Prince Charming

Note: Thank you all for your lovely reviews! (And most importantly for not abandoning me with my lousy updating skills!) I hope you enjoy this chapter. To let you know, I plan on updating now, twice a week, as I originally promised before summer got out. There is always the possibility of a change in plans, but so far I don\'t foresee it, and if one does come about, I hope I\'ll be able to inform you all and keep you up to date. Enjoy for now! ^^

Chapter Seven

Dropping the third full bundle of gathered twigs in his rapidly growing stack, Teige’s voice faltered as a sudden chill washed over him, and he frowned, pausing to glance over his shoulder. Since they’d entered the forest, he’d had an eerie sense of discomfort, a kind of cold foreboding that started in his toes and seeped through his body like a unstoppable chill, but he’d put it all off to fatigue and nerves after a considerably rough day. Now, though, he couldn’t shake it as he had before, the feeling sticking and only growing worse. Singing, as he had while in Cyprien’s care, had momentarily lifted his spirits as he’d hoped, but now, even that felt dry and useless next to his overbearing anxiety.

Quickly, he turned his attention back to the pile of wood. Foolishness. It was no wonder Drake wanted rid of him; he couldn’t even keep his nerves in check when gathering firewood, let alone when trying to learn all the things he’d surely need to know to serve as any sort of use to the already self-sufficient warrior. Determined to complete at least this small task to the best of his ability, he shoved aside his insecurities and left the stack as it was, turning back to the forest regardless of the building dread in his gut. The instant he stepped into the trees, he regretted his decision.

Eight eyes, huge, round and luminescent, hovered over him, not ten feet away. The trees and growing darkness hid the rest of what held up those eyes, a body that Teige prayed he’d never have to see. Unfortunately, as the two clicking fangs, currently dripping with a substance he didn’t even want to try and identify, proceeded to advance on him, that prayer didn’t seem likely to be answered.

The first scream ripped through his throat of its own accord long before he could muffle it with his palm, and he didn’t even register it as his own until he found himself scrambling backwards, tripping and stumbling over a million obstacles that couldn’t have been there before. The second came out deeper, like a choked sob, as he had to force down bile in his throat and tumbled backwards into their camp’s clearing.

When the creature first ventured a single, hairy black appendage out into the semi-lit grey clearing, Teige struggled again not to toss anything and everything remaining in his stomach out onto the grass. Of all the ways he could have died, it had to be by a spider.

It ventured another leg, obviously wary of the light, even in its dull, evening state, the sun almost fully set now, and the beast’s hesitance gave Teige a chance to attempt swallowing down his suffocating panic enough to flicker his eyes over their camp for any possible means of defense. Stallion’s anxious whinny caught his attention, and his gaze snapped to the fierce black horse, its eyes already wide and wary as it shook its head rapidly, mane flying and hooves beating the ground. Could he possibly mount him? In that state? And what about-

A crash in the woods from the opposite direction of the approaching spider caught his attention, and his eyes landed on Davinoff, their eyes meeting briefly for a fleeting second before the warrior’s gaze turned the cause of his dilemma. For an instant, he could have sworn he saw the man’s expression drop a shade of color. Then, he became the same stone-faced relic he’d seen at the gates of Cyrpien’s tower. Scrambling to his feet and backing up in an effort to get both farther from the threat and closer to the defense, Teige questioned rather shakily as he got close enough, “What is it?”

“Salcidae. Venomous, blood-sucking, night-dweller…kinda like your late friend, come to think of it…” Teige glanced to the eight-legged thing approaching them, the drops of greenish-silver toxin dripping from very unfriendly looking fangs leaving several bits of grass to sizzle beneath its wake. He tried to compare it to Cyprien…and failed. “I think it liked your lovely singing voice.”

Teige winced in spite of himself; so it was his fault after all. “How do you…get rid of it?”

“I’d say chop off its legs, stab its eyes out and leave the carcass to discourage more…” The smaller man looked slightly sick, and Davinoff raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you want to sing it a lullaby, be my guest…”

“Oh.” Somehow, Teige couldn’t quite seem to stomach the idea and put up the effort to speak in full sentences at the same time.

