Length Book 2/?
Part one Divia�s return
The dark child circled the wizard slowly, her appearance giving her the quality of someone preparing for an attack. She smiled at the tall man, and moving swiftly, sat herself down on one of the cold slabs. Glancing at her fingers, she looked back at the stranger before her and continued to keep a cold expression on her face.
�Who are you?�
�I am Saruman, the White Wizard.�
�Why have you called me here?�
�Revenge.�
She looked down at her feet and moved them slowly back and forth. She seemed deep in thought. She knew what she wanted as well - revenge against her birth father and...that dear sweet Nicholas. Daddy�s favorite. She would kill them both. They all had to pay for killing her...twice. Then she would be free to hunt and kill at her leisure. She would kill whenever she pleased, whenever she wanted. She would kill as many as she wished in one night. After two thousand years entombed, her blood lust was unquenchable.
Once upon a time she had been a daughter of a Roman General who had adored her like no other. Once she had her father�s favor. He gave her everything. Except one thing.
She remembered her brief mortal life vividly. She had been very ill and a healer came or someone her harlot mother thought was a healer. He turned out to be a vampire who brought her across because of her potential for evil. Even then in her previous life she enjoyed hurting others. She took great pleasure in it.
But then the master vampire had wanted to control her, to make her in his image. He had been an ancient. Old, she had told Lucius, but she did not tell her father everything about her former master. He had been a dark emissary from another place. He mentioned to her that he was once of the Maiar, a deity race that was beneath creatures called the Valar. God�s. He said that the Valar had ruled many centuries from the place he had come from, Arda, also known as Middle-Earth.
What was her Master�s name again? Ah-Hotep, chief priest of the Pharoah Rac, son of the Sun God, Ra, Lord of Heaven. Yes, he had so many names, Kahaha was the one he went by at that time. He was proclaimed a traitor to his kind and as punishment his name had been wiped away from all memory so that he would never be mentioned again.
His treachery had been to rebel against the Valar and his fellow Maiar and to join forces with Melkor (One of the Valar race) and Gorthaur (A Maiar, also known as Sauron) and when Melkor and Gorthaur�s fall came, he had been cast out with them, stripped of most of his powers and forever cursed in darkness.
Since then he had wandered to many worlds until finally he had been drawn here, to this world. Here, he had begun to create a new race of beings- The Vampires, he called them. They would be the disciples, servants to the Great One that was to come, but first he had to find someone that could help him bring forth The Dark Lord and that led him to her. This creature would bring the nameless fear back into a living entity and then they would rule over all. Her Master had wanted to perform an ancient ritual and she was to be the bearer of this creation. She had scoffed at her master, and then...she had killed him.
She would be ruled by no one. She would go her own way. At the time, her way had been to return to her birth father and bring him across. Together they would have ruled the earth. Not just as Father and daughter but as eternal lovers.
But she was betrayed by her father, who unwilling to have sexual relations, tried to take her life. But she survived. She lived and though she was imprisoned here in this tomb, she bided her time. Within her tomb she had been visited by the dark one, the one her Master had spoken to her. Existing only in shadows, he preserved her essence in the hopes to someday use her for his own purposes. Within her imprisonment, she had agreed to serve only him until by chance she was freed and she forgot all about her services and instead sought out her own destiny. But Nicholas, Lucius little white knight, had ruined everything. Damn them all!
She should have been ruling as queen of this earth, no as a GOD. Instead she was stuck here.
She looked up at the man before her. She could tell automatically that he was not human. He may look human but he wasn�t. He had no heart beat.
�Again, I ask, who are you?�
�I am Lord Saruman, servant to the great Dark Lord Sauron.�
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. None of what he spoke interested her.
�I am also an Istari, Once a Maiar.�
That got her attention. Maiar? Her master had been a Maiar.
�Yes, I know who you are Divia. Thanks to this.� He put forth a crystal ball that seemed to be glowing a blood red within. She glanced at the object then back at the old man.
�It is a Sightseeing stone. It has greatly helped me and it will help us. Along with this.� He gestured to the medallion around his neck. �The Time Crystal of Othorne. It gives the wearer the ability to open vortexes and travel through time and space. I intended to rule over all of Middle-Earth, Arda. Once, with Lord Sauron, we planned to overthrow all of the Valar and the Maiars. We would have ruled forever.�
She blinked at him, wondering vaguely if he would taste just as good as human blood?
�But, We failed. Sauron was destroyed. I lost almost all my powers thanks to Gandalf. But I would have my revenge. Beginning with the halfling. I would have succeeded if that elf hadn�t stopped me. I barely escaped alive and here I am, summoning you from the depths of eternal death. Divia LaCroix. Daughter of General Lucius Lacroix. Daughter of Darkness. Creature of the night. Queen of all vampires.�
She smiled and thought, yes, he would make a nice meal indeed.
He bowed before her, but her eyes did not stray from the medallion around his neck. It looked like a four-shaped star of crystals, shining and glowing, with smaller stars of light surrounding it. Lovely piece of jewelry. Fit for a queen.
�You know much of me, Great Saruman. Wizard of Istari. But what is it you ask of me?�
�I am aware you killed your master, the one that brought you across. You were to be the one to bring Sauron back to flesh and blood. But you did not wish it, did you?�
She eyed him carefully. She refused to give herself away. Shedding any and all emotions, she waited.
�He was a servant of Melkor and Sauron. Sauron, whom you knew to be Gorthaur. But you are given another chance. A chance to be a part of something larger then you can possibly envision.�
�You would be surprised what I can envision, Istari.� She spat back angrily.
�If it were not for me, you would no longer exist my dear Queen.�
She shrugged and folded her arms around herself. She was getting bored with all this.
�Help me, and I will help you.�
�What do you ask of me?
�To rule over Arda, and in return you may have this world. This place to rule.�
�I do not need any help from you!� Enraged, she leaped from the slab of stone and moved quickly towards the old man, her stealth readying for the kill.
But the dark Wizard did not move from his spot. He only smiled back at her, knowing full well of her intent to kill him. She truly was of the darkness. No wonder Sauron had wanted her.
