Their Bonds of Love

Stumbling forward, he felt like he would fall where he was. In those few seconds where Conri thought Eleri was surely dead, it felt as if all strength had left his body. Even standing seemed too much. Then he saw her crawling forward, and hope moved him towards her. He was aware of the fighting all around him. He knew Caerwyn was close to his side, keeping threats away from him, but all he saw was Eleri.

One side of her face was torn because of Bren’s claws. Blood ran freely down her face onto her chest. She crawled slowly before propping herself up against the dais. He couldn’t imagine what pain she was in, and he had to get to her. Caerwyn followed at his side, taking out a guard while Conri met the sword of another one. He buried his sword in the man’s chest before throwing him away. Looking back at Eleri, he saw Bren approach her.

Bren’s wolf stood in front of her low on his paws, appearing to savor her injured appearance. He bounded towards her, and everything moved in slow motion to Conri as he tried to reach Eleri. He yelled at Caerwyn to do something, but he knew neither of them could make it in time.

Conri prepared to throw his sword at Bren when Emilia flew through the air, using her small body to send Bren sprawling sideways. She lost her footing, and Bren must have thought he could regather himself because he growled and started to rise. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked practically into Lord Cadwin’s side, with Aron standing close by.

The gray and russet wolf growled ferociously before Aron’s wolf knocked Bren back down. Bren whimpered slightly, looking up and the two wolves over him. Aron and Lord Cadwin exchanged looks. Conri watched for a moment as Lord Cadwin got low in Bren’s face before tearing into his neck. Conri turned back to Eleri to see she was lying down with her eyes closed. Efa was at her side as Lady Farrow limped back and forth, looking for any threats.

Conri started to move towards Eleri once again as she sat up with Efa’s help. He saw two wolves out of the corner of his eye running towards him, but Caerwyn met them both. He looked to his other side to see Selven stop a guard from running him through with a sword. Conri stopped as he heard Eleri cry out. Efa raised her hand, and Conri turned to see Lord Fellen behind him with a sword, ready to plunge it into him. Before Lord Fellen could do it, a dagger flew by Conri’s head and hit Lord Fellen’s right shoulder, sinking deep and causing him to drop his sword.

Conri turned completely towards the man and shoved him down using his shoulder. He stood over him with his sword pointed at his chest.

Lord Fellen laughed slightly. “Will you really kill me, Conri? If you do, you will never know everyone who was involved in the death of your parents. I wasn’t even the one who started it.”

“But you finished it,” said Conri. “That is all I need to know.”

“What about Eleri? I don’t think you understand the bond I have with her and how deeply it runs. If you kill me, what makes you think I won’t take a least a part of her with me?”

Conri turned briefly to glance at Eleri. Efa was waving her hand over her face as Eleri looked at him. He felt his mark tingle slightly, and a warm feeling covered his chest as something powerful moved through him. He looked back down at Lord Fellen with a small smile. “Eleri knows who she is, as do I. You have no hold over her whatever you think you might have done.”

Lord Fellen’s eyes narrowed, and his breathing increased. “Do it then, if you can, Conri. If you are so sure about it all, do it now.”

He stared at Lord Fellen, noticing the man’s eyes went to something to the right. Conri didn’t even look. He saw a bright light move through the room before he heard Ciara cry out. Caerwyn and Aron came to Conri’s side, and he noticed all fighting had stopped. The room was full of fallen guards and a few who sat by the wall with their heads down.

“I think you are out of friends, Lord Fellen, if you ever had any. I believe everyone only served you out of fear or because they thought they could use you for a while. You could never inspire loyalty in this land because you weren’t meant to lead it.

“You were the last face my mother and father saw, and now I, a true Gildan king, will be the last thing you see in this land.” Conri slowly plunged his sword into Lord Fellen’s chest. He watched as the man’s eyes went wide, and he struggled for breath. Lord Fellen tried to say something, but all that came out of his mouth was blood. Conri pushed in further, and Lord Fellen jerked a few times before going still.

Conri left his sword where it was and hurried over to Eleri. Kneeling beside her, he took her hand.

“Are you alright?” she asked anxiously as she squeezed his hand.

“You are asking about me?” he said with a small laugh. “I am fine, Eleri, thanks to you. You saved me at least twice.”

She tried to smile but grimaced at the effort. She put her hand to her chest. “I’m sorry, Conri. I just couldn’t let her do it to you. I tried to keep it away from all of us, but I lost concentration when Bren hit me.”

“What are you talking about, Eleri?” He looked up at Efa. “What did that spell do to her?”

Eleri started crying, and he knew it must be causing her even more pain as tears rolled down the deep cuts on her face.

“It is no matter, Eleri,” said Efa. “We will figure it out. You can’t get upset. You need to rest.”

“But it does matter. Can’t you see, Efa? How can I be with Conri now? How could he choose me as I am?”

“I have already chosen you, Eleri. There is no question of us being together.”

“Eleri, you need to rest,” said Efa. She put her hand on Eleri’s head and closed her eyes. Eleri looked at Conri for a moment before she slumped down against him.

“Pick her up, Conri. We need to find a place for her to rest so I can try to do some more healing spells on her.” Efa looked over at Lady Farrow, who had shifted and pulled on a shirt and cloak from one of the guards. “I will need to look at your leg as well, Lady Farrow.”

“It is no matter. I will heal quickly,” said Lady Farrow as she limped towards them.

“Where is the closest bedroom?” asked Conri.

Lord Cadwin hurried over, pulling on a shirt with pants he had found from a dead guard. He looked down at Eleri in Conri’s arms and softly touched her uninjured cheek for a moment. “I can take you to one. Follow me.”

Conri walked behind Lord Cadwin. He heard Efa and Caerwyn taking behind him.