“Lesson three: killing giant arachnids 101. Catch.” Before Teige got the opportunity to make even a full turn, the weapon came flying his way, and only an incredibly awkward scramble allowed him to do as ordered successfully. Seeing as how he caught it with the blade end between his palms, he felt understandably grateful that Drake had made the toss with the dagger still sheathed. Regardless, as the turn of events eventually processed in his mind and he came to terms with the task set before them, any remnants of color still in his face drained completely, and his voice threatened to crack.

“Drake wait! C-can’t we just-…” A piercing, high-pitched screech filled the air, inhuman and chilling even as Teige fought to cover his ears, eyes tightly shut as if that could help muffle the sound. When his eyes opened, he found the creature stumbling, still very much alive but with a dagger, hilt deep in one of its two foremost eyes. All hope left in him vanished like precious gold-dust caught in a sudden wind, and the last word in his sentence came out audible only to himself. “…run…”

From there, everything went by in a blur, his already unsteady stomach lurching near beyond his control at the sight of the already repulsive enough creature loosing a gangly leg here or there and spewing more goop, the contents of which he didn’t want to even guess. Even worse than the sight of it, however, was watching Drake: all his grace, power, and strength nearly put to a very sudden end on more than one occasion to the point where, if he had had the voice to scream, he would have cried out for the man’s well-being more than once.

The knife in his hand felt like a dead weight, and though every screaming bit of will in him demanded that he do something, anything, to help the man saving his life for the second time that very minute, he couldn’t force himself to budge. His throat burned, his gut twisted, and his body shook, his legs like lead and head in a foggy haze. “Drake…” It came out barely above a whisper, hardly audible to himself, let alone the man yards away and heavily distracted. “Drake stop…” Then, an all-new panic hit him with a fresh wave of cold fear, and his words caught in his throat. “Drake…no…Drake, stop!” He forced his voice into a shout. “There’ll be more! More are coming, we have to run!”

The warrior only turned for an instant, about the same amount of time Cyprien had taken to glance up to the tower when he’d heard his name, but that was all it took. In his distraction, Davinoff didn’t have time to evade, and a single, wildly thrown kick from one of the mutilated spider’s five remaining legs sent the warrior flying with a thick crack into the nearest trunk. Before Teige had time for even a second thought, all the invisible chains on his body snapped free, as if suddenly cut by an unknown force, and he ran forward into the clearing, dagger drawn across his body in preparation to throw until he came just to the edge of the tent. There, though he’d never thrown a thing in his life save for possibly a few pebbles in a brook, he let the weapon fly.

Naturally, it missed its target. In fact, the throw didn’t even graze the salcidae, but actually hitting the thing, though it might have helped, wasn’t totally necessary for Teige’s plan to work. Truthfully, he hadn’t had much of a plan at all, only the dire need to assure that, no matter what, Drake did not die while he had a breath left in him. He owed the man his life, more than once if he lived through this, and the idea of letting a giant carnivorous arachnid eat his savior while he stood by and watched didn’t sound all that gracious.

Still, though he hadn’t quite hit, the blade had gone by close enough that, in combination with his now apparent appearance on the scene and noisy attempt to gain the beast’s attention, he successfully distracted the spider from its now apparently unconscious prey. Unwilling to consider what he’d do if he found Davinoff dead, Teige promptly pushed that option from his mind.

After the minor happy note of success however, the undeniable fact that he stood, in all his five foot and some odd inch glory, weaponless, weak-kneed, and stricken with terror before an enraged, five and three-quarter-legged venom-dripping beast, quickly deflated his brief victory.

“Think, think, think, Teige…” He muttered to himself in a desperate whisper, his wide, ocean-blue eyes locked on the remaining seven of a previous eight red-rimmed black luminescent orbs that fixated on him. “What do clever people do when they’re about to die…? Here, spider, spider, spider…that’s right, leave Drakey alone…come over here…follow me…I’m much…” He swallowed. “…sweeter…than he is…I’m sure he tastes…” Salty? Sour? “…terrible……”

A brief movement from the trunk now behind the creature made his heart flutter, and a sudden hope jumped into his chest of its own free will as he watched Davinoff stir, bringing a single hand to his forehead with what looked like a moan, though Teige couldn’t exactly hear him, his ears too in-tune with the rapid clicking and slurping of the thing in front of him. Regardless, evidence of Drake’s survival gave him new reason not to die, and provided a small boost of much-needed courage.

