Nephriel

The Ties that Bind

Anna fell to the ground, stunned. Of the things she'd expected to happen, that hadn't been one of them. As Gunner shoved Jace into her she caught the helpless man as he groaned and whimpered. The jar made her wince at the damage to her wrist and her eyes flashed back to him, questioningly. Her answer came and she gritted her teeth, Not Gunner...

As he walked away, Anna wasn't stupid enough to go after him. For now, this was a losing fight... Her wrist was broken and she was pretty sure she had a concussion. She swayed to her feet, dragging Jace with her. Gunner had let her go, on the one had relief washed through her but on the other it just served to confirm that he had no longer loved her after all. Friends... that's all they would ever be when she got him back but by Vlad... if she got him back it would be enough.

She had to drag Jace with her, he was fighting her every time she touched him and when they got outside the cave Anna found Luke and David alive. Apparently, they hadn't gotten her desperate message to leave. "The others are still wounded inside... but there are still strigoi in there..."

David's eyes fell on Jace, "What the hell happened to him?"

"Compulsion... we need to get out of here before the strigoi change their minds about regrouping..."

David nodded and after they struggled with Jace half way down the mountain they were forced to knock him unconscious. Anna helped Luke with her good arm and David carried Jace. Down the hill they went and into the vehicle... It wasn't too much later that they made it back to court. Anna again helped Luke until other Guardians came running to help them. Anna was beginning to feel sleepy, she knew it was the concussion which is also why she had vertigo and spots were dancing in her vision now that she was moving again. She had to have help back into the building... Luke, she, and Jace were hauled to the infirmary and Anna fell swiftly into unconsciousness...

~*~

Seb cursed softly under his breath, "I should have known... He took Serena's hand, come on... we'll find out where she went."

However, as they were headed back they caught sight of the commotion going on in front of the building. He saw Anna stumble out of the vehicle, blood clotting on her scalp, and saw Jace and another Guardian forced onto stretchers. Anna was whisked away before Seb and Serena even got close... half carried by the Guardians at her side.... There was no Gunner.

Seb felt ill, "Come on... she'll be taken to the infirmary. We'll figure out what happened there."

As they entered the room a nurse greeted them, "I'm sorry, the wounded aren't taking visitors right now."

Seb's jaw clenched, "Angelina Ross, how is she?"

The woman glanced at a curtain and frowned, "She took a hard blow to the head... She has a minor concussion and a broken wrist. She'll be alright. Right now, she's resting."

Seb shook his head, "Move."

He brushed past the woman, ignoring her objections and shoved the curtain aside. Anna's face was pale, her brow covered in a cold sweat, there was dried blood in her hair, and she didn't even move at their arrival. Seb frowned, his hand reaching out before he pulled it back with a curse and knocked a vase of flowers off the bedside table, it smashed against the far wall before he sank into a chair... his hands shaking.

"I can't be here... will you stay with her," he asked Serena. If he stayed he'd heal her and if he healed her it could hurt Serena. He felt useless.

The Ties that Bind

Anna's breath caught as he caught her jaw, her eyes flashing defiance as she repeated her mantra in her head. Not Gunner, not Gunner, not Gunner... She was about to bring up her stake when he grabbed her wrist. She stifled a sharp cry as she felt the bones break as it struck the wall and the stake fell the the ground uselessly. His lips against her temple made her freeze as her mind ticked away options on how to escape. His words, hissed as they were, drove home that Gunner might be in there but he was an after thought... a passenger to what the Strigoi now was doing.

As Gunner turned away to face Jace, thinking her beaten, she shoved her pain down and picked up the stake with her good hand. Gunner's mother was distracted, so was Gunner, she had a chance to take out one of them and she had to choose now. Her hand gripped more tightly to the stake and she lunged... The stake sank into Gunner's back but his mother had caught sight of what she was doing and caught Anna by her hair and flung her away before she could complete the blow. Anna's back and head hit the wall and spots danced in her vision... The Guardians were all dead... all except... She lifted her hand to her bluetooth, "Luke, David... Get out now! Abort the mission go for he-"

Gunner's mother caught her by the throat and lifted her off the ground, baring fangs. Anna clutched at her arm with her good hand and swung a kick into the female Strigoi's face forcing her to drop her and stumble back. Anna's knees almost gave as her feet hit the ground and her vision swam again but she grabbed an abandoned stake from a wounded Guardian only to have her damn hair caught again by the Strigoi woman who promptly yanked her head back and locked an arm solidly around Anna's waist, Anna prepared for the bite... Steeling her body as she heard Jace start screaming... Obviously, Gunner's damage was done...

