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i-did-not-mean-to · 1 year

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Blood - Chapter 7

Chapter 6

@mismaeve, @heilith here comes the next chapter...

Words: 1,7k

Warnings: Fight, injuries, near-death experience, blood, blood-sucking

Chapter 7: Thranduil

“Oh, they’ve sent you?” Thranduil laughed mirthlessly as he saw the tall firstborn of his inveterate foe striding into his halls with such understated but pervasive confidence as if he owned every branch and leaf within them.

Maitimo – such an arrogant name – was a marvel many a vampire had risked life and love to see when he had been born; he went by “Maedhros” now, but he was still as blindingly, disgustingly beautiful as the day Thranduil had first laid eyes on him. The miracle child who’d herald a new era, Thranduil remembered not without biting sarcasm as he appraised the timelessly gorgeous apparition in front of him.

Though pale, Maedhros looked much less lifeless than most of their kind and the slight flush tinging his high, well-sculpted cheeks filled Thranduil with insane, boundless ire. It was entirely unfair that this unworthy interloper had gotten both the boundless strength of the undead and the charming testaments of such an exertion that were usually reserved for the living.

“You’ve taken what was not yours to claim,” the intruder declared with self-assured calm. “I’ve come to negotiate the terms of the return of the girl. My brother is rather set on having her. I’ve brought you a horse as a gesture of goodwill; I am inconsolable though for I had to put it out of its misery.”

The triumphant grin tugging uncomfortably at the corners of Thranduil’s mouth was as sharp as his fangs. “I am afraid you’re too late for that and I have no use for your stolen, dead horse!”

Maedhros’ eyes bulged in shock. “Not even you would dare! That is preposterous!” he spluttered, what little colour there had been draining from his face instantly. “What did you do to her?”

“I took what was offered to me,” Thranduil purred, “nothing more and nothing less.”

“You’ve seduced the poor maiden?” A slight tremor rippled through the tense frame of the copper-haired youth.

“Ah, don’t be a hypocrite! Isn’t that your usual spiel? Tricking and coercing virgins into giving up their blood willingly?” Thranduil sneered. “She’s quite positively denied me her life and her soul, but she has offered me her body. And I am not fool enough to refuse such a sacrifice!”

He spread out his long, elegant fingers, remembering how it had felt to have warmth tingling at their tips once more.

“I’ve caught on to your little secret – your father’s that is, I heard your brother had much less success – and I have to tip my hat to Fëanor; it’s incredible what difference it makes if the blood is consciously and willingly proffered.”

With a feral hiss, Maedhros bared his teeth at him, his lean body shifting ever so slightly; he was ready to strike, and he would give no quarter.

Thranduil smirked and flung his arms out invitingly. “Come on then, big baby, let’s see what you’ve learned!”

As Maedhros moved – swift as the river and just as unstoppably – the horse and all the polite words he had been preparing in his mind were soon forgotten; Thranduil’s body was solid and cold as they collided, sinking fangs and sharp claws into unyielding flesh until they felt the satisfying rending of living rock being torn asunder.

In his long years of existence, the elven king had faced many an opponent in his wooded realm and yet, he did not know if he could have withstood the savage onslaught of a vampire much younger and evidently well-fed if it hadn’t been for the remnant of Aggie’s blood coursing through his veins.

Within mere moments, a hauntingly beautiful dance of unfettered, precise violence was unleashed in the spacious chamber. Blurring shadows of silver and copper clashed and separated in a cacophony of feral growls and bursting stone.

Attracted by the noise of wilful destruction, the guards drew closer to the door, ready to come to the aid of their king and – when they pushed into the next room after a particularly sonorous bang of shattering glass – Aggie slipped out a side-door unnoticed.

“Stay back,” Thranduil hissed, his pride stung by the mocking leer on his adversary’s face, when he saw his men surround the fighters, weapons drawn and ready. “I can deal with the pup on my own.”

He was lying through his teeth; his strength was failing fast now, and he gave a wry chuckle as he remembered how he had predicted his final demise.

“Would you die to keep your ill-gotten loot?” Maedhros sneered, panting heavily and cradling an injured arm in the crook of the other one; he looked worse for wear as well, but his eyes shone bright with determination and almost reluctant aggression.

Suddenly, as his eyes fell on the shredded fabric hanging pathetically off his shivering limbs, Thranduil had a terrible premonition. “The girl,” he cried out and whirled around to face his men, presenting his enemy with his unguarded back. “Where is she? Didn’t I tell you to protect her with your life?”

