Raven

[Cloudy]

<sub>Lauren jumped in surprise, spilling the marinara sauce she'd be making. "Excuse me, my lord," she murmured in a soft, trembling voice, small hands rapidly cleaning up the mess. "Spaghetti, my lord," she finally said, "as Her Majesty has requested." Her soft, green eyes were focused intently on the earth at her feet, her heart beat rapidly. She was such a fragile being. Her fragile form seemed to quiver in fear.

Jai's eyes fluttered slightly. "There," Unole said. "He is stable, and it is safe to take him home now. But we must be gentle; the wound is beginning to heal, and jarring it could be dangerous. I do not wish to put Jai through more pain than is necessary. He will have enough of that when he awakens to the magic poisoning his system." Unole sounded sad, as he believed no one deserved such pain unless they brought it on themselves. Jai had been grieving the death of a comrade; he did not deserve to be ambushed and stabbed in the back.</sub>

[Spotify]

(Sorry for poof hopped in the shower.)
<sub>Alec nodded, pulling out the milk and taking along swing from the carten. He frowned at her,"Look at me when I'm talking to you."he snapped, fury glazing in his eyes. His heavy footsteps could be heard as he walked infront of the young fragile Schimba,"Such a pretty thing."he commented, his eyes narrowed. He had half a mind to hit her and see if she broke, but oddly he didn't. There was something about her that didn't want him to hurt her.

Ember nodded as she gingerly held him,Jai, You're gonna make it! You hear me? You're gonna make it! she said as she crud oh in relief. Her life mate was gonna make it. She would do the best she could to make it up to Jai.</sub>

[Cloudy]

Lauren winced marginally, reluctantly lifting her glittering green gaze. Her eyes were rimmed by dark lashes and were outlined in a smooth line of charcoal makeup.

( short on phone and I am going to bed night )

[Goldie]

Ashton growled softly as he entered the kitchen. "She shouldn't be spoken to like that." he huffed to Alec as he helped Lauren clean up. He gave her a soft smile before his face resumed the normal gruff look of a guard. His sandy blond hair was spiked up slightly and made his brown eyes look gentler, somewhat animal like. He has wide shoulders and a lean muscled body, tanned skin highlighting the white scars that laced his bare chest and shoulders. He was only in a pair of old blue jeans, finding it easier to do a patrol without having to carry around clothes for when he shifted back into a human. He always kept his jeans hanging in a low tree branch or hidden in a hollowed out trunk for when his patrol duty was over so that he could shift back quickly without having to return home in animal form to get clothes. He narrowed his gaze at Alec slightly. Yes, he knew this was the prince and yes, he knew that he should respect him but no, he would not respect him. Being a guard, he found it his job to protect any Schimba in trouble and not just the royal family. He wasn't afraid of Alec or Unole, though Ember did scare him slightly. He respected Unole very much and thought very highly of the king, but all respect for Alec was gone. Ember, he tried to stay away from. Teenage girls gave him the willies. Probably from all the hormones

[Cloudy]

<sub>"Thank you, sir," Lauren murmured. Lauren's smooth hands moved with ease as she snagged a towel and mopped up the half-made sauce she'd been pouring. She cupped it over her hand and dropped it in the sink, moving back to make a new batch. Normally, Lauren would've given up and just made a sandwich; but now, working as the Schimba's head chef, she didn't have that luxury. She gave Ashton a half-smile of appreciation as she poured the ingredients into a new bowl and then poured them into the pot on the stove, beginning to stir. Though she knew Alec was still nearby, the food would go bad if she left it alone for too long. There was a gentle touch that came to Lauren's cooking - a slight, barely noticeable kick that highlighted every meal she made. She was complimented on it constantly and many people asked for her secret recipe, but she would just smile and shake her head 'no.'

[deleted previous post cause it was just one line that I could stick in this one]</sub>

[Goldie]

Ashton gave her a small smile and nod, eyes watching Alec closely. He began helping Lauren, trying to keep out of her way but still helping.

[Spotify]

<sub>Alec's eyes narrowed and he turned to face the guard,"Watch it. I'm of royal blood and you are beneath me. Leave this Schimba alone. That's an order."he snarled, his chest swelling with pride. With a disgusted look Alec left the room.

Ember stared at Jai, finally feeling the shock of finding her life mate. Her body trembled as she gently stroked his hair, her eyes filled with surprise. She had known, she had always known, she just didn't want to admit it, and because he was her mate she gave him a hard time. She wouldn't.. Couldn't forgive herself if he died and all she had ever been to him was mean. Her eyes filled with love for the first time and it was then that the princess vowed to love Jai with all her being and to be kind if he lived.</sub>

[Cloudy]

<sub>"Come," Unole said, gently lifting Jai's still form into his arms. "We must make haste, and be as gentle as possible. I am loathe to shifting and carrying him there." His brown eyes were worn and fearful; he had a suspicion of who had done this to his adopted son, and it scared him. A healer was in the house, and yet Jai was nearly killed. No, that was wrong. Jai was killed, but something brought him back. What? Who? Ember? Perhaps, but Unole doubted she had that kind of power. It took a lot to raise someone from the dead.

Unole himself had that power, but even attempting it drained him to near unconsciousness. The act of trying to piece someone's shattered soul back together and then guide it back into the body took a lot of concentration and could nearly kill the one who attempted it in and of itself.

No, Unole believed that the Witch-King had stepped in. Why?</sub>

[Spotify]

<sub>Ember nodded as she gently lifted Jai's under the shoulders. The Schimba princess was much stronger than she looked and carried Jai easily. She hummed under her breath to herself trying to calm her anxiety. Her hum slowly turned into a low melody,"Til my last day, til my last breath. Of everyone that can, I can love you the best. Til my last day, I'll be lovin' you. All the way up, til they lay me down, six feet under the cold hard ground, Til my last day, I'll be lovin' you."Ember's voice was soft and melodic. Her melody was like honey as it fell from her lips, sweet and sticky. It stuck in your head and plagued you with it's tone.

She sighed as she shook her head, wondering how different her life was gonna be if Jai pulled through. What did he expect from her? He was older and probably some of the stuff he wanted, she wasn't willing to give, at least not anytime soon. Ember grumbled, what was she thinking? It would be a miracle if he even pulled through.</sub>

[Cloudy]

<sub>Unole paced for a moment before he gave a frustrated sigh. "Why?" he snarled at the Witch-King, who clearly was not there. "Why would you help him if you're not even willing to openly ally yourself with the Schimba?" His eyes narrowed and he spun at the wash of power, meeting the gaunt, sunken-in gaze of Death itself.
"Because it was not Jai's time," he said simply, as if that offered all the answer Unole needed.
"The Strigoi will know," Unole said bluntly. "You would not have done so if you did not have another motive."
A soft anger flared in the Witch-King's eyes and he speared Unole with his gaze. "Perhaps I do," he said carefully, "and perhaps I do not. Perhaps I have watched Jai his entire life and have grown to like him. I control Death. I did not want him to die, and so he has not. What more do you need? Perhaps an open alliance will come, but I do not know."

Unole sighed and relented. "He will not last long if we can not get him back to the mansion," he said tiredly.
"Yet another thing I can fix." The Witch-King lifted his hand and waved it in an arc before Unole, Ember and Jai. The air itself began to heat up, crackling and hissing. It seemed to melt around them to a black nothingness, before the room of Unole's study sprang into view.</sub>