FF: Two Worlds (Chapter 11: Ghosts)

["cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

Title: Two Worlds
Chapter 11: Ghosts
Series: Royalty (Book Three)
Author: Cilia
E-mail: cilia@xxxxx
Feedback: Please god yes
Distribution and Archiving: Sure go for it
Summary: You know this right?
Missting Parts: E-mail me and I'll send you what you need.
Notes: A Big Thanks to my beta brndn for getting me started on this again.

Two Worlds
Cilia


Chapter 11: Ghosts

Cordelia had led her back to their room last night telling her that nothing
would change. Then they'd made love. Now Stjar'a sat and watched her lovers
sleeping face, unable to stop the small smile from coming to her. Cordelia
had helped her come to terms with so many things in her life. No matter what
ghosts came from the past to haunt her, Cordelia had stayed with her.
"I don't deserve you," she whispered and stroked her lovers
cheek, "but I do love you,"
"Star?" Cordelia mumbled in her sleep and leaned into her touch.
"I'll be right back," she whispered with a soft kiss, and gently
rose from the bed. Closing the door behind her without a sound, she treaded
quietly down the halls, searching for the Queen of Dark Elves. Answers were
needed.

She'd never known the entire truth. In fact, all she did know was that
during one of the many wars fought between the Drow and the surface elves,
her mother had nursed a wounded Drow soldier back to health; there had been
a night of passion and the fruit of their union being her.
Her grandfather, being a Royal of considerable standing, had arranged for
her mother to marry her father, Sirionis. She would always think of him as
her true father, no matter what. She knew he loved her like he would his own
daughter, but it was time for the whole truth.
"Well.nothing to lose," she said to herself. She raised her hand
to knock, but the doors opened before her fist could even hit the wood,
revealing the Queen Piratess.
"Stjar'a, daughter of Sirionis. I have been expecting you," She
said in a formal voice. "Please, enter," she added and motioned for her to
step in.
"You know my business here then?" Stjar'a asked as she
cautiously entered.
"You seek the knowledge of your true heritage," Piratess said
and offered her a seat.
"Will you give me answers?" Stjar'a asked, sitting stiffly in
the chair.
"If they're known to me I will tell them." Piratess said. "Every
drow should know her heritage," she added.
"I'm not a drow." Stjar'a stated firmly.
"Then why have you come here?" Piratess asked calmly.
"Who was my father?" Stjar'a asked after a pause.
"He was a noble, and a general in my army," Piratess answered.
"Which house did he belong to?" Stjar'a asked with her hands
clenched into fists at her side.
"Mine," Piratess answered and her face saddened.
"What was his name?" Stjar'a stammered.
"Drek of Necris."
"Who.who was his mother?" Stjar'a asked in a low voice, fearing
she already knew the answer.
"Queen Piratess of Necris," She answered.
"Then .I'm." Stjar'a said dumbfounded.
"A princess of Necris," Piratess said, a small smile forming on
her face and all the color fled from Stjar'a's face.
"How long have you known?" she asked slowly.
"I was not sure until I saw you earlier today, but I always knew
Drek had fathered a child," Piratess answered. Stjar'a stared at the drow.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Stjar'a asked. "Why wait until now?"
"I did not wish to disturb your mother's life, nor yours,"
Piratess answered.
Stjar'a stood up, shaking, and pale as a ghost. "I .I must go now," she said
and almost fell over the chair.
"I understand. This is allot for you to take in," Piratess said
calmly.
"We, ah.we'll talk later," Stjar'a said.
"My door is always open to you, granddaughter," Piratess said as Stjar'a
retreated from the room.

She ran back to the room she shared with Cordelia, tears
running down her cheeks. After slamming it closed behind her, she simply
fell into a heap at the bottom of the door with small sobs escaping her.
"Star?" a soft voice whispered. "Stjar'a, are you okay?"
Cordelia asked as she knelt beside her love.
"I." Stjar'a said taking a deep breath." I know who my father is." Stjar'a
answered, looking up with red eyes.
"Who is it?" Cordelia asked, her eyes widening.
"His name was Drek of Necris, " Stjar'a answered as more tears spilled down
her cheeks. "Son of Queen Piratess," she said with another sob escaping.
"Hush, it's going to be all right," Cordelia said as she gathered her lover
into her arms and carried her to their bed.
"How? I'm a Dark Elf. A Dark Elf Princess. By blood," she whimpered as
Cordelia laid her down on the bed.
"Then you're my Dark Elf Princess. Besides, nobody else knows," Cordelia
whispered, lying down beside her hurting lover. "Now go to sleep, things
will be better in the morning," she added, looking out the window and by the
looks of it, though, morning wasn't that far away.
"I love you," Stjar'a whispered as her eyes drifted shut.
Cordelia waited until Stjar'a was completely asleep before sliding off the
bed and into her training clothes. As she headed out, she paused only to
place a light kiss on the elf's forehead. Throttling a visiting dignitary
wasn't polite and she needed to break something.

