122 The Elemental Lord

The huge bird glared icy daggers at the reunited couple, the pale beak opened and a snarl of rage, very unbecoming of a bird erupted from it. Stavros' form rippled as the large bird creature shape-shifting into that of a tall thin man, a cloak of feathers shrouded his thin frame. His hair was an icy blue and hung around his shoulders like a lions mane, while a neatly trimmed goatee framed his thin lips. Eyes like sapphires glared at Xing Lei, "Pluck my ass? Filthy little vermin, this is the home of the Elemental Lord! You were doomed to die an ignoble death the moment your pathetic reptilian blood dared desecrate its halls!"

Xing Lei launched himself across from Alustriea's bed, leaping at the cloaked man, "Well your lordship, this could be the halls of heaven itself, for the crime of stealing my wife I'm still going to beat your pompous feathery ass!"

As the two men began their discussion with fist and claw Alustriea sighed and shook her head. This day had been coming, she knew her husband would come for her, but she had not expected it so soon! She had far too much on her plate what with mastering her cultivation, fighting the dragons, fighting her sister and now pulling these two apart before they wrecked everything. With an exasperated sigh the spectral form of the woman kicked off the blankets giving them one last, long, forlorn look before rising and moving to a near by dresser to change.

Behind her, Xing Lei and Stavros were exchanging punches, the large transformed bird proving it was not new to fighting in the form of a man. His long finger nails clawed at Xing Lei's muzzle, reaching for the eyes whenever he fought through the reptiles guard yet his opponent was slippery, like an eel, twisting around to hammer the bird mans ribs and face, the latter sending Stavros into a flurry of screeching rage when a lucky strike saw one of the bird man's teeth burst from his thin lips.

Xing Lei wasn't winning though, as strong as he was, his techniques were more for a mid range fight, not thus shameless, almost feminine, way of clawing at him. Stavros' way of battle was so suspect that Xing Lei had even risked a rather shameful knee below the man's belt just to confirm if this was indeed a 'man'. Stavros had twisted to avoid the strike, even swiping his own clawed fingers across the kobold's midriff tearing four bloody lines across the leathery belly. Oddly enough Xing Lei found this lord to be insanely strong despite his sissy like appearance, easily matching and responding to his strikes.

As the pair tumbled across the floor doing everything but biting each other, the third occupant of the room sat at a vanity, combing her long white hair. Watching Xing Lei briefly she lamented the loss of the wheat coloring of her locks but had to admit the stark white was rather impressive. Once again she watched the two brawling across the floor, more due to Stavros who was more avian than man but still, the pair seemed oblivious to her presence. Grumbling she set her brush down on the vanity with a loud CLACK that sounded out above the cursing fighters.

"Well now, if you've got that out of your system maybe we can sit down and figure out what to do." Alustriea said casually rising, picking up a tiara and slipping it through her hair, the large sapphire glittered at her forehead as its magicks amplified her words that rolled over the pair of dead locked brawlers.

Extracting himself from Xing Lei's clutches, Stavros hurriedly swept before her dropping to his knees with a flourish, "My apologies mistress! None may sully your bed chamber under your stewards gaze, I was only teaching this vile intruder his place before your greatness!"

Xing Lei rubbed his hands across the claw marks marring his body glaring at Stavros before looking to his wife, "Mistress? Your greatness? Wife! Explain."

Stavros' head literally turned on his neck, almost like an owls as the man snarled at Xing Lei, "Barbarian mind your tongue in front of the mistress! Soil her with your foul thoughts again and I'll..."

"Stavros! What did I say?" Alustriea's voice was like a whip that made the bird mans head snap to face the right way, his cloaked body trembling as he meekly replied, "Mistress has asked this lowly steward to not turn his head back on because its unnatural in this form? But mistress he was..."

Alustriea sighed and stroked her face, rolling her blue eyes. "He is acting like a man who had his wife stolen away and finds her now in the company of another, even if that other is an over grown feathered idiot. Stavros, go prepare morningfast for us, bring it to the study, Xing Lei...husband... please follow me, I know you desire answers and you are due them."

Crossing the room Alustriea swept through the ice blocking the door like it wasn't there, snapping her fingers and shattering the obstruction, in its place a sheet of rippling water showed a more corporeal Alustriea waiting in the hall, "Please step through, the elemental plane of ice is not for you Xing Lei."

Watching as Stavros resumed his bird form and took wing through the window, Xing Lei turned to follow Alustriea, passing through the watery doorway made a shiver pass through his body, but once on the other side he could see Alustriea whole and hearty, her spectral form replaced with flesh and blood. Smiling at him, she took his hand guiding him to the opposite door, leading him into her study. For the first time in a long while the howl of the icy plane was absent, replaced by the soft creak and crack of the building around them.

Having passed through the watery sheet, Xing Lei knew he was elsewhere, but what had really affirmed it was the stillness of the air not to mention the difference in the keep itself. Gone were the worn, aged materials of the old stone keep. Instead everything around him, from the bricks to the support beams was made of shining ice. The study into which he had been lead, had ice bookshelves and a desk made of ice. Oddly enough the seats, books and carpet that lead to the desk were normal. Glancing around Xing Lei opened his maw to ask but Alustriea shook her head, "Not yet Lei, let's wait for our food before we discuss what happened, you must be hungry after all."

