Undying Love

by JD Penley

  His father came up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Leliana would have been proud of you today my son. You have shown wisdom and compassion far beyond your years, even for an immortal. You would make a fine king one day, but I sense you want to return home” he said with sadness. “Yes father, I’ve been gone too long. It may only be days for them, but it has felt like a lifetime here with everything that has happened. I must return home to properly attend to Leliana’s burial and break the news to Alice. I fear she will be devastated, as she and Leliana had become quite close” he replied as his expression began to show his sorrow. Eryn took his hand again, as Jaidyn took his other hand. “Will we see you again?” she asked. “It may be some time before I can return here, the pain is too much to bear right now. Perhaps you and Jaidyn can come to visit us on earth. We have more than enough room for the both of you and you could stay for as long as you like, and Jaidyn could play with Susan. I would like it if you came, but I will leave the choice to you, but it would mean the world to me” he replied. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. “I would have to pack a few things first. Give me a few days’ time and I’ll come to you, I promise” she said softly into his ear. He hugged his mother and father goodbye before conjuring a portal to take him home. He waved goodbye before picking up Leliana’s body and carrying it through. As his feet touched the ground back on earth, he knew his life would never be the same again.

  Six

  Darkest Days

  For Lucas, it had been 3 weeks away, but back home he had been gone only 3 days. As soon as his feet touched the ground he immediately dropped to his knees, and the gravity of the situation became real. He was alone once again, only this time there would be no surprise reunion, no second chances, and no returning from the dead. He had a whole lifetime worth of spells in his head and he poured through them all, hoping for a way to fix it, but he knew deep down that he couldn’t. Although he might have been able to find a way, he knew it would be selfish to try. Her soul was finally at rest, and after all she had been through, he couldn’t bring himself to try to bring her back. Had he not crossed her path, she would have led a normal life, never having to be turned, never having suffered, but she also would never have known the love he showed her. His heart ached, and he was lost in a sea of emotions. Suddenly he heard a voice as it got closer. “Daddy, is that you?” Alice asked. “Yes little one, I’m here” he said as he began sobbing. She could feel his sadness, and she ran to him. As she got closer, she realized the reason for his sorrow, and she fell on her knees beside him and put her arms around him. She knew what Leliana had meant to him, and she was at a loss for words. Although she had been her mother for only a short time, she had grown quite close with her and they had become family. “Daddy, what happened? Are you ok? What can I do to help you?” she asked with tears in her eyes. Her heart was breaking too, not only for the loss of her mother but for her father. She could not only see the pain in his eyes, but she could feel it. The air around him was much colder, and heavier than anywhere else as if he carried darkness with him, and she couldn’t comprehend how he could carry such a burden. She reached out to Krystal and she ran quickly to join her. They both held him in their arms and cried with him and for him. They sat for what seemed like hours before they moved again, and before Lucas finally got up.

  He set out to bury her out by the garden near her favorite roses, and Alice and Krystal stayed with him. When it was done, he returned to the manor and took a seat at the piano. As his fingers ran across the keys, a sad melody drifted across the manor, the melancholy notes and chords carrying the feeling of pain and sorrow throughout the manor. Alice sat beside him, trying to be strong for him, but even his music carried a sadness one could not escape. As Krystal made dinner for Susan, the notes reached her and she too found it difficult to deny the sorrow in the air. He played for hours, trying to rid his soul of the darkness that haunted him, but he could not succeed. He stood up and kissed Alice’s forehead, and excused himself. He headed to the library, hoping that solitude might help, but he found no comfort in those walls either. He walked the halls, and everywhere he looked was a reminder of her, and he knew he had to leave. He stepped out onto the balcony and stared off into the sky as if the stars were calling to him. He soared up into the clouds, hoping to find some measure of peace, and yet her memory still haunted him. As he flew through the clouds he heard a voice, and he listened trying to make it out. “Let go of the pain Lucas, don’t put up walls and let the darkness consume you. Open your heart and find happiness again for me” the voice called out to him. “Leliana?” he asked. “Yes my love, it’s me. I want you to let me go now, and find love again for me. Find your peace again, you must, for you made a promise” she replied. “Very well, I will do as you ask” he said. “Goodbye my darling, I will love you forever” she said, and the voice faded away. “I love you too” he whispered into the night.