“She can’t have…” the captain sneered but was soon interrupted and corrected by someone farther back in the throng of onlookers. “She’s…gone!”

Thranduil didn’t even take the time to acknowledge how honourable Maedhros had turned out to be, refusing to attack someone who had their back turned to him before he rushed back into the chamber in which he had left Aggie.

“Maybe,” Maedhros now gurgled, amusement colouring his warm, full voice, “she didn’t care for you all that much after all. Don’t worry, I’ll find her.”

“The hell you will,” Thranduil spat back, limping towards the second exit; the door was ajar, and a cool breeze caressed his throbbing face. “Clever girl,” he praised under his breath, “very clever, little Aggie. You meant it when you vowed that you’d not see anyone die because of you!”

Barking an order for his men to go procure fresh venison – for he had every intention to bring Aggie back or die trying – he took off, Maedhros hard on his heels; they would not risk bringing anyone else along for fear of being double-crossed by the sheer power of the torturous thirst that plagued everyone in these halls.

They were much slower than they were used to – hampered by their grievous injuries – and their pride took another hard hit as they found themselves reduced to sniffing the air like beaten dogs in search of the small woman.

“Incredible,” Maedhros huffed. “My brothers would never let me live that one down; pursuing some mere mortal on foot and being unable to locate or overtake her.”

Thranduil felt weary and stiff which only made him moodier; he knew Aggie’s scent well and could tell that she had passed through this part of the forest not too long ago, but already, her sweet smell was waning, torn from his desperate senses by a cold, cutting wind.

“There was a man here,” Maedhros suddenly declared as if deep in thought.

Now that he pointed it out, Thranduil could indeed detect the faint, mouth-watering aroma of blood having been absorbed greedily by the ever-thirsty roots of the dark trees. “There was an injured man, a virgin, here and you brought me a horse?” he scoffed in disgust.

Aggie’s floral, sweet aroma was mingled with the siren song of that blood – pure, strong, and alluring – and Thranduil quickened his pace in all-consuming eagerness; he was a sophisticated being and a monster at the same time and he yearned as much for Aggie’s conversation as for that new seduction.

After years of deprivation, he could hardly believe that two exceptional virgins would find themselves entangled in this old, voracious forest within so short a time span; maybe, his luck was truly turning.

The sharp pain of Maedhros’ hands digging into his collarbones as if to tear him apart where he stood came as a fascinating surprise though.

“Oh,” Thranduil wheezed as he wrenched himself free, “that is how it is then? You’ve come to free your brother’s prey and found yourself ensnared instead?”

“Be quiet,” Maedhros barked, lifting his shapely head and tuning out his own laboured breathing in search of the frantic beating of two mortal hearts. He was convinced that they’d fall into headlong flight, stumbling over roots and potentially splitting their precious heads open on yet another rocky outcrop.

Imitating and joining his foe’s efforts, Thranduil let those familiar surroundings guide his supernatural senses in search of Aggie.

“The cave,” he whispered as if to himself, “you’d hide and wait for the sunrise? Who are you so worried about? It surely cannot be you for otherwise, you’d have fled without looking back.”

As he dragged himself towards the slope, he could distinctly hear her heart now – steady and calm – beating next to another.

“It cannot be,” Maedhros gasped, “are they dying?” He could not bear the idea of telling Moryo that he had failed to bring the woman back alive and breathing.

“As I told you, Agnes is a very special young woman,” Thranduil snapped. “She’s found your horseless rider and dragged him to what she might have naïvely believed to be safety.”

They entered the cave noiselessly and froze.

Aggie was crouching over the sleeping man, teeth bared and snarling as if she had turned into a feral creature herself since leaving Thranduil’s halls.

“Leave him alone,” she hissed, “he has something to live for and I shan’t let you have him.”

Thranduil expected Maedhros to scoff at her delusional speech but, when he looked over at the younger vampire, he had sat down by the cave mouth and nodded ponderously. “I finally see what motivates Moryo,” he mumbled hazily and let his head drop against the cool, moist wall behind him in resignation.

“Oh, just look at you!” the woman then cried out, coming forward and undoing her laces. “What have you done to one another?”

Pulling Thranduil – fatally weakened by the fight and the pursuit – down to the ground with her, Aggie brought his face to her skin. “Drink now,” she hummed seductively, “and heal.”

Unable to withstand the draw of her life-giving sacrifice, Thranduil did as he was bidden, all the while feeling like the lowest of creatures in this old, cruel forest.

Well...what will happen next??

Stay tuned and I'll let you know :D

Lots of love <3

-> Chapter 8

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