“Someone needs to go outside and see what is happening in the city. Word must be spread that both Lord Fellen and Bren Farrow are dead,” said Efa. “It must be known that the Gildan court has retaken the palace.”

“It should be the king, but I doubt he will want to go now,” said Caerwyn.

Conri glanced back at Caerwyn with a frown before shaking his head.

“I will go. It will have to be me,” confirmed Caerwyn.

“I’ll go with you in case there is trouble,” said Aron. “Efa, will Eleri be alright?”

“She will live if that is what you are asking.”

“Not exactly, but if that is all you can tell me at the moment, it is enough,” said Aron. “Come on, Caerwyn.”

“Let me come, too,” said Selven. “I can try to get the word out throughout the city.”

Caerwyn nodded before he walked up next to Conri. “I will go take care of this for you, but as soon as I am done, I will find you. Stay with her and the others while I am gone. We don’t know what is happening outside of the palace, and I would hate for something further to happen to either of you.”

“I will be by her side the whole time, Caerwyn.” He looked back. “I will keep Lady Farrow close as well.”

Caerwyn nodded before hurrying off with Aron.

Lord Cadwin took them up a flight of stairs and turned down a hall. He opened the first door he came to, and they entered a large, dark bedroom.

“Ewan put some of those logs in the fireplace,” said Efa as she touched some candles to light them.

Lady Farrow walked forward and pulled back the bedcovering, and Conri gently laid Eleri in the bed. Once the logs were in place, Efa raised her hand and sparked a fire that caught rapidly. Conri sat on the bed next to Eleri and took her hand as Efa stood close to him and placed her hand over Eleri’s cuts.

“I can heal these a bit more, but then we will need to find some medicine and bandages. I am afraid she will have some scars, but they will fade to just subtle silvery lines eventually. It will take her longer to heal than it did before.”

“Before what, Efa?” asked Conri. “What was Eleri saying earlier? She said she couldn’t be with me. Why?”

Efa looked at him and then Eleri’s father before taking a deep breath. “I don’t know how Ciara did it. I supposed she used dark magic, the evil woman that she is. I will need to leave in a moment and make sure she is bound tight. She will come to at some point.”

“What did Ciara do to Eleri?” demanded Conri.

Efa gently stroked Eleri’s hair, and some of the blood matted in it evaporated. “The spell she used caused Eleri’s wolf to die inside of her. Eleri no longer has any connection to her inner wolf. She is no longer a shifter.”

“What?” gasped Lord Cadwin. “How is such a thing even possible?”

“It has to be old magic rooted in blood and evil. I shudder to think how many shifters Ciara experimented with and sacrificed, taking their blood. Such a thing is strictly forbidden. We are not allowed to kill directly with our magic. We can throw people, and things happen, but death curses of any kind can not be used. She killed a part of Eleri, and she will have to pay the price.”

“How will it affect Eleri?” asked Conri. “It won’t kill her, will it?”

“She will live, but she will feel like a part of her is missing. She will get used to it in time, but it will be difficult,” said Efa.

“Why does she think it means we can’t be together?” asked Conri. “Nothing could make me give her up, but certainly not this. She saved me from this fate by taking it on herself. It was her who threw that dagger as well, wasn’t it?

Efa nodded as she sighed. “We have never had a non-shifter as king or queen. The Gildan king is a wolf king with a wolf queen. She must think that means she will have to give you up.”

“I will not let her,” said Conri. “I have already pledged myself to her and her to me. We are both marked by blood and magic.” He looked at Efa. “Will she still have her magic?”

Efa smiled a little as she put her hand on Eleri’s upper stomach. “She will, and I believe it will be stronger than ever before. Where her wolf once lived inside of her, her magic is starting to take over. Her bond with Lord Fellen is gone too.”

Conri leaned forward and kissed Eleri’s forehead. “Then I shall be a wolf king with a magical queen.” He looked at Lord Cadwin. “You had a non-shifter wife. You were happy, and look what came from your union. There is no one in this land as brave or good as your daughter, my lord.”

Lord Cadwin put his hand on Conri’s shoulder. “There is not. She will be a good queen to Elathia even without her connection to her wolf. You are king, Conri. If anyone dares to say that she is not qualified, they will have to answer to you.”

Efa went back to the throne room to take care of Ciara. Lady Farrow found some servants who brought water so everyone could clean. One came in with bandages and ointment and offered to see to Eleri, but Conri dismissed the servant, wanting to care for Eleri himself. As he gently washed her wound and placed some medicine on it, her eyes blinked open.

He smiled down at her. “It is done, my love. He is gone and cannot hurt you. You are only bound to me.”

She took a shaky breath as he carefully spread the medicine over her cuts. “But is our bond still there? I am not what I once was.”

“I can still feel it in both my blood and in the magic you left in me, Eleri. Nothing has changed in how I feel for you or who you are to me. Please do not worry.”

She looked at him for a moment more before her eyes closed again. He stayed with her throughout the night as many came to tell him information. He could not recall exactly what was said, but he understood most of it. The battle outside was done. Anyone suspected of supporting Lord Fellen was round-up to be questioned. Ciara had been handed over to Lord Caydren and the magical community. She was being kept in a cell under the palace, guarded by two mages and a sorcerer.

Efa sat with him for a while, as did Caerwyn. They talked over what happened to Eleri, and all agreed while it would be hard for her, the important thing was she was alive and with them.

“It is a sacrifice, though,” said Caerwyn sometime in the night as she sat by Conri. “What she has given up is beyond what most could take. Everything will be different for her now, how she sees the world, her instincts, everything.”

“She is still Eleri,” said Conri. “She could never lose who she truly is.”

“You are right,” said Caerwyn. “And if she thinks she has, I am sure you will remind her.”

“Every day if that is what it takes,” said Conri.