  Lucas returned to the manor hours later and found that they had guests. His mother and father were waiting for him in the living room when he arrived. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “We came to check on you my son, no sooner than you had left darkness fell on the kingdom. Rain poured for hours, and the lightning and thunder were unlike anything we’ve seen before. I could feel the sorrow in the rain my son, and I knew we had to come at once” his father replied. His mother and father embraced him, hoping that they could somehow comfort him and ease his suffering. “I will be alright in time” Lucas said as he wiped away his tears. “Do you need us to stay with you son?” his mother asked. “No, I will be fine. I have Alice, and we have each other. Go back home, the people need you there” he replied. “Well at least let us send you something to help” his mother replied. “As you wish mother” he replied. He wasn’t sure if anything could help, but he wouldn’t deny them. They stayed with him for the evening and Alice prepared a meal for them. They all sat and talked for hours before the king and queen returned home. Afterward, Lucas and Alice cleaned up the kitchen and he retired to the bedroom for the evening. As he lay in the bed, every memory tormented him, every kiss shared together, every time they had made love, every country they had seen or called home, it all played back as if it were a movie. It was bittersweet, and it was then he realized that he needed to get distance from the manor for a while. He walked back onto the balcony once more and flew up into the sky.

  He was gone for days before realizing it. The change in the passage of time had given him a sort of magical jet lag. As he flew he followed the night, and he didn’t see the sun for days. When he returned, he could feel something different in the air, as if the air was warmer and lighter. As his feet touched the balcony, he wondered how long he had been gone. He could feel Alice and Krystal and Susan in the house by their thoughts, but there were two heartbeats in the house that he knew didn’t belong to the king and queen. He rushed through the manor, searching for the visitors, and as he made it to the kitchen it all made sense. “Lucas!” Jaidyn shouted as he ran towards him. “Oh, I’ve missed you!” Lucas replied as he scooped him up and hugged him. Eryn turned the corner and dropped everything when she saw him. She ran towards him and he put Jaidyn down just before she reached him and she leapt into his arms. “You came!” he exclaimed as he hugged her tightly. “I told you only a few days. Where have you been?” she asked. “Has it really been that long?” he asked. “You were gone for almost a week daddy” Alice replied. “I’m so sorry, the time passed so differently on Ebos, it’s like human jet lag” Lucas replied. “It’s alright, I’m just glad you’re ok daddy” Alice said as she hugged him. “I hope you haven’t been waiting for me too long” he said as he took Eryn in his arms again. “Only a day or so” she replied jokingly. He smiled halfway as he lowered her gently to the ground. “So, have they shown you the theater yet?” he asked Jaidyn. “No, they said we should wait for you to show us around” he replied. Lucas could feel his excitement and hear it in his voice. “Alice, I’m going to show them around. Could you fix them something
to eat for dinner?” he asked. “Yes daddy, and it’s good to have you home. I’ve missed you” she replied. “I missed you too little one. Sorry I was gone for so long” Lucas replied. “It’s ok, you’re home now and that’s all that matters” she replied.

  Lucas took both of their hands and showed them around the manor, showing them the library, and helping them get their things into the guest rooms. He put her in the room closest to him and Jaidyn just down the hallway, and he walked them to the theater. “This is where we watch movies together. We can watch one later if you’d like” he said to them. “I’d like that” Eryn said as she wrapped her arms around his and squeezed his hand tightly. He smiled to himself as he realized how right it felt to be around her, and how she made him forget all about his pain. As he was finishing showing her the manor she spotted the piano, and she remembered how he played when they were younger. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten how to play” she said to him. “Would you like for me to play for you?” he asked. “Would you?” she asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “For you, anything” he replied. He sat down and his fingers danced across the ivory keys and she sat down beside him. The melody he played was hypnotic, the chords and notes so beautifully intertwined that Alice and Krystal couldn’t help but be drawn to it. As she sat beside him, Eryn realized something was different, but she couldn’t stop listening. Alice and Krystal realized at once that it was something he had never played before, and Alice could tell something in him had changed. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard her father play, and she realized he was playing it for Eryn. She watched and listened to her thoughts and smiled at the revelation when Eryn realized that this was something he had never played before for anyone. Although his mind was like looking at a blank canvas, she could feel the warmth as she listened to her father’s thoughts and memories of Eryn as his fingers created magic through the melody.

  He played for what seemed like forever, but no one seemed to notice because it was as if they were entranced by his song. Eryn laid her head on his shoulder once more, and her heart fluttered as his song came to an end. “Daddy that was so beautiful” Alice said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I have never heard anything like that before Lucas, it was amazing!” Krystal exclaimed as she too had to dry her eyes. “Thank you for the song, it was incredible. Was that just for me?” Eryn asked. “Yes, it was. It just came to me and I just let the music flow through me” he replied. “It’s so amazing to watch you play, that much has never changed” she replied as she kissed his cheek. “Come, let’s take Jaidyn and go watch a movie” he said as he took her hand and Jaidyn’s and led them back to the theater. They were amazed by the massive movie collection he had and were overwhelmed with the choices available. Lucas picked an adorable animated film for them all to watch together, and they sat down as the movie started to play. Jaidyn crawled into his lap and Eryn snuggled up next to him holding his hand. When the movie was finished, they noticed that Jaidyn had fallen asleep on Lucas so they carried him carefully to his room and tucked him into bed. It warmed her heart to see Lucas with him, as he treated him like his own son. She was overcome with emotion as she watched Lucas bend down to kiss Jaidyn on the forehead after tucking him in. It was an indescribable feeling as she watched Lucas with him, knowing everything he had been through, and yet he still had so much love in his heart for her, and for Jaidyn. Lucas walked with Eryn hand in hand as he walked her to her room to say goodnight for the evening. He kissed her on the cheek and she hugged him tightly and they said goodnight. She watched as he walked down the hallway to his room and slowly opened the door and closed it behind himself.

  Lucas settled into bed and began to try to meditate hoping to find some measure of peace. He had hoped that Eryn’s presence would help ease his pain, but even the strongest of men can break. As he drifted into a sleeplike trance he began to relive the events of his trip to Ebos. It was like a living nightmare, from which it seemed he would not awaken. He cried out as he had to watch Leliana die over and over again as if someone put his pain on repeat and left him to suffer. His cries could be heard throughout the manor, and Eryn awoke from her sleep to the sounds of pain coming from his room. She bolted down the hallway and into his room and found him floating in the air above his bed, and she tried frantically to pull him down closer to the bed. She tried to wake him to calm him and after several minutes he was shaken from the trance. He crashed to the bed with tears in his eyes, and she could see the pain in his eyes. “Are you ok? You had me so worried Lucas” she said as she rubbed his arm and held his hand. “I never knew it was possible for a vampire to have nightmares, but it was like reliving the whole thing over and over again” he replied. “I’ll go back to bed now that I know you’re ok, I’ll see you in the morning” she said as she headed towards the door. “Eryn?” Lucas said. “Yes Lucas?” she asked. “Will you stay with me? I cannot bear to be alone right now” he replied. “Of course I will, I’d do anything for you. I am always here for you” she replied. She crawled into the bed beside him and snuggled close to him. He could feel the warmth of her body against his, and he could hear her heartbeat and he felt a sense of relief. He allowed himself to slip away once more, and this time the nightmares were gone. Instead, he saw Eryn, and Jaidyn, and he dreamed of a future with the two of them. She soon fell fast asleep beside of him, and she too began to dream of a future together with him.

