They had set off from Alulanta Falls early in the morning, and their trip had been faster than even Samuel could possibly have anticipated. When he and Amaranth had readied their things and mounted Samuel’s newly found companion, Samuel had leant forward and whispered into the horse’s ear. ”I hope you know where to go, because I have absolutely no idea anymore.” and with those words spoken, the horse had span around and then ran like there was no tomorrow.

It ran and it ran and it ran, eating up the ground just as it had the first time he had rode it. They went across the vast valleys of the Salquedor grasslands, passing the legendary Mystic Woods and the decrepit Ancient Tower as they progressed. A few hours passed, but the journey they were making would usually take a few days on foot, but the horse was on a mission to ensure Samuel and Amaranth arrived where they needed to be. They continued on passed Estolad, and Samuel began to become confused with where they were going. He had never been this far north and he knew there were only a few points of interest ahead, and none of them were cities or villages.

Eventually, as the horse continued to burst on throughout Eä, its stamina seemingly being summoned from thin air, the Taurai Woods had come into sight. Samuel was confused as to why here; maybe he had made a mistake in trusting the judgment of a simple horse. Perhaps there was nothing mystical about the animal; perhaps it was just running for the sake of running and wasn’t guiding them anywhere. He considered this for a few minutes as they drew closer to the Taurai Woods and eventually decided that he was mistaken. Though he did not like to believe too much in fate, he had found this animal… no, this animal had found him for a reason. It was though it had been calling out to him, waiting for him to come to it.

And now, as they approached the Taurai Woods, Samuel was prepared for anything. With Amaranth and Markandeya (he wasn't really sure why this name had come to him. He didn't even know what it meant.) in his presence, he was prepared and he felt stronger than ever before. Eventually, after many hours of travelling on the back of their wonder horse, they reached Taurai Woods. It was still daylight and the woods looked beautiful, with the sun pouring down through the gaps in the treetops. The horse ran directly in to the forest before eventually coming to a halt some one hundred yards inside the woods.

Samuel pushed himself off of the horse and then tenderly helped Amaranth down too. He walked to the front of his horse and petted it gently. ”I trust you have chosen wisely for us. Thank you, my friend. You can rest now.” he said, quietly, and the horse neighed lightly in response. Samuel turned to Amaranth and took her hand, leading her to a large log which had fallen from a tree overhead at some point in time and had done little but gather moss since. ”Sit down and get comfortable. We’re in the right place.” he said, nodding slightly to her.

As she rested against the tree trunk where her lover had set her up for her comfort, Pywhackette, who was hitching a ride in her bag, jumped up letting them know he was available by meowing curtly. The feline arched his back and stretched his legs, before actually sitting down to groom his bag-ruined fur. Markendeya hoofed over to the roaring flames of the fire Samuel had set up that night for them and plopped his body next to it, gently nibbling at the fresh green grass of the forest.

Amaranth stayed against the tree, closely by Samuel while trying to eat to get energy for during the night - she was going to give birth that night, she knew it. They stored left over meat from the Boar that Samuel had slaughtered for a feast a few nights before and that's what he warmed up for her. Her appetite decreased rapidly, causing her to shun the offered food away from him when he brought it to her. He knew she needed it for strength.

Tilting her head back and her silver eyes closed tightly, the night grew darker, her two hands holding her stomach firmly, groaning in pain. It was time for a new life to arrive. Sweat started to pool down her face, as the agony began making her body shudder with electricity- like volts. Amaranth's breathing increased and went heavy, letting a hand grip the grass on the cool ground.

Teeth clenched, she felt a sweet rush of fluid race out of her down her thighs. Her water had broken. Samuel was right next to her, as she instinctively lashed a hand out and held his tightly for comfort. "S-Samuel.....w-what's happening to me...?" she spoke through painful tones of her voice, she was confused, since she never had given birth before.

He gazed at her as she panicked; her eyes were glinting with fear and anxiety, but Samuel’s were calm and composed and his mind was clear, though admittedly his mind was briefly filled with concerns that his hand may be broken by her grip. Samuel did not pull away though; he let her grip on tightly because he knew she needed to. She didn’t just need to let out frustration in her moment of agony, but she needed to hold on to him.

Samuel knew that he was the only security in her life; the only thing that was constant and reliable, and he was concerned for her because of this. He knew that when he was the most reliable thing in someone’s life, that person had a rather unstable lifestyle. He would undoubtedly let her down eventually, because he had no real knowledge of emotion. He wanted emotion, he wanted love and he wanted to be reliable, constant and devoted, but he could never truly be. He wondered if he would eventually let down his child too.