‘I think it liked your singing voice…’

Teige blinked, the sudden thought coming from nowhere, and yet, if it worked… Swallowing a tight lump in his throat, Teige’s voice began faint at first, a shaky reflection of his fear, desperation, and resolve all rolled into one. Apparently, his change in tactics startled the other man, because upon hearing it, Drake’s gaze snapped up, locking on Teige’s blue with a mixture of surprise and…gratitude?

‘Well, if you want to sing it a lullaby, be my guest…’

For the first time in far too long, Teige’s lips twitched ever so slightly into an honest smile, completely inappropriate for the situation, and the tone of his song changed. The fear faded and music lulled, deepening into a soft, entrancing calm that wrapped itself around the listeners like a cocoon, a blanket of peace and warmth. At first, the spider merely stopped, pausing in its tracks, pinchers clicking and head turning as if to inspect the new sound. Then, its remaining legs shuffled in the grass in indecision, taking a step forward toward its beguiler, then back again.

Teige’s heart leapt, his entrancing melody gaining in power, if not volume, slowly weaving a spell as entrapping as any the beast before him might create, working its way through the air until the great, twiggy legs bent, and the small, bead-shaped body lowered to the ground, the long furry appendages coming up to surround it like a wire cage. In that position, if he hadn’t known better, he might have thought it dead, still and barely stirring.

By the time he let his voice waver to a stop, his heart felt like a wild beast in his chest, threatening to ram its way out at any moment, and when Davinoff made it to the fallen creatures side, blade raised, he had to turn his head away not to witness the inevitable price his song had cost the vicious predator. After a moment, he heard the other approach him, but didn’t turn until a heavy hand on his shoulder caused him to jump, and he spun under the grip, coming face to face with sincere brown eyes and an expression that made his heart race all over again.

“I believe there’s an apology in order here…”

“I’m s-sorry, I-“ Two fingers pressed to his lips and Teige felt as if he had to swallow his pulse, his throat so dry, he could barely breath, and his cheeks burning completely out of control.

“I underestimated you…forgive me?”

“I-…oh…o-oh…um…y-yes, yeah, um…hmm…mhmm…” Teige nodded his head rapidly at his sudden embarrassing loss for words, and Drake’s mildly amused expression only brought his cheeks up another shade brighter. “C-consider yourself forgiven.”

Now, sharing a life-threatening experience with someone can, oftentimes, cause people to think or act in strange ways as they might not normally do, and, in this case, as Teige stared up to the redheaded warrior looming over him as a priest might a god, he blamed his sudden irrational desire to have the man’s lips pressed roughly against his completely on most recent events. Because, surely, under any regular set of circumstances, he wouldn’t want any more than what Drake had just given as a form of apology…would he?

“Drake-“ Before anything but the name could escape his lips, a new sound erupted from the forests, this time in all directions, and his eyes shot up, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight he came in contact with.

“What?”

“You’re not going to like it…” The warrior glanced over his shoulder, swore, and turned around completely, facing his back to Teige and assuming what the smaller man would almost call a protective stance, already bloodied (if you call the slimy yellowish-green internal paste of a giant spider blood) sword drawn again and at his side. Ahead of them, a semi-circle of the self same salcidae beasts advanced, as if organized, coming forth from the trees like an army, black, hairy, pinchers clicking, most of them at least as large as the fallen one in the center of their camp.

“Any last words?” Davinoff hissed, and Teige suddenly became aware of the effort put behind the other’s breath, betraying his fatigue from the last battle. Then and there, he knew there would be no escape this time, and a strange, unbidden swell of pride filled his chest; he would die beside a warrior.

“Yeah.” He stepped around from behind the man’s back and to his side, sending a glance the other’s way and locking blue with brown, russet with sky. “Thanks.”

From the salcidae ranks, one in the center, apparently the largest, stepped forward, and only when it got within twenty feet of them did Teige first notice something out of the ordinary. Before he could discern what exactly that abnormality was, something flew from the top of the beast, or, at least it looked like it flew. Less than a second later, a slim figure landed not ten feet from them, directly in front of the beast, head down, and body in a crouch, with long, rippling blonde hair falling about it in a curtain. It stood with the grace of a cat: slender body impressively tall, taller, Teige decided, than himself, even though, even from this distance, he could tell it was a woman.