~*~

"I love you too Serena..." He kissed her gently and guided her into the Gardens. The place was pretty, it had a cobblestone path and flowers that bloomed late in the evening and at night. Mostly there were trees and a small pond where treefrogs sang. He guided her through the quiet, his hand interlocked with hers and tried to forget about the feeling of unease that was starting to rise in him.

He felt like something was wrong... off... but he kept putting it off to what had happened with Serena earlier. Still, the feeling of anxiety kept getting worse and he began to worry that maybe his own darkness was acting up even though he hadn't used his abilities in so long... He wasn't even aware he was frowning as they walked. It had been so nice out, the tree frogs were a nice distraction, but now his senses seemed to be narrowing down on that one emotion and he couldn't hide it from his face.

Eventually, he had no choice but to speak up. "I'm worried about Anna... maybe we should check on her?"

The Ties that Bind

Seb nodded quietly, "Of course..." He didn't like the idea of Serena going back to that room and he planned on not letting her out of his sight until he was certain she was feeling better.

As he stood he helped her up and kissed her lightly, "I'll be fine... I just... I wish my crazy didn't have to bleed off on you..."

He led her out of the room and smiled somewhat, "How about we go out to the garden? It's not much but it's quiet and it's warm out for once..."

~*~

Anna's heart raced when she saw Gunner but when her eyes found his it felt as though it had been torn out of her chest... She was slightly behind and beside Jace, the others in front but she could see him just fine. He, however, seemed completely focused on Jace. The Moroi knew enough to be afraid, he shifted closer to Anna and Anna drew her stake once more. Maybe if she killed Abigail Gunner would be easier to deal with... she could maybe distract him. It was a long shot and she knew it was probably useless. Strigoi awakened their ex-lovers every day and because Anna had been turned and brought back she couldn't be turned again... Plus, she wasn't even sure Gunner had still been in love with her to begin with so who was to say she'd be any distraction at all. He might just snap her neck and walk away but if he didn't she had to hope Abigail did because if she didn't and the Strigoi riding in Gunner's body decided she'd make a good chew toy, and Jace failed at reviving him, she could end up a blood bank till he finally got bored and killed her...

Her thoughts helped her to steel herself even as she heard his voice... So like Gunner aside from the malice behind them. She was about to tell Thomas not to attack but it was too late... Gunner broke him like an old toy he'd grown bored of. Anna moved forward, placed herself between Gunner and Jace... her palm sweating on her stake.

She gestured behind her back to the other Guardians and two of them ran at Abigail as she went for Gunner. The other three took up defensive positions around Jace. As Anna lunged at Gunner she dodged to the left at the last moment and kicked out at the back of his knee, attempting to take him down to the floor.

Cubix's 1x1 Ideas

You still looking for someone to play this with you?

The Ties that Bind

Seb looked over her aura and the nurse nodded, "The baby is alright... it's aura is a little darker than what would be normal but I don't think it's in any kind of distress."

Seb let out a breath and held Serena against him, he wasn't sure what to do or say... Honestly, he worried that maybe he'd said something wrong before. He knew one thing for certain though, he was going to confront his mother and it wasn't going to be pretty. He brushed Serena's hair from her face, his leg bouncing from his ragged nerves and he let out a sigh as the nurse finished patching Serena up.

"From now on, if you feel like your slipping you need to tell me," Sebastian said, his voice firm but not angry. He understood what it was like to not realize what you were doing till you'd already done it. "You can't lock yourself away and hope it will pass, it doesn't... it gets worse until you let it out... Why do you think Gunner and Anna used to knock me out? You have to talk to me Serena, you can't just keep it all locked up in there..."

~*~

Anna finally had a moment to catch her breath and she heard Thomas speak up, "Casualties?"

"None but Luke's leg is broken," she answered as she glanced back at the man.

