Copyright © 2000: The characters in here belong to me. All rights reserved. No part or whole of this work may be copied or used in any shape, form, or manner whatsoever without the author's express written consent. If you want to use them, all you have to do is ask ? nicely.
Violence Disclaimer: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their aftermath. Bit more graphic than usual (enter, stranger, at your riske - here there be icky bits), but readers who are disturbed by or sensitive to this type of depiction may wish to read something other than this story.
Love/Sex Warning: This story depicts a love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live - move along, move along, nothing for you here ...
Major vote of thanks to my ever patient beta readers Foreva Xena and Diamonddog for taking valuable time out to read this. Without their support this would still be an idea floating around in my head. BTW, please remember to feed the bard ?
Prologue
Head bowed, Sunstar allowed memory to come flooding through her, remembering the glowing blue eyes, her source of strength bound to the simple promise not to let any harm come to her. Out here, she spoke to Nightshade on the wind, telling her of her pain, unable to let her spirit go. The piercing grief that had haunted her every waking moment had passed, but it had been replaced with a pain so deep she knew she would never recover.
Suddenly, she looked up, interrupted deep inside by a sensation she could not name. She looked all around at the trees, receding into the darkness, broken heart beating solidly and steadily as it had for so long. Quietly she got up and went to the trees.
"Nightshade?" she asked softly, heartbroken, aching. "Please Nightshade, you promised to follow me. Please I am begging you, come back to me. I can't live without you."
Concerned, her guard came to full alert, silently following the Princess into the night.
Following her heart and her inner senses, she approached a thick, ancient tree, seeing a flash of dark cloth. Eyes tearing, she watched it become more solid as a tall half elf stepped into view, glowing blue eyes liquid with tears, an ugly red scar winding down her sculpted features. Without missing a beat, Sunstar blindly threw herself forward into the strong arms, senses filled with the sweetly feminine scent of the half elf, mixed with an indefinable essence that was purely Nightshade.
Feeling her fears recede, heart filling with joy and love and a sweetness so profound it hurt, she gripped the half elf tightly. It was Nightshade, Nightshade who had promised to protect her, Nightshade who had held her, wiped her tears, brought her home, and now made her whole again.
Nightshade held her tightly, reveling in the sensation of the vibrant body pressed against hers, that she had missed so much, arms encircling Sunstar with an intensity that was almost painful. Her dark soul was brought forth into the sun again at the acceptance and love she saw shining clear in the emerald green eyes that looked up into hers.
"Sunstar," she said softly, velvety voice caressing the Princess, streaming into her, healing her damaged soul.
"Is it really you Nightshade?" Sunstar asked, broken voice cutting through the half elf's heart. "You're not a dream?"
"Yes, it's me," she said softly, lovingly. "I promised to protect you and follow you, and I'm here now."
Sunstar could wait no longer. Slipping her arms around Nightshade's neck, she breathed in the whole womanly, feminine scent of the half elf, and pulled her down to claim her lips in a deep, soul-healing kiss. Nightshade instantly responded with fiery passion, holding her close, supporting her, until they broke for air.
"I love you Nightshade," said Sunstar simply, trying to calm her wildly beating heart, senses fuzzy.
"I love you too," said Nightshade simply. "I couldn't stay away. I had to take just one more look at you."
"Please don't leave me again, Nightshade. I've already proven to myself that I can't live without you."
"I am with you now," said Nightshade, smoothing the tears away from the elven Princess. "My life is empty without you. I have seen some of the sunlit world, but it means nothing without you."
She leaned down again, and kissed fresh tears from her soulmate's eyes, working her way down to the soft lips, claiming them again, sparks flying all the way through her once dark soul, the fire of Sunstar's love burning brightly within her.
"How did you survive?" asked Sunstar. "When Windwalker went looking for you, all he found was the fallen King. You and Hemlock were gone."
Nightshade looked down into the familiar green eyes that had haunted her every moment since she had first seen them. "Hemlock couldn't use his teleportation spell with your people so close, so he dragged me off into the bushes to wait for them to leave. I was unconscious but recovered a lot faster than he thought I would. He will trouble us no more." She remembered wrapping her fingers around his neck with contemptuous ease, robbing him of the power to chant, eyes bulging as her strong fingers stole his life.
"Why didn't you come to me earlier?" asked Sunstar.
"I couldn't. I had to learn to begin to forgive myself for some of the things I had done before I could come to you again."
Sunstar looked at her, every inch of Nightshade's beautiful face burned into her soul, joy overwhelming her.