“Intruders. You have slain one of our own and disturbed the wood of the Kalekai. For what reason do you impeach upon our society and commit acts of violence upon our innocent?”

“Innocent!” Drake clapped a hand over the other’s mouth before he could continue and Teige shot up a glare, but kept silent, folding his arms in obvious disapproval for the term ‘innocent’ being given to a gruesome creature not so long ago attempting to devour his insides.

“Yes.” Her face remained expressionless, though as her eyes turned to focus on him, Teige felt a mild shiver run down his spine. “Innocent.” She spoke coolly, her tone nipped with just enough frost and challenge to keep most sane men at bay. “Do you have a problem with that title?” When she moved forward, steps perfectly silent and body barely appearing to move, Teige had the impression of being stalked. Instead of backing down though, his temper flared and he spit out angrily, regardless of Drake’s obvious attempt to dissuade him.

“Yes. I think your ‘innocent’ was doing a lot more damage to us than us to him and-“

“Oh? And yet you live and he does not.”

“Well, yes, but-“

“Guards,” She motioned with a single flick of the wrist and two armed men, at least as tall as she, leapt from two neighboring salcidae, their similarly blond hair hanging nearly as long, but bodies built a sizable deal sturdier. Neither came even close to Drake’s stature. “Take them both…deliver the male to my bedchamber.”

Review Replies

Katrica Locke: I\'ve been checking daily to see if you\'ve updated, glad to see you\'re still here *hugs*

Great chapter, love Davinoff\'s reactions to Teige, especially his voice. Might wicked cliff-hanger you\'ve left us with. Please don\'t keep us in suspense too long.

Thank you for continuing to reply! And thanks for the hug. xD In terms of writing, I happen to love cliffhangers…when it comes to reading them, I go ballistic. o_O I hope to never keep you guys waiting for nearly so long ever again, and I’m just glad that I haven’t been abandoned…^^; Oh, and loved your own story update by the way! I plan to review it tonight...it never seems like your chapters are long enough! Hope you put more up soon. ^^

Falcon Bertille: Update! Update! *Does the happy Update Dance* Which is actually a fairly terrifying thing to see...

Great new chapter! You had some especially beautiful descriptive passages in this one. I loved the opening paragraph, where you talked about the colors of dawn catching in Teige\'s hair, and conjured the image of him with the half-eaten poisoned apple lying near his outstretched hand. So sensual and evocative. And then later, when Drake was out in the woods hunting, and heard Teige singing. I was so happy we got to hear Teige sing again! (As you may have noticed, I kind of have a thing about men who can sing.) Music has so much power, so much capacity for expressing things deeper than mere words, and I thought you captured that wonderfully.

Drake and Teige have developed a nice rapport. I notice that in his more \"tender\" moments, Drake has slipped back into calling Teige \"princess\". Hmmm. Definitely a sign of cracks beginning to form in his emotional wall. It\'s nice to see that Teige continues to hold his own with words, even if he can\'t hold a sword.

And this line totally cracked me up:

\"“Strong silent type. Got it.\"

Thanks for updating!

Love,
Falcon

xD An update dance? Sounds interesting… I’m glad you enjoy the descriptions of Teige’s singing. I know you certainly have done lovely jobs of it before…but this story would be my first with a-…oh wait, nevermind…I had Luke sing in my Christmas story…*considers* Anyway…I didn’t get into much detail on that though. ^^; And, as you can see…there’s a good deal more singing in this chapter. I’m really hoping it didn’t come off as odd or, worst of all, cliché. I mean…I used giant spiders…really…:gonk: I’m so ashamed…xP

Anyway, yeah. xD You caught the princess thing! I used that nickname once before in a veeeery old story…first story I ever wrote. I’m still not sure how much it’ll become a part of this story, since the characters seem to take control more than me really…but we’ll see. I’m glad Teige hasn’t failed yet with his battle of words. Hope you continue to enjoy and thanks again for your endless supply of gorgeous writing and reviews!

