Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul

Disclaimer: Most of these are not my characters they belong to J.K. Rowling. I’m just borrowing them.

Summary: Harry is soul bound to a half Fae.

Rated : NC-17

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Chapter 11: Something to fight for.


Harry found himself in the woods where a hidden grove held the entrance to the Seelie Palace were the Seelie people will meet to watch the ‘right of passage’ of his loved one, Erin. He was officially invited by the Queen herself, Erin’s mother. He wouldn’t have been allowed to watch if it was otherwise. Harry feared for Erin’s safety but there wasn’t a thing he could do to keep her safe. Her ‘right of passage’ was to be combined with that of the duel of her brother. Erin must prove she had fae magic but to compete with her brother was suicide as he had much more experience than she, as well as had the opportunity to be raised fae. The third strike against her was that her brother was immortal, he can feel pain, but he won’t die from any strike she would give him. Erin was walking into this blind as she didn’t even know what powers were normal for a fae.

“So explain this to me again.” Harry asked.

“We are in a hidden grove; in this grove is an entrance to the fairy ‘mound’. Within this mound is the palace. It’s all underground and is magical. We can’t see it since we are mortal and have yet been escorted in. Once that is done, then we will always be able to see the entrance.” Erin said looking around for their escort.

A man walked forward. He was taller than Erin but was delicate in stature. He was obviously Fae. He had long auburn hair that reached his mid back and he had deep brown eyes, eyes that seemed to have a second ring of color around the brown, hazel possibly. He seemed small but once you were up close to him you saw the strength in his posture and the solidness of him. He had mussel under his black tunic and a sword at his hip. His eyes had a hit of hardness that showed the evil that he had seen in his life. As he approached, his eyes softened.

“Hello, my name is Rowan and I have been selected to be your escort.” He said. Apparently, not all the Seelie had to be fair. “It’s nice to finally meet you Erin. I was close friends with your great Aunt and then I was chosen to be one your mother’s private guard. Keep in mind that you can’t trust everyone you meet, but you can trust me. I will put myself in arms way to keep you safe. I swear this to you.”

He was elegant in his words and this made Erin smile. “Rowan, it’s nice to meet you and it would be nice to have those that I trust to be with me.” Motioning to Harry she said, “This is Harry Potter, a wizard, he is to join me.”

“Ah, so you are the famous Harry Potter. It pleases me to meet you. We are not always ‘aware’ of the human world but since the last war of our kind we have been forced to be aware of the Wizarding one. And I am ‘very’ pleased that you defeated Voldemort since he was the one behind our last war with the Unseelie. The Seelie and Unseelie fight with each other often, but not normally with such vengeance.” Rowan paused in his speech. “Come, it would be safer if we entered the mound.”

Harry held onto Erin’s hand as Rowan escorted them to the ‘mound’. Harry pondered the thought that Rowan was a survivor of the Seelie/Unseelie war that had occurred when he and Erin was only three years old. And, as he was a friend of her great Aunt, he must be old indeed.

As Harry entered the palace he saw that it was completely done in marble, with high walls and a ceiling made of marble as well. Harry looked up and noticed that the walls itself glowed. There was no other light source to be seen. It was all very impressive since the grove itself was magically hidden from the mortal eye.

“We are to meet with the Queen first before the duel. Her chambers are this way.” Rowan said as he escorted them down the elegant hall. Just as they walked about five feet down the hall, two Fae men approached them.

“Rowan, the Queen asked us to join you to ensure Erin’s safe passage.” One of the men said. To that Rowan nodded his head once in agreement.

Harry and Erin looked at each other nervously as they continued to be escorted by Rowan, with the two other guards walking behind them.

As they approached what he assumed was Heather’s chambers, Harry noticed two more guards’ men wearