A Protector

It was two years before they returned to Nora's small house. Two years of traveling in which Marcus played the part of protector for Teril. They had stayed with Karson for two months before beginning their travels. As Vail grew bigger Marcus would take any chance he could for the two of them to go out hunting.

Marcus used these hunting moments to hone his skills. He had learned a little about fighting from his parents before Teril had taken him away. These were the skills that he practiced and expanded on. As time passed the two of them became close and Teril found himself becoming close to Marcus.

They spent most of their nights talking, mostly Teril talking about his life. He answered a lot of questions about what becoming a vampire was like. At some point Teril realized that he wanted to pass on his bloodline to Marcus. He has existed for so long, having an heir would be a good thing.

"Oh, my, look how big you've become in such a short time."

Nora greeted them as they walked up to her house deep within the swamp. Marcus had, indeed, grown quite a bit. He was almost as tall as Nora, a fact that was obvious when they hugged.

"I've been working hard, auntie Nora! Vail and I train every day."

Teril chuckled and patted the boys head, "Every chance they get they're out hunting small game. When he's not out hunting he's exercising."

"I hope that you're still taking time out for fun."

Nora and Teril embraced and all three walked into her house and settled at the kitchen table. Vail followed close behind and curled up to sleep at Marcus' feet.

"It's important that I get stronger. It's my job to protect my father."

"Oh?" Nora raised her eyebrows at the word.

Marcus grinned and it lit up his face, but it was Teril that answered Nora.

"We've had a lot of time to talk about it. Marcus is interested in becoming a vampire and I've explained that it would mean he is my child if he does."

"I have a human family and a nonhuman family. Master Teril is my father, then I have you auntie Nora and uncle Karson."

"I think that you would make a great vampire. You do know that that would make you a prince, right?"

Marcus had a confused look on his face. He hadn't really thought about that part. He knew that the vampire he now protected was a vampire king. He hadn't connected the part where he would be a prince.

"I forgot. That's a lot."

Marcus let out a long sigh and looked down at the hands resting on his lap. Am I truly worthy of being a prince? It had taken him a long time to decide that he wanted to be a vampire. His time spent with Teril had shown him that vampires weren't evil. While traveling with Teril he had met a lot of supernatural creatures, creatures that his human parents had told him were evil. None of them had caused him harm and had instead welcomed him.

When he looked back up his eyes were full of determination.

"I will do my best. I won't dishonor my father or my new family."

"No need to be so serious about it, dear, you have my brother and I here to help you. I'm sure that Karson is willing to lend a hand, too, if you were to need it."

"Oh! Uncle Karson gave me a necklace. I can fly now!"

Marcus pulled out the stone that was hidden under his shirt. Teril had made certain he kept it hidden while they were out traveling. It would have caused unnecessary issues if others had caught sight of a dragon stone.

Nora leaned across the table and carefully inspected the stone. When she was done looking she sat back with a smile.

"I see. That's a special gift there, dragon's don't give out stones to just anyone. Karson must really like you.

Teril laughed, "I'm pretty sure that Karson is more smitten with Marcus than you are. This child is quite the charmer."

Nora gets up and prepares a bowl of stew and hands it to Marcus.

"Now, young man, I expect you to eat all of that and go to bed. The rest will do you good and I will keep an eye on Teril for you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Marcus happily dug into the stew then made his way to her bedroom. He was happy to have a bed to sleep in. Most of the time they never ventured near a village or city so he slept outside more often than not.

Nora cleaned the dish and put it away before she rejoined her brother at the table. He was watching her, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say.

"Have you started to look for a new protector? If you're going to choose the boy you will need to start his training soon. You can't do that if he's by himself."

"I may be out of touch, but I'm not stupid, Nora. We came here for that reason. I was planning on staying here until I'm able to find someone that fits as a protector."

"You're in luck because I might know of someone."

"Really?"

"I saw his future when he arrived here two years ago. I know enough that I'm not surprised about this development and have been looking for someone to help you."

"Why am I not surprised?" Teril sighs and leans back in the chair. His sister has always managed to be several steps ahead of him.

"You know, most of the time I feel like you're the older sibling and not the other way around. You manage to be ahead of the curve and take care of me."

