with trembling fingers she recovered her car keys from the mud. “I must have dropped them.”

It was as if she had never gone, just like that night it was raining and dark. Her car was just where she left it. Glad to be out of the rain, soaked and cold she pulled a long cashmere cardigan out of one of her bags on the back seat. She towelled of her feet then sat back. Sitting in the familiar driver’s seat, touching that worn steering wheal, and the fake floral sent of deodorant on the cardigan made it real. She was home. Really home; safe and sound; back to life as she knew it.

But her car was still fucked.

Hysterical laughter burbled up, turning in to sobs that wracked her whole body. A knock at the window startled her out of her own personal misery.

“What’s occurring?” A wizened old farmer grinned. “Car troubles is it?”

Moping her eyes with her sleeve she managed to pull herself together enough to stop crying while she caught a lift to the nearest pub. As much as it pissed her off, she had to let the old framer think that she was just one of those girls who cried over things like broken down cars. The landlord let her use the phone. The ringing seemed eternal. Mary chewed at the sleeve on her cardigan.

“Helo, The Gable’s farm.”

“Mum.”

“Mary. Oh Mary. How are you?”

“ Yeah, Mum I’m fine.”

“Where have you been? No one has heard from you for three weeks? We got worried when Will called asking if you were here when you didn’t return his calls.”

“Will and I broke up.” She said lamely. Panicking a little Mary realised that she hadn’t thought of what she was going to say. Of course there were going to be questions about her absence.

“Honey, where are you?”

Mary fell silent thinking for a moment.

“Mary?”

“I went to Auntie Jane’s holiday cottage. I needed some time to think.” It was a plausible lie. “I knew no one would be using it at this time of year. I just needed some time alone.”

“Oh I see.” Mary’s Mum answered. That familiar soft scolding brought tears anew. “You know you really should have called and told someone where you were.”

“I’m sorry I… I forgot my phone charger. I was only going to stay a few days and then….time just sort of got away from me.”

“Mary are you alright?”

“Yes.” Her voice was choked, so that she almost didn’t recognise it. “Mum my cars broken down. I’m at the Castle Inn, it’s near Talgarth. I know it’s late but could…could you come get me?”

“Of course dear. You just hang on, we will be there as soon as we can.”

Mary sat nursing a glass of wine, thankfully the land lord had long given up engaging her in conversation. Tucked away in a corner Mary got a grip of herself, and thought over her situation. It took a surprising amount of time to do this. She had not intended to lie to her Mum, but logically what else could she do.

“Where have you been darling?”

“Well I was abducted by an alien – who was actually an elf. And I have had an all expenses paid vacation to his planet for the last three weeks.”

Yeah right. That was a one way ticket to the funny farm.

ANY explanation was more believable than the truth. Twiddling her wine glass Mary came up with her story. She had been upset over Will and the job. She needed time alone to think on everything. Since Mary had always been a private person it was not implausible. The holiday cottage was a rough affair anyway, it barely had hot water let alone a phone line. She had stayed there a few times for weekends with friends . And as for not getting in contact, well she was just going to have to bite that bullet and apologise. Ok, that was her story and she was sticking to it. She turned on her phone, and it literally went mental. She groaned it was going to take weeks to go through all the text messages and voice mails.

It was her Dad who turned up some time later and she was immeasurably relived. If anyone could be relied upon not to ask too many questions it was her Dad. He hugged her, and after wiping off his glasses said. “A little underdressed for this weather dear.”

She laughed, how utterly ridiculous, but so like her father to tease her for it. She realised how strange she must look in the calf length silk gown, and pearls in a pub like this – even if she was mud splattered and had pulled on her rough riding boots from the back of the car. Mary looked down at herself helplessly, but knew that her father would not be expecting any kind of answer.

“So what’s wrong with the old banger?”

Mary ruffled her hair. “It just sort of died. I don’t know Dad, what do I know about cars.”

“We can get that sorted on Monday. Nothing much we can do over the weekend. Lets get you home eh.”

“That sounds great.”


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Valdgarion had not slept. The pain he felt at Mary’s absence was every bit as real as the wound on his chest, only he had no way to treat this hurt. It was if his mind could not process that she was gone. Every moment he expected to look up and her standing there, looking at him with her head tilted in that peculiar way of hers.

But she was gone, gone so abruptly that he was still wheeling from the shock of it.

Over and over in his mind he watched her disappear in to the darkness, as if she had never existed at all.

Valdagerion had made his way in to his sleeping chamber, strewn across the bed were the robes that Mary had carelessly discarded. Blue silk - blue as her eyes had been. He held it to her nose, her sent haunted it, and he breathed it in deep, holding tightly on to this last piece of her.

Logically his mother was right it was kinder that she be left alone to live out her life amongst her own people. He should have taken her himself. It would have been better had he taken her himself in the ship. Perhaps he could have accepted their inevitable separation better that way. He would have known at least that she was safe. After all she had wanted to go – hadn’t she?