Jace's jaw worked, he was fighting the urge to heal because he knew he had to save his strength for Gunner... If the worst came true. Anna rested a hand on her shoulder and Thomas nodded, "We don't know how many more are further in, Jace... can you see anything?"

Jace looked around, grateful for the distraction. "Five... they're spread out in the caves... I'm not really sure about the rest."

She understood what he meant, auras weren't really his thing and he was having to push himself to see them... it was probably getting difficult.

Thomas glanced at Luke who was being helped up by two others, "David, get Luke out of here... The rest of us will keep going."

As the group moved further in Anna frowned at the quiet... Why wasn't anyone attacking?

Elder Scrolls Rp in Morrowind Post Stormcloak Rebellion

Name: Rhea Ashcroft
Race: Breton
Age: 21
Gender: Female

Appearance: Rhea has thick, wavy chestnut brown hair that falls to her mid-back when let down. She has jade green eyes and the fair skin of most Bretons and stands at about 5'6" in height. She has a scar hidden by her hair along her right temple and another from a whip around her wrist. She wears a thick leather collar with a small metal ring at the throat marking her for a slave. Her clothing changes between simple breaches and cotton shirts to cotton gowns cinched tight at the waist by rope... She may be wearing something more flattering depending on her circumstance/masters. Her shoes are worn leather sandles.

Personality: Calm, outwardly obedient, apparently loyal, kind hearted, quiet almost to the point of being mute, curious, adventurous, protective, and secretly passionate.

Background: Honestly, Rhea doesn't remember much about her past. The scar on her brow came from what they'd assumed was a fall from a cliff that landed her in the river below. She woke in the care of an Altmer healer who had assumed she had money from the quality of her clothes and weapons, and who promptly sold both she and her belongings off when it was discovered she had no money on her and couldn't even remember if she had a penny to her name. She has been a slave for at least four years now and has seemingly accepted her role, however looks can be deceiving.

Abilities: As most Bretons do, Rhea boasts a resistance to magic and has an affinity towards it's use. However, though not as strong as Imperials or Nords she is also proficient in swordplay and archery.

The Ties that Bind

Seb watched her go to the room, feeling helpless, and as she shut the door behind her his eyes fell on the bottle of red wine and he groaned. Instead of caving he opened a pack of cigs, something else he'd almost stopped, and went to the window to smoke. He stood there for sometime when he heard Serena calling. He dropped the cig into a glass of water and turned to see her bleeding, hunger from not feeding struck him hard before he shoved it down and grabbed a shirt. He tore it in two and made a type of tourniquet, his heart racing as he used the other half to bind the wounds. "Sweet Vlad... Serena..."

He picked up his phone and called for the nurse and when she came she surprised him by handing her a spirit blessed ring. He slid it onto Serena's finger, then realized his hands were bloody. He grimaced and the nurse, who was now tending to Serena frowned. "You need to go eat, I'll keep an eye on the lady..." She held her hand over Serena's arm and the wounds slowly began to heal. It was rare to find another moroi with the spirit ability but it wasn't as surprising to find that she was working as a nurse... "I'll call for someone... I'm not leaving her."

He went to the sink and washed his hands before bringing Serena a glass of the wine he'd been eyeballing earlier, "Drink this, it'll dull down what the ring doesn't help..."

He'd always been so careful... so careful to make sure she didn't take too much darkness. He'd always been so sure he'd keep her from this... but her it was... happening anyway... because of him. He took a breath and swallowed the guilt, she didn't need those emotions right now so instead he tried to focus on support and love.

"You haven't even taken anything from me... I don't understand how..." He took a breath and the nurse shot him a look, he nodded and moved to the phone. Within moments there was a feeder and he took her to the bathroom. It wasn't long before he came back out and took a seat by Serena's side where the nurse had moved her to the couch.

~*~

Anna moved through the tunnels. The four Strigoi were waiting but it took little time to dispatch them and Jace informed them as they got closer to the larger group that was obviously planning to ambush them. After killing about six they came to a four way split in the caves and Anna frowned. "Stay between us Jace..." No sooner than she said it were they attacked by ten strigoi. The problem was the caves were nearly pitch black and the pen lights they wore didn't show nearly enough. Anna ducked an oncoming blow and swung her leg under her attacker, knocking him from his feet before she blocked another blow and lashed out with a kick to the strigoi's knee that broke it and put him down temporarily. She staked him then turned and staked another strigoi who was running up on her. She tried to keep herself between them and Jace as the other Guardians were doing but it was becoming increasingly more difficult.

