The Fates
Chapter 18

Big white, glittering snowflakes were falling down from the sky, dancing on their way down to the ground. Celia spun around on the spot, laughing as she played around with them, caching them only to watch them melt in her hand.

Rhale stood to the side contently watching her with a small smile on his lips.

“I love the now,” Celia said as she spun around faster, her hair flying wildly around her as she did.

She had the fondest memories of the first snowfall, every year she and her mother used to go outside and make up the most ridiculous stories of why it was falling.

Celia's mother had been the most creative with the stories, coming up with anything from the Fates sending it so that the earth could rest from its work to dark creatures bringing it with them wherever they went.

Sometimes they tried to dance in the way that the snowflakes moved and they twirled around wildly, holding each other's hands.

“You look like a fairy” Rhale lifted her up and spun her around faster and Celia laughed heartily at his playfulness. It was a side she rarely got to see.

“Can we stay? Just a little longer?” Celia pleaded and looked around, they had entered another forest again and she had begged Rhale to stop when the first signs of snowfall had appeared.

Rhale had been unable to refuse her and as soon as the snow began to fall she had momentarily forgotten the world around her; she was that small girl again, dancing with her mother with childlike wonder in the glistening snow.

“There are sounds around us, it is best if we leave.” Celia pouted at Rhale and made her eyes look as big as she could.

“Do not look at me like that, it only makes me want to throw you down on the ground and show those lips a better use for them than pouting.”

“Oh, what use? I am sure I would not mind” She said playfully, batting her eyelashes at him.

Rhale growled in frustration “You have no idea what you do to me.”

She felt his lips on hers, hard and demanding as he forced his tongue inside to stroke hers. Rhale's taste invaded her senses and she moaned as her body came to life at his touch. She moved her hands behind his back and pushed herself closer to him, kissing him back with more energy than she ever had.

Celia pulled away when she too heard something trampling around behind the trees, afraid that it might be a dark creature she reluctantly suggested that they do indeed leave.

“Let them come, I will kill whatever it is for you to kiss me like that again” Celia only laughed at his statement, not understanding the seriousness of his words and tried to pull him towards Taurus.

When she finally managed to get them both in front of the big horse she turned to Rhale expecting him to help her up only to see a big scowl on his face.

Celia leaned her small body into his “No need for that, I will kiss you as much as you want when we are in a safer place.” Yet he stole a few more kisses before helping her mount.

When evening fell Rhale had found a place he deemed safe enough for them to stay the night at and they worked together to light a fire. The snow had already stopped falling and Celia already missed the wonderful white flakes. She was however happy that she would not have to wake up covered in a mountain of snow.

As Celia laid in her sleeping bag looking at the wild flickering flames of the fire she got that feeling again that she was supposed to remember something. She had it, just at the tip of her consciousness, it was something she had heard but sleep took her before she could remember what it was.

The next morning, as Celia was putting away her sleeping bag, it all of a sudden came to her. She had almost been asleep when Khalil had told Rhale that he needed to tell her something.

She looked at Rhale, he was putting out the fire that he so carefully had kept going the entire night. Was he hiding something from her? She tried to put it out of her mind, whatever it was he would tell her when he was ready.

The further they rode the colder it became and Celia restlessly asked how much longer it would be until they were at the land of the gods.

“One more day if we keep this pace”

One more day, one more day and they would be in the land of the gods. The restlessness within was extaged by anticipation though it did nothing to calm her, she felt both dread and longing swirl within her.

The forest eventually came to an end and they had stopped to look at the frost covered field before them, they would have to cross it to get to where the forest on the other side started.

As they stood still and watched for any signs of trouble Celia was unable to ignore her curiosity. The need to know what Rhale and Khalil had talked about was growing like a disease within her and she found herself unable to hold back.

“I heard you and Khalil talk about something.” She kept her voice as even and soft as she could as her heart hammered in her chest.

“Mm” Rhale grunted as he turned his head to look in the other direction of the field, it looked to be empty.

“Khalil said that you needed to tell me something.” Celia held her breath, waiting for him to respond.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“I was, or almost at least. Rhale, is there something you're not telling me?” Rhale stepped off Taurus and helped her down to the ground.

She wondered what it could be if he felt the need to not be on horseback for the conversation. Celia tried to brave herself for whatever it was but her mind was running wild with all sorts of thoughts.

“I suppose I have to tell you anyway before we enter the land of the gods. I have not told you because I was hoping to replace a way out of it. You need to know that this is something that I do not want and something I never wanted.” Rhale’s eyes bore into hers as he spoke, his voice more gruff than normal.

“Okay” She said slowly, watching him run a hand through his hair.

“My father is the King of the gods. That would have meant nothing had he had other children. I am his bastard so the throne would naturally not fall to me.”

Celia did not know that, in none of the stories that she had heard did they mention Rhale’s father or the fact that he was son to the King of the gods. She did not know what to make of it so she waited for him to continue.

“He wants me to rule so that he can step down, he has been nagging me for decades.” Celia was a bit annoyed that Rhale had not told her but she still did not see why Khalil had thought it so important that she knew.

“So what does that mean?” She asked bewildered.

“If I am forced to take the throne, as my joined one, you would have to rule by my side.”

Celia took a step back while she let his words sink in. As his joined one she would have to rule with him... That had not been in the plan, she was not a god and she knew nothing of the subjects of gods land, nor did she know anything about ruling a kingdom.

