67 Across Time & Your Mark

I have another question."

Violet smiled softly, "I'm more akin to believe that you have endless questions, but seeing as I have a few of my own, proceed."

His eyes crinkled in joy as he shook his head softly, "You say you can use them all, abilities I mean, to a certain extent. Is that a product of the experimentation on you? You survived what none others could and it gave you more power?"

A conflicted gaze, words teetering on her lips. She shook her head.

"No."

He watched wordlessly as she rose from his lap, pulled on his rumpled shirt and began walking to the end of the cave. She stopped for a moment, motioned for him to follow and resumed her walk.

Kieren found himself following her legs, the shadow of her body covered by his shirt. He shivered and pried himself off the bed, threw on boxer briefs, pants and followed her. The cave did not end, in a deep corner stood a door, she led them out and into a glass room in the shape of a large square behind a frozen waterfall. The room was empty sans a bench, a place to watch and observe.

"During the summer it's beautiful here, the wildlife, the plants, the roar of the water… although it has its own beauty when it's frozen like this. Timeless…. This is the most hidden of my safe houses, where I come only when an important decisions must be made. Those I don't want to make, but must."

Kieren listened intently, she was standing in front of him facing frozen ice, her face mostly hidden "Kieren, I… the only reason I survived is because of what I am, they can keep searching and will never find another survivor, well unless I die, because it's not the injections that gave me power, it's I that gave the injections power."

A soft shimmer of warmth, the air suddenly chanting her glory, Kieren watched in awe as Violet turned to face him. Her left eye was a golden white, from the center of her eye down and up there were runes, glowing on her skin. Across her forehead, like a crown, lay a set of complex runes, changing, multiplying, growing, whispering, completely alive.

Kieren lowered himself into his knees, eyes saddened "such incompetence on their behalf, and mine. They captured the Muse, they tortured the one symbol of unity, the one being meant to uphold peace."

Violet tugged at his chin as the runes faded and her eye returned to gray. "Don't Kieren, the universe must know I am the least deserving of this title, but so is mankind of my help."

He pulled her into a hug, filled with burning solace, "I believe you are above my pay grade."

Violet closed her eyes and whispered, "I am the Muse, bringer of calamity and peace. Bridge between life and death, and most importantly, I am the origin of light and runes."

Kieren's arms tightened around her as he fought the emotions brewing in his chest, "my uncle told me about you, before his death. It was the last conversation we had before he, his son, and my father were murdered. He said that our people had been led astray. That the Muse was never meant to be within our control, meant to teach us control, that it was our obsession with power that would end the Ruenen. I asked him why we kept 'him' chained to us… he laughed and said, 'it's not a he Kieren, it's a she, it will always be a she, and when you find her, you will be her sword.'"

Kieren pulled away and kneeled back down, "I understand Violet, allow me to be your sword."

She looked into his eyes, his flame, raw power, unyielding loyalty, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "We are bound together Kieren, always have been, always will be."

— — —

They had taken a bath, changed, and ate breakfast, "what now Violet?"

Violet smiled, "there is much that needs to be changed, both internally and externally. The main change, is as you've discerned, the re-education of the people. All of them. The Muse was never meant to answer to mankind, only to the natural world, it's a balance we uphold, from shadows lurking in depths." She grimaced, "A title and job that I have been neglecting for my own revenge."

A frown as she threw on shoes, "The Ruenen is considering quite a dark path and we will no doubt find the need to interfere. First, there are some people we need to meet, but before that, I have my own question for you, "why do you have a soul bond?"

Kieren paused with his own frown, "I don't actually know, I can tell you what my father told me, although I gather that the much more detailed or truthful story was meant to come at a later age, which did not happen since he died."

He approached Violet lost in thought, "the story goes that the original King, my ancestor was powerful beyond comprehension and despite him being a fair ruler there were those who feared what could become of the world if he ever decided to tear it down. The abilities inherent in his blood made him and his children so strong that marrying into the family because most of the world's goal. The Zordyk's were becoming more powerful than multiple kings and nations."

He shrugged as he pulled Violet back into his lap, "Despite there being other powerful houses and inherent abilities none seemed to compare with the Zordyk house and that's where the ploy began. Somewhere in secret a council met, powerful men and women versed in 'magic' decided that the Zordyk's were in need of an Achilles, an end of the road if you will. Using forbidden magic, which I know understand as forbidden runes, they managed to inscribe a binding chain into his heart and soul. The king was throughly confused, his abilities were not weekended, all that had changed was an incomplete mark on his chest, and he managed to kill most of those roped into creating his bind. For a few years all remained as it was and those who were living in hiding thought they had failed."