-

Buffy awoke and yawned at the sunrise. She wanted to squeeze in a few more
hours of training, just in case. She'd let the redhead sleep in their bed a
little longer. Yesterday's meditating seemed to have taken allot out of her
Mage wife. It still made her smile: Her Mage wife.
The first person she found on the practice range was Cordelia, apparently
beating the training bag to a pulp with her bare hands.
"Cordy?" Buffy said, dodging an elbow while trying to tap her on
the shoulder.
"Hey," Cordelia said flatly, slamming her fist into the stuffed
bag.
"Care to talk about it?"
"Nope," Cordelia answered with a high kick to the bag.
"Is this about Stjar'a? Cause if you two are having problems we
could always."
"Stjar'a is." another solid hit, low on the bag, "part drow,"
Cordelia said with a grunt.
"So?" Buffy asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"To her, that's like you or me saying: I'm half vampire,"
Cordelia told her and the bag received a roundhouse.
"That bad, huh?" Buffy asked, shaking her head. "So who knows?"
"You, me ." The next hit to the bag was hard enough that the
rope holding it up snapped. It hit the ground with a soft thud. "And Queen
Piratess," she finished, looking down at the bag.
"Why are you telling me this?" Buffy asked, touching the
brunettes arm to turn her around.
"Cause you know what it's like to be in a forbidden
relationship," Cordelia answered facing her.
Now it was Buffy's turn to look down. "We're talking Angel here
right?" she asked.
"Yes," Cordelia answered. "And I know I can trust you with
this."
"So what do you plan on doing?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know, Buffy. I mean I'm so out of my league here, it's
frightening," Cordelia answered and sat down on the grass.
"We all fear new things at first. I think the important thing is
that you stay with her, and help her through this." Buffy said and sat down
next to her. Neither noticing the fresh, morning dew.
"Is that what you did when Willow was battling to control her
powers?" Cordelia asked.
"I wasn't there," Buffy said in a low voice, "but I so wish that
I could have. I mean she nearly destroyed herself," she added.
"Stjar'a wouldn't do that, would she?" Cordelia asked looking
very much like the scared girl she was right then. "Would she?" she asked
again.
"I don't know Cordy, but I do know that you have to be there for
her." Buffy answered.
Cordelia stood up slowly and started to remove the wrappings on her hands.
"Thank you, Buffy," she said.
"Go. Be there when she wakes up." Buffy said with a sad smile
and watched as Cordelia nodded and ran towards the castle.

-

Joyce washed the blood off her face in the small pond they'd found. Still
the cold water running over her naked form was not having the desired
effect. Her sword lay on a nearby rock while her clothes dried in the
morning sun. She had collapsed soon after returning from the Goblin
encampment and had awoken covered in hardened sweat and blood.
After listening to Theris arguing that the source of the current crisis had
to lie in a city called Necris, home to the Dark Elves and listening to Al'x
tell the High Elf not to automatically blame the drow, she'd excused herself
and come here.
"What have we here? A wee lass?" a burly voice said from the
bank.
Startled, Joyce turned around to face a being that couldn't be anything but
a dwarf.
"You're a dwarf." It was more a statement than a question. He
couldn't have been more than four feet tall, and almost as wide, with a big
round stomach and a long red beard that reached to his ample waist. He wore
mythril armour that shone in the morning sun and a rather large axe was
strapped to his belt.
"And proud of it, lass!" he answered.
"What is your name?" she asked, oblivious to her nudity.
"Gymli, at your service." the dwarf answered, puffing out his
chest.
"Very well, Gymli. I'm finished, so I'm going to get out of the
water and retrieve my clothing." she stated, matter-of-factly, and rose
fully from the pond and walked ashore
"Dear goddess in heaven!" the Dwarf muttered at the sight of
Joyce's nude form and quickly spun around.
"So, what brings you here, Gymli?" Joyce asked casually as she
pulled her shirt over her head.
"I'm a part of scouting party. We were sent out to find and
destroy a goblin encampment," he answered, his back still towards her. "I
think its right around here, somewhere," he added with a vague wave of his
hand.
"Well then I guess you can return home, because we destroyed it
last night," Joyce said, cinching her belt tight.
The little dwarf slowly turned back to face her. "You! Destroyed
a goblin encampment?" he snorted.
"Well, I won't take all the credit," Joyce said as she tied the
cloak around her neck.
"I helped." Theris said over Gymli's shoulder, causing him to
jump and spin back around.
"A High Elf," he said, making it sound like a curse.
"Joyce? Theris?" Al'x called out, causing the dwarf to do
another turn.
"Over here, Al'x." Joyce called back. "By the pond."
"Al'x?" Gymli said in a low voice, turning a full circle yet
again. "That name rings a bell," he mumbled.
"There is a group of dwarfs at the campsite. They're waiting to
take us to their Halls," Al'x said as he came into view.
"Dear goddess in heaven!" Gymli exclaimed at the sight of the
human in the dragon skin armour.
"He says that allot," Joyce said with a smile.
"So, we ready to go?" Al'x asked politely ignoring the gaping
look of Gymli.
"Where to exactly?" Joyce asked.
"To The Great City Of The Dwarfs to meet King Einar, ruler of
Clan Thundefoot!" Al'x exclaimed with a flourish and a wave of his hands,
which got a laugh from by both Theris and Joyce,
"A little over the top, huh?" he asked with a grin.

TBC...