Act III

Vanessa had been close to killing the new woman until she found out that the strange foreigner was only traveling through and that Adrian had merely given her accommodations until she left. This quelled her rage, but only temporarily. There had to be some other motive behind Adrian letting the barbarian woman stay. Perhaps he desired her, but when Vanessa had gone to see the woman for herself her fears had been dispelled.

The foreigner was dressed in pants and a rather risqué shirt: it showed more cleavage and skin than was appropriate and left nothing to the imagination. It certainly drew attention to the necklace about her slender neck, though. The belt about her waist looked old and used, and it appeared to have been a sword belt of sorts, for there were still rings on the belt that a chain would hang from. Her boots were old leather and brown and had seen a lot of traveling. She was hardly appealing to anyone. Especially after she had grabbed the arm of a man that she had claimed touched her in an offending way and had nearly broken his fingers. Very attractive, indeed.

Having seen the rather grotesque woman at what appeared to be her best, Vanessa felt more assured about her position and Adrian's lady. There was no need to assert a pecking order of any sorts. The woman was only a guest, and only that; however, Adrian had invited the new woman to the music room to listen to the bard....

Vanessa wrinkled her nose at that thought. The bard. How she detested the meek, little man. No. Not a man. A boy. What Adrian saw in him was beyond her. Though, she had to admit that he was a good player. No matter. Adrian was entertaining a guest. She had nothing to worry about. With that thought, she went back about her business of the day-to-day routines.

***

Solara felt uncomfortable sitting in the very ornate music room and she was only dressed in a more feminine version of what the noblemen wore: a dark gray poet's shirt with a black doublet, matching trousers, and boots. Her hair was pulled back into a queue in the same style as the noblemen with a gray ribbon to match her shirt. Needless to say, it matched her complexion, but she wasn't too sure about her hair.

She didn't wait long until Adrian showed up, followed closely behind by his bard. She watched as Adrian took his seat somewhere near the shadows, then the bard set up his violin. She couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, but she figured that it was what most musicians did when they prepared themselves to play.

When he was ready, the bard stood up and looked over to Adrian. "Any requests, sir?"

Adrian gestured to Solara languidly and the musician turned toward Solara. "My lady?"

Solara thought for a moment. "Do you know any Vivaldi?" It was a wild hope, but she had to ask. Maybe there was some connection....

The young man's face lit up. "Of course, my lady. What would you like to hear?"

Solara shook her head with a smile. "Anything is fine." She couldn't believe it! Someone had actually heard of Vivaldi. Perhaps her theory was true!

The musician smiled and inclined his head. He stood up straight, held his violin high, and closed his eyes. After a moment of silent meditation, he lifted his bow and began to play "Spring" from The Four Seasons.

Solara closed her eyes and lost herself in the sweet sound of music. It had been so long since she had heard anything from home. Maybe, one day, she'd be able to find her way back...She shook her head as though to dismiss something and focused on the bard's playing.

He played so wonderfully that she was almost sad when he finished. The air still rang from the last note in the air as he lowered his violin and bowed first to Solara, then to Adrian.

"Thank you, Han," Adrian said quietly with a faint smile. "You may leave if you wish."

Han bowed again, packed up his instrument, and left the music room quietly.

Solara suddenly felt uncomfortable in the room with the Prince of S'ran. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Should she just sit here? Then she remembered Vanessa from earlier that day and frowned.

Adrian noticed Solara frown. "Something wrong, Lady Solara?"

Solara's head jerked up, surprised that her name was spoken and answered. "Oh, I just had a run in with Lady Vanessa. She's absolutely horrible. No one likes her. Why do you keep her around?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She groaned inwardly. What was she going to do now?

Adrian opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it, and closed it. He considered for a moment how to answer her question. "There are...certain conditions as to why Lady Vanessa stays here at my keep...." His quiet voice trailed off into the quiet of the evening. He gazed down at the floor in contemplation.

"Conditions?" Solara whispered. It was almost as if the entire room demanded silence when the prince was deep in thought.

"Yes....conditions..." Adrian echoed absently. He looked up at Solara, formulating the reasons together into an answer for her. "You see, Lady Vanessa is a very intelligent woman. Before she agreed to work for me, she drafted up a contract: I could do no harm to her, physical or otherwise, that would jeopardize her health or her position here at Cross Keep. The only amendment I made to that contract before I signed it was that no harm, physical or mental, would come to her so long as she did no harm to one of my own."

