Arrival

Chapter 33: Kysael- Peaceful Days Come and Go

It was only a few weeks later that Coal asked for my hand, and it surprised both Dragon and myself. Coal had even seemed shocked himself, and stuttered out apologies.

It had been completely unintentional, but.... When I thought about it, I knew that I'd already began to have deeper feelings for him, and that I had grown to care about him. Dragon was not upset, rather very happy at the news.

We would always love one another in a particularly special way, but I decided that he had been put through enough because of me.

We both deserved a fresh beginning.

And even as I accepted Coal's proposal, he proposed to Arthenia as well, and she accepted.

*

November, 1103 A.D.

Time had continued to drag by, and thankfully, the vomiting had not lasted forever.

One night, Dragon was with me, running his hand along my finally showing belly.

Coal lay beside of me, his head leaning against mine.

We all knew the agreement. If the child belonged to Dragon, we would share the responsibility.

Coal was good to me. It had surprised everyone, when we had been spotted walking around, holding hands as Dragon followed us, telling us the happenings in the city, completing his duties.

And it was such a relief, that my relationship with Coal did not hurt Dragon.

In fact, he was.... overjoyed for me.

It seemed that he approved of this relationship, because it was new.

I had not been damaged for years by Coal.

Coal was powerful, and held high standing in the supernatural world that we lived in. He could protect me. He was strong, and powerful.

He was the Lord of the Ice Wyverns, afterall.

Coal was good to me, and good for me, so Dragon was thrilled. My relationship with Kelose always made him sad because of all the hurt that we had put one another through, but it was not that way with Coal.

Coal had surprised me, and shortly after his proposal, had brought me a gown made out of shimmering jewels, the gown being an elf tradition that I knew that wyverns didn't follow, but he made the exception for me. It was a beautiful dress, with a low collar that fell around the shoulders, connecting to long, tight fitting sleeves. The bodice of the gown was flowy around my mid-section and flowed and drug the floor in a beautiful train. Millions of onyx and diamond stones were sewn to the gown, and it shined elegantly in the light. It was certainly the most lavish of the gowns that I had gotten.

Dragon had been happy for me, and this made the third betrothal gown that I had received.

Coal and I had not done anything more than kiss a couple of times, yet.

I thought on our first kiss, now. It had been one evening, out in the courtyard. We had been sitting on a bench, watching the sunset. He told me what it was like, to see the sunset from his eyes as he flew in the sky. He pushed his wings out of his body, webbed and scaled, and he lifted me in his arms and flew us up into the sky. And as the moon was coming up on one side of the sky just as the sun was going down on the other side, Coal spoke.

"Kysael..." His hold tightened a bit as he squeezed me. "Look at me?"

I met his eyes, and his expression was a bit hesitant.

"What is it, Coal?"

He smiled at me, and slowly.... ever so slowly, he brought his face down to my own, his cool lips meeting my own. I took in a deep breath through my nose, and our eyes drifted closed just as our lips drifted open, our tongues melding with one another in our mouths. This was our first real kiss.

This was what a first kiss was made of.

He pulled away, and rested his forehead against mine as my arms were wrapped around his shoulders.

"That was... " He looked up, into my eyes.

"It was your first real kiss...?"

He nodded. "It was."

"Have you ever...?"

He smiled. "Once. And it was in my Wyvern form, with another Wyvern. Shortly after I met you, actually. I was trying to get my feelings out of my system, because I didn't think that I would ever have a chance with you. I knew how you felt for Dragon, and the mating mark with Mafrien... I couldn't see a future where I would have this opportunity. And it wasn't with someone whom I had feelings with."

I nodded. "I see." I smiled. "I think you will enjoy our wedding night, then."

I was determined to do this relationship correctly, in any case.

Dragon and Arthenia married shortly after that, and she wasn't quite aware of the situation that we were currently in, but Dragon was waiting to see who the baby would belong to.

It had been a long night, and Dragon was taking time to talk to my belly as he held his arm up to my mouth for me to feed, and talking to the baby, telling the baby stories of its wild mother, who had grown up unlike any other girl in the world, who was the first non-wyvern to marry a wyvern.

