After The Storm [Brone]

[Serena De Lorme]

It was just a night later, after all that had happened to them. Serena had chosen when she awoke during the night to be placed in Brone's bed, as close to him as possible with him now taking care of his new duties. She only remembered bits and pieces from that horrifying morning, but she had been too tired to ask questions. Resting and feeding were once again her routine, and she found herself wondering in her sleep if she would ever get better and stay that way.

A hunger pain woke her from her current slumber, making her groan as she opened her eyes. Reaching out, she grabbed one of the bottles on the night stand and, happy it was already open, forced herself to sit up long enough to drink the sweet contents. She wondered where Brone was.

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone hated being woken up in the middle of the night. When he was trying to catch some sleep. he had been trying to calm his family, keep them from Keelin-just in case. Try and decide how exactly they would tell the common people, but they already seemed to have some idea that something was wrong. And of course a servant came into his room while he was asleep because some group of witches had killed a few vampires in the mountains. They ahd captured the witches and it was up to him how to sentence them, but by the time he'd gotten to the dungeon, they'd killed themselves, too afraid of what he would have done--they were expecting Vlad, who would have tortured them.

Brone returned to his bed, feeling even more tired than before. He saw Serena was up, drinking blood and he tried to smile. She didn't even know he was king yet, unless she'd figured it out, they really hadn't had time to talk about Tobias, or Keelin, or Vlad yet.

[Serena De Lorme]

Serena didn't know her love was king, at least she hadn't thought about it. All she knew or remembered was him whispering that his father was dead, but did that automatically make him king? They never talked about the traditions of his family, so she wouldn't have known just yet. And to be frank, him being king was the furthest from her mind at time time, just still getting over the fact they both nearly died when he came to save her. And having him back was all that mattered to her. She looked up when she sensed Brone coming back into the room and she smiled softly, even though she could tell something was wrong.

Putting down the bottle, she held out her arms towards him, motioning with her fingers just a little bit for him to come to her, to rest his weary body besides her own. Words weren't needed until they wanted to use them. All she wanted was to make him feel better, to comfort him once more.

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone continued to smile softly, walking around the bed so he could lay down again before putting his arms around her. He put the left side of his face against her right side. "I love you." He breathed into her ear, holding her as best he could with her large stomach in the way. Their baby. So many things were beginning, and it was time for a few things to end in their place.

Vlad was dead, so Brone could take over. The war had to end, to bring peace. Serena and his baby would make his new family, but he needed to stop fighting with the family he already had. Brone held her close for a long time, not saying a word, just needing to know that something was right in his life and despite everything, he had her. He hadn't lost her yet, but he had so much on his mind he wanted to share. Just so it was not his alone.

[Serena De Lorme]

Serena held him back as he held her, sometimes always wanting to laugh at how much their child was already trying to make its presence known. The side against Brone got a swift punch of hello, which made her take a deep breath as their cheeks touch, holding onto him that much tighter. "I love you too," she whispered back, hoping that words that held such a deep meaning to her, held some sort of needed comfort for him to hear once more.

They've been through so much, faced death and escaped its grasp many times before, and there they were, in each others' arms once again. Despite all her fears and doubts, she felt it in her soul that they were meant to be together. And she wanted to always be there for him, to do whatever she could, even if it was just being there for him to come back to. She pulled back to look into his eyes, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "Something's on your mind," she murmured, reading him without meaning to like she used to. "Tell me?"

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone smiled softly and took her hand in his, resting the other on her stomach, she could feel the baby moving, as if it was aware that both mom and dad were their with it. He imagined the baby was smiling. Serena could always read him like a book, and he figured now was just as good a time as any. "Well, during the time I was trying to find ways to save you--I befriended a witch in the mountains... It turns out she's half witch.... my half sister.... And I brought her here, having some notion she would help. She ended up killing Vlad--so I'm King, but for the people they'll have a ceremony...." He paused, knowing it would be so much to take in, but he wasn't even sure how to explain.

"And... I killed Tobias Serena... in your mothers study of all places." She shut his eyes, looking pained. He shook his head lightly. "I just ripped him apart... he said I was doing a better job of killing you than even he had... and I ripped off his arm and flung him into a wall, and just... I snapped his neck... and he just lay there, looking back at me....." Brone opened his eyes to look at her. "I don't know why i feel like such a killer, he deserved it....."

[Serena De Lorme]

All Serena could do at first was look at him wide eyed and silent. So much had happen in such a short time and it definitely was a lot to take in. But what made her pull him back close to her was the pain in his face when he told her he killed Tobias. There was relief in her spirit to know that he was dead, but she hadn’t wanted him to be the one to do it. There was a different feeling between killing an animal for food and killing one of their kind, even such a corrupt soul as Tobias. No words came to her quickly enough and she wondered if there was anything that she could say.

“So much has happened… And you’ve had to deal with it alone… I’m so sorry, my love…” she finally murmured after a moment, moving to kiss his forehead gently. Brone was now king, he had a new member to his family, and he killed someone. “I can’t imagine what you are feeling, and I wish I could… But you did what you had to in order to protect our family… Perhaps that will bring comfort in time… And he was wrong, you know. You weren’t killing me at all. You kept me alive.”