MakaiKitty: Ahhh... a cliffhanger! Why am I not suprised *looks accusingly at Moonstar* Although, as a fellow writer, I know how tempting it is to end on that note. Now I can\'t wait for the next chapter. I\'m figuring it\'s either something rediculously silly that has Teige screaming, like a snake or something, or it\'s time for our heros to find out that Cyprien\'s still alive. Either way, I\'m eagerly anticipating the next update ^_^

*grin* Gotta know by now I love the cliffhangers… Actually, I’m surprised how many people thought Teige’s screaming was the result of Cyprien’s great return. o_O Though it is a plausible explanation…the thought never occurred to me. I suppose that’s because I’m writing it but…whichever. xP ^^; Anyway…I have a feeling it’ll actually be a good while before the vampire makes his comeback…he will! But all in good time…xD ^^ Thanks for the review!

Jukebox: Good to see an update to this one, though you left us with a cliffhanger...argh! Hopefully the next chapter will be forthcoming soon. I wonder how long Teige was with Cyprien truly (from the last chapter where the other vampire was confused when the boy said how long he thought he had been with him). And with Tiege having problems eating real food, sounds like the vampire\'s been feeding off of him for a very long time - maybe even slowly turning him. Good job and looking forward to the next update.

Whoot! I love how many people enjoy my cliffhangers…xD Sorry, sorry…but yeah…at least this time I update in reasonably good time. o_O As for how long Teige was kept captive…I believe Raspel mentioned it in passing…but I know I’ve been confusing with the subject…so yeah. ^^ The main reason for that actually…is that I couldn’t believe Teige would have kept his teary vigil like that for four years…I mean…after awhile…it would wear away, right? I don’t know…but in the end, I think I decided he stayed with Cyprien for a little under a year. Making him just under or at least around eighteen years old.

And you hit it right on the button! Well…sort of…I know I’m not supposed to admit things like that but…o_O I’m not good at keeping secrets. Yes, Teige will SLOWLY be discovering his less-than-human self aaaand….other things. But I must zip my lips…err…or something like that. Thanks for continuing to drop feedback, it’s uber much appreciated! ^^

Corenn: NYAH ! UDPATE !
I forgive you \'coz you\'re one of my favourite author ^v^
No need to make Cyprien take back Teige ! You just have to make a treesome XD Don\'t think that Teige will mind SO much... Davinoff maybe a little, but... He will deal with it. TEIGE RULE HIM !!! MWAHAHAHA !!!
*and then the authoress and her character run away in front of the mad reviewer...* But ? What have I done ? @___@
Anyway, LOVE IT ! ^___^

XD Your reviews tend to make me laugh…oh so very filled with…enthusiasm. o_O ^^ Surprising how many people want a threesome…and even MORE surprising…the fact that I’ve never, not once in my several year long slash writing career…actually gotten down and written one. I’ve understandably considered it a couple times…but the characters I come up with just never seem suited for the job… To make it believable (oh yes, I must get all technical, even with the smutty stuff), I’d need a situation and characters that would call for it…and I’ve just never been able to make it happen. xP I’ll have to remember to try it sometime…xD

Thank you for your renewed enthusiasm each time. It’s really encouraging. xD ^^

Holly: Oh nuts. Two hotties and one sweet boy... Who do you pair up?! ...Maybe Drake and Cyprien can share? That might kill Teige o_O Love your story, although Drake needs to get kicked in the shins... Is Teige going to be molested more? He was screaming so I can only suspect... XD Anyway! Can\'t wait to find out what happens next :3 Love!

xD I think you’re right…poor Teige would end up ripped in half. :gonk: I’m pretty sure…somewhere along the line in the course of the story…Teige will get more than his share of sexual harassment…I’ve even been known for rape, though somehow, I doubt that in this story… This chapter though, no…as you’ve likely already read, the screaming is not, in fact, due to sexual tensions of any kind…but some very oversized bug problems. o_O Thanks for the feedback!! ^^

rachel80
rachel80: you are still keeping me utterly on the edge of my seat. i am so happy to see cyprien is back! it\'s also wonderful to see teige acting more and more fiesty- what a character he is! after all of that, he still manages to keep his spirits. can\'t wait to find out what the commotion was about in the next chapter. more, more! :P :)

Glad you still like it! I have a tendency to like the feminine male that DOESN’T lay back completely and wait to be rescued…but so far, Teige, I believe, is one of the closest I’ve had to that character, and I’m glad people still see the rebellious spirit in him. He may have been trapped in a tower and prayed for his white knight…but as he gains more freedom, I hope people can see his personality as more than that of the typical fairy-tale princess. Thanks for taking time to reply!