"Someone has to. You haven't been good about taking care of yourself since…"

Nora looked away, unable to finish her sentence. They both knew what she was talking about. Teril felt the familiar pain in his heart rise up as the old memories resurfaced. He had loved only once and it had ended tragically. When she died the best parts of him had died away. At least, that's what he had believed.

Teril found himself looking towards Nora's room where the child was sleeping. Teril knew that the child had found a way to repair some of the damage of the past. It would never fully heal, but he had slowly begun to heal.

"I've found that having the child around has helped me heal a little. It's a strange thing to say considering how long it's been. If Bailey and I had been able to have a child together I'd like to think that he would be just like Marcus."

Nora looked up in surprise. Not just at his words, but at the fact that he had used her name. It had been thousands of years since she died and this was the first time he had used her name.

"I'm glad, I truly am. I have felt you slowly slip away all these years. It would be nice to have my brother back."

"Now, onto less depressing things. Who is this person that you think would make a good protector?"

"A werewolf moved in nearby a few months after the two of you left. We've become friendly enough that he will talk to me. He has quite the tragic story.

"His name is Dagan. Some years ago he stepped down at the alpha of his pack so that he could be with a human. He lived with his wife peacefully for many years, they even had a child together.

"The village they lived near discovered that he was a werewolf and came one day to kill him. He was out hunting when they arrived and the humans killed his wife and daughter. When he came home and discovered this he flew into a rage and ended up killing the entire village. When he left he found himself here and has been hiding out since then."

"They killed his human wife and child? How old was the child?"

"She was only about three years old."

Teril looked at his sister with bright eyes from anger and sadness.

"Why do humans have to be so ignorant? The werewolf gene isn't passed when they have a human mate. His daughter was just as human as they were."

"Humans tend to fear what they don't know. We've been hidden for far too long for them to know such things. I fear that there will be no way to bring our two worlds together."

But Nora held hope that things would change. She had seen the path that had the greatest chance to change everything. The boy was slowly moving towards that path and she can't wait to see the great things that he will accomplish. Maybe one day he will be able to make a place for himself in the world of gods.

"I will go and see him come dusk tomorrow. It is too late now to go, and I would like Marcus to go with me."

Teril could feel that dawn was close and didn't want to rush himself when he went to talk with the werewolf. He was curious, though, about the werewolf that would throw away his place as pack leader to live with a human.

*******

As soon as the sun sank below the horizon Teril and Marcus set out to where the werewolf was living. Teril followed Nora's directions and found a tent setup in a bare patch of land, a fire pit had been built a few feet away.

"Greetings."

Teril called out. He didn't want to catch the werewolf off guard and cause issues.There was movement off to the side and a man walked into sight. He was several inches shorter than Teril, but what he lost in height he made up for in bulk. His brown hair was wild and down to his shoulders and his well tanned face was covered in a beard.

Teril didn't need Nora's story to tell him that this man had given up. He could feel it in his aura, in the lack of care in his appearance. What Teril saw before him was a man who reflected his own pain and loss.

"Greetings stranger."

"I am Teril, brother of the Blood Witch."

The man's eyes went wide and he went down on one knee, bowing his head.

"It is an honor to meet the great king. I am Dagan."

"There is no need for such formality. Stand."

Teril walks closer, Marcus stays by his side. Dagan stands as they move closer. He makes an attempt to straighten his clothes then gives up when he realizes that nothing will make him look like anything but a wild man.

"What brings the king to my humble abode."

"I have come to offer you a job."

"My lord, I don't have much to offer. I barely even have the will to get up most days."

Dagan looked away. What could he, a man who has given up on living, really do for a king. Most days he barely functions. The only reason he hasn't died yet is because of the instincts of his wolf half. He has already come to the conclusion that he's too much of a coward to end his own life.

Teril steps forward and places a hand on Dagan's shoulder. The werewolf looks up at him, surprised that a king, a legend who lives within the realm of the gods would touch someone as lowly as himself.

"You have your life to offer, do you not? Become my protector, commit your life to guarding me."

"You have to fight me first! I won't let you take my job so easily."

They both turned to look at Marcus who had stepped forward. He was eyeing both of them, hand on his small sword, certain that Teril was trying to get rid of him. Vail moved to stand beside Marcus and growled.

Teril laughed and moved to Marcus' side, his hand moving to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Be calm, child. How can you eventually become my son when you are also my protector?"