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone leaned in and kissed her lips. "You keep me alive." he said with a soft smile. She kept him sane and kept him believing. he had been through so much, but he had her, and that was all he really needed.

There was no room for doubt anymore. He was king. He had gotten Serena caught--he had been killing her. And Tobais deserved to die---and Brone had killed people before, witches, humans, vampires.... he'd never told Serena those stories, but they had never come up. He didnt know why this hit him so hard, but it did. But he had saved Keelin, and Serena and his baby. He had saved lives, and by ending the war he could hopefully save more.

"Thankyou for believing in me."

[Serena De Lorme]

Serena returned his kiss lovingly, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. They kept each other alive, were the reason they continued to go on, to live on. And to think they almost died for one another. Would they have been together on the other side? "No need to thank me. I will always believe in your my love. You gave me a new life. Twice now," she lightly teased, leaning back in to kiss his cheek.

In the end it was true, he gave her a new life by taking her from under the roof of her father's house, and they both were granted a new life by the light of the searing sun. And soon enough their lives would change once more when their child was born. However, she wasn't thinking about that, at least at that moment. She would be reminded soon enough when their child decides it wants attention. "Tell me about your new sibling. What is she like?" she asked.

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone smiled at her gently. They had so much time to live now that their biggest threats were gone, his father and Tobias. Her father couldn't touch them, and Brone was king now. He smiled. Their child would know a good world, at least he would know his father was fighting for a better world--or she, if they had a daughter-- He really didn't care the gender of teh child, he was just happy they were having one.

"Keelin, well she's rather comical." Brone said with a little grin. "She thought I was an angel when i saved her on the mountain top." he actually laughed and shook his head. "She cut herself on a rock and just sucks the blood away, and tells me she a terrible witch. She feels everything rather strongly, has a clear line of what's right and what's wrong---even if her perspective is a little blurred sometimes. I think you'll like her."

[Serena De Lorme]

ooc: sorry about my shortening posts. working on homework.

Even Serena had to laugh at that, looking at Brone with a gleam in her eye. "An angel, huh? Well she did get that right. Saving people in the night, in the day, a beacon of hope. Yup, sounds like an angel to me, my own dark angel," she winked at him, then closing her eyes as she felt their child moving around. "It feels like someone is anxious to get out... Maybe Keelin would help babysit so we'd have alone time. They can learn spells together if we have a girl." Even after everything she went through, she was beginning to embrace the witch in her blood. She had to admit, the brief time that she was practicing, she had never been happier. It was a new release to her, if only she had the strength to keep practicing, in more secure locations of course.

[Brone Van Estra]

ooc- no worries <3

Brone smiled softly at her. Another woman who thought he was an angel, high praise, but it made him feel good, he was doing something good with his life, something that counted, that mattered. He was saving lives, even if he'd killed at least one in the process. Tobias--and his fathers death was partly his fault, for bringing Keelin. But if he could go back, he wouldn't have done it differently.

He chuckled softly, putting his hand on Serena's stomach, feeling the baby squirm. Just how far along was she? Vampire pregnancies were not always very long at all. Was their child longing to get out. "If its a girl, you, Keelin and she can practice together, and if it's a boy, I wont be as hard on him as my father was on me." If they had a son, it would be the next heir to the throne. That thought almost blew his mind. Either way, they would be a family. The baby kicked against his hand.

[Serena De Lorme]

ooc: <3 lol Oh! Idea! I'll pm you!

Serena reached up and placed her hand over his on her stomach, making him rub the spot where she got kicked. Now she could tell that their child wanted out because its kicks were getting harder. Just last night their child was using her lungs for punching bags which made it hard to breathe, before moving around. "Maybe after this one is born, we'll work on giving it a sibling to play with. One of each. Though I'm not exactly liking being use as a training dummy..." she muttered at the end, making a face. It was all in jest, for she had a feeling that after all this, she would want to be pregnant again.

[Brone Van Estra]

Brone laughed. "We can give them as many siblings as you like, I certainly won't be able to keep my hands off you." he teased lightly. But they had forever with each other, forever in their primse, in top condition. And he doubted they'd really stop sleeping together--even with kids in the way. The idea of having a few was nice to him, he had so many siblings, not that his relationship with them all was very good, but there wasn't much he could do about that until now, he felt like he could change some things.

Brone chuckled softly and looked at her stomach. "You hurting mommy? Bad baby." He muttered softly, but the baby seemed to hear--and understand? It gave Serena's side another big kick right under his hand. He laughed and shook his head, maybe he should stop provoking his child.

[Serena De Lorme]

Serena grinned, poking his nose lightly. "Watch. In between you ruling our kind, you're gonna give me like ten kids to run around the palace and terrorize the servants." She stuck her tongue out at him before laughing at the thought. Maybe not ten kids, but she wouldn't mind having a few of them. She had always wanted a big family and since he didn't seem to object she just may get her wish.

At least that was her thought until Brone practically goaded their child into kicking her again, harder than before, making her let out a soft "oof". Then she narrowed her eyes at Brone and reached up to pinch his arm."None of that, mister. I already feel as if my insides are black and blue from all the excitement this little person has been going through." Probably any day now their baby would be born and it knew that. It also was a daddy's...whatever it was, she could feel it. That made her sigh. "It's going to love you more than me I can feel it. Already has you around its little finger."