"I love my family, make no mistake," said Sunstar, reaching up to trace Nightshade's scar with a gentle hand. "But I know what living without you is like, it's no life at all. I can't live another day without you, and I'd give all this up in an instant for you."
"Your parents will never accept me," said Nightshade sadly, wanting to go with Sunstar for all she was worth. "And you can't give this up."
"Then they will have to learn to live with it, because I need you, and I won't have you leave me again."
Those words cut into Nightshade like nothing else had. The guilt of her past still occasionally overwhelmed her, but she had met new friends in the outside world who also had accepted her, helping to find forgiveness, and had persuaded her to go home to her beloved Sunstar. Still gazing at Sunstar's face, she smiled gently, eyes glowing a soft, pure blue, love shining brightly in them and in her heart. She made her final decision.
"I will never leave you, unless you cast me out," she said.
"That will never happen," said Sunstar, kissing her again, tasting her. Then, "We had better go back to my home and finish this, because I don't know how much more I can take."
Nightshade burst out laughing, a full rich sound, joyful. Sunstar slipped from her grasp and took Nightshade's hand, knowing she would never let go again. The elven guard encircled them, relaxing, following them as they began to make their slow way back to the elven city. Nightshade and Sunstar remained close to each other, hands entangled, each enjoying the closeness of the other.
They began to walk back towards the Forest Elf city, Shimmering Moon, hands entangled, guards trailing behind them. The moon was bright enough for the forest elves to see by comfortably, the trees of the forest standing straight and tall in the velvety darkness. The elves barely left any marks of their passage, the wildlife sleeping undisturbed under the canopy of the starry night sky. The honor guard of elves followed their mistress and her lover silently, ever alert for signs of the drow. The Princess's oldest bodyguard, Jarrod, moved ahead of the small party, to ensure their passage would be smooth.
Sunstar revelled in the closeness of Nightshade, her warm hand, solid strength, and silent presence, her promise of safety held above them, knowing the half elf would never allow any harm to come to them.
After her return home, Sunstar had looked deep within herself, not knowing if Nightshade had felt the same way about her. Profound, aching regret that she would never have the opportunity to ever tell her had always been foremost on her mind.
Those fears had now vanished. Nightshade was with her. Nightshade had come back to her. Nightshade returned her love deeply and passionately. It was almost a dream, and every now and again, Sunstar would sneak a look at her beautiful lover, as though to assure herself that she was, indeed, awake.
Nightshade gave her gentle companion one last quiet and sympathetic look. Wordlessly, she nodded, and gently squeezed the forest elf's hand, the action speaking louder than her words ever could. She loved Sunstar with all her heart and soul. While she had been out in the sunlit world, she had vowed never again to sully the young elfmaid's life with her own dark presence, but every moment of her existence had been haunted the ghost of gentle emerald eyes. Her friends had brought her tortured secret out of her, and her last promise to follow Sunstar. Nightshade could not be persuaded by any means to reveal her love to the Princess, but her friends had convinced her that she should honor the promise she'd once made. She did not, they said, have to tell Sunstar of her love, but she could at least visit and show Sunstar that she was alive and well.
So she'd made her way to the Forest Elf lands, some inner sense drawing her to the spot from which Suntar had been taken so long ago. She'd seen the young Princess kneeling on the ground, head bowed, distress showing in the taut set of her shoulders. She'd only meant to briefly show herself, ensure that Sunstar was in good health and happy amongst her people, then leave with a minimum of discomfort to all concerned. But that had not happened; before she was fully aware of what was happening, Sunstar was in her arms, and they were irrevocably bound together by their mutual love.
Now they were on their way back to her homeland, and though they had sworn they would never leave one another, there was the small matter of Sunstar's people to deal with. They would never accept a half elf, let alone one that had been raised by the drow, was by blood a half drow.
Sunstar loved Nightshade with all her heart, that was true; but she already knew how her father would react to the half elf. Her Father! She could already hear what he would have to say on the matter.
"Sunstar, she is a drow. You know first hand what they are like! How could you? You would be much better off with Windwalker." His vivid green eyes, so like her own, would flash and bore into her, making her feel no older than a six year old elfling.
Well, that would not happen. Sunstar would not allow her father to gain the upper hand in this particular struggle.
"Sunstar," asked Nightshade quietly, feeling Sunstar's hand tighten in her own. "What is the matter?"
Sunstar looked deep into the calm pools of blue, almost missing a step in the forest path. As always, Nightshade was there to catch her. Sunstar smiled, a small, sad smile.
"I'm just thinking about my father," she said softly.