Xing Lei shook his head, "More hungry for answers than food, with my current status I can sustain my physical body purely on my cultivation alone." Alustriea sighed giving her husband a withering look before settling behind the desk to look over some papers. He watched her curiously, other than the physical changes something else had changed within his wife, she no longer seemed as conflicted and more driven in her movements.

Starvos was not long in reappearing, pushing a small trolley in front of him, a platter with steam rising from the edges of the silvery cover sat serenely on top. Pushed beside the desk, the bird man whisked away the cover revealing several plates of food, mostly bacon, eggs and fruit. Putting together a plate the man set the dish within reach of Alustriea before moving behind her and clearing his throat, "Lady, your morningfast."

Alustriea blinked glancing around, plucking what looked like an apple and bit into it, "Thank you Starvos, please prepare one for my husband as well, no need to be rude."

Starvos frowned sidling around the mistress and haphazardly set a plate for Xing Lei, unlike Alustriea, his plate had the greasier looking pieces of meat, the smallest bits of fruit and not the slightest sign of egg. While the kobold ignored the birdman, his gaze instead focused on his elven wife who was still looking over a parchment and biting into another apple. "So..."

Alustriea sighed setting down the papers. "I can't explain the destruction of our house. Starvos indeed initially kidnapped my body. Somehow that mantra you taught me connected my soul to his and he over powered me, I do apologize for attacking you and Osilliaice. As for since then... we've come to an understanding of sorts. I have in short wrested power from his talons and become the new Elemental Lord of Ice. Sadly this has lead to being in a position where I'm solving problems he created."

Xing Lei glared at the man to the side, "Why not reject the lordship? Return with Osilliaice and rejoin our family, doesn't seem a hard choice."

Slussighed rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Of course it looks simple to you Xing Lei, you've only cared about your cultivation. Our lives fall a distant second to that apex goal of yours. Truth be told, had we simply walked away you'd have watched and did nothing, no, it was my 'kidnapping' that spurred you to tracking me down wasn't it?" The very air around them was dropping in temperature with each word she spoke, her cold blue eyes narrowing as she finished and looked with disdain upon the kobold.

Xing Lei narrowed his yellow eyes, "The road of cultivation is a road of loneliness, one must put everything into the self to succeed. While we do take dao companions... husbands or wives as the case may be, it is only those forge in a life time of life or death battles that truly last until the end."

Alustriea snorted sitting back and looking at her husband, not the least surprised by his claim. Steepling her fingers as she leaned on the desk she looked at Xing Lei evenly. "So finding me was not mission but mere chance hm? Were you even searching for me? No, of course not. Little Alustriea has gotten herself kidnapped again, she'll be fine... right?!"

Gasping suddenly her hands gripped at her waist as she buckled forward. Both Xing Lei and Stavros reached to aid the pained elven woman then stopped and glared menacingly at each other. Tears in her eyes, Alustriea breathed deeply fighting back against the pain as she slowly rose revealing her bulging belly. "Even now, too caught up in your own pride to see what is in front of you. Leave Xing Lei. Osilliaice attacks the tower in an hour or so, flee back to your mate, I will have naught but this to remind me of our past."

Xing Lei's head snapped to the side looking at the obviously pregnant elf with wide eyes, "Mine?"

Alustriea snarled, frost creeping across the floor towards him, "Yes, but never to be tainted by such a father! I will tell him or her of you when they come of age to judge for themselves, but I'll not expose my child to your selfishness! Always is it with you Xing Lei, only your path matters! I'll not let you harm my child with your callow heart! I shall not be a second Leaf Dancer!"

Turning her head ignoring the angry glare of the kobold she swept her hand aside, "Stavros, eject my former husband from these halls, I will not see him again, am I understood?!"

Stavros swept into an elegant bow, "Yes Mistress!" Before the steward smiled widely looking upon the fuming kobold. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way reptile. I do so hope you chose the latter."

As the two closed on each other Alustriea glanced over, "I am not replacing you with Stavros, Xing Lei. He is an ice phoenix, the epitome of the cultivation manual you gave me. While I'm sure the great Xing Lei raised such birds as we would common chickens, that was your old life, this life you will ultimately die under his claw. Out of our former relations, and for the sake of the life in my belly I will ask you to withdraw, peacefully. Go back to sister, live your lives together, forget me."

Turning to look out the window behind her Xing Lei growled under his breath, he could hardly refute her logic, a bird beast so infused with magic was ultimately his bane. He could fight... and win... but the resulting battle would like take the life of Alustriea and his unborn child! Glaring at her back he turned to leave spitting out a final remark, "I will be back Alustriea, I cannot force you to remain by my side but the child is of my blood, he or she will have their father!"

Alustriea's head bowed as Stavros ushered the kobold through the door, her words a final nail in the coffin of their relationship, "No, you shall not. When I finish here we shall return to the plane of ice, until they learn to traverse the planes, your child will never know you. Good bye Xing Lei."