He had barely spared the child a thought, in all honesty. He did not know why, but it just did not seem that important as a living person; it had done nothing but hinder them in their travels and their life, but now as the time approached, he wondered what was going to happen after this child was born. Would it be good like its mother, or would his tainted blood corrupt its mind and make it like him? And then, in that moment, Samuel realised that he would prefer the latter. He did not want their child to be like Amaranth, for he feared that if it was, then he could never truly be there for it. He could never relate to the child, because always in the back of his mind would be the concern that he would one day leave it, hurt it or worse. He wanted their child to have a heart as blackened as his own.

If destiny had sent him to this very moment, with these very circumstances in the presence of this woman, had destiny realised that he would react in this way? Was it destiny for him to show such apathy for the morality of his child, or was that an aspect of his life that he had shaped himself? Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. Nor, truthfully, did the morality and personality that the child would eventually develop.

All that mattered now was he and Amaranth, sitting in a forest clearing, alone but for the presence of Samuel’s horse. And here, now, in this place, a new dawn was about to begin for Samuel, but would it change him? He was beginning to doubt greater than ever that it possibly could. That was destiny.

This was the day they've been waiting for entirely. Amaranth was frightened, but exuberant at the same time, mixed feelings did not help in this case. She pulled her head back against her lover's chest, her silver eyes still closed. As soon as the pain increased to its limit, she cried out in pain. The scene showed no more than just her torso, not her waist down. Her teeth clutched, hand squeezed against Samuel. Amaranth breathed deeply and pushed down over and over again.

A blood curdling scream is heard as the scene blackens, shortly after, the scenes fades back in, as a baby is heard crying on its own. The child had slid into Samuel's arms as he held Amaranth to his body. The cries of his child were sweet and yet so helpless, crying for her mother and to be fed her first meal.

Amaranth rested against his chest, panting softly as he held their newborn daughter, she was exhausted dwelling with labor all day long into the night. Cold, damp, and shivering, the child opened her eyes. She bore multi-colored optics, one deep blue, one silver. She had light red hair and pale skin, elven ears, her eyes open as she saw her father holding her, looking down at her with his own deep blue eyes.

"What...did we have? ...Are they alright? Are they beautiful, love?" Amaranth asked softly in a weak, but tired tone of her voice. She went to touch their newborn, but passed out from exhaustion, falling into a deep slumber to recharge her body. The child looked up at her father, calm and quiet now...it was like they started to bond at first sight.

Samuel pulled away from Amaranth, getting to his feet, gently lowering the sleeping Drow’s head down with his right hand while holding the newborn child in his left arm. He turned, now holding the baby with both arms wrapped around and underneath her, keeping her safe. He knelt down by his travelling pack and lowered the baby on to the soft, grassy ground. He ripped open his pack and pulled his black cloak from it and laid it on the ground beside the child.

He lifted the child on to it and wrapped her carefully, wrapping her tightly enough for her to feel safe but not so tight as to hurt her. He lifted her again, lightly wiping her face with the edge of the cloak, not overly concerned with the cleanliness of his clothes. With her face dry and clean and her eyes staring up at him lightly, Samuel now stopped to look at her and appreciate her.

She was beautiful and so dazzlingly unique that she almost took his breath away. She stopped crying now she had been confined and wrapped in the soft material. ”Hello there…” he uttered quietly under his breath, with a bemused expression. He knew the minute her saw her that the child was special. Her thin layer of red hair, her multi-coloured set of eyes and her pointed Elven ears. Her skin was undoubtedly paler than it should be considering her mother’s appearance, but that didn’t matter. She was still perfect.

”You, sweetheart, are going to be very, very special. I am going to do so very much for you. I will provide for you, defend you and I will teach you. I will show you everything you will ever need to see.” He said, smiling down at her and rubbing her cheek gently with his thumb. ”You’re going to help me usher in a new world for all of Arda. I haven’t given up on that, you know… this world needs help, I’ve always known that. And now, you can help it. You can help them all…” He concluded, his eyes passionate and affectionate.

”And your mother, she’ll be there too…” he said, nodding and walking over to Amaranth who was still laying down, asleep with exhaustion. ”And she’ll do everything she can to watch over you, because she cares. She’s a good, loving person and she would die for both of us.” He sat on the ground next to Amaranth, looking up from his daughter to Amaranth’s face. ”Can I let you in on a secret, little one?” he asked, gazing back down to the child. ”I am a cold, bitter person with disdain for this world… but I love her. And I love you. And I will defend you, even if I must destroy every threat to you myself. I will defend you both to the death.” he said, again with his expression roaring with emotion.