"I thought so," responded Nightshade. She gently held up their entwined hands. Sunstar's knuckles were white; staring ruefully at them, Sunstar privately winced at the possibility of having causing her lover discomfort.
"I don't know ?" she began, not sure what to say that would not upset the half elf. "It doesn't matter."
"Actually Princess, it does matter," came a smooth, masculine voice from behind her.
Sunstar's internal eyebrows raised. Stopping, she turned to find the speaker. It was her oldest bodyguard, Jarrod, slipping back beside her, just returned from scouting ahead to make sure that the forest was safe for them to travel through.
"Yes, Jarrod?" asked the Princess, unconsciously raising an eyebrow, Nightshade standing behind her so their bodies touched, watching him closely.
The tall elven scout looked down at her earnestly.
"That is a drow. Your father will not be pleased," he said firmly.
There was a hissing intake of breath from the Princess. She snuck a quick glance at her lover, who showed no sign of reaction to the elf's words. Sunstar knew that Nightshade's hearing was the keenest of any she encountered, and that the half elf must have had heard him. Not one hour into her new home, Nightshade was already subject to prejudice and unkindness. Sunstar felt her temper begin to flare.
"My father will be pleased at my choice. He is a good father in addition to being a just ruler. He has always wanted the best for me anyway," she said, hoping she would not have to reprimand Jarrod.
"That may be so, but this is a drow. You have first hand knowledge of them. They are brutes! No more than animals!"
Again, Sunstar cast a sidelong glance at Nightshade. Nightshade had given up the pretence that she could not hear them, and was now openly pinning the scout with her glowing sky blue eyes, her only sign of tension.
"Jarrod, that's enough," Sunstar said firmly, every inch the elven Princess. "You will show respect to the one who brought your Princess back to you unharmed."
"Unharmed? Brought you back unharmed? If you had not run off like a small elfling, these ? pigs would not have caught you to begin with!" His brown eyes, furious, bored into her, radiating hatred for Nightshade.
Sunstar pulled Nightshade close, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, and stared directly into his livid eyes. She felt her temper snap.
"Jarrod," she said coldly and quietly, "you forget your place. When I want your opinion, I will ask for it. Leave me alone before I say or do something you will regret."
Jarrod was now openly staring at Nighshade with pure malice in his normally calm brown eyes. Sunstar inwardly winced, anger burning almost beyond her control at the bodyguard.
The guards, who had been studiously ignoring the confrontation up until now, turned slightly to stare at the irate princess in shock. She was known for her even-handedness and gentleness, and this was completely out of character.
Barely bothering to snap a salute to his princess, the fuming bodyguard turned on his heel and left them. The mood of the guards had changed; there was a silent air of hostility directed toward the princess and her consort growing in strength. Sunstar did not care; she did not really need them now that Nightshade had returned to her.
"Let's continue," she said coldly to the rest of her retinue. They saluted her, their features expressionless masks, but they were still clearly ill at ease in Nightshade's presence. The group continued on through the forest to Shimmering Moon, an almost disrespectful distance between the guards and their Princess with her lover.
Nightshade remained expressionless, oblivious to the increasing beauty and magic of the Elven forest. Her grip on Sunstar's hand remained loose and relaxed, though her senses were fully alert for any signs of possible danger to her beloved Sunstar. At the first words of the bodyguard, a small ember of dread flared in her heart. She loved Sunstar with all her heart, that much was true, but the forest elves would never accept her as one of their own - they would always harbour doubt over where her loyalties lay, whether she would revert to the ways of the drow. She wondered how long Sunstar would truly stay with her.
"Nightshade," said the elven Princess softly. "Never doubt my love for you. I meant what I said: If my people will not accept you, then we will leave. I waited for so long for you, and I never want you to go away from me again."
It had hurt Sunstar so much to run from her beloved when the dark elves had found them. She had never been able to forgive herself for that and leaving Nightshade square in the path of danger. Then when Nightshade had been lost ? She took a deep, shuddering breath, unable to follow the train of thought that never ceased to tear open old wounds.
Nightshade smiled gently. "I love you Sunstar, and I promise never to leave you again."
Sunstar flashed her a brilliant smile. She knew the value of Nightshade's promises. She pulled the half elf to a stop, and slipped her arms around Nightshade's neck. Gazing deep into the gently glowing blue eyes, she slowly kissed the half elf deeply. Nightshade instantly responded, tasting the young elfmaid, dark heart completely lost to the saviour of her soul.
But the ember of doubt still smouldered deep within her.