Cursed: Scarlet
Chapter 4: Of Love and Of Death

From ghoulies and ghosties

and long-leggedy beasties

and things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

-Scottish Prayer

On the eve of Samhain, the High Council gathered in Morgana’s throne room. This was always a rare occurrence, as the Originals had withdrawn from the mortal realms and left the governance of their offspring to their representatives. Nevertheless, it was always nice to catch up with each other, even if we had a serious matter at hand. Ian was a dangerous entity, we didn’t know how powerful he was and neither did he.

I was the last to arrive, so I got a multitude of glares. “It’s not my fault you’re all early,” I say as I stand by my chair. Hades scowls at me, but Hecate gives me a sad smile. Vladimir and Wilhelm smile, too, my father doesn’t even look up.

“Now that we are all here –“my mother says, widening her arms. “We can finally begin.” We all sit and wait for her to start; it is her realm, after all. “Now that we all know about Ian, we need to decide what will happen to him.”

Hecate gives a start, “What do you mean ‘done with him’?” Hades looks just as shocked. Amazingly, the expression just manages to make him look even more unpleasant, at least, in my opinion. Then again, he’s unpleasant all the time, it makes no difference now.

“She means how we are going to keep him from hurting himself and others, “Vladimir says, looking up and down the table, his eyes resting on me for a little too long for my liking. They never really trust me anyway; I don’t understand why I have to attend if they’re just going to glare at me.

“We have no idea what he’s capable of,” agrees Wilhelm. “And we don’t even know if he can control himself.” Which is ironic, coming from the father of the race that are known for their inability to control themselves. However, he is relatively well-behaved, for a shifter with a wife who has a fist of iron.

“I want him to come to my realms, where he can be safe, “Hecate says. For once, she’s spoken more than once, and on the same topic too. At least she cares about something now, other than her damn tree.

“He is my son, too, Mage,” sneers Hades. “I want to get to know him.” So much for ‘we loved each other very much, but we grew apart’, I’m not even sure how they managed to have a kid together. Hecate and Hades…together…just the thought of it is making my stomach rebel.

“Well, the last son you ‘got to know’ tried to steal my powers and/or kill me,” I hiss at him. Hades always has this effect on me, making my skin crawl and my temper flare.

“You attacked him, girl,” Hades retorts, glaring at me. Right now, he reminds me of a snake, but a relatively harmless one with little venom. Or at least, he is now. Once, an entire continent feared him, worshipped him. Now, he’s just a useless old man, emphasis on old.

“You lying, repulsive- “I jump up, almost ready to attack him. Fire bursts from my palms, almost incinerating my dress in the process. He just stands there, waiting for me to attack so he can claim self-defense.

“Scarlet, sit down,” Marcus says, finally looking up. I do as he says, after sending another venomous glare at Hades. “We must agree what to do about Ian before he comes of age in – what was his day of birth, Hecate?”

“The first full moon of the year” Hecate says, looking down at her lap. She seems…ashamed for some reason. Oh wait, because she bore the child of a madman with the emotional range of a teaspoon. Which means she willingly slept with him, I would be just as disappointed in myself, if I were in her shoes.

“Alright then, Scarlet, you will be charged with his protection, as you are the only one of us who has free reign in the mortal realm.” I nod, but Hades has jumped to his feet in indignation. Marcus glares at him until he sits again, muttering under his breath.

“On the day he comes of age, we will hold a ceremony at Blacktower, so as to control his powers.” She looks directly at me, and no one else. Someone is going to have to put his powers in neat little boxes and stop him from harming people, someone being me.

“You will do no such thing!” this time Hecate is the one yelling. She points at me “If Scarlet is unbound, my son will be too.” Oh darling, if only you knew how long it took to bind me, I think sarcastically, recalling now how recent her position is on the Council.

“Scarlet is twenty five years younger than you, Hecate. Ian is barely even two decades old; he needs to come into his power slowly if he is to survive.” Marcus says calmly, eyeing Hecate’s nails as they dig into the wood of the table. An Elemental lecturing a mage about having control, priceless.

