Prince Charming

Note: Update! Sorry if this is late...without classes to keep me on track, one day tends to run into the next and I forget when I last updated. I know it\'s Monday though! I\'ll probly update Thursday if all goes well. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight

A reflective glimmer shone for a bare instant between the trees, then vanished just as quickly, the sight replaced by the sound of two whispered tones. The first, obviously agitated, spoke harshly to his companion, his words a heated string of muted hisses. “This is foolishness. Why follow them? If you want the boy, take him. If you don’t, then let us leave!”

The second sounded none-the-altered and utterly tranquil, not giving so much as a spare glance to the other. “I never requested your council, Raspel. Your presence is unnecessary, and if you find my pursuits trivial, I suggest you no longer follow up with them. You are free to leave at any time.”

His partner scowled, but kept walking tempo with the other, his arms flailing in the air as he spoke, emphasizing his frustration and otherwise foul mood. “That’s not why I’m here and you know it! I would go so far as to call you my friend, Cyprien…but the councils will do no such thing when they hear of this foolish gallivant! Your…puppy love…will get you stripped from your position, thrown from the circle, and eventually, killed, if you don’t-“

In an instant, the darker vampire found himself pinned at the throat, back to the nearest tree and lungs sucking for breath as Cyprien’s stone grip blocked off all air. “Puppy love…is the plump, toddling human boy who first lays eyes on the miller’s daughter. Puppy love…is the snippety broomstick of a servant girl…who, from behind the counter of her father’s inn, sees the face of a worn and weary knight and deems him her prince charming. The term is human, weakening, pathetic, and pointless…one of the numerous things that differs us from our sad mortal brothers. I…feel no such thing. Do you understand?”

Raspel coughed and sputtered, clutching his neck as the other dropped him, but didn’t reply, fixing Cyprien only with a sharp glare and stumbling to his feet.

“Besides…with Arachne as their prison keeper…they may never again see the light of day…and all this will be a waste.”

Raspel watched, still silent as he eyed his friend, circling his neck sorely, but only frowning again at the other’s expression. ‘But you don’t think it will be a waste…nothing you ever do is a waste. You have a reason for doing this, a good reason…and you won’t rest till you’ve gotten what you wanted…’

~

Drake weighed up their options by instinct: he and Teige against an army of at least twenty armed warriors atop venom spitting arachnids. When the guards came to bind him, he didn’t struggle. Teige, face still burning from the last implication made by their blonde captor regarding his gender, followed his silent example…until the guards lead them toward their ride.

“No! No, no, no! You can’t put me on one of those things…they’ll eat me! And they’re disgusting and-“

Five minutes later, the original pair trudged along, side-by-side, behind one of the numerous hairy beasts leading their way, their wrists bound and held out before them by the force of their captors. Looking rather glum, Teige kept his face toward the ground, whether out of fatigue or simple refusal to continue examining the rear end of an oversized black spider Drake couldn’t quite tell.

“You do realize you’ve gotten me into more trouble in the past two days than I’ve been in in the last three years of my life, right?” Teige glanced up at that, expression mildly perplexed as he eyed the warrior at his side.

“I thought you did trouble for a living?”

Davinoff snorted, already eying the surrounding trees and any possible landmarks so as not to get lost later if they ever planned to make an escape. “I do what I have to to make a living…the less trouble involved the better…but people don’t often pay to have you do the easy jobs.”

“Was I an easy job?”

A mild frown crossed his brow as Davinoff glanced to the smaller man. “Nobody paid me to get you, kid…” He turned his gaze to the side, his voice suddenly distant. “…I just hate vampires…”

Before Teige could come up with a reply, they pulled to a halt, and Drake was mildly grateful, very unused to talking so much in a year, let alone one sitting. Promptly upon arrival, the guards proceeded to blindfold the both of them, and the next distance he covered blind. Still, even without eyesight readily available, he put other senses to the test to discern his surroundings. He willingly followed off the grass and onto some form of ramp, than into a building, the click of marble flooring or something of the like echoing off high walls. When they removed his blindfold, it took his eyes a moment to adjust.

Flickering firelight adorned stoned walls in a floral scented room, the mixture of orange light and dancing shadows adding to its effect. Beneath his feet, plush gold, green, and burgundy rugs lead the way to a notably sizeable bed in the center. The voice of one of his previous captors, a guard still standing in the doorway, interrupted his thoughts abruptly, and his gaze snapped up instantly. “Her majesty requests that you change your attire to something more suitable.”