I ran my hands through Coal's long, silky white hair, my other hand holding Dragon's arm up to my lips.

Finally, something stopped me and I released him.

I laughed. "The baby kicked!" I smiled. "The baby is very active tonight. Usually, all I feel are movements and flutters, but that was a strong kick. The baby is going to be strong; I can feel it."

Dragon looked up at me a smiled. "I am so happy for you."

I laughed. "Yes. It is time for a new life, and a new beginning."

"Absolutely." He looked to Coal. "You are good for her," he told him. "I don't believe that anyone foresaw this turn of events," he laughed.

Coal chuckled, his deep timbre resonating in my body, and the baby kicked all the harder.

I smiled, leaning into Coal, and as I fell asleep, I heard Coal whispering into my ear how odd it was, this feeling of love. How he was happier than he had ever been in all of the centuries he'd been living.

*

We married days later, and it was much more private and intimate than my first two weddings had been. It was only our family and our closest friends, rather than a whole room full of people. Though, it was that way not only to be more intimate, but also because the majority of the world was very unapproving of our romance. A true Skyelf wouldn't be caught dead with a Wyvern...unless they were a Darkness worshipping, traitorous harlot, anyway.

The people kept their opinions to themselves, though. Not only was I the Queen, but I was not a full blooded Sahyeen, a Skyelf. Their words and values had little sway over my personal life choices.

And after the reception party was over, he moved into the royal suite at the end of the hall with me.

He stood there, still donned in his wedding attire of a dark black tunic and gray pants, stuffed into black boots, his white hair had been cut for the occasion. It was short on the sides and the back, but a little longer on the top, swept and spiked over to one side. He looked quite handsome. But I knew his hair would grow back out in no time.

He kneeled before my pregnant body. "Feed, bride. I desire to please you."

I smiled sweetly at him, and I sunk my teeth into his cold flesh, and let his cool blood flow into me, calming and soothing me. Tingles ran down my body, and the action had him moaning.

I gradually kissed my way down his arm, and he stood to take me in his strong arms, kissing me and nipping my lips.

It was strange. It wasn't kissing that I had grown accustomed to, and his touches and claws grazing me was unlike anything that I had experienced.

I felt his sharp teeth graze me often, and I wondered if this was what it was like for others to be in my bed, with my sharp and lethal teeth.

He pulled me softly to be flush against him, and I felt his hands roam over my rear, pulling me into him as his mouth moved to my shoulder, sucking there before he pulled me to turn, unzipping the gown and helping me to step out of it before tossing it away.

I stood bare to his hungry and powerful eyes, and he stripped himself, never taking his eyes off of me.

Once we were both bare, I took a moment to appreciate his body. He was just as bulky and muscular that Mafrien had been if not more so, and his body was marred with scars in varying shapes and sizes. The skin was beautiful, pale like mine rather than the dark, tanned skin that I was so accustomed to or the gray skin that I'd been forced to endure.

His clawed hands pulled me gently to press into him, and even with my pregnancy keeping me from being completely attached to him, his erectness pressed into me and we laughed lightly.

But something held me back.

The last time I'd been with someone so.... well endowed, I'd been seriously injured, tortured.... Not to say that Dragon or Kelose were small, by any means. But this… This was much more than I had anticipated, and it frightened me.

Flashes of Mafrien in his Darkelf form flashed through my mind, and I shuddered away from him.

"Kysael," he said, concern in his eyes and his voice. He came to cup my cheek, pulling me to look at him. "What is it, my love?"

"I....well...." I glanced down at his genitals. "You..." I sighed. "Mafrien....hurt me."

His eyes widened a bit. "You're afraid that I'll hurt you," he said softly. His voice was full of understanding and compassion, with maybe a tinge of pain.

I nodded. "Not on purpose, of course.... but I mean...I'm so small," I whispered.

He laughed good naturedly. "Do not fear," he said softly. "There are ways to be sure that you are not damaged, love."

He led me to the bed, and his preparing me for him was done in a fervent and more than adequate fashion than I had ever experienced before his body took claim over mine.