She sighs audibly, but nods. “Ian must be protected at all costs, so we must keep him in our sight for as long as possible.” Hades has started glaring at a spot directly in front of him, probably to stop himself from incurring the wrath of Marcus. My father is volatile at best, something all of them know firsthand.

“Is that agreed?” He looks around at us. We nod our ascent one by one. Mother claps her hands and smiles. “As that is our only business of the evening, might I suggest that we go and enjoy the festival?” As usual, she’s the perfect host, always aware of her guests, cue rolling of eyes.

We stand simultaneously and lead out. Everyone moves off in his or her own direction, but I decide to go and replace Ian.

He’s standing on the front steps, looking handsome in his black vest, black pants and white shirt. His dark brown hair looks almost black in the moonlight. As I walk out, he turns and gasps. I look down and remember belatedly that I’m in one of the few dresses I own, a dark purple one which clings to my waist and flares over my hips, just touching the floor. It’s customary to dress formally on All Hallows Eve; it shows respect for the dead, still I feel like an idiot.

“You look –“he starts to say, gesturing up and down my body. If I could blush, I would, but I can’t and I thank the stars every day for it.

“Like a pretentious twat?” I ask, looking down, wishing that I had had the sense to wear pants instead of the blasted dress.

“Amazing” he finishes while he lifts my chin to look into his eyes, he moves a strand of hair, which has escaped the loose knot at the base of my neck, out of my face. I turn quickly and walk down the steps,

“Aren’t you coming?” I ask as I turn to look back at him.

We walk to the lakeside, where a million little lights blink in the trees and where the majority of the citizens of Etherea are waiting for my mother to perform the ritual. I quickly get us seats in the front row and have to virtually drag Ian to them; he still stares at everything as if he has never seen it before.

Cassy walks up to us in a shimmering white gown holding onto the arm of Niall, the water fey. She smiles carefully at me until I wrap her in a bear hug. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask, gesturing towards her betrothed, he skin glowing profusely in either happiness or embarrassment.

“Well…we always said we would never marry, and I was going to keep to that, but Niall clawed his way into my heart and now he won’t leave.” The last part rushes out of her and she looks up at him. He smiles so sweetly down at her that I know their feelings are true. That and I read his mind to be sure while they were distracted. Absentmindedly they mirror each other, both standing awkwardly.

“I know Declan told you…I wanted to, but it never seemed like the right time,” she says, squeezing Niall’s fingers. “Cassy, you do not need my approval,” I laugh and she smiles.

“But I do want you to be my maid of honour”, she says, with a questioning look on her face, she knows exactly how I feel about weddings. Cringing internally, I block my mind to her, hoping she won’t hear the deafening screams of my inner self.

“Of course I will!” Ian and Niall knowingly smile at each other. We sit down just as a hush falls over the crowd. Morgana walks slowly to the dais by the water’s edge, holding before her a golden platter full of offerings to those who had died. The silence was eerie, and a small breeze picks up. She reached the dais and stood in the middle, facing the water.

That was about when my attention wavered and I turned to look at Ian. A look of rapt attention was fixed on his features and I smiled. Cassy had her head on Niall’s shoulder and they were staring at their clasped hands. Her vines were wrapping themselves around his arm and I could see faint little drops of water frozen all over hers.

The ceremony stretches on forever, but when it is nearly complete; mother starts to glow faintly. She smiles and steps down the other side of the dais and sets the contents of the platter on fire. When the ashes have formed, she holds it out and turns them out onto the lake. “May the dead be honoured and be filled with our offerings, we honour all those who have passed and will pass.” She turns and we all get out of our seats, it is time for personal offerings and tributes.

Feeling a sudden compulsion, I move away from Ian and fetch a mug of cider; then make my way to mother’s palace and to the garden where I had made my first fatal decision. By the time I get there, tears are building up in my eyes. Many years have passed, but the gardens have stayed the same. Walking past statues and fountains, I make my way to the place where Tristan met his end and kneel where I had all those years ago. I hold the mug in front of me and whisper more to myself than anything else “May your rest be peaceful and your heart be pure, may you replace it in yourself to forgive me, Tristan, as I have forgiven you.” I pour the cider onto the grass in front of me and drop the container to cover my face. The sobs wrack my body and I don’t hear anything but the sound of my own grief.