Drake frowned, almost opening his mouth to object when the guard pushed something into his hands, and before he could even question, the door closed promptly. Frustrated, he glanced down to the package in his arms. Gold silk, the color of marigolds, fashioned into a vest, sleeveless, and a pair of loose pants, apparently fastened with the orange sash atop the pile. Ornate coral dragons decorated the front of the vest in an intricately embroidered pattern that made him wonder exactly how much time and effort had gone into making such a flimsy piece of cloth, useless in literal standards, so-

“Beautiful,” His head snapped up at the voice, “isn’t it?” He straightened slightly, arms falling to his sides and eyes instantly taking in every detail of the woman before him. She looked much as she had when invading there camp, save for perhaps slightly less obtrusive seeing as how she no longer sat atop a ten foot carnivorous spider. “One of my favorite styles, from the Tai-shwan Mountains themselves. Not that my people cannot fashion wear of equal or better quality, but I thought it suited you.”

“Did you.” Drake didn’t sound the least bit interested, his tone dry and flat as his eyes took a second tour of the room, this time searching off-handedly for possible means of defense, weaponry, or escape. Vaguely, a distant part of his mind suggested that standing alone in a room with a woman surely considered beautiful beyond measure by any sane man should have brought about a wide variety of thoughts, most of which he had not even the slightest inclination of thinking, but he dismissed it.

“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” She shut the door behind her with an audible click, and Drake’s eyes flickered to the movement, his conscious unable to push aside the feeling of entrapment, like caught in the web of one of the very spiders this woman tamed. Then again, considering his size, might, and situation, he had no reason for his apprehension; what could she possibly do to him?

“I don’t make a habit of familiarizing with my enemies.”

She quirked an eyebrow, though her lips followed the movement in the briefest flicker of an amused smile. “Enemy? Now, what have I done to gain that harsh title?”

His brow furrowed, but his eyes never came back to meet with hers. “Threatened my life, invaded my property, taken me hostage, and kidnapped my…” He frowned; what was Teige? His friend? That sounded far too childish, and he didn’t even know the man that well. His partner? That title somehow seemed to imply a more committed, understanding relationship that he certainly didn’t have. “…traveling companion……” He finally settled with.

“Ah.” She sounded unconvinced, bringing a single delicate finger to the tip of her chin in a dramatized gesture of thought. “Now see…I don’t see how I ever threatened your life…it was you who invaded my woods…and I took you hostage under the laws of the elven people which, being that you entered our domain, you were expected to follow…and did not.”

“We had no idea that the salcidae were under your protection in this region and-“

“Ah-ah…” She held up a finger to silence him, her tone like a parental reprimand to a misbehaving child…or dog. He found himself glaring with distaste at the slender digit on his lips. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” He prepared to roll his eyes. “But…I grow tired of political conversation. Take your shirt off.”

If she had told him to wear a pink tiara and impersonate a flamingo, he might have looked less dumbstruck. When he showed no signs of life, let alone movement, she frowned slightly, waving her hand dismissively as a form of encouragement to get a move on. “Come now, it’s not all that difficult…unless you require assistance?”

“No!” He took an unconscious step backward, almost tripped on a rug, swore, and pulled himself to a balanced standing position with his eyes anywhere but on the elven queen before him, his nervous hands shoving a few loose strands of burgundy red hair back from face in frustration as he did so. “No…certainly not. I…am quite capable of…” His expression hardened. “Why are you asking this of me?”

Again, her lips twitched up in amusement, a look he decided then and there he’d come to dislike very strongly. “I simply want to see what you look like in real clothes…beneath that hideous array of cloth you’re currently wearing.”

“I dress practically.”

“Practicality has no higher regard in my opinion than camel piss…and is, as such, about as attractive to most women. Now remove your shirt before I do so forcibly.”

‘…didn’t tell us you were takin’ a fancy ta boys now, did ya?’

‘Sounds like Drakey here’s a little touchy on that last subject…’

‘Got somethin’ ya want ta tell us, Dav? Secretly been wanting to give us all kisses, hm?’