It took two Dhampirs to take down a single strigoi at times and this was one of those times. Anna felt her hair grabbed and her head yanked to the side, she brought an elbow back into her attacker's ribs and stomped her toe. She was released and helped a struggling Guardian stake the Strigoi he was restraining. The Elites were called what they were for a reason, down went six of the ten strigoi and the four remaining were obviously the older and stronger of them. However, everyone was beginning to tire and Jace was shouting that there were more coming. How many Abigail had recruited was unknown but obviously it had been more than the twelve she'd allowed to be seen when the Commune was attacked... a smart move on her part, only showing part of her hand...

The Ties that Bind

Sebastian pulled her close the moment she started crying and slid his arms around her. "My mother is a twisted bitch, Serena. You shouldn't listen to anything she has to say. She's manipulative and cruel, trust me... I know first hand."

He shook his head and kissed her gently, pushing her hair from her face. "Serena, listen to me. None of this was your fault. Anna and Gunner WANTED to come here to court because of my mother and father and the possibility of Gunner's mother finding him was always there. They love you, they would never blame any of this on you. Gunner's mother has been after him since she figured out where he was, the face off was bound to happen and Anna and Gunner both made their decisions knowing what could happen... That's what you're trained for. If you'd been in better shape you wouldn't be pregnant... and I want this baby with you, Love."

He kissed her, "We couldn't have stayed cooped up at court for forever or Academy... sooner or later we'd have had to go out for something and Abigail would have been waiting. This has nothing to do with you... aside from the fact that I love you."

~*~

As the vehicle pulled to a stop Anna stepped out and was struck by the sight before her... An entire Dhampir commune, torn apart. How many Strigoi did this? The size of the commune and the fact that there'd been no Guardians around meant it wouldn't have taken many... Anna ran a hand through her hair, the place was half burned from Dhampirs lighting blazes to scare off the Strigoi... it hadn't worked. The other Elites stepped out of their vehicles as well, there were eight of them in all not including Anna and Jace. She moved through the town and shook her head, nearly everyone was dead and those that weren't were either injured or taken.

"The whole town was wiped out... Reports say there were at least twelve strigoi and that Abigail was among them at the time."

Anna nodded, "Jace said he saw caves, are there any in the mountains near here?"

Thomas nodded, "There are... not far either but we have to expect that this might be a trap. Abigail knew that an attack this scale wouldn't be ignored and she knew you'd come after Gunner. There's a high probability that they're prepared for us..."

They wound their way up the mountain, daylight fading fast, and Anna and Thomas eyed the entrance... Jace stayed in the middle of the Guardians. "I don't see anything... Jace, do you see any auras at all?"

Jace peered past her and nodded, "Yeah... there are four just inside."

Anna took out her stake and nodded, "There are probably corridors and branches of these caves and it's hard to tell which are the right ones... Jace will be able to see where the Strigoi are. We should stay together."

The Ties that Bind

Seb frowned and stood, his mother's words sending irritation coursing through him. He went to the door, kissed Serena's brow, and gave his mother a challenging look.

"Mother... what a surprise."

His mother snorted, "Should it be Sebastian? You've been at court a single day and your..." she waved her hand dismissively at Serena, "Guardian... has already managed to put you into danger by leaving the courts."

Sebastian practically bared his fangs, "Serena had nothing to do with what happened yesterday, if you're looking for someone to blame, blame yourself. You knew about Gunner's mother, yet you still insisted we come, knowing full well Strigoi enjoy targeting family and their friends."

His mother looked shocked, despite she and Sebastian's tense relationship he'd never spoken to her that way before... He'd usually just blown her off. After the shock faded she seemed to decide on a different tactic, "I'm only worried about you Sebastian, I'm your mother... I'm trying to look out for you. I understand your feelings for the girl... but she can't protect you like... this."

Seb rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you're absolutely distraught over my well-being, Mother... What do you really want? Why are you here?"