�You have been killed twice. Once by your own father, and the second by his creation. You may be a vampire, but you are not as immortal as you think. You can still be killed. By a wooden stake.� he paused, pacing the room and keeping his distance from her. �Repelled by holy symbols, and destroyed by sunlight.�
He held up the crystal just as her fangs dropped into place and her eyes turned to flashing gold and she prepared to pounce. The crystal in his hand lit up and the entire room was filled with bright streams of light.
Hissing in rage and pain, Divia backed away.
�NOO!�
She fled, trying to find some hiding spot but finding none; she threw herself to the floor cowering. �No, NO! Please, I don�t want to die again!�
He withdrew the crystal, covering it with a piece of cloth from his robe. Saruman watched her as she slowly sat up. Recovering from the wounds, she got to her feet, her eyes still flashing gold and her fangs still in place. She hissed angrily and paced the room, sure to keep some distance between herself and the mysterious old man.
�Join me, and I will give you even more power. Power beyond darkness. You will never have to fear death again. Sunlight will have no hold over you.�
She moved to stand in front of him, her eyes glaring up at him.
�I will not be a carrier for this dark Sauron. I will not be anyone�s slave.�
�Unlike your master, I have no wish to bring forth Sauron to this world or any other. You and I, will rule over all. Together. The two of us. All you need but do is pledge yourself to me.�
Taking a step back, Divia turned away from him and paced the room. She seemed to be wrestling with herself. That was when Saruman held out his last card.
�You were slain by Nicholas De Brabant, was that not his name?�
�Yes. But Lucius killed me first. I will kill them both painfully and slowly for what they have done to me.� She glared back at the wizard.
�Yes, my dear that revenge is so close into coming to be that it is right under your nose.�
He held up the crystal and Divia at once took a step back. Saruman removed the piece of clothing and revealed the blood stone. This time no light came from it to attack her.
�Earth and Arda are planets that are aligned to each other. Each life and every form of creation is patterned together. When life ends in Arda, that life returns but to this world. In return, when a life ends here, they return to Arda. Their life force is always renewed and reborn. That is how it has been for many billions of years. They were a creation by the Valor. Their power was absolute. They had only one wish to see life grow. Much like overseers. But a few, Like the Melkor rebelled over this. They wanted more power and not just to be guardians and protectors. Rulers.�
�So what!� Divia snapped back at him. She didn�t understand anything that this old man was saying and she really didn�t care. All she wanted was to quench the thirst for blood and take revenge against her enemies.
�Sauron was born out of this. A dark Lord, that tried to wield his power over all Arda, a place he called Middle-Earth. Creatures existed there. Out of myths and legends.� As he spoke, the crystal ball came to life and began to show images of Middle-Earth along with mythical creatures and faces. Divia found herself fascinated by them. She couldn�t turn away. �Dragons, Unicorns, Dwarves, Humans, Elves, and other such beings.�
She found herself quite enchanted at the sight of several fair-haired creatures. Beautiful, and unearthly. Elves? Will they taste just as divinely as they look she wondered? Oh, how she thirsted for the taste of blood.
�With these beings, were forged The Rings of power to help govern each race. Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die. One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. They were deceived in their greed for power, Sauron had created a master ring in secret, to control all other rings and with this power he would have ruled over all.�
�On the day on which he should have had his ultimate success he was defeated and cast back into darkness. For centuries The Great Ring was lost, found and then lost again. During these dark days, Sauron used his life force to try to return to this world. His first attempt was through your master. To become flesh and blood here in this Earth. But that failed too.� He did not mention Divia�s treachery.
�He tried then to return to Middle-Earth, Arda. But, though he did gain a great deal of power, he could not return to his former self, not until the ring was returned to him. He had to find The One Ring.�
Listening to this tale, Divia watched the Crystal ball continue with its images, creating pictures of the story as Saruman spoke.
�I joined forces like many others to help Sauron to find the ring of power. But it eluded him and me. For forces opposed us on both ends. My yearning for power was found out far too soon. Yes, I revealed myself too early. If I had but waited, perhaps I would have found the halfling, the small creature known as Frodo Baggins. A hobbit of the shire, a place within Middle-Earth, untouched by man.�
Divia almost giggled at the sight of the small creatures. They certainly looked amusing. They would hardly make suitable candidates for a meal. Perhaps a snack?
Then the face appeared before her. A face that caught her off guard. A fair face, soft and pale. His eyes blue as sapphires. His mop of dark curls folded around his elfin face. He was beautiful to behold. Striking. She was so shocked by the beauty of this creature, she didn�t realize she had raised her hand and was moving towards the crystal ball. The face did not move. It looked solemn, sad and browbeaten. Lovely, pretty, stunning, angelic, captivating. No words could describe this little one. They all fell short at his appearance.
She did not understand it, but all of a sudden she felt something start to burn inside of her. Something that she thought she had buried long ago. But the word was on the tip of her tongue and she could not name it.
She had seen beautiful men before in her mother�s house of shame. Naked, pale men, paying for her mother and her servants attentions. Her father was attractive in a dark way. She had seen many men in her return to life. Nicholas De Brabant had been quite handsome. Though she had intended to kill the knight, then it had not been personal. She had even acknowledged that her father had good taste. She had found Nicholas most becoming. But now, this being she saw in front of her....
It was too much. She felt desire deep inside of her and it was not for blood.
Closing her eyes, she pushed back the emotions she felt. This was preposterous. She swallowed and remembered her reason for being. Revenge! To kill all that stood against her. Her father, Lucius, and Nicholas De Brabant. They must be the first to pay. They must die! Slowly, painfully. In the worst way she could imagine.
Opening her eyes, she lowered her hand and stared away from the crystal towards Saruman�s face, all in attempt to avoid looking at that breathtaking face of the halfling.
�This creature took the ring of power to Mount Doom. There he cast it back into the fires from whence it came. Because of him, Sauron was defeated one last time. Cast away from Arda and Earth. He still exists but in a shadowed, powerless form. Waiting for a chance to return to life. This creature, Frodo Baggins, it is because of him that I lost everything. I lost my power, my control. Damn the Baggins to eternity of torment and despair!�
Saruman covered up the crystal. Suddenly tired, he took a seat on one of the cold slabs and watched as Divia did the same on an opposite stone. Both looked at each other. Staring deep into each other�s eyes, defeated and yet unwilling to surrender.