Scowling, Davinoff tugged off his shirt. Immediately afterward, he replaced it with the vest, but the flimsy silk did little to cover him, something to the effect of tissue paper on a boulder. Still, the elven queen looked rather pleased with the result, making a slow circular inspection of him that left the battle-hardened warrior with an honest sense of dread. He didn’t cower. Ever. But her thin, piercing emerald eyes and feral, pointed smile sent a very unpleasant chill to his gut that he’d most prefer to dispose of as quickly as possible.

“Are you quite done?” He ground out through grit teeth in an effort not squirm under the crawling sensation her gaze left on his skin.

“Mmm…” She stopped directly in front of him, head cocking ever so slightly to the right as she regarded his face. “Just one more thing, and you’ll pass inspection. These…” Her hand slid to the hem of his pants. “…will have to go.”

Before the last word left her mouth, Drake’s patience snapped, and in a flurry of movement, their positions changed drastically. Her back hit the wall with a rather rough thud, harder than he had meant it, knocking the breath out of her in one whoosh coupled with a muffled whimper. Her hands flew up in defense, but he pinned them the next instant effortlessly with matching force, watching her delicate features twist into a wince beneath the crushing weight of his body.

“Do not,” He hissed, “ever, touch me again. I am not a doll to be dressed up, played with, or fondled…and I am not, in any way, interested in this…” He dipped a single hand to her femininely small waist, keeping her mildly thrashing body easily pinned to the wall. “…this…” A remarkably mouse-like squeak escaped her in a rush as his hand moved up boldly cup one of the two soft mounds, currently pressing thickly against his chest. “…or least of all…this.” When his knee slid between her legs, successfully spreading them to each side and indicting a breathy moan from the female figure, her head turned to the side with a quiet pant, cheeks flushed and green eyes narrowed by the time they finally turned on him.

“How…dare you-“

“Where’s Teige?” He demanded coldly, his grip not budging in the slightest when she attempted again to break free of his hold. She looked positively clueless.

“Who…?”

“Teige. The man I came with. My-“

“Lover? He’s in the dungeons.”

“He’s not my lover!”

Her eyebrows raised a notch, disbelief highly evident in her features. “Oh? Forgive me, but from your adamant negative reaction toward me I simply assumed-“

Drake scowled, his words coming out thick and rumbling like a threatening rain cloud, hovering over her dangerously. “Just because…I do not latch on…to the affections of every damnatable slut that comes my way…does not mean…that I take any interest, whatsoever, in-“

“Kiss me.” He looked incredulous. “Kiss me, and I’ll let you go.”

He blinked. “Teige as well?” She nodded. “And you won’t come after us?” She shook her head. “No spiders?” She rolled her eyes.

“No spiders, my dear fearless warrior, I assure you.”

“One kiss?”

Exasperated, she let loose an embellished sigh, tilting her head back and fluttering her gold lashes. “Yes, only one, for I need only one touch to forever cherish the moment in the deepest part of my heart…” At his glare, a smile flickered onto her lips, and as he bent forward, she muttered quickly. “…and you better make it believable…”

He groaned just before their lips met, and as they did, he frowned. How was he supposed to make it believable with those god-awful bags of blubber rubbing against his chest? He’d had sex with a woman once before, several years back, and since then had somehow managed to forget how perfectly miserable it had been. Trying to cope with just this one small feat to get both he and Teige out of trouble returned a truckload of disturbingly unpleasant memories, and, regardless of a concentrated effort not to, he found himself grimacing.

“Not too good at this, are you, muscle man?” He growled lowly against her lips, struggling with the situation at hand. Believable. God, it was only a woman; how bad could it possibly be…? Bad enough. “Pretend I’m that pretty little slut of yours.” Drake instantly tensed, his fists, as well as his loins, tightening instinctively even as he mentally cursed his reaction.

“That’s supposed to help me?” He barely hissed it, the words a mere whisper before he crushed his body into the kiss. He meant to ignore her comment, make it ‘believable’ without any mental help, but all on its own, his mind changed the perspective, transforming the tall, delicate elven queen in to a lithe, slightly stockier figure, long, wavy gold tresses transforming into that short, silky black crop of hair that he wanted oh-so-much to shove his hands through, grip, cup and control. Impulsively, his mouth forced hers into submission, his tongue breeching the gap between them and taking everything below him as rightly his.