The sun dragged in the morning as if it were pulled in like it was prey. The four were under a warm, yet shady tree that seemed to be their shelter for the time being. Amaranth was rested up against the trunk of the tree, her clothing was still stained with blood from the birth last night. She was still exhausted, her blue hair coated with dry and sticky sweat. The Drow seemed so peaceful sleeping by her family. Markendeya, their travel and companion horse, rose up from his slumber and hoofed over to a small stream deep in the forest, the sunlight caused everything to glitter with fresh morning dew.

He neighed softly, but enough to hear to wake up the newborn child, whom Samuel still held in a bundle in his warm embrace, sleeping with her in his arms. The baby cried at the noise, alerting the two parents to wake up and feed her soon, it was also because the animal's wake up called frightened her. Amaranth shuddered, waking up slowly at the sounds of both creatures making such nonsense sounds. She opened her silver eyes, wincing as she stretched out her body, for she was still very sore. Her abdomen and stomach restored back into her attractive frame.

The young mother set eyes on the baby in her mate's arms, she smiles groggily. "Well, hello there, my precious..." she greets gently with a warm voice. Amaranth gently reached over to carefully remove the infant from Samuel, turning to cradle her in her arms, rocking her. "You are very beautiful, my sweetheart...my child," she said, still in bit of a shock that she actually, pushed this child out of her into the world. "Welcome to the world," she said sweetly, nuzzling the child protectively.

The baby started to whine for her first meal, kneading her small hands into her mother's swollen bosom, that were ready to give milk. A blushing raised to the blackened flesh of Amaranth's cheek, as she undid the button part of her thin, cotton baby-doll dress. Beginning to nurse of off her mother's warm milk, the child began to suck and knead this felt awkward for a woman who was a firt-time mother. But she knew it was was an instinct.

Amaranth gently lowered herself down to the ground, baby in her arms nursing, she started to hum a precious Drow lullaby. She moved a free arm out from under her, reaching out to nudge Samuel. "Rise and shine, darling. Our daughter's feeding..." se said quietly. "And we still need a name for her as well...."

Samuel opened his eyes slowly, gazing up into the sky through the gaps in the trees. He had been travelling so very much recently and he just wanted the chance to rest. He was feeling very dreary and he struggled to keep his eyes open as he lay at Amaranth’s side. He yawned deeply and he found his eyes closed again. He continued to lay there, half asleep, thinking rather nonsensical thoughts. His mind was hazy and blurred and he soon became unaware of his surroundings. And then, his eyes opened.

He was lying on the ground with his arms stretched out either side of him, and as his eyes opened, he noticed the leaves on the trees around him had wilted, leaving them bare. The sky beyond the trees had turned a gloomy grey. He sat up and looked around and realised that he was entirely alone. Amaranth and the child had gone, as had his horse. The forest was entirely bare and he could see for miles around him; he stood and scoured the surrounding area. There was nothing… nobody. ”Amaranth!” he shouted, but he knew there was no one there to hear him. His breathing was heavy and his mind racing; what had happened? What was going on?

He lowered his head and closed his eyes, his mind full of anxiety and fear. When he looked up again, the trees around him had gone entirely. He was in a vast and completely empty valley. There was nothing as far as the eye could see, just grass and sky. He looked around, desperate to see something. Anything. He began running with nothing in his mind but finding something, just so he wouldn’t be alone anymore.

He ran and ran and ran, until his legs were numb. He finally stopped, leaning down and gasping for breath. He looked up at the sky, and it was still as equally grey and dull as it had been when he had first opened his eyes. Samuel was so lost and so confused and so very scared. He turned around, not expecting to see anything but yet more endless valley and was taken aback when he came face to face with another person. Amaranth stood in front of him. ”Amaranth… you’re OK. What is this? Where are w-?” he began asking, but Amaranth cut in. ”You’re going to kill her, Samuel.” she said in a cold and clear voice.

Samuel glared back at her, now even more confused. What was she talking about? Kill who? ”You’re going to kill your only child. You’re going to kill me. You’re going to kill us and you won’t even care.” she said cruelly. What was she talking about? He could never do that! He was a bad man, but he could never kill them. Why was she saying these things? ”Amaranth… I… I… could never… never do that. I…” he babbled slowly, unsure of how to react to her claim.