"But your servants-" Solara began.

Adrian held up a hand, demanding silence. "The servants do not belong to me. They are merely hired help. Nothing more."

"And the bard?"

"Ah. See, he belongs to me. If she ever did anything to him, Lady Vanessa would forfeit all of her rights."

The hair on the back of Solara's neck stood on end at this last statement, getting the distinct feeling that there was more behind those words than what was just said. Whatever was implied, the prince meant every word of it. She wondered if Vanessa really knew what she had gotten herself into.

Adrian smiled pleasantly. "Did you enjoy the performance, my lady?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Solara blinked in surprise. "Ah, I enjoyed it very much," she replied, caught completely off guard by the change in subject.

"Wonderful. Would you care to join me for dinner?" he inquired.

Again, Solara was caught off guard. What was up with this guy? She decided that he was eccentric and that was why she kept getting a creepy feeling from him. "Ah, no. I...have already eaten, thank you."

"Then, perhaps another time, my lady."

"Perhaps."

Adrian stood up and walked over to Solara, holding his hand out to her. He studied her as he waited for her to take his hand. She had a beauty that was different from what he was used to. Exotic even. So unearthly. He felt himself drawn to her in a way that was completely different from Han. He could hear the melody of that sweet tune blending around her and become a harmony, then a discord, and back again. He felt himself leaning in toward her. He wanted to hear that tune more clearly. He had the sudden wild thought of perhaps she was his counterpart, but how was that possible? She wasn't Vampyr. She's wasn't human, not completely. She was something so far beyond his understanding that he was actually confused.

He could hear her breathing become rapid and shallow as he continued to lean in closer to her. He needed to know what she was. He had to know. There was this madness that was beginning to grow within him. An obsession. He had to know what this woman was. How could she pull him to her like this? It was almost unnerving.

He could hear her blood pulsing through her veins, now. So sweet. So delicious. So tempting. The tunes rang in his ears at an almost fever pitch as he leaned in closer. He could feel himself becoming consumed by the bloodlust. He suddenly noticed that he was trembling, but he wasn't completely sure that it was from his need. If he didn't know better, he would have said that he was trembling partly in due to fear.

"Who are you?" he whispered hoarsely. He gripped the chair by the arms so tight that his knuckles turned whiter than his skin.

"I don't know!" she whispered back, her eyes wide with fright. Her back was pressed back against the chair and into the cushioning itself in her attempt to get away from Adrian. She was beginning to panic.

Adrian could hear her heartbeat accelerate, adding to the music that he was already hearing. He leaned in further, their lips almost touching.

"You must know," Adrian whispered. "You have to. I must understand this control you have over me. This sudden need to be with you always."

"I don't know," Solara whimpered. "I don't understand anything that's happening to me."

"Happening?"

"I'm changing, and I don't know how or why." Her voice was almost a sob. From terror or anguish, he wasn't sure.

"Changing....like I did...."

"I'm changing into something that isn't human..." She sounded almost horrified, afraid. "I can't stop it."

"Vampyr, perhaps?" He leaned in close that their lips almost touched.

"No. Faie."

"Faie..." He rolled the word around as though he was tasting it, as though he was trying to grasp onto something that was slipping away from him. "Faie child...Solara...my sun..."

He leaned in and kissed her. Slowly and tantalizingly at first, almost as though he were trying to control himself, then passionately as he seemed to give in. He felt her hands reach up and caress his face and tangle themselves in his hair. He faintly remembered his queue falling out because of it. He trailed kisses along her jaw line and down the side of her neck, reaching forward to loosen the ascot about her neck and to unbutton her doublet and shirt. He was faintly aware of her doing the same as he breathed in her scent and trailed his lips over her neck and collarbone. He lowered himself to his knees before her. He felt her hands run through his hair and tangle themselves further in it, cradling his head against her chest.

"So, this is how you entertain foreign guests. How interesting. I never expected to find you on your knees before a barbarian woman dressed up like a man."

Adrian froze. It was Vanessa. "No," he growled low in his throat. He stood up to his full height, turned slowly to face his newest guest, and a look of utter hatred passed briefly over his beautiful face. He stood in front of Solara in an unconscious gesture to protect her.

"Out." Short, curt, and to the point.

Vanessa laughed low in her throat and turned away, her laughter echoing in the Music Room and down the hallway.

Back to Eternal Legends or back to Adrian Cross: Sacred and Profane