Mrs. Lazar didn't drop the act just yet, obviously she was determined. "Tomorrow I'm approaching the Queen about another Guardian for you. Even if she is a Guardian herself she can't protect you... not like... THAT."

Sebastian shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from doing something stupid, like shove his mother back out of his door and slam it in her face. "We were going to do that anyway, it was Serena's suggestion. Now will you go?"

His mother smiled a little too sweetly, "It's good to see she has SOME sense of her place... I will speak to you again tomorrow, Sebastian."

With that she walked away and Sebastian groaned before shutting the door and turning to Serena, "I'm sorry..."

~*~

Anna thought about telling Serena and Seb what was going on but she didn't feel like having to fight them in order to get out of court and she wasn't going to allow Seb to risk himself with a baby on the way. Maybe that was his decision to make, but she wasn't going to be letting him make it. The moment the Elites showed up the next day she packed her things again and met them in the courtyard.

"Have you heard anything," she asked anxiously.

"Mr. Szleskie's tip paid off, a few hours trip from here there is a Dhampir commune that was attacked in force last night. There is more than a good chance that it was Abigail's Army."

Anna grimaced, "There weren't any Guardians there, were there?"

The Dhampir, named Thomas shook his head. "No... it was a massacre. You'd best prepare yourself."

Anna nodded, "Let's go. The sooner we get there with daylight to spare the more likely we'll get out in one piece."

They left, Jace was oddly quiet the entire ride. "Are you sure you want to do this? You're risking your life... there's a good possibility you could be killed. Even with the Elites, we don't know how many Strigoi Abigail is hiding."

Jace shook his head, "It's not about you... or Gunner... Did you know I had an older brother?"

"Had?"

Jace nodded, "Past tense... He's Strigoi. A few weeks ago I got news he'd been sighted... I thought about talking to you but let's face it... Why would you help me?"

Anna grimaced, "Jace... I don't hate you, not anymore. You're an ass and I don't particularly like you... but if you'd asked me to help you with your brother I would have."

Jace frowned, "Why?"

"Because... no body deserves to see someone they love like that."

Jace put a hand over hers and squeezed lightly it was an innocent gesture, not a come on... for once. "There's a possibility that Gunner is still himself. Most strigoi won't turn family until they cave from..." He made a face, "Well, it usually takes a while. Maybe he's still himself."

She shook her head, "I can't afford to think like that... If I go in expecting him to be Gunner then I won't be able to... fight him. I have to expect him to be a strigoi, I have to expect that he'll look and sound just like Gunner... but he won't be."

She took a breath, "If your brother is there... I'll do what I can."

Jace nodded and the vehicle fell back into silence.

The Ties that Bind

Seb smiled and kissed her back, "I love you too... tonight scared the shit out of me. I won't be lying when I say I'll be glad to have you as just my wife... Our child needs it's mother and having someone else take over gives me an excuse to keep you out of the line of fire. I know you can take care of us, of yourself... but I don't want you to have to..."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed along her face and neck, resting his hand on her belly. "There is no one else in this world or the next that I'd want to have my child... I never even thought I wanted kids but with you it's different... I want everything..."

~*~

It didn't take long for Anna to get an audience with the Queen, being an Elite had it's advantages and so did having a member of one of the royal families with you. As she explained the happenings, leaving out her personal feelings over Gunner and focusing on the Strigoi threat, Vasilissa Dragomir looked increasingly concerned. "Such a large group of Strigoi poses a risk to us all... I thank you Guardian Ross for bringing this to our attention. The Strigoi Abigail has proven twice now that she'll go to any means necessary to have her son at her side... and now that she has him I fear what that means for us all. I will call together the Elites and dispatch them to take care of this nest. Is there anything else?"

Jace surprised her by speaking up, "I want to go with them... If Guardian Marks is a strigoi it would be a tragic waste of his talent to simply end him. With the help of the Elites, perhaps I could bring him back."

The Queen frowned, as a Spirit user herself she knew what bringing another back from the brink could do to a person, "Are you sure this is what you want? Guardian Marks knew the risks when he took his title, but you are correct... losing him would be a tragic loss."

She sighed, "Very well, Jason Szlesky, you may go with Guardian Ross and the other Elites... but you do this understanding the risk."

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets, "I do."