Chapter 8

"I believe that this is a sign that the world as we know it is about to change."

Wulfric's mind started racing. 'What do I do? This isn't something I know how to handle.'

"So, what do we do?" asked Markus.

"I believe the best thing is to let the relationship evolve as naturally as it can. Give her time to adjust before you tell her. Wulfric, how are you handling all of this?"

"As well as I can."

"How much time are you spending with her?"

"We go on a walk, just the two of us, every day."

Madam Rochel nodded, "That should be fine for now."

"You mentioned that there are methods that allow couples to be away from each other for more than a day. Do you know what they are?" asked Markus.

"I'll need to go to carriage for that, though I'll need some help."

"Of course." Wulfric went to his desk and rang the bell.

Knock. Knock.

"Enter."

"You rang, Your Grace."

"Yes, can you escort Madam Rochel to her carriage? There is something she needs help retrieving."

"Yes, Your Grace. Madam Rochel, if you could follow me, please."

Madam Rochel got up and followed Kranston out of the room. When they were gone, Markus and Wulfric sat in silence. Both thinking. After some time, Markus said, "I will do everything I can to help the two of you. I won't abandon you on this matter."

"Thank you, dear friend. You have no idea how much that means to me. I just… I just have so much to process."

~~~~~~~~~~

'Wulfric, what am I going to do with you… I'm grateful Madam Rochel was able to get here as quickly as she did. I can't imagine trying to handle this without her guidance.'

"What do you think she meant that 'the world as we know it is about to change'?" asked Wulfric, interrupting Markus' thoughts.

"I… I don't know, honestly. Madam Rochel has her moments where she can be cryptic. Though you could ask her and she might be able to explain what she means."

"I'll do that then."

They both sat in silence for awhile waiting for her to return. Eventually Madam Rochel returned with Kranston trailing behind her carrying a small trunk.

"You can set that down by the table, dear."

Kranston set the trunk down and left. Immediately, Madam Rochel opened the trunk and started pulling out books, more books than it looked like the trunk could hold.

"Is that a magic trunk?" asked Markus.

Madam Rochel turned and winked at him.

"Of course not, Loter. Why would a little old lady like me have such a thing." She said with a chuckle. "Ah, here it is."

She pulled out a thick, ancient tome with no title on it. She sat down and quickly started looking through the pages.

"Loter, can you put the books away for me please." She directed without looking up from her reading.

Markus got up and started returning all the books back into the trunk.

"Ah, here it is. 'Though Imprinting in and of itself is extremely rare, it is even more rare for Imprinted couples who have been together over five years to be able to spend more than a few hours apart without causing severe physical and psychological pain. After speaking with the Erterwin's, a Dwarfish Imprinted couple who had been together for seventy-five years, I was able to learn some of their methods on being able to stay apart for more than a few hours. They started off by spending less and less time with each other, and when they were together, they spent as much time physically connected than when they were together all the time. There is some belief that Imprinting mainly has to do with the physical connection of the two parties involved, that is why over time the colorful markings become more intertwined with each other. Though the process may seem easy, they both explained that it was something they had to strenuously work on for over a decade. This once not something they started on at the beginning of their relationship. One of the queries they had was if they had started working on staying apart at the beginning of their relationship, would it have been as painful for them to be apart? Unfortunately, there is no known Imprinted couple that started on this from the beginning.' Hmmm. There's not much here. Pity. Unfortunately, that's probably all the information we are going to get.

"So according to the book, physical touch would allow them to remain apart for longer periods of time." Stated Marcus.

"It seems so. At the precursor phase of Imprinting, meaning the first five years, the couple become obsessively attracted to the other. This can lead to them never wanting to be apart from the other for more than a few minutes. Unfortunately, the precursor phase can predict the trajectory of the relationship."

"I'm sorry, but I don't fully understand why it is important for Lyra and I to have to remain separated for long periods of time." Interrupted Wulfric.

"Your Grace, think of it this way. If you and Lyra were to become completely obsessed with each other, it is possible that someone would use this to take advantage of you. It can also cause both of you to become deranged. There are stories of Imprinted couples who became extremely obsessive and ended up destroying the world around them." Replied Madam Rochel.

"Oh, I did not think of it that way."

"Of course. There's a reason that many species are so overprotective of their Imprinted couples. They want to prevent bad things from happening."

"So then what do I need to do?"

"I would keep going at the pace you are going. The intimate walks will keep the physical touch part a bay for a little bit. While I'm here, I will try to come up with a strategy to help the both of you."

"Thank you."

"I will also give Loter all of my research and books on Imprinting."

"You will?" exclaimed Markus.

"Yes, you will get more use out of them now than I will."

Markus smiled.

"What other questions do you have for me?"

Wulfric paused for a moment before he spoke, "What did you mean by 'this is a sign the world as we know it is about to change'?"

Madam Rochel smiled, "I believe it is a sign that the near taboo subject of interspecies relationships is about to change. Say if you two were to have a child, that child would be part Vampire, part Elfish, and part Human. There is no known record of a child like that ever existing, and with the power that you hold as duke, it's possible that it could change people's perspectives."

"So they really could become a force to be reckoned with." Stared Markus.

"Absolutely."