�I escaped and found the Star of Othorne and retrieved the Sightseeing stone. I used it to try to stop all that had come to be. To stop the birth of this Baggins. But though I was half-successful, it was still futile. She stopped me. She, Galadriel, The Lady of white and keeper of the Elves in Lorien. She was and is the greatest, oldest and wisest of all elves, Immortal. She is the keeper of one of the three rings, Nenya. She sent one of her people to stop me, and he in return brought a very special person from this world. It had to be from this world, for life had been taken from Arda and so a life had to be taken from Earth. Temporarily. This human mortal came to Middle-Earth and rebalanced the time line. Baggins, the halfling was born. He was no longer a true Hobbit. No, now he had human mortal blood in his veins. With his birth, the end of Sauron still came to pass. I am a fool. I should have known the past could not be undone. But the present and future can be. I can still return to Arda and gain my place of power over Middle-Earth.�
�How?� Asked Divia.
�The Elves are leaving Middle-earth, their time is almost over. It is the ending of the third age. They plan to return to Valinor and with their leaving, so shall pass anyone of real power that could stop me. I need the one last piece. I have the last of the sightseeing stones, and I have the time crystal of Othorne. But I need the last to return my powers to me; I need the Star of Lorien. Both the Orthorne and Lorien were created together. They are of each other and once they are united, the wearer will be invincible.�
�I see how this can help you, Saruman. What part shall I play?�
Saruman smiled. �You must learn patience, my Queen. For, you see, the human mortal taken from this world is known to you. Nicholas De Brabant.�
Divia paused in surprise. �That is impossible! After we are brought across no vampire can give birth to an offspring.�
Saruman laughed. �Actually my dear there is a way, a way that your master was going to use to bring forth Sauron. But no my dear, Nicholas mated with a Hobbit of the shire when he was mortal man. Then to keep the timelines balanced he was returned to this world so he could bring about his own fate.�
Divia finally put all the pieces together. She laughed uncontrollably, eventually she looked at Saruman in disgust.
�Nicholas De Brabant has a son, a mortal son? A Hobbit? A halfling child! That being that I saw?� She looked to the crystal ball. Once again Saruman held it out to her. Again the beloved face of Frodo Baggins appeared. This time Divia felt no stirring of desire. No, for now she was blinded by one emotion alone. VENGEANCE.
�That little creature was the destroyer of the Great Sauron, and you!�
She doubled over in a fit of laughter once again. Saruman watched with one annoyed raised eyebrow.
Getting control once more, she cackled in pleasure and smirked at the old man.
�I need your help in getting the Star of Lorien. It was once an artifact created by the oldest of the elves, Elwe. After it was used by one of their people it was lost. Somehow it found its way here to earth. Even now it is in possession to the one you call Father. Yes, The Sightseeing stone reveals all to me. Lucien LaCroix. You were brought forth to get me that Star of Lorien. I will help you in killing your father and Nicholas De Brabant. In return, I shall return to Arda and place my rule over all and you shall rule all of Earth once I have the Star. Is it a deal?� Asked Saruman.
Her smile did not fall from its place, pausing only a moment, she nodded.
�Yes, Saruman. I shall help you retrieve the Star of Lorien. But for one added edition to the pact me make.�
�Name it!�
�I want the halfling.�
Saruman shrugged at the girl vampire.
�You need not fear. Once I return to Middle-Earth, I will destroy the Hobbit.�
The smile faded from her lips. �You did not hear me, I said, I want the halfling.�
�He destroyed my plans, my revenge will be with him then I shall give you his dead body if that is what you wish.�
Divia rose to her feet. Her eyes flashed. �I want him alive and unharmed. Just before I kill my father�s favorite I want to tell him about his son, his little child and as he dies, I want him to know what I intend to do to his offspring. I will make Frodo Baggins into a creature of the night... just, like, his, father. But it won�t end there. I will torture the halfling; a thousand times shall he die painfully and unmercifully. I shall rip out its eyes so that he will live forever unable to see anything but darkness. I shall tear his body to shreds, but not his ears. Oh those beautiful exquisite pointy ears shall stay in place so he can hear my laughter. There will be no bargaining. Give me the halfling as my payment!�
Saruman thought about it for a brief time, then he nodded.
�Very well. After I have the Star of Lorien and the death of your Father and Brabant. We will return to Middle-Earth together and I will give you Frodo Baggins to do with him as you please.�
Divia straightened herself and smiled up at the old man.
�As I please.� She replied with triumphant eyes.
***
Part Two No rest for the old
Place: Earth, England
Time: Sometime in the late 1980�s
The sun was going down, and after a hearty home cooked meal, one tired time traveler took a seat on a large chair on the patio, and sipping his drink of lemonade, stared up at the various colors in the sky. This was a time of peace, one he had not had for such a long time. Lately in his travels, he seemed to be forever helping others out of one scrape or another.
In fact, he had just defeated Lady Morgaine and her henchmen who plotted to take over the earth. In the process, he had met up with his old friend the Brigadier who was currently seated next to him drinking some scotch. They were both getting old, the Doctor thought and they needed this time alone to rest. To be together. It had been such a long time since they had last seen each other. Longer for him then for the Brigadier. Funny how time plays with others.
The Doctor- that was his name. He had a few others but he had grown fond of this one for many centuries. He was a Timelord from the planet Gallifrey. As a Timelord he had the ability to regenerate. That is to say that when his body grew old and worn out he would regenerate into a newer body, completely different from his last and always changing and altering his personalities. Because of this, he had a longer lifespan, almost immortal. Long ago, for he had regenerated six times since then, he had left his home world in the hopes of traveling the universe. He had been young then, although old in body, but filled with expectations for adventure. But instead of seeing the universe as a traveler, he seemed to become more of a troubleshooter. Helping others in need and even saving the universe once or twice.
