The King Of Sorrow

Storm Sapphire stood at the edge of the dance floor, her eyes glimmering with crystal of uncried tears. She felt the rise of music, in her bones, a grandiose waltz, the rise and fall of the notes as couples swirled by heady in the magick of a midnight dance. She wished she could leave the floor and take the carriage home, to where she could rid herself of the worthless frippery and frills, wash her face, return the gems to the safe and retire to the peace of her bedroom. The only thing that kept her in this room was her Lady mother, who was at this moment enscouced with her cronies, sizing up the bachelors of the season. Storm knew she was not a diamond of the first water, yet to be unclaimed even for a single dance, she must have set some kind of ton record. She had begged her mother that at her advanced years, she quit the endless parties and resign herself to the country cottage and follow her dream of writing, yet her mama ever hopeful, still got the modiste and the Sapphire family diamonds, again despite the larger dower amount another season was drawing to a close. It wasn't that Storm did not seek to be married, she ached for the romance and giddy happiness her friends had discovered but somehow she was always glossed over in conversation and courting. She was tired, if she took the Sapphire carriage, before the mid-night buffet, it would be here well before her mother decided to leave and being the daughter of a Duke, Storm knew the staff would inform her mother of her departure. She crossed the floor and was in her carriage as the waltz reached its zenith. Hanson her fathers man, helped her to the closed buggy, and she could finally cry. Her tears finally free of the confines of the public ballroom, came fast and with shuddering sobs. Storm vowwed that this would not happen again, she wouldn't dress up in ridiculous lace dresses like a prized idiot when she knew the outcome. As the carriage drew closer to Dunchapel Manor, she privately burried all her fantasies of chubby baby cheeks and wise male shoulders, Storm told herself that she would never let herself feel this empty again. Suddenly the carriage lurched to a stop,' Hanson' Storm sat up at once alert, the manor was a 20 minute carriage ride from the ballroom, they should not be stopping yet. Storm poked at the little window, elegantly emblazoned with the Sapphire crest, ' Hanson!?' Storm was worried, highwaymen were not common in London city, she drew of the famed Sapphire diamonds and hid them under the carriage seat. She listened for any sounds of a scuffle, any gunshots, she prayed Hanson was all right, he had been her father's man since her childhood. She finally heard the sounds of footsteps followed by a strange high chittering, Storm turned her head toward the carriage door, she expected a pistol even a dagger. She did not expect him. He stood taller than the carriage as he stooped to look in at her. His hair was as a crows wing, shiny black perfection, his face was covered in skin so palely perfect that a million ton beauties would commit murder to have it. The puncuation of his dark brows rested above eyes of ice blue, so pale they were almost white fringed in black lashes long as her own. His face was planes of perfection and Storm was silenced by his silent regard. She reached over to her bare arm and pinched! It hurt and a small red spot bloomed on her arm. This was real, however beautiful he may be, he probably just murdered poor Hanson, and was about to do that or worst to her. She began to calculate her options, she would never outrun or over come him, her best option was to cooperate and appeal to his better nature. Storm put her gloved arms in the air and waited for him to speak. She was done with crying and determined not to die! He regarded her with his ice eyes and opened the door motioning her to dismount the carriage. She began to move forward as her ridiculous dress would allow. As she neared the steps, the silent highway man offered her his arm like a gentle man, should she wish to dismount. As Storm left the carriage, she began to look for Hanson, he was nowhere to be seen. Storm was scared now, if only she had seen Hanson unconcious at least, she assumed he was dead. Tears began to run down her face, she was battling hard not to run screaming into the night, Storm noted that the night was strangely dark, the gas lit London night, was gone completely dark and a strange mist swirled around her feet, hugging the ground. Storm looked to her silent captor: 'the Sapphire diamonds are in the carriage, you may take it and leave, I will tell no one of this night or your face' Storm looked at his impossibly beautiful face as his hair danced in the breeze, she would never forget his face but she would never speak of it. Storm waited expectantly keeping her eyes on