After a while, Ian kneels in front of me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “H-how l-long have y-y-you b-been here?” I look at him through the tears.

“Long enough, Scarlet.” He pulls me towards him and I cry, resting my head in the crook of his neck, until I can’t breathe. When I stop, he’s still stroking my hair and murmuring. I raise my head to look at him and he smiles faintly. For the second time since I met him, he outs his hand on my cheek and wipes away my tears.

We hear footsteps and quickly get to our feet, when I feel Hades’ aura I go behind the tree, gathering my skirts quickly so he won’t notice me. Using my magic, I watch through a sprite’s eyes Ian stands completely still, even as his father holds out his arms in what he must think is a welcoming gesture.

“I have been meaning to speak with you, my son,” he says, and I try my best to hide my presence.

“Well speak then, father, I’m listening.”Don’t piss him off, I say in his mind. Not that it matters much to me, but the more distracted Hades is, the easier it’ll be for me to escape unscathed.

I’ll try, is all he says, leaning against the tree in feigned boredom. I grip the bark on my side, concentrating on subduing any hint of my presence so that Hades won’t attack me, or worse. I’ve become so good at hiding from these people. It’s starting to get tiresome.

“You must understand, Ian, I didn’t even know that you existed. Your mother hid her pregnancy, your birth, your very existence. If I had known…” I can just feel his feigned sadness as he speaks. Revolting, narcissistic, marginally intelligent pig.

“And yet, when you found out about me, you didn’t do a thing” Ian sounds so bitter; I wished I could show myself, but I knew Hades would be even more infuriated at my presence. “Mother came to me-“

“Because Scarlet-“Hades hisses my name, “only called her. I was not even told where they were keeping you.”Please Ian, just don’t mention Tristan. I can hear him scratching the bark to hide his frustration.

“Well, you seem to be full of excuses, father –“Ian sneers. “And yet, you still did nothing. I think you should leave.” The fury of Hades is palpable, but relief washes over me as I hear him stomp away. “Scarlet…” Ian breathes my name. “Please come out now.” I don’t need any more encouragement, I run around the thick trunk and stand in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just-“he looks down, staring at his hands and shuffling his feet.

“Can’t bear the sight of him?” I finish his sentence. “I know it was wrong of me to tell you what he did, I know you want a relationship with your parents” I look down at my hands, fiddling with my council ring. “I’m so sorry…Ian I-“

“Scarlet, have I ever blamed you, for anything?” I look up and his eyes draw me in. “You told me because you trusted me and I trust you to know how I feel about my dad. He creeps me out, in more ways than I can describe. I’m not even sure that I have any real connection to him, other than blood.”

“I don’t know what my mom saw in him, but I sure as hell refuse to be anything like him.” I hug him fiercely then, strangely relieved. He wraps his arms around me and squeezes until I can feel my spine click, his curly brown hair tickles my neck. I breathe him in, he smells like soap and aftershave, but in a nice way. He sighs and I let go, embarrassed.

“We should probably get out of here,” I mumble as I turn away from him. “Before my mother decides to come looking for me so we can play happy family.” I pretend not to hear him sigh and lead the way out of the maze. Years of practice taking over my control of my feet.

“There you are”, speak of the devil and she shall appear. “I’ve been meaning to speak to you both.” Morgana looks regally from Ian to me, and I know exactly what is coming next. “Now, are you courting my daughter, Mr. O’Connor?”

“Mother!” She is so embarrassing. I lean back on one hip, glaring at her for all I’m worth. Trust Morgana to assume the worst of me before the thought has actually even entered my mind. Although now that’s she’s mentioned it…no, no, definitely not.

Ian looks shocked, “N-no, Your Majesty.” He blinks rapidly, trying to avoid her gaze while not seeming rude. A nice surprise, given that he snaps at most people and avoids the rest, I didn’t know he could be…deferent.

“Damn,” she shakes her head and addresses me, “I really wish you would replace a nice boy and settle down, Scarlet. It’s been so long since Gab-“ My hand raises itself defensively, and I force myself to curl it into a fist and drop it to my side.