He traveled in what was called a TARDIS, short for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. It looked to all others like a British police call box from the 1960�s. But his time machine was trans-dimensional. That means that it looks smaller on the outside but is much bigger on the inside. The chameleon chip had broken down and therefore the Tardis which was suppose to be able to change shape where ever it goes, so as to blend in to its surroundings, was stuck in its current form as a police box.
Along his travels The Doctor had made many enemies, but he had also made very dear friends that had come close to his hearts. Yes, for the Doctor was an alien and he had, unlike humans, two hearts.
One of these friends was Brigadier Alastair Gordon Leth-bridge Stewart. They had met during his first regeneration and second body. Since then, The Brigadier was one of the few that had met all of his regeneration forms.
The Doctor paused in sipping his drink to look back at the old retired Brigadier. They had fought and argued since the day they met. But the Brigadier was the closest thing he had to family; he was like a brother to him. When he died the Doctor knew he would grieve for many centuries to come.
�Ace has gone off with her new friends, Doctor.�
�Oh?� The Doctor smiled brightly at the retired officer. No, he would not think of partings now, he would think only of today, and today, he was here in peace sipping lemonade with his most treasured friend.
Ace was the Doctor�s newest companion. He had many in his travels, some longer then others and a few only briefly. He had come to care for each one of them and their partings had never been easy. But that is the way life is. Isn�t it? Comings and goings. Ace was young, bright and very deadly. She loved to blow things up. The Doctor had to stop himself from laughing, Ace reminded him a great deal of the Brigadier in the younger days.
�I expect they won�t be back until dawn.�
�And Doris?� She was The Brigadier�s wife, and they had been married for a few years. She had helped the Brigadier overcome his nervous breakdown. The Doctor had much to thank her for keeping his friend... whole.
�She retired for the evening.�
�So it is just the two of us.�
The Brigadier laughed and nodded. �I have missed you old friend.�
The Doctor looked back at him and grinned. �And I you.�
Not used to such emotions the Brigadier looked towards the sky. The Doctor did the same.
�I�m old, Doctor.�
�Now, now Brigadier. You�re not old. You are just...matured.�
The Brigadier scoffed at that but let it slide.
�Are you happy old friend?�
The Brigadier shrugged. �Mostly. I love Doris and the peace of this place.�
He gestured at his gardens, which he loved to plant and grow.
�The Gardens, they call to me sometimes. I feel like I have finally come home.�
�But?�
�But I miss the old days too. UNIT, giving orders...Annoying the hell out of you!�
The Doctor laughed outright and took another sip of his drink.
�I do miss the adventure and danger, even the madness sometimes.�
The Brigadier paused and his hand began to shake. His mind was in turmoil and full of memories that seemed to assault him.
The hand reached out and consolingly soothed over the older man�s hand.
�Brigadier, come back please. Don�t get lost in the darkness again.�
The military man turned to his friend and saw the concern there in the depths of his eyes. He laughed and took another drink.
The Brigadier realized he had been quite lost for a time. Until Doris came into his life and pulled him back from the brink of madness. He had retired and left the world behind and had come here. Here to find peace and tranquility. But fate would not let him go just yet and he was forced to return to UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) and to save the world one last time. The clincher was seeing the Doctor again.
Somehow he had known when he left Doris in his travels it would lead him directly back to the Doctor.
�Alastair. Brigadier!�
The Doctor�s voice called to him and the Brigadier was forced back to the present.
He smiled faintly at the time traveler.
�I�m all right Doctor. Stop mothering me. I was just thinking about the past.�
�You should think of the present and future my old friend, not of the past.�
�I would prefer to play a game of chess.�
The Doctor laughed and nodded. �That sounds perfect, I will even allow you to have the first move.�
�Do me no favors, remember I won the last time.� How long ago had it been, twenty years ago? The Brigadier grinned at the memory.
�Only because you had Sgt Benton distract me.� Replied the Doctor with a light smile on his lips.
�All�s fair in love and war, Doctor.� The two old men smiled at each other and then after a few seconds the Brigadier got up and returned with the chess board, and fresh drinks. As he started setting up the game on the nearby table, the Brigadier couldn�t help asking the Doctor a question that had been troubling him for some time.
�When shall you be leaving Doctor? Tomorrow? Next week?�
�I don�t know Brigadier. I would like to stay for a little while with you and Doris. Ace, I think needs the break too.�
The Brigadier smiled and felt a slight weight off his shoulders.
�A month perhaps?�
The Doctor grinned. �A month, yes that sounds ideal. As I mentioned I think Ace and I need the break.�
The Brigadier finally took a seat as the board was set and moved his pawn forward with relish. A month or two with the Doctor�s company was just what he needed, it would be good to wake up every day knowing where the time traveler was. They could work together in the garden, spend time reading, and enjoying themselves in front of a fireplace telling old stories.
The Doctor looked down at the board, and still grinning, he was about to move his piece when the silence of the night ended. A low screeching sound was coming from his hand. His watch? He pulled up the sleeve and stared at it in annoyance. It looked like no ordinary watch for the mechanisms were in a language that was not of the human race making.
�What is it?� Asked the Brigadier wondering if the Doctor had set a timer for his bed time.
The Doctor lowered his eyes in worry. �It is a message being received by the Tardis. This watch is a communication device I made a while back, I always wanted to use it just in case I should receive any calls while away from her. It appears there is a urgent call sent from my...kind.�
�Gallifrey?� The Brigadier watched as the Doctor began to rise. Oh well, so much for a game of chess.
�Duty calls then? You better hurry. I�ll go into town and fetch Ace for you.�
Rising quickly, he started towards the house intending on getting his car keys.
The Doctor silenced the watch with a quick hit of a switch only for the watch to come back to life. Angry, he slapped the watch with his free hand and grumbled at it. �Oh, SHUT UP!�
Seeing he had little time to wait for Ace, he headed towards the garden and entered his Tardis.
The Doctor hurried to the console and hit several switches. Putting both hands on several dials the Doctor read the message sent. It was quite a bit of information and it took him some time to take it all in. His eye brows drew together. Wonderful. This was something he really did not need at this time.