She squirmed against him, and his thoughts flickered back to just before their capture, directly after the fight: Teige flushed and panting, his back to a tree and wide, endless blue eyes staring up at his with hopeless abandon, lightly parted lips simply begging to be crushed and ground against, dominated and- A distinctly feminine moan snapped him instantly back into reality, the present, and he pulled back immediately, out of breath and shaking from the vivid nature of his previous thoughts.

“Shit.” He cursed beneath his breath, hanging his head and shutting his eyes as he did so, though he wanted nothing more than to disappear altogether.

“Problem?” She purred it, and his eyes snapped up, locking onto intense, feral green that should have made any man’s body ache. Catching the direction of her gaze, he dropped his eyes to inspect the obvious dilemma aroused by his last string of thoughts. With a quiet grunt, he stood up off the wall, straightening his vest and ignoring the dull throbbing between his legs.

“No.” His tone came out gruff as ever, but less strained as his eyes landed on the all-too confident beauty before him. “One look at you makes it all better.”

Review Replies

stars: not bad more please wat happen next

Thanks! As for your question, umm...you\'ve probably already read it? xD Hope you continue to like it.

Falcon Bertille: Hey, giant spiders are good -- there\'s nothing creepier than giant spiders. (Except maybe snakes. *Shudders*)

Great update! The combat was very nicely described, especially the grotesqueness of it. You really made us feel Teige\'s horror and repulsion. And I loved the way that Teige overcame his fear in time to help Drake defeat the giant spider -- by singing it a lullaby. You did a good job of setting that up, so that when Teige thought of singing, it felt like the perfect solution. It\'s cool to see Teige continuing to grow and develop into someone who can be a true partner for Drake.

But now Drake is going to be dragged off and subjected to the horrors of heterosexual sex! (And then probably eaten, if I remember my spider lore...) I can\'t imagine how our heroes are going to get out of this one, but you certainly have me on the edge of my seat. Update soon!

Love,
Falcon

Phew. Thanks! I WAS a little worried about the spiders...for a while I really didn\'t want to use them...but they prodded at my head and in the end...the story sort of writes itself sometimes so...*shrug* Glad it didn\'t turn out too bad. As for Teige and the developing thing...yes...it\'s going SLOWLY......or at least it feels like it is...but it is happening.

Heterosexual sex, whahahahhaha! Mehhh...to a point. xD I don\'t think I could have gotten him in a woman\'s bed if his life depended on it....well....maybe then...but really. I think that so far, Drake is the gayest dominant male I\'ve had...at least if you measure gayness by his willingness to experiment with the opposite sex. Eaten?! Dang...\'fraid she\'s more an elf that just happens to tame spiders...though now that you mention it...it might have been an interesting experience if she\'d been more spider-queen. xD Anyway. Hope the chapter doesn\'t dissappoint!

MakaiKitty: Another strange and interesting twist. Not that I\'d expect anything less from you ^_^ Can\'t wait for the next update!

Thanks! I try to keep things interesting. I suppose strangeness is an occasional price I\'ll have to pay. xD Thanks for commenting! ^^

Evil Saint: Loved it! If you have an update list, please add me!

Update list? Is that like, where I email you whenever I update or something? I don\'t have one, but I\'ll gladly do that for you if you want. I\'ll send you an email soon as I get to checking my own. xP

Rin-chan: X_x I sit in awe of your fantastic work! So much detail, and beautiful descriptions in every chapter! I love your writing style, Mr. Moonstar! *Gives you some chocolate* Heh, there\'s a bit of our characters in all of us, ne? Ashi would probably squeak, cheering for chocolate... XD

What an original idea, spun off from the classic \"Princess kept prisoner in a tower and has to be rescued\" - But I love your verison so much more! I love all your characters - you make such believable characters in every story! And I hope you write soon!

RIN-CHAN!! Squee! You return! And with chocolate........o______o I think I love you. Muahahahaha! Thankies for the chocolate! ^^ (And I couldn\'t agree more in regards to our characters...I find, if I pay attention, there\'s a little of me in ALL of them...in one way or another, it just happens.) *squeaks and cheers for chocolate* =^.^=

xD I\'m glad you like my version. This story basically started as a distraction...something to work on while I waited for the site to finish crossing over...but it kinda morphed. I figured I needed a happy-ending, fairy-tale type after my last story and started piecing it together, but now, though I have a vague idea, I\'m not sure where it\'ll end up. I certainly plan on finishing though, so I\'m glad you like it.

I\'m so glad to see you back in the loop! Thanks for stopping by! ^^