the rest of the shadows, hoping he had no bloodthirsty mates. ' You think I come for riches, you are mistaken Lady Sapphire' Storm was shocked, he knew who she was, her heart began to beat faster and tears were rolling down her cheeks. ' You know who I am!' Her highwayman regarded her with warm amusment!? Amusement, Storm was confused. ' I know more than your name Storm Sophia Sapphire, I know that on your fifth birthday, you were sent a jet stone larger than your fist and your mama wouldnt let you keep it, I know that on your seventh birthday, you felt sure a raven spoke to you but no one would believe you, I know on your fifteenth birthday, you found your bedroom filled with thousands of purple roses and no one could explain whence they came, I know in your 21st year, a beautiful black mare was at your door with the little black pearl necklace you wear even now tied to her saddle and despite your being an expert rider your mama never let you ride this horse, Serena is what you called the horse is it, Lady Storm? Storm was shaking, those were details of her life she never told anyone, strange things had happened to her yes, but she had always assumed she had an eccentric great uncle some where, who her mama didnot like who had done all of the things to make her mama sometimes weep and sometimes look terrified. ' Who are you?' Storm looked at the man who stood in front of her, his shoulders covered in some sort silver metalic armour, from whence flowed a cloak, he looked like a Banbury player with the great broadsword he wore yet he emitted a deadly aura of danger, Storm could not understand how he knew all this about her. ' My name is Doyle of the Dark, I am the King of Sorrows and I come for you!' Storm almost laughed aloud, 'the King of Sorrows? There is only one king in the this england, do not presume a title will cow me, my father is a duke!' Storm may have been afraid and unsure but she would not be bamboozled by a charlaton! 'No he is not, your father Lady Storm is the high lord Ameron of the high Fae court, your mother made a deal with the fae Lady Storm, she wanted a beauteous son, and Lord Ameron most beautious of us all obliged, in return for her perfect glorious boy, your mother promised us, that her second child by Lord Ameron, would return to Faerie. You were meant to return at your 21st year on Serena as your mother well knew, yet she tried to keep you from us, so now I am sent to look to you and return you to the fae courts.' Storm felt herself grow breatheless, this could not be, her tall blonde father, who called her princess and visited her every night to say goodnight was not her father and her mother knew. ' I know my father, he is the Duke Sapphire and what is this talk of fae, I am no green girl, to be taken with talk of childhood fancies and Byronic poetry!' He looked at her sharply at this. ' Then tell me Lady Storm, have you never found strange things happen around you, like the plants around your manor blooming in winter snow, or animals who seem to trust and love you, what about how when you are sad, it seems to rain, how when you smile, the suns seems to awaken, have you never seen things through the corner of your eye and wondered what they were?' Even as he said them, she knew his words were true, her tears instantly brought rain, her father need not keep a greenhouse for he had her all she need do what touch a tree and talk to it a little and it would bloom and flower as never before. Her mother had called her a greenfingers, Storm often saw things she could not explain, she would turn but never see them full on, her mother had dismissed her waking visions as a lively fancy. Storm looked up at this man who claimed to be the King of Sorrows, and finally gave in to tears she felt her self sway and as she knew she would his arms reached out to steady her. Everything she ever knew seemed a million miles away from her, she was not a Dukes daughter, not a Sapphire and her mother knew. Storm felt Doyle's heartbeat, as he drew her closer to him, she stood still as she found herself now firmly in his embrace. ' It is not so bad, Lady Storm, you are a princess among our people and your mama was only trying to protect you as she saw best' How did he know that was what had struck at the heart of her, his words seemed to answer her questions before she asked them. She drew up her head and looked at him, in his icy eyes, ' It was my fae father then that sent me those things?' At this Doyle seemed to draw back from her, his hand slid of her waist to his sides and Storm felt suddenly cold. 