”You will kill us and not even care because you are a monster. You are a cold, merciless monster and you will kill us both and for those actions you will rot in the Underworld. You will never be forgiven for your crimes.” she finished bluntly. Samuel was becoming angry now; how dare she speak to him in such a tone? Who was she dictate how he would go about his life? He would carry out his own actions, and they would be his own decisions; he had no desire to kill them and so he would not. He approached Amaranth slowly, his eyes bursting with rage. ”I would never do anything to hurt you. I am not a killer. I am NOT a monster! Do I make myself clear?”

”Yes, you are. You think have emotion and purity, but you are corrupt and bitter. You will kill and destroy until there is nothing left to kill and d-“ she began before Samuel cut across her. ”SHUT UP! I am not a killer!” he said, utterly enraged. He gazed down at his belt and noticed that his black handled dagger was there, placed in its leather hilt. ”You are a killer, little boy. You are a heartless beast and you will never change!”

”NO!” he yelled in response and before he knew it, he had pulled the dagger from his belt and thrusted it forward towards Amaranth… but she was gone. Again, just an empty valley with nothing and no one around him. He stood there, his arm out stretched ahead of him with a dagger in it. And then, above him, the sky roared with thunder and rain began to pour. The rain poured down upon him, and he could see on his extended arm that it was not just rain; it was blood. The skies had opened above this seemingly endless plain of grass and were raining blood. He dropped to his knees and gazed straight ahead as his entire body was drenched in the blood from the heavens.

He was a killer. He was a monster. He was everything that he had ever thought himself to be, and everything that Amaranth had just told him he was. There was no going back and no repenting. He raised his right arm, dagger in hand and thrust it into his own chest. At that moment, in the sunny Taurai woods, he awoke again, his eyes bursting wide open and the trees of the woods being filled with his screams. Samuel turned his head and Amaranth was sitting beside him, staring at him alarmed at his scream. He turned his head away from Amaranth and gazed off into the trees. "I'm fine, don't worry. Just a bad dream, that's all." he said reassuringly to Amaranth before picking up a small flask of water from his side and splashing some water into his face to clear off the sweat that the panic ridden dream had brought on. His heart was still racing. It was all just a dream. Both Amaranth and the child were OK and so was he. But that did not change the truth that the dream had exposed: he was a danger to both of them.

Amaranth watched as her lover splashed the crystal clear water on his complexion. She stood to her feet and walked over to him, leaving Pywhackette to watch over their sleeping daughter, nestled in her father's cloak. The Drow made her approach and tilted her head in curiosity and worry, she knew something was making him uneasy. It was more than just a bad dream.

The woman smiles and places a gentle hand on his shoulder, but listen closely, you'll hear this beauty's voice sing softly. Her voice is like smooth velvet, calming, and soothing like a lullaby, "Xuat ul'nusst nin, Usstan inbal saved dos dal dosst treemmai." It was sung in Drow, which made it even more special at tune. Amaranth smiled and snaked her warm arms around his waist, turning him around to face her.


Her kisses glowed a pale sky blue and then touched his lips, kissing him deeply and passionately. She closes her eyes, this kiss meant something...he was very important to her, she loved him very much. She leaned in, deepening the kiss more. After a few moments, Amaranth opened her eyes, pulling away slowly, savoring the moment.

The dream had shaken him to his core, but he calmed down quickly. He knew the dream should have scared him, and it undoubtedly would have terrified any decent and honest person, but it just didn’t affect him in any real emotional way. He was startled by the dream, for it was most vivid and unpleasant dream he had ever had, but he was not scared or upset. And then Amaranth leaned towards him and he felt her soft hand gently caress his shoulder, and in his state of mental vulnerability, he started to pull away, but almost instantly stopped himself.

And then she began to sing, in a language he had heard her speak a few times before but a language he could not himself understand. That said though, it was still very beautiful. Beautiful though it was, it quickly faded into the background of his mind and became just noise, proving to be nothing but a distraction to his thoughts. She gripped around his waist and pulled him around to face her. She had a comforting and loving glint in her eye and as he looked into them, she leaned forward and pressed her dark lips against his own. This, without question, calmed him.

In those moments of her passionate embrace, life seemed to organise itself once again. Chaos was brushed aside and his mind became focused. He was ready to stand up and take responsibility for his actions, but he knew he could never let those responsibilities overshadow his own dark desires. The missions he had set himself in life would be fulfilled, and though he would provide for them and protect them, he would not let them hinder his own little world of greed and bitterness. He would never mix these two worlds; he would never let Amaranth know of the darkness within him and he would never let that darkness loose in her presence and risk hurting her or the child.