He could refuse. He could. He could turn away right now, and go back to the Brigadier. He could. But he wouldn�t. There were many lives at stake. A universe at stake. Two actually.
Sighing, The Doctor thought about Ace and realized where he was going and what he was about to do, was no place for a young girl. No, this adventure was for him and him alone. She would be best left here.
With one flick of his fingers to a nearby switch, he closed the doors to the Tardis, and the Console slowly began to move.
Outside in the gardens a loud whooping noise was heard and a blue police box slowly vanished.
The Brigadier stepped out of the house with his set of keys to find the garden empty of one Doctor and one blue police call box. Sighing, he shook his head with a soft smile.
�Good luck Doctor.�
Part Three Full Circle
Time and Place: Earth
-Forever Knight universe- The Raven nightclub
Lucien LaCroix watched Vachon leave the club, intent on trying to reclaim whatever he had lost when Divia had attacked him. It might take centuries for the young Spaniard to recover from those wounds.
Alone in the club, LaCroix made himself another drink. As he did so he felt something warm on his chest. Looking down, he saw the medallion slowly beginning to glow. How odd. The colors seemed to be changing and altering, blue-white-gold and then back again.
Taking off the amulet, LaCroix tried to fathom what was happening and that was when he felt pulled into another place and time. One moment he was standing in the middle of his night club and then he looked up and found himself standing on a hill. Still holding onto the medallion, Lucien stared down into a large valley. Before him he could see various Kingdoms and places. Worlds he did not know and now he could place them with names. It was as if someone was pointing to him and revealing each place to him.
Rohan
Gondor
Misty Mountains
Rivendell
Mordor
It was there in Mordor he saw the golden fiery eye and a mountain of fire and doom. Images now came to him and LaCroix saw faces in front of him. Faces he knew. Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood forest. The proud warrior was in battle fighting strange creatures. He looked gallant and brave. Beside him stood a smaller creature with a long beard and wielding an axe. Gimli, the son of Gloin. He was a Dwarf and a fierce fighter who feared nothing. A tall man dressed in gray rags and a pointed hat stood before him and then altered to white garments, this was Gandalf, and another name was bestowed upon him. Mithrandir. The Wandering Wizard.
The images came faster and names hit him at the sight of each of them. Theoden, Eomer, Eowyn, Faramir, Boromir, Haldir, Elrond, Galadriel, and then finally he saw her. Her face. Her lovely beautiful face.
He stood before her in a body he did not know. But he knew that woman. LaCroix felt as if he had known her long before time had begun.
(Fellowship of the Ring - Rivendell)
�Why do you fear the past? You are Isildur�s heir, not Isildur himself?�
�The same blood flows in my veins, the same weakness.�
They stood together on a bridge holding each other close in a warm, loving embrace.
They began to speak in a language he had forgotten. Elvish.
�Do you remember when we first met?"
�I thought I had strayed into a dream�
�Long years have passed, you did not have the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I told you?�
�You said you would bind yourself to me... forsaking the immortal life of your people.�
�And to that I hold, I would rather spend one lifetime with you then face all the ages of this world alone.�
The beautiful maiden handed him a diamond pendent in the form of a star.
�I choose a mortal life.�
The images then changed and he saw a man standing before him. His face grimacing in pain and anger. Elrond, he was the Lord of Rivendell and his foster father.
�Let her go, let her take the ship into the west, let her bear away her love for you to the undying lands. There it will be ever green.�
�But never more then a memory.�
�I will not leave my daughter here to die!�
�She stays because she still has hope.�
�She stays because of you! She belongs with her people!�
He could see her staring at him sadly, tears filling her eyes.
�You have a chance for another life. Away from war, grief, despair.�
�Why are you saying this?�
�I�m mortal, you are elf kind. It was a dream, Arwen, nothing more.�
The images continued before his eyes and LaCroix felt as if he was watching a lifetime unfold before him. It was.
He saw evil wiped out, and the ultimate drama of winning. He saw his own wedding to the beautiful Elven maiden. They had many years together. Many happy years. But time was also an enemy and eventually he saw his own death.
His body lay on a cold slab, dead to the world, while many wept over him. One was the lady. She wept more than the others did. Her pain brought him torment. He watched, as she was consumed by her grief and wandered the earth alone and in despair. Lost! Until finally, she lay down and fell into death.
He watched then, as he was reborn again, but in another place and life. A world that was more familiar to him. Earth.
He was born to Roman parents. A mother that was indifferent to him and a father that was abusive. He had struggled and fought his way to be approved in their eyes but of course he never did.
As his mortal life came to him, LaCroix could hear the voice of a woman speaking to him. The voice that was ages old and it had a name. Galadriel.
�I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish.�
�I would have her leave these shores and be with her people. I would have her take the ship to Valinor.�
�That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make Aragorn-�
LaCroix watched as he ruled his armies of men, fighting his enemies with an iron hand and without mercy. For who would show him such a thing? Then the image changed again to the day of his rebirth. His final days as a mortal. The day he chose instead of dying but to be crossed over into darkness as a vampire.
The voice of Galadriel rang in his ears.
�- To rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin.�
In that darkness, LaCroix had wandered the earth for many centuries. Searching and trying to find a family to call his own. It was upon his search that he found the beautiful Janette Ducharme. A lovely woman who as a mortal had been an enslaved prostitute. He had taken pity on her, finding her beauty striking and worthy of so much more then the life that fate had given her. That dark face came upon him and then it changed to reveal another face. A face of a woman he had known briefly in his other life. She had long golden hair and a smile that almost won his heart, had his heart not already been spoken for.
Eowyn.
(The Two Towers)
�You some skill with a blade?�
�Women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain.�
�What do you fear, my lady?�
�A cage.�
That was when LaCroix finally realized what was happening. This amulet was channeling energy and reopening his mind to remember all that had been. Lives he had lived before he had become a vampire. Life was indeed a circle and he had broken it.
He also realized that the people he had come to know in his life had also played a part in his other life. Eowyn/Janette. That was why he had brought her across. Subconsciously, he must have recognized her soul and instead of allowing that soul to continue its circle of life, he had cut it, choosing to keep her in this life.