'It was not Lord Ameron my lady, it was I that sent you those things' Doyle was not meeting her eyes as he had since the beginning of the night. Storm looked at his face, where his magnificent eyes looked stubbornly at the ground. ' You, but why? ' He hesitated for a moment, ' I sent them because you are mine, your father promised you to me and I have watched and waited even when you cried frustrated that no one chose you, wanting to tell you that I chose you' His words seemed to linger in the night air and permeate her skin. 'You chose me? Storm wondered at the beauty of the King of Sorrow, and now he was looking at her, in his eyes Storm saw the gaping hole she was sure the world saw in hers. His hands, which she was sure had held sword trembled as he drew it up to run a finger down her cheek, and in that moment Storm felt her heart bend a little, she turned the curve of her face into his hand, and managed to smile at him. Storm was surprised when in response to her smile, he drew his hand away and turned from her his cloak billowing as he turned away. ' Lady Storm I am the King of Sorrows, I am not a high fae lord, I am king of the darkling throng, and all things return to my court to face the consequence of their actions before moving on. I do not have light and I do no have a court of brightness and revelry as does your father, Lord Ameron gave you to me to keep my sword and my people in alliance to him, but I would not bind one as yourself to me, Lady Storm I free you, you know the truth of your provenance and I will honor my treaty with you father, go and live your life and be forgiving of your mother, she would protect you for she loves you. Later Storm would come to realise that it was in this exact moment that she fell in love with Doyle. He could have come swooping down upon her like a nightmare even as a mere mortal he could have taken her by force, given his fae warrior nature, he could have overpowered her and gone but he was letting her choose, he was giving her truth. She assumed he had magick but she knew instinctively he was not employing it against her. Storm walked around him, till she was facing him again, 'where is Hanson?' 'I put him to sleep, he is most protective of you Lady Storm. I shall wake him and he shall not remember me' Storm looked at Doyle, his eyes glowing, and his face like an angel carving. She knew this would be a defining moment of her life, she could go back to her old life, live the rest of her days as an old maid writing and keeping house for her mother or she could go with Doyle. 'Is laughter forbidden in your kingdom, is it like the Churchs vision of hell?' Doyles looked at her with hope so apparent in his eyes that Storm knew instantly, here was a man who knew the definition of alone. ' It is beautiful in its own way, I will not lie, the wicked are punished but the good enjoy paradise, laughter is not banned, I just haven't had cause to laugh much in the years travailed.' Then even softer ' I miss laughter'. Storm reached down and placed her hand into his, her small hand dwarfed in his massive grip. 'Then take laughter back' Storm smiled up at him, it was time for her grand adventure, her giddy happiness, her handsome stranger! Storm imagined Doyle in the ballrooms of London, the women would swoon he was that beautiful and what amazed her more was his choosing of her, he had watched her as a child, seen her become a woman and still gave her credit for being able to choose her own fate. Doyle still looked unsure, Storm reached up to touch his magnificent hair. ' I am choosing to go with you' Storm watched as wonder transfixed his features, he drew her up and swung her in the air, Storm caught her breathe as he soothed her hair back ' I have watched you and waited, hoping your fae nature kept the human suitors away, afraid of what I would do to the man smart enough to fall in love with you, Storm I know the lines of your body when you dance, your laugh, your tears, I have watched your kindnesses and seen your heart break all the while aching to tell you to take you' Storm could not shut her eyes as he descended to kiss her she was afraid she would open her eyes and find she had been dreaming! He held fast to her as if he were afraid she would vanish, as she watched he motioned to the shadows and from the mist appeared ten mounted men on winged horses, they were all magnificent but to Storm none more beautiful than him, one them deposited a softly snoring Hanson inside the carriage, Doyle smiled as he lifted her onto the mount and Storm felt her tummy lurch as a warm rush of blood suffused her face, as the horses took to the sky, Doyle turned to his man and gave instructions for word to be sent to her mother. ' Now my Lady, wonders await you' 'I have awaited wonder all my life, Doyle, oh and Doyle do I have to be the Queen of Sorrows? She felt his shoulders shake as London dissapeared beneath them, his laughter booming in the cool night air, ' You can be anything you choose, just be mine' Storm felt her self smile against his muscled back, her happy after had only just begun