He realised at this point that he did essentially have two separate identities. On one hand, he was Samuel, loving partner of Amaranth and father of a new born child; honest, brave and fairly quiet. But truthfully, deep down, he was Samuel, a bitter and broken being, lost in a world that was quite simply beyond his understanding; a man desperate to free himself of the fear and terror of this world. A man desperate to free everyone of the terror of this world. ”Rest.” he said quietly as she finished kissing him. ”We will leave when you are ready. A new life is waiting for you, Amaranth.” he said, raising his hand to the dark skin of her cheek and gently caressing it with his thumb.

Morning sprung up like fresh spring flowers from the bright green grass. The cold weather was over, it was very nice and warm in the mid 80's. Amaranth as usual, was curled up by Samuel's sleeping body as their new born infant slept near Pywhackette, sucking at her thumb. Dreams for filled that child's head, her future, her parents, to unicorns and mythical creatures.

Suddenly, Amaranth awoke to October's cries to be fed. She groaned as she pushed herself up from Samuel's warm body, her eyes groggy, hair a mess. She wandered over to their child and gently scooped her up into her arms, rocking her. The Drow once again, untied her gown, pulling out an offered breast to feed her.

The child took her offered breakfast and began feeding upon her mother, while glancing over to her still sleeping father. The horse muttered as he woke up at the sunrise. Amaranth turned around to greet him with a smile as she nursed her baby. Her eyes widened, only slightly, when her hands felt the child's shoulder blades. Bumps?

A frown portrayed her dark lips as she scurried over to Samuel to wake him up, "Darling, it's time to get up..." she said softly. "And there's something wrong with October, she has bumps on her shoulder blades. Please, check it out..."

He woke slowly, his dreary eyes looking up at Amaranth uncertainly. He had yet another dream during this rest, but this one was more bizarre than the unnerving dream he had previously. In this dream, he was sitting in the Wilwarin Pub in Lómëdor. The pub was very crowded with virtually every inch of the room taken up by some random faceless body. Samuel was standing in the middle of this crowd, seemingly without physical form, as people just walked through him as though he wasn’t there. He tried to run and escape the Pub, but he couldn’t move. He was stuck on the spot, unable to speak or contact anyone in any way. He was an immobilized ghost. That was when Amaranth’s calls had awoken him.

He heard what she said, but it didn’t really register for a few moments. He rubbed his eyes and stretched, taking in the crisp morning air. And then he thought again about what she had said: bumps on the shoulder blades? That was impossible. It didn’t make sense. He sat up and leaned forwards to Amaranth and October. He put his hand to the child’s back and stared with a bemused expression as he felt the bumps. There was no mistaking what they were.

”But I… I lost mine. If I don’t have them, how does she? It doesn’t… it doesn’t make any sense.” he mumbled out, in a slight state of shock. He looked up at Amaranth, whom he realised at this point must be incredibly confused as he had yet to explain anything. ”She has wings. Well, she will have wings anyway.” he said, once again looking down at the child’s back.

”Give it a few weeks and they’ll come through. They’ll hurt her a lot at first, I’m sure, but they will be worth the pain.” he said, nodding knowingly. It still didn’t make any sense to him though. He had the blood of an angel, yes, but he did not have wings anymore, so why did she? Why didn’t really make a difference though; the only thing that mattered was that she did. He got to his feet and looked around at the forest which was a lot mistier than it usually was, despite the fact that it was warmer. He didn’t like this at all; he felt exposed and vulnerable, not being able to see any of the surrounding areas. ”Are you ready to leave? If so, we depart soon.” he said quietly, suspicious that someone may be listening in to his words from the hidden areas around them.

Clearly, it was part of the genes of Samuel's that was given to his daughter to cause her to grow wings. Since his fallen off, wasn't that a possibility? For his child to carry them out? October cooed when Samuel held her in his arms, bonding eyes gleam so beautifully into his own orbs. She whined when she was given back to her mother for safe keeping.

Amaranth suddenly felt the same feeling Samuel was experiencing - the feeling of being stalked or watched. She quickly ran to their horse, newborn child in her arms to gather her things, "Samuel, quickly!" she called out, "I sense something!" she went by their sleeping place by the giant tree and snatched the blankets off from the ground and ran over to pack them in the back pack that strapped to the horse. She then, grabbed the bucket of water they had collected for putting out the camp fire, dumping it all over the flames.

"Pywhackette, come now!" she called for her pet and within an instant, the cat came dashing out from the woods, he had been searching for breakfast and he looked very scared. There was no doubt now that someone or something was in there watching them. Amaranth couldn't climb up the mighty steed because she was still a bit weak from the birth and carried October in her arms. "Samuel, come!" she called, "We're ready! Hurry!"