No, in HIS life.
Before him he saw the face of the blond, fair Elf, Legolas, The Warrior that he had come to know and hold such passion for.
(Two Towers)
They stood together outside a stone like castle. The Elf stared at him as if not sure whether he was alive.
�You�re late!�
Then Legolas handed him the star pendent, given to him by Arwen. Smiling, the Elf continued. �You look terrible.�
LaCroix watched as his other persona, Aragorn, laughed.
That fair face changed once more into the face of Nicholas De Brabant. His Nicholas, his Legolas. His! That was why he had wanted Nicholas. To bring back all that he had lost when he was mortal. A mortal man in the place called Middle-Earth. He had chosen these two who had been instrumental in his past life. But Legolas was an Immortal elf, how could he have passed into death? Legolas did not perish during The War of the Ring?
What of Arwen? Did she ever come across his life as a mortal or vampire?
The images seemed to answer his unsaid question, and before him the face of Arwen appeared. It showed her death once more, and then her rebirth. She led many lives. All different and unique. But it was in the middle of her ever-changing faces that he recognized one of them. Fleur. (Seen in My Valentine Episode from Forever Knight)
Arwen had indeed returned to him as Fleur, Nicholas� sister. She had chosen to come directly back into his life. But why then? For a moment he saw Fleur�s innocent face filled with love before him and then it changed to sorrow and finally grief. Grief that led to her mortal death.
Arwen her essence was lost to him once more. But surely as a mortal she would come back into his life again. But she didn�t, not for a long time. He saw the face of Arwen staring at him. Her face filled with pain and anger. She seemed to see him as he was now. A creature of darkness. She shook her head with tears in her eyes. She reached out and snatched away the pendent of Evenstar from his hands. Turning away, she looked back at him and spoke her final words.
�You have fallen into shadow and into darkness. Our time is over. May we never meet again. How bitter it is. I gave you all and in return you betrayed your forefathers and most of all our love. Creature of darkness, if ever the fates have us meet, my hatred you will receive.�
Yes, and as fate would have it, she had met up with him again.
Her face faded away and a shadowy form returned and this time the face that came to him was a face that he had cursed a thousand times. A woman with rosy cheeks and curly reddish brown hair. A face that was filled with light and strength. A strength he should have recognized. The Face of Doctor Natalie Lambert. The woman who now sought to return Nicholas to his mortality and held LaCroix with great contempt and hatred, for she was the life force and the last living part of Arwen Evenstar.
How cruel fate had been indeed.
It all began to make sense now, all the dreams. They were not dreams but memories of his other lives. A time long ago. He had once been a king of men. Elessar. Strider the ranger and then finally, Aragorn.
But Aragorn had died a mortal�s death. In his place, his entity had been born into Lucien LaCroix and this time he had chosen not to die. But to live!
(Forever Knight: Ashes to Ashes, Time of Pompeii eruption of Mount Versuvius.)
�To live or die father. What is your answer?�
�TO live, Divia, to Live!� He watched as his world crumbled around him and his daughter, his beautiful daughter, now a vampire, brought him across.
Immortal and forever. There would be no further renewal of his life. LaCroix expected to feel something. Sadness, anger even despair over what he had lost. Instead he felt nothing.
He did not lie, he had loved Arwen. In that first life. But time had passed and LaCroix had realized that though Arwen was the love of Aragorn�s life, she was not his soul mate as he had once believed.
Who was?
The face of Nicholas De Brabant appeared before his eyes. LaCroix smiled.
Legolas. He had been his soul mate but had turned him away. Choosing to love the Daughter of Elrond. To wed and give birth to a new line of kings. To continue his lineage.
LaCroix wondered then if he had sent Arwen away with her people, things would have been different between Aragorn and Legolas.
...
The hill and valley around him faded away and a warmth began to fill through his body. He could see a field of green grass and a nearby falls. He could see and feel the blond silky hair loose and spread all around him looped in his left hand. He could feel the soft rippling of muscles as they stretched and tightened around his member while he buried himself deep into the hot flesh.
The creature under him cried out in pleasure, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around his lover. Over and over again the blond cried out his name, murmuring many Elvish endearments. Wave after wave LaCroix felt himself thrust into the pliant body. Their lips touched and tongues delved deep into each other�s mouths. Time seemed to fade around them and the world seemed lost in the echoes of there passionate embrace. The Sun shene brightly in this world and the flowers and all the growing things seemed to be even more radiant and real then any other place. Or was it real simply because he, LaCroix, now Aragorn had finally found a place he could call home.
Torn. He had always been so torn.
He was human, mortal and yet he had grown up in Rivendell surrounded by immortals. Fostered by Elrond himself Aragorn had loved his childhood upbringing but eventually real life had come crashing in on him. The day when he had learned his true heritage. That he was the heir of Isildur and heir to the throne of Gondor. A King of men? A King with no kingdom, and for a while Aragorn had wanted nothing to do with his human side. He wanted to run away and so he had.
He had taken up with the rangers of the eastern borders living his life in seclusion. But that seclusion ended the day in midst of a battle he met Legolas Greenleaf. They at first had been weary of each other. Legolas was not one for trusting human�s but eventually they had become friends.
Aragorn had been honored to have Legolas ride with him. They had traveled together for a few years and had fought together having many wonderful adventures and journeys as two kindred spirits would. But then one day out of the blue Aragorn had decided to return to Rivendell. Legolas, in return, had received a message calling him home to Mirkwood forest.
The parting had been painful and emotional. They had suddenly thrown caution to the wind and coupled in a mad passionate joining as if this would somehow make up for the parting of ways. When had they fallen in love with each other was not known but now, here in this embrace, it was realized.
They came together in one final thrust and then climaxed in unison. For a time they lay in each other�s arms unwilling to move from their positions.
Aragorn toyed with the blond hair while the elf fingered the human�s face as if carving it to his memory.
�Don�t go. Come with me to Rivendell?� He had finally said.