"Father!" Marcus' eyes immediately become bright with unshed tears and he hugs Teril. He had been certain Teril was trying to send him away, like he had almost done two years ago while they were staying with Karson. Hearing that Teril meant to turn him into a vampire made him happy.

Teril turned to look at Dagan as he comforted the child.

"I also need help raising this child. I do not understand how to deal with one so young, and because of that he's run wild. I need someone who can teach him manners, someone who isn't as out of touch as I am about the world. It is far in the future, but one day this child will become my heir."

Dagan knelt down again, "I would be honored to serve as your protector. It would be a tragedy to miss the birth of the vampire prince."

Marcus stepped away from Teril, wiping the tears from his face as he moved. Is it really that big of a deal that father makes me a vampire? He glances up at Teril who turns to look back with a smile on his face.

"You may not understand at this moment, child, but it is a momentous occasion for me to choose you as my heir. I have never created another vampire, never passed on my bloodline before. You will be the first, and most likely the only one."

Teril walks over to Dagan, he takes the offer wrist and draws out the werewolf's blood. Once he's taken enough blood he seals the wound then makes a cut on his own wrist and offers it to the werewolf. Once the blood has been consumed the two are now bound in the same way that Teril and Marcus are bound.

"Come, let us return to my sister. I'm certain that she's ready to gloat."

Marcus helps Dagan pack up his camp and the three of them return to Nora's house. She immediately sends Marcus to bed, then turns her attention to Dagan. She makes the werewolf clean up and hands him a stack of clean clothes before he leaves to comply with her orders. Then it's time for her to gloat.

"He will make a great teacher for Marcus, and a protector for you."

Teril shakes his head as he sits down at the kitchen table. His sister is stirring a pot of stew and preparing a bowl for when Dagan returns.

"I'm going to assume that you read his blood."

Nora laughs, "I read everyone's blood, Teril. Ours is the only one I cannot read, though I will admit to the fact that I don't want to read my own. No, Dagan is the right choice. So long as his path intersects with Marcus, Marcus' path will lead him to his greatest potential.

"It's more of an instinct on my part that I feel having Dagan and Marcus around will help you heal."

"I'm not sure where to go from here. I have so much to teach Marcus, a hundred years may not be enough for him to learn it all."

"Start slow, begin with the basics. Stay here for as long as you can. I can expand the house to make room for the three of you. It will be nice to have some company and it will also give me a chance to teach the child a few things."

"I see how it is, you wish to corrupt my heir with your magic."

Nora moved to the table to set down a bowl of stew, as she did an empty bowl that sat on a shelf raced out, towards Teril. He caught it right before it would have hit his head. Teril's eyes gleamed with mischief as he threw the bowl at Nora. The bowls trajectory changed halfway to her and returned to the shelf.

"You should just take your punishment and let the bowl hit you. Accusing me of corrupting your heir. Hmmm, my magic will help round out the child."

They were both smiling at that point. It had been a long time since they had fought like that and Nora was happy to see this side of her brother after so long. Marcus had given her back her brother and she would give the child as much as she could to further empower him, even if he were to turn on them in the future. For this moment, it would be worth it.

There was a knock and they both turned to look at the front door. Dagan had turned from washing up. He had brushed his hair and shaved, coupled with his clean clothes he looked less like a beggar and more like a warrior.

"Come in, I prepared you a bowl of stew."

"Thank you."

Dagan came in and closed the door then made his way to the kitchen table. He sat down and made short work of the food.

"My sister has offered us a place to stay for as long as we need it. I plan to stay here for a couple years before resuming my travels. Once Marcus has a good foundation it will be good for him to see more of the world."

"He's not human, is he? I didn't get a proper read off him to say for certain either way."

"No, he is a hunter. Not just any hunter, but the child of a chief which means he was the offspring of the strongest hunter. He's smart and incredibly strong for his age. Nora has further enhanced his abilities by giving him a blood sword and a hellhound. He even has an ability gifted to him by the dragon god.

"He is quite spoiled."

"He is spoiled, but once you get to know him you'll understand that he hasn't let it affect him negatively. He has a strong will and sense of justice."

Dagan couldn't help but smile as he listened to the siblings talk about Marcus.

"I look forward to getting to know him better. I promise that I will prove myself worthy of the job you have given me. I will protect both of you with my life and will do my best to help raise a worthy heir."