  Hours later the sun came up, and the light filled the room. She woke up first, and was surprised to find that they were floating in the air several feet above the bed. She gently kissed his cheek working not to lose her grip on him for fear she may fall. He slowly came out of the trance, and he too noticed that they were floating in the air. He slowly lowered them down onto the bed and they both sat up slowly. “Did you sleep?” he asked her. “Yes, better than I have in a long time” she replied. “Do you sleep?” she asked. “No, I simply meditate until I reach a trancelike state that seems like sleep as I try to find peace” he replied. “Does it help?” she asked. “It does with you here beside me” he replied as he held her hand. “It seems that you are the only cure for what torments me” he said as he laid his head in her lap. “Then I shall stay with you until what ails you torments you no further” she replied as she ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned his head back to look up and into her eyes. “What if I wanted you to stay beyond that?” he asked. “What are you asking Lucas?” she asked. “What if I wanted you to stay here forever, to call this place your home?” he asked. He could hear her heart begin to race, and her thoughts began to go in several directions at once. She thought of home, and she thought of him. She thought of the time she had spent on earth before, long before everything became so advanced. She remembered all of the years she spent back on Ebos, and then she recalled the dream she had. “Perhaps it is time for a change” she replied. “Did you have the same dream as I did?” he asked. “I’m sure you know the answer already” she replied with a laugh.

  They got up and headed to the kitchen, where he fixed her and Jaidyn breakfast. He spent the day walking through the garden with her, reminiscing of their times together in their youth, and playing with Jaidyn. Although he still mourned for Leliana, it didn’t hurt anymore when he was with Eryn. She had a way of making everything better. His whole world could have been on fire, and all it would have taken was just a look, a touch, or a kiss to make it all go away. He spent every moment with her and Jaidyn, and every day with them slowly healed his heart. Two weeks had gone by, and to them, it was as if only hours had passed. They were sitting out on the balcony one night when Lucas noticed something was troubling her. “What’s on your mind Eryn?” he asked. “There is something I have to tell you Lucas” she replied softly. “You can tell me anything, you know that right?” he asked. “Yes, I know. There is something you should know. When I decided to come here, I had to make a choice. I could stay on Ebos and live forever, or I could come here as a mortal. Although I can return to Ebos at any time I w
ant, I will not be immortal” she replied. “You chose to be with me over living forever? Why would you do that?” he asked. “Because I love you Lucas, and Jaidyn loves you, and I’d rather be here with you than to live forever without you” she replied as she took his hand. “I’ve never had anyone do anything like that for me, Eryn. I don’t know what to say. I had always wanted a life with you, but I never thought I’d get the chance. I love you so much” he said as he took her in his arms. “So does this mean you’re staying with me?” he asked with tears in his eyes. “Yes Lucas, for as long as I live” she replied as she kissed him softly. “What if that could last forever?” he asked. “What do you mean Lucas?” she asked. “I can make you like me, and we never have to be without each other ever again. No more deaths, real or fake, just you and me forever” he replied. “So what are you saying Lucas?” she asked. “I’m asking you to stay with me, forever, and to let me love you and make you as happy as you make me” he said. “Lucas are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked. “More than I’ve ever been sure of anything. I thought I’d never love again after Leliana died, and that I’d be alone the rest of my immortal life. I should have known you’d never let me be alone. Now that I’ve seen how happy you make me, there’s nothing else that I want” he replied as he took her hand. He got down on one knee, and looked up at her with tears of happiness in his eyes. “Eryn, will you stay with me? Will you share this life with me?” he asked. “Yes! Nothing would make me happier Lucas!” she exclaimed as she leaped into his arms and held on tightly.