And yet he remembered her jumping up, franticly trying to reach him. She had been happy here, some of the time. He could have made her happy here. Valdagerion knew that he was not happy without her. When he had returned to his room he had gone straight to the balcony where he had stood staring out but unseeing as the night has passed him by. Dawn had broken, but it did not touch the shadows in his eyes.

Daybreak already, he thought. Only a night had passed since he had lost the girl, and it seemed like an eternity. He wondered what day it was, did it even matter?

The ship. The thought was sudden. The ship, today was the day that the patrol was leaving for the quadrant that held the human planet. A plan began to form feverishly in his mind. He had to find Mary, somehow. Valdagerion hadn’t felt the need to act this strongly in almost a decade. He had barely processed this information before he found himself marching from his room, and on his way to the base.

He pressed his hand to the sliding door, and looked about the open hanger hoping to get onboard the transport without being noticed and avoid any awkward questions. He was still technically off duty due to his wounds, his team swapping with another’s. Valdagerion found his pace quickening as he spotted a ship, docked and waiting, and his heart began pounding a little faster.

He who dares wins, had always been a principle that Valdagerion had lived by. With his cool air of authority he walked purposefully through the check point, one of the guards checking off men greeting him automatically, before realising his intent and calling out that he was not cleared to go on the mission. So much for stowing away, Valdagerion thought. An argument ensued, Valdagerion determined to bluster his way past, knowing time for launch was swiftly approaching, and they were attracting attention.

The guard facing a dispute that had swiftly escalated beyond his control with someone who outranked him, relied upon a higher power. “I’m sorry sir, but the Queen has sent orders that you are not to go off world without clearance.”

This was an epic mistake.

It was the final turn on the screw. The Rhi’Arran’s eyes hardened, and lit as if they were glowing. An alpha predator. His hair raising as if with his emotions, static charging it. “Dam her! You heard me. Now get out of my way. ” Valdagerion snarled as he pushed past the guard.

It was only when he heard the sound of warrior’s behind him that he broke in to a run. He made it up the gangway, ignoring the pleas and demands for him to stop. Looking up at the ship which suddenly seamed larger and more complicated then he remembered he wondered if it was even possible to fly this kind of ship on your own; but by then he was to angry to care.

Suddenly he was slammed in to from behind. Four Harthsgil warriors sought to restrain him. All of them expert fighters – he should know he trained them. But they were awkward, unsure if they were doing the right thing in this unusual situation. Valdagerion with the heat of rage powering him, was soon on his feet again, and they knew that they could not touch him – not unless they wanted something broken. More warriors joined the struggle, until it became a free for all.

In the heat of action, Valdagerion did not hear the raised voices of Rillian or Pheran who had hurried over when they had heard about the disturbance. The silver haired elf’s world had shrunk to the flying of fists, and the lash of legs. What hits he took, he did not feel them. He did not even feel the trickle of blood down his chest as his wound was wrenched open again. Nor did he notice the crackle of static energy about him, as he lost control over himself.

“It’s no use we have to take him down.” Someone shouted.

“He is the Rhi’Arran we can not hurt him!”

The lights in the base flickered and dimmed as Valdagerion unconsciously drew the energy in to himself. The warriors called out to each other uneasily.

“Oh for Goddess’s sake!” It was Rillian. Valdagerion jerked as he felt a strong hand on the back of his neck. “This is for your own dammed good!”

There was a sudden pain, an electric shock. He roared, an animal’s challenge, a cry of agony and frustrated rage but it was to late the numbness spread. For good measure Rillian shocked him again. Valdagerion hit the floor seeing spots of black. Recovering from the brief faint he could have been humiliated, but he was not. The Rhi’Arran recognised the deep tingling ache radiating from his spine. Rillian that bastard had directly shocked him. If he had control over his diaphragm, he would have laughed at his friend’s audacity. It was one of the highly unpleasant practical jokes they used to play on each other; he had assumed that they had outgrown such underhanded tactics.

Rillian knelt besides him, brushing his hair back from his face, knowing that Valdagerion could not respond yet. “I’m sorry old friend, but I can not let you ruin your life. One day you will thank me for this. What ever this is, it will pass.”

Valdagerion breathing was quick and shallow. The floors was just cold enough to suck all the warmth from his skin, but did not provide the numbness he sought. “Give me Mary or give me oblivion.” he thought, Rillian was in his mind a sympathetic presence. His back twitched, still trying to fight but he could not access his great strength.

Rillian sighed. “Your not going to give up now are you?”

For answer he caught hold of Rillian’s wrist griping hard.

“Are you sure that this is what you want.” He murmured. Valdagerion rolled his pained eyes up at his friend, pleading silently. “Stubborn fool.”

Pain wracked through him again. But it was only for an instant. And then there was sweet blackness, for a little while at least.


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A/N: Hey sorry its taken me so long to update, work comitments sadly:( New chapters are on the way now. Thank you for the reviews and ratings, they realy do help.