Violet hummed against his chest as he continued, "the king was married, and by all counts, it was said that he was faithful, and loved his wife. Who knows if that's true or not… But one day, when visiting a neighboring Kingdom a lowly maid, Fiora, accidentally entered the war room as they were all gathered and King Zordyk froze. They said he fell into a trance, but it was a manic kind of trance. He wanted her, he needed her, and she was going to be his one way or another."

"Despite the interference of knights, captains, generals, the other king, and his own wife, Zordyk took Fiora in his grasp. He behaved like a true demon, hurting many in his path to get to her. She was terrified, and without her consent he claimed her, only managing to calm himself down after throughly claiming her as his."

Kieren shook his head, "It was then that the unfinished rune of his chest changed, it was completed and he accepted, the others had succeeded in their ploy, and yet he did not truly understand. He was madly in love with her and overnight his queen lost it all. There was nothing left in his heart for her, there was only room for Fiora."

"Fiora on the other hand, was distraught, not only was she taken from her home, but she was forced to endure the love of a man she felt nothing for. Nine months later she gave birth to a daughter and when none came to claim her, Zordyk assumed he was safe."

"He was a benevolent king, but his obsession with Fiora knew no bounds, he impregnated her again and when she bore him a son, he was born with the incomplete mark. It was then Zordyk, despite not truly comprehending the mark, realized that his sons were ill-fated to find the same end as he -one soul shattering love."

"Yet his troubles were only commencing, his ex wife betrayed and heartbroken had returned to her old kingdom and was instigating that Fiora be killed. She felt that is Fiora disappeared, his love for her would return. Fiora on the other hand had never forgiven him for what he had done to her and when a powerful man approached her promising to set her free, well she acquiesced. She didn't really realize what she was doing until she snuck out of the castle and found herself once more in chains."

"Zordyk immediately knew something was wrong, he was having trouble controlling his ability and his whole body ached. He received the ransom note and thinking she had been taken, he went after her. He was losing his grip on his power and became incredibly dangerous. In a disgusting cellar he found Fiora on the brink of death. A little to late Fiora realized that she had been used."

"They had poised her and there was nothing he could do, she died in his arms. He carried her body back, set forth a few new blood commands, went berserk killing all those who had partaken, and within twenty fours hours of her death, he died."

"Well you can assume the kind of outrage that the betrayal caused. He left behind fear and turmoil. I'm guessing you can also guess which blood edict had the most power?"

Violet nodded slowly, "your guards, you are prohibited from finding your other half."

Kieren tilted her chin upwards and placed a tender kiss filled with longing on her lips. "Worse, if we do find our half, they are meant to be killed."

Violet raised her eyebrows in surprise, "They came to the realization that if you don't claim your half, and she's killed, you don't die. Disregard the fact that we won't love ever again, will find no attraction to any other person, and will forever feel the loss of a love we could not attain, it was the perfect plan. Wonder how they figured that out… so we are assigned guards, not necessarily loyal to us, loyal to keeping us alive and free from the influence of a love beyond reason."

"I refused to be like all of my ancestors, driven beyond reason. I trained myself, but what good was it when I despised other's touch and what little satisfaction a few flings brought me disgusted me afterwards. Then you came falling out of the sky, the instant I laid eyes on you my blood boiled. I still think the only reason the others didn't notice, and I didn't attack you was the state you were in."

Kieren pulled down his pant leg and pointed out a scar, "while the others ran to you, I stood there torn, half of me exploding with lust and the other half enraged at the fact that someone had harmed you. I was frozen, then somehow our eyes met and I knew what to do. I took one of my daggers and stabbed into my leg, the pain distracted me from my lust and I moved to help you."

"Those days you laid in that bed recovering were some of the hardest of my life. Jace was there, without the knowledge of the rest, and he without knowledge of you. In a bunker underneath the house I exploded and we trained relentlessly every few hours, every time the voice in my head reminded me that I had to take you. Jace was extremely concerned, but he knew better than to ask, so he didn't."

"When you left I was once more torn, anger at what I didn't want to be and desperation at the thought of not having you."

He chuckled, "I also wasn't prepared for the hell of the firecracker you were, your mistrust was so blatant that I was sure it wouldn't matter, you'd never let me near enough to touch you. After that well I spent as much time as I could preparing myself for the moment you would find yourself in my crosshairs again."

He moved his teeth across her throat, opening his mouth to lick at her chin, "want to know what the most insane part of all of this is? I fell in love with you, not because of this stupid bond, which sure, makes it almost manic, but because of who you are, your nerves of steal, your wit, your independence. At some point I realized I wanted you more than this rune does. It never stops, it never changes, I desperately want you. Always."