I gasped into his mouth, gripping his white hair, cupping his pointed ears, squeaking out his name in restrained pleasure.

He brought his clawed hand up to slice his shoulder, and I opened my mouth, letting his blood drip into my mouth as he made love to me.

He had been right. While it was excruciatingly tight, it wasn't actually painful. His tongue was on my chest, sucking and nipping as he pulled out and pushed into my body. I gasped, airy and light noises escaping my lips.

He kissed me, tasting my blood on his tongue as it slid around my own.

I finally clenched, squeezing and thrashing against him.

After we had finally finished sometime later, he cradled my body against his, and I let myself snuggle into his side, and I felt his lips in my hair as I fell into a blissful sleep that I hadn't had in quite some time.

I was thankful that I didn't feel any pain in my blood from Dragon. No.

We were both happy.

*

My nightly visits to see Kelose grew to only be once every couple of days, and then to only be once a week. I tried to keep vigil over him, but it was painful to look at him and think of the loss.

Dragon would always go with me, holding my hand to give me strength. Coal was also there. And they slowly drew me out of my solitude, opening my heart and healing me from the pain that I'd been holding onto all of my life.

*

March, 1104 A.D.

The child grew ever stronger each day, and I was beginning to feel angst. It wouldn't be long before the child was born.

The child was not the only one who had grown. I had grown quite large, and I needed someone to hold my hand with me everywhere that I went. I was much larger than I should have been, though, and it was strange to me. I could hardly walk, and my body was much more sensitive than it had been.

Dragon told me that he sensed something odd, but that I shouldn't worry about it. He told me that it would be alright, and that I didn't have to worry.

I felt as if the child were ridiculously active, now. It honestly.... felt as if...as if there were more than one.

I sighed. In a way, I hoped for two, so that there would be a sibling for one to grow up with. But then again, I hoped that there was only one.... for my own sanity.

Coal very rarely had any relations with me during this time, trying to control himself and his body. He knew that I was in discomfort and tried to be considerate of me. But he still stayed by me during the night every night to lay with me and talk to the baby, feeling kicks and punches as I laughed and kept my spirits light.

A new life would be brought into the world in just a couple more months.

*

May, 1104 A.D.

It was only a week into May when Dragon had to rush out and bring back supplies to deliver the baby.

I knew that it was time, but I was so afraid.

I'd grown so attached to this one, especially at the prospect of Kelose or Dragon being the child's father. It would not be an evil child, as Kirinae had been when she was young, and it would not be an irrationally fast-growing child that would be grown in a few months. And best of all… I had not had to endure the forced murder of my unborn to make way for this child.

No, this was a child that I would have for many, many years. And I didn't have to worry about some deranged Dahrahm taking it away from me. No....this child was special to me in a whole other league.

I would always love Kirinae greatly, but.... I would be lying if I didn't admit that this love went deeper.

Dragon rushed into the room, Castiel and a nurse by his side, carrying buckets of water and a surgical knife. Coal sat by my head, holding my hand, pressing his lips to my ear, whispering assurance and protection.

And I was hyper aware of what Dragon planned to do.

Because....the baby wasn't coming on its own. I had been in labor for days.

"You....you delivered me this way, right?" I asked, begging him to give me some manner of confidence in his ability to get us safely through this.

He smiled. "Yes, Kysael, I delivered you this way out of your mother's womb. And I can assure you, if she can survive it, you can. You are much stronger than she was."

I nodded quickly. "Just do it."

And I screamed when he just did it.

I could feel every slice through the tissue, the muscle.... I could feel every movement his hands made inside of my gut as he shifted his hand, cutting now into the womb with a sickening sound.

I felt as if I would vomit.

I felt it when he pulled his hand holding the knife out, and set it down to stick his hand back inside of my stomach, feeling around and trying to get ahold of the baby in a safe way.

And I felt as if something were ripping out my soul when he pulled the baby out. I screamed.

And the cry over the pop on the butt to knock the fluid out of its lungs relieved me. He handed the child to Castiel, who went and began to clean the child.

Dragon wiped his forehead, and went back to my stomach. "There, it is. So, I was right, after all."

"What...?"

"You were carrying twins!" Coal said, shocked.