More importantly she did not want to, she had enough weighing on her as it was. But he had said if, if he was forced.

“Will you be forced to?” She said as she turned to look at him again, his hand went through his already tousled hair, making it stand even more.

“They are still debating it. It will come down to what the people will want.”

“And... Will they want you to? To rule?”

“I don’t know, it has been a while since I have been there. Celia I'' She took another step back as Rhale reached for her and he stopped saying whatever it was that he was going to say.

She needed to think. Some part of her could understand him not telling her, at first at least, but as soon as they had decided on the joining he should have told her. She had a right to know, it could affect her greatly.

Would they even take kindly to her?

She was an outsider, a lowly born girl with nothing to her name. She was an oddity, half human and half Angel and she was being hunted by her own King.

Not really great ruler material...

If they joined, would they perhaps not want him to rule? If that was the case she would be the reason that was taken from him.

He said that he did not want it but what if he changed his mind and he started to resent her for it?

“Celia, please.” Rhale pleaded as he held out his hand. She looked at it, his calloused hand that was so much bigger than her own.

“You once told me that you understood that I had a life before you. The truth is I didn’t. I walked around aimlessly never caring if I lived or died in the next battle I was in. Then you came and you made me, for the first time in my life, want something more.”

Celia looked into his eyes, his deep blue eyes with that one small brown fleck that she now knew better than the back of her hand. She knew at that moment that he could hold a thousand secrets and she would still want to stand by his side, because she loved him.

She loved him with everything that she was and she would love him regardless of who she would grow into. She was his and she would take him as hers, as whomever he was and whomever he would become. Whether that was King or not.

She swallowed back her tears at her realization and nodded her head. Rhale had her in his arms before she was done nodding and his huge body almost swallowed her whole as he kept her close.

They stood there for a little while, taking strength and comfort in the embrace.

Celia decided to take it as it came, there was no need to worry about something that may or may not happen. At least not when there were so many other things to worry about.

They continued their travels, once they galloped right into a group of goblins. Rhale had not told her to ride and hide this time as she drew her bow, this time they worked together to kill the monsters but she stayed on top of Taurus as she shot arrow after arrow at the goblins that Rhale was not fighting. Taurus even trampled one of them and Celia praised him for it.

Rhale took out the arrows from the goblins dead bodys for her, she was still queasy at the sight of them but she still marveled at her own change.

Had she been like what she is now perhaps she could have saved her mother. The thought made her sad but she reminded herself that she had not been the same, she had not even owned a bow. And hybrids were something else, goblins could not come close to comparing to the hybrids.

Celia drew her coat closer around herself, the wind was howling and she shuddered in her sleeping bag even though she was laying close to the fire. It crackled and sparks flew as the wind moved through the flames.

Rhale came and laid himself down behind her.

“Having a hard time sleeping?”

“It's cold and I’m nervous.” She said honestly.

“What are you nervous about?”

“We might reach the land of the gods tomorrow.”

“And that makes you worried?”

“Of course it does” Celia turned around so that she could look at him. “I am worried that they will not take kindly to me being there with you...”

Rhale kissed her cold nose sweetly “They will adore you. Even if you do not win them over by your personality you are still half angel. I don’t think you understand how much power that holds. Even the gods were gifted magic by them, they cast spells that still stand to this day.”

“But still...”

“I wished that we were already joined, there are so many things I would do to take your mind off it.” He said as he kissed the side of her face.

Rhale pulled open her sleeping bag only enough to get his arm inside of it.

“What do you know about your own body?”

“What do you mean?” Celia was momentarily confused by his question.

“Lay down on your back” he said gruffly and she did as he asked.

His hand found its way under her dress and her breath caught when she felt his hand travel up her leg, coming to rest on the inside of her thigh.

“Open your legs for me Celia” And like in a trance she did as he had commanded.

“Have you ever touched yourself here?” He asked as his hand touched her between her legs. She slowly shook her head, she had not even known that her body was capable of feeling such things until she had met him. Rhale's face hovered over hers and she blushed as he held her eyes captive.

He slowly moved one of his fingers and softly touched a spot that made her back arch, pleasure shoot up inside of her as he touched the secret spot and her breath hitched at the strange sensation.

“Never? Not even once?”

“No” her voice was shaking and sounded so small compared to his. He moved his finger in a small circle and she continued to gasp at the feeling, it was close to when he had pushed his hips between her legs but this felt so much more… just more.

“When we are joined I will have you bare before me as I watch you whimper by the things I do to you.” Rhale increased the pressure of his finger slightly, her head spun and her hips moved against his hand.

Rhale abruptly pulled back his hand and Celia groaned out at the loss of his touch.

“Patience sweet girl, if I do not stop now I won’t be able to control myself.” He pulled away his hand and put his finger in his mouth, sucking it clean.

“You are too delicious for your own good.”

She watched with curious mortification as he did so.

Her legs were shaking and she buried her head in his chest trying to calm herself down.

“At least I got you on other thoughts." Yes, he had managed to get her to forget her nervousness but she highly doubted that she would ever be able to sleep now.

“I don’t understand the things you make me feel” her words were muffled by his chest as she buried her head deeper into him.

“I will teach you, after the joining there will be little you do not understand.”

Rhale tightened his arms around her and Celia really hoped that what he said was true.