“Mother, stop,” I glare at her. “I am not ‘settling down’ and certainly not with Ian,” I turn to him, “No offence.” I turn back, suddenly aware of his hand resting on the small of my back. Wriggling uncomfortably, I stare at her, willing her to just give up and go away.

“None taken.” He moves away from me, and Morgana, staring off into the distance. As usual, he’s feigning indifference in a way to protect himself. A trait we share, it seems.

“Now, mother, could you please just get it into your head that I will not be producing grandchildren for you for as long as I can help it? I would appreciate it greatly if you would stop pestering me. Come on, Ian, we should go and enjoy the festivities while they last.” I near drag him away while my mother stands frozen in shock.

She sits heavily on the bench, and holds her head in her hands. “Oh, Scarlet, could you ever forgive me for that night?” She calls out to him, sobs racking her body.

Marcus materialises next to her and holds her hands. “We cannot change what has happened Morgana,” he sighs, “though I doubt that this will matter to Scarlet. We forced her into that betrothal; we are solely to blame for what Tristan tried to do. We did not listen to her when she told us her premonitions, we ignored her every word when it came to him.” Morgana sobs into his shoulder. Neither notice the small surge of power near the oak tree, or the startled squeaks of various sprites.

“I wish none of this had happened,” she murmurs. “I wish she could be happy now, even if it is with another of Hades’ sons.” They sit in silence, not noticing the eyes watching, waiting in the shadows.

Ian and I walk back to our rooms in silence, wrapped up in our own thoughts. More and more people pass us as we make our way to the front steps. When the doors swing open, Ian grabs my hand and turns me toward him. He cups my cheek in his right hand, still firmly gripping mine with his other hand. I can’t move, I don’t want to move, he’s so warm and…I should stop this, it isn’t right. He’s too young, he doesn’t know all the things I’ve done, all my attempts to break my curse.

When he leans closer and our faces are just about to touch, I can’t stop myself, I kiss him. He stiffens, but when I put my hand on his neck to pull him closer, he puts his hand on the small of my back until I’m curved against him. It feels as if time has stopped, as if this is one of those moments that will last forever. I miss this feeling, knowing that someone wants me as much as I want him.

I…I need to stop this, I can’t let this happen, he deserves better than me. I pull away and whisper, “I can’t…” I wrench myself from his grip and run all the way to my rooms. “Scarlet! Wait, please, wait!” I pretend not to hear him and run faster, my shoes disappearing into one of the many alcoves of the corridor.

The stupid dress nearly trips me, but Ian doesn’t catch up to me, I’m part fey, it’s one of the perks. I wrench open the door and run into the sitting room, slamming it in his face. For the second time tonight, I feel as if my heart is being yanked from my chest. But I hold back the tears until he stops banging on the doors, stops calling out to me.I’m such an idiot…

For the next three days, I refuse to leave my rooms, refuse to see him or anyone other than Cassy. The school is on a break so I don’t have to think about taking him back yet; having to protect him may just make me lose my mind. I lie back on the settee and sigh.

My mother may just get there first.It’s been so long since Gab-…I hadn’t even thought of him since I went back to Blacktower. Gabriel… one of my many ‘distractions’, probably the most distracting of the lot. I pictured him, standing tall and confident, and his shoulder length black hair waving in the wind while his dark grey eyes would bore into mine. Those corded muscles bent over me…

I snap out of my reverie when someone starts banging on the doors again. “Scarlet, you had better let me in!” Declan shouts through the wood. If he hadn’t spoken, I would still have recognized him, his presence is not all that subtle, a vice for most war-gifted elves.

“You could always break it down” I reply, settling into the high back more comfortably as I pointedly stare out the unglazed windows to my right. The view is, as always, spectacular, courtesy of thousands of years at the hands of various fey painstakingly tending to the trees and other plants.

“We both know how our mother would feel about that.” I roll my eyes and flick the key in the lock with my mind. “You can come in now,” I sigh and he stomps in, scowling. “What did you do to Ian?” he asks, crossing his arms over his ridiculously muscular chest. The man is built like an ox, and he eats like one too.