The elf only shook his head. �My father has summoned me and I must obey.� He paused then added. �You could hold off on your visit and come with me? I would love to show you off to my father. Why father look here, he is not a mere ranger, but a King. Do I not have exquisite taste?� Legolas added with a smile and just a small bit of humor in his voice.
�I do not think he would be pleased with your choice of companionship.�
�Because you are human or because you are, a man?� Legolas� eyes were lit up in obvious amusement. But Aragorn only shrugged.
�Both.�
�I am over a thousand years old, Elessar ,and I am more then capable of making my own choices and decisions of companions, besides my father is not one to talk. Some centuries back he and Elrond had a thing going...until, well, that is another story.�
Aragorn raised his eyebrow at the blond elf as if not quite believing him.
Legolas laughed. �It is true...Ask your foster father, I am sure he�ll be able to tell you all the details.�
With the image now in his mind Aragorn�s face changed to horror. �Now that is something I can do without.�
Reaching up to capture his lips, Legolas laughed again. �Elessar, you are truly beautiful.�
�I, Beautiful? I think you devalue yourself Elf prince. It is you that are beautiful. Every line, every part of you, speaks to me.�
�Does it and what does it say?�
�Make love to me.�
�You are insatiable!� Legolas�s eyes danced in delight. But suddenly he turned away and shook his head. His eyes clouded over. When they focused once more on Aragorn they were filled with tears.
Not sure why Legolas suddenly looked so distressed, Aragorn cupped the elf�s chin in his hands. �What is it?�
�I have seen an image in my mind.�
�And?�
�And I fear that when we see each other again things shall be different.�
�Legolas, stop being so ominous, Nothing will change between us. I love you. You are the love of my soul.�
�No.� Breaking from the touch, Legolas sat up and began to slowly dress. Aragorn stayed on the ground, watching his lover in confusion.
�Our time is ending, perhaps our love will be again someday but not in this life. What we have here is over.�
�Elves, I swear you make me crazy with your melancholy. You have it all with your immortality and yet you still act as if the world is ending.�
Legolas secured his pants and began to collect his things. Not too far off he could see his horse coming towards him. �Perhaps it is.�
Disgusted, Aragorn got to his feet and also started to collect his clothes. In the middle of pulling up his pants, two strong arms wrapped around his waist. A soft kiss pressed itself against his neck and Aragorn paused in his movements more confused then ever.
�What did you see, Legolas?�
�I have not the gift of foresight as others, I saw only a dark cloud. One that will separate us. We will see each other again but as friends. A new love is going to come into your life. It is right and though it shall bring me great pain I will not hold you to your promises.�
Aragorn shook his head. �There could be no other.�
�You have a destiny to full fill Elessar. One that is greater then protecting these woods. In time you will see it.�
�Legolas, I love you, you are my soul.�
�And you will always have my heart.�
Before Aragorn could speak, he felt the arms around his waist release him, turning he watched as Legolas leap upon his horse and galloped away as fast as he could. Aragorn watched as his lover disappear into the forest. Lowering his head, Aragorn vowed that he would not love another as he had loved Legolas. No matter what Legolas saw he would fight it. Whatever destiny was meant for him it would only have Legolas there as his friend and lover.
But all the well meanings and promises were forgotten the day he walked along the gardens of Rivendell and beheld the face of Arwen Evenstar.
***
Returning to the present, LaCroix felt himself return to his own place and time. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was back in Raven�s nightclub. The memories were returning.
LaCroix paused in thought. Holding the amulet in his hands, he wondered about that small face he had seen long ago. That small creature that had those incredible blue eyes. Frodo Baggins. Who was he to him or to Aragorn? What was it that caused so many emotions to sweep over him at the sight of it? What about Legolas? Was he still alive somewhere living and waiting for the day Aragorn would return to him?
But the amulet had done its work and refused to reveal anything more to him. The light faded and the amulet slowly returned to its state of rest.
LaCroix hissed angrily. There was so much more he did not understand. How had this amulet, which had last been in Legolas care, come to find its way to him? From this place called Middle-Earth. Why did it come to life now? Why had it for so many years been in sleep? Why choose now to tell him all this?
Why now did it stop?
A voice calling out his name caused LaCroix to return to the present and realize that a familiar form had returned to the Raven.
�Father? Are you all right?�
Nicholas swept into the room. He was dressed all in black, much like LaCroix, with a long over coat hanging at his feet.
�I�m sorry, I know right now is a difficult time but I thought I�d stop by before I headed to the precinct.�
Putting the amulet into his pocket, LaCroix turned to his blood child and putting on a mask of friendly surprise, moved to the counter.
�It is always a pleasure to see you, Nicholas. I do not mind your visit. A drink?� LaCroix offered him a bottle of vintage human blood.
Nicholas lowered his eyes at his master and shook his head. �No thanks, I already...� He dropped the rest of the sentence off and took to walking the room. He stared at the mess of Divia�s battle. It seemed LaCroix was yet to get around to cleaning it up.
Was his Master still distraught over the death of his child? It seemed to indicate so.
Nicholas was now wondering if he should have left LaCroix alone last night. But at the time he had to report in for work, and there was Natalie to visit at the morgue and reassure her that all was well. She had been more then relieved. She had even hoped that this dark child had vanquished LaCroix. But when Nick had revealed that LaCroix was alive and well, she did not hide her disappointment.
It was then they had an argument. Nothing extreme, but it was something that had Nicholas rethinking his thoughts and perspective about a great many things.
Nicholas realized that even after eight hundred years he had never known LaCroix as he thought he had. He wouldn�t mention the feelings his Master had also been broadcasting him in the past twenty-four hours. Feelings of confusion, loss, fear and desire. LaCroix was usually much better at controlling his emotions and even more so in communicating telepathically to his children these emotions. LaCroix had made it his life to keep his children away from his thoughts.
That is what had Nicholas worried. So he had come. LaCroix looked all right and would have passed to be so to others, but not to him. He could see between the lines. LaCroix was withdrawn and burdened with some sort of grief and confusion.
�Are you...?� He started to speak.
LaCroix brushed his hand up and smiled sadly at Nicholas.