Dragon reached his hands back in, and slowly felt around on how to safely get the baby, before, once again, the pulling-my-soul-from-my-body feeling returned upon him pulling the baby out.

This time, prepared for it, I stifled the scream.

He handed the baby off to the nurse, who took the child and went to follow what Castiel was doing, cleaning the baby as best she could.

Dragon took the child from Castiel, and inspected it before handing it to me. "You have a son," he told me, a big, genuine smile on his face. "And he looks just like his father."

I looked at him. He had blonde hair on his head. Definitely not a trait from Dragon by any means, who had dark, almost black shaggy, always tussled hair on his head.

"Hello, there..." I thought for a moment. "Lucian..." I called him, remembering the names that Kelose and I had discussed years ago, when we had thought about the idea of having children sometime in the future. Lucian opened his eyes at me, and I could see the brilliant blue with silver around the pupils. He was Kelose's child, alright.

Dragon took the child from me to hand him to Castiel once again, before inspecting the other child, handing it to me. "You have yet another son," he told me, eyeing this child a little more carefully when he held it out to me.

I took him.

He had dark, dark hair, like Dragon's....

"Hello....Adrian," I called him, smiling.

Castiel startled after a few minutes, his eyes focused on Adrian. "Kysael........" he looked at me. "That one.... he's......he's not Kelose's," he said. His voice was more strained than I had ever heard it before.

"What?" I asked. I looked at the child in my arms, and I saw his eyes had finally opened.

They were the same, bright lavender of Dragon's, with Dragon's dark hair, and there was a silver shine to his eyes that only could come from mine.

Dragon's body was tensed, and he shifted nervously. I smiled and handed the child to him.

"Congratulations, Dragon," I said softly. His eyes could hardly leave the child. "You also have a son."

"But...I don't understand," Dragon said, his voice confused.

"You had a child from each of them!" Castiel said, shocked, a hand held over his chest.

"What?" I asked.

"How-" Dragon began.

"Did both of you mate with her at once? I can't understand how else it would be plausible."

"Dragon....Dragon and I mated for months before all of this began, and then for the last time, the night before Kelose and I got married, they had me together, and then Kelose and I....." I startled. "That antidote! When I had been poisoned, Arthenia had told us that something strange could happen, that there could be side effects, and I was sick for over a week after the antidote. Perhaps, just maybe, this happened because of the effects of the antidote!"

"Then....both of you must have fertilized the same egg," Castiel said. "There is no other reason that one child would be Dragon's, and the other Kelose's..."

Dragon looked at Adrian, the dark-haired child with his eyes. "So... we're both fathers, then?" Dragon asked, shaking his head, trying to get a hold on it.

"Essentially," Castiel replied. He tried to comfort Dragon.

I could understand his plight. He had a child, by me.

Not a bad thing, essentially, since Kelose was no longer involved in the equation.

But that meant that Dragon's son was the twin brother of Kelose's son.

What sense did this twist make?

None of this seemed possible, even by our standards.

A human would believe this to be witchcraft.

Only in the world of the Elves and Wraiths, I mused silently.

Coal smiled. "I think that this is a perfect solution for Kysael's heart," he said softly.

"What...?" Dragon asked, still lost.

"Kysael's heart had wanted both of you, right...? She's been in love with both of you for many, many years now. So, it....it seems like this is the perfect solution for her heart. One is yours, and one is his. So, despite that she married you, then divorced you and married him, and then married me, she...well, in a sense, she still gets both of you as well."

Dragon thought on it for a long moment before he finally smiled. "I suppose that makes sense, when you put it that way."

"What is your wife going to say?" I asked him.

He sighed. "I don't know. But one thing is certain.... this is going to complicate things."

Coal took Lucian, and looked upon him. "So....this is what one of you looks like at birth," he said, his voice contemplative.

I laughed. "You've never seen a baby?"

He shook his head, still in awe. "Only wyvern hatchlings," he admitted. "He...he's so.... tiny," he smiled. He looked at me and gave me a toothy grin. "I want one," he said. "We should get started right away."

We all had a good laugh as I threw one of my pillows at him.