“Please, do have a seat.” I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean what did I do to Ian? I haven’t spoken to him in days.” I feign boredom, looking anywhere but at Declan.

“He told me what happened, asked me what to do, how to get you to talk to him. Interrupted my tea, he did.” He sits on the armchair and I smooth the folds of my blanket. It’s strange how fey can become so obsessive over their meals, especially the customary tea…

“So what did you say to him?” I force myself to look down, to pretend that I’m not interested in the answer. I fiddle with my bracelets, dreading the lecture to come. He sighs, and speaks gently. “Well if I’m sitting in front of you, what do you think my answer was?” I groan internally, wishing I were anywhere but here.

“He’s going to be here in a few minutes, isn’t he?” I run my hand through my hair nervously. Damn them both to the deepest rings of Damanta! I’m a complete mess right now.

“Bet your sweet potatoes he is.” He glares at me, “I know you like him Scarlet, and I know why you’re staying away from him, too. Don’t deny yourself happiness because you’re scared that, if he knows you like I do, he will run for the hills. You can’t keep screwing up your relationships because you think you don’t deserve them, a’right?” I stare down at my hands, knowing that Ian is standing behind the door, listening to everything.

“When you get mad, your accent gets worse, y’know” I say to him. “Come in Ian.” He opens the door with a sheepish look on his face that I would dearly like to kiss. He obviously hasn’t learnt how to mask his energy yet, I could feel him from the other side of the castle.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll see you two later,” he says, stomping out and closing the door loudly behind himself. Ian leans against one of the columns near the door, staring at me. I get up and fold the blanket, the silence hanging awkwardly between us as my back is turned to him.

“I’m sorry for running away,” I say, barely audible while I turn to him. He moves towards me, but stops himself. I put the blanket down and motion for him to sit on the couch. When he does, I stay standing, admiring his tattoos. And maybe his arms…and his shoulders, his neck…

He clears his throat awkwardly, snapping me out of my stream of thoughts. I rub the side of my left arm nervously. “I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt you.” I look at everything but him, though his eyes stay firmly rested on my face. When he starts speaking, I stare openly.

“I just don’t understand why you ran, for weeks I thought I was crazy because all I could think of was you.“ He sighs and shrugs. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about you since the day you drove into the school in that red Ferrari.” I smile a little, remembering how little he seemed to care about who I was and what I had done.

“The way you acted drove me nuts, you were so self-assured and so bold. And you didn’t care that people stared at you or gossiped about you the minute you got out of that car. You baffled me, and I kind of…liked it.” I can barely breathe I’m so shocked.

“I…” I start trying to speak but he holds up a hand. By this point, I collapse on the settee, shocked. No one ever interrupts me, let alone openly admits to having feelings for me.

“I especially liked the way your gigantic blue eyes would watch everything I did, judging my every move. I jabbed you so that you would look at me, I knew who you were, I just wanted you to talk to me.” Holy crap, the first thought that pops into my head. He…he… If I had been in the habit of fainting, now would have the perfect moment to keel over.

He stops, and waits for the shock to wash over me. Holy mother of a duck, what have I done? I’m falling for a boy I’m hopelessly too old for and yet he is the one telling me how he feels. I am so very, very screwed. It takes a few minutes, but I do feel my pulse calming and my thoughts start to fade. Ian sits patiently, waiting to speak again.

“Was what Declan said true? Are you too scared to want me because you think I’d run from you?” he looks so hurt, I almost want to throw caution to the wind and never let him go, but experience has taught me to be more careful. I stay where I am, tugging on my hair.

“I’ve been hurt so much before, Ian, it’s hard for me to do this, to tell you about myself and hope that you’ll understand, “I sigh.

“Will you please let me think about everything, just for a few more days?” I couldn’t tell him that the thought of tying myself to him for even a few months was terrifying, I couldn’t even bring myself to stop lying to him.

He nods and stands to leave, but before he can, I go to him and I put my hand against his cheek. He leans into it and closes his eyes, sighing. I kiss his forehead and let him go.I am a complete and total idiot…