�I�m fine, Nicholas. Stop worrying.�
Glancing around the room, Nicholas took a seat by the counter.
�You haven�t cleaned up?�
LaCroix refused to follow Nicholas� stare and shrugged.
�I will call Miklos in a little while.�
�Vachon?�
�He left for Rome. He needed some time to pull himself together.�
Nicholas nodded and found to his surprise that LaCroix was leaning quite close to him. Usually he felt nervous or unsettled when his Master did that but right now it felt reassuring.
�Janette called me. A few hours ago.�
Nicholas watched the slight surprise on Lucien�s face about this development. Janette had long since left Toronto City. She had left under strange circumstances. One minute she was set and ready to redecorate the Raven and then the next minute, LaCroix found he was signed over the place and she had run off. Back to Paris, he guessed. He had let her go.
He knew full well to keep her here would only risk her anger. Besides although he loved his daughter dearly he didn�t feel the same possessiveness as he did for Nicholas. He had always let her come and go as she pleased. He knew full well when the world got too hard or cold for her she would come back into his and Nicholas� life seeking refuge and love.
Standing here before Nicholas, LaCroix once again felt desire sweep over him. He enjoyed looking into the face of Nicholas. He always had. It was a face that still enchanted him even after eight hundred years. Even in their most bitter battles LaCroix could not bear being out of his child�s sight. He needed Nicholas. Wanted him. Loved him.
He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. Love? He was Lucien LaCroix, he loved no one, needed no one and yet he did.
�She said she was worried about you, and that she had been getting some strange thoughts and images from your...mind. She was concerned. She is in Paris and wanted to come to see you. I thought it best that she didn�t. At least for now. But she will call you in a few days. She wants to speak to you.�
LaCroix put down his drink and swallowed. He wasn�t exactly sure he wanted to see her right now or speak with her. But he cared deeply for Janette and when she called he would talk with her.
As LaCroix lowered the drink, Nicholas reached out and touched his master�s hand. LaCroix looked up in surprise to see his son�s questioning gaze upon him.
�Talk to me, Father. Please.�
Instead of speaking, LaCroix reached into his pocket and pulled out the amulet. He dropped it on the counter and watched for Nicholas reaction.
Nicholas saw the medallion on the counter and stared strangely at the piece of artifact.
He knew he had seen it before and there was something familiar about it but couldn�t place it. His hand reached towards it and the medallion suddenly began to glow.
Holding it in his hand, Nicholas felt warm and in all the centuries he had spent in unease and sadness he suddenly felt peace fold around him. A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. For so long he had allowed himself to be consumed in grief and guilt that he hadn�t realized how deep the pain had engulfed him until it was gone. It was as if a candle somewhere burning had just been blown out.
He couldn�t understand it. Looking up, he stared at his master in uncertainty.
�Before I came to Toronto, I found this in Rome, it came to me. I think now, under some strange circumstances, it should go to you.�
Nicholas looked back at the amulet and tried to fathom the strange feelings he was now having inside himself. Caught within it, Nicholas saw pictures flash before his own eyes. A face of a blond haired man with pointed ears, sitting on his throne. Fading...fading.
The past seemed to return to him and Nicholas suddenly remembered eight hundred years before, a time when he had been mortal. A time when he had been a crusader and drawn to another place and time. A quest that had been forced upon him.
Legolas words returned.
*�Do not fail, do not allow your fear to stop you from doing what is necessary. Do not allow the humanity in your heart prevent you from this quest. For if you fail, all will be lost. All that has come to be will be lost. All shall perish, all shall die, and the world you left behind will be no more as will ours.�*
Nicholas got to his feet abruptly. His thoughts remembering also of the caves and how they had led him to a place called the Shire. To a hobbit. A lovely, simple and precious halfling woman. He remembered what happened after as well.
But he had left the Amulet with her? Hadn�t he? It was so long ago it was hard for Nicholas to remember. The sadness over the woman hobbit had been great and Nicholas had spent many years pushing her away from his thoughts. He had succeeded for he had not thought of her in almost seven hundred years.
So much had happened and changed since then. It was then that Nicholas finally understood the words of Legolas. The warning he had given him.
�A warning to you. Do not allow the darkness to take you. Stay in the light, stay and live as a mortal. For even in death, there is rebirth. Although you do not know it now, the path of your future is one that we shall come to regret greatly. Remember, even from evil there will always come some good.�
Sadness overwhelmed him and Nicholas stared up at his Master in despair.
Unsure why Nicholas seemed in such distress LaCroix looked back at his child and was slowly and carefully making his way towards him.
�Nicholas what is it? What�s wrong?�
Nicholas only shook his head.
Legolas had warned him then, he had known that he was going to be lured into the darkness and the eternal life of a vampire. The elf Prince had tried to help him. But as always Nicholas realized he had ignored the warning and had allowed the darkness to take him. Oh, how he had come to regret it ever since.
�Where did you find this, LaCroix?�
�I told you, in Rome. I was recovering after our...fight.� LaCroix did not recount the time when Nicholas had tried to take the life of his own master. That was years ago and water under the bridge. They had come so far since then. They had stopped fighting and had a peace settling between them. A peace that LaCroix had yearned for. He was suddenly worried that peace was about to end.
�I saw it in a jewelry shop. I don�t know why...but I felt compelled to buy it. I had wanted to even then give to you. I don�t...I forgot all about it and while trying to clean up I found it, and... well...Nicholas?�
Nicholas swallowed and stared back at the amulet. It had come back to him? But why? How?
Before another word could be spoken, LaCroix and Nicholas both felt a sudden cold enter the room. A darkness and evil that was recognized.
Turning to the doorway, Nicholas and LaCroix saw a small figure standing in front of it. She was young perhaps twelve years old and dressed in black with golden hair. A cruel smile was upon her lips and as she stared at the two of them her eyes began to glow.
�Hello Father, Hello Nicholas. Missed me?�
Divia was back.
***
In the vortex, a time traveler returned to the console room with the objects he would soon need on his mission. Of all the things he put in his pocket one of them was a crucifix.
END OF BOOK TWO
TBC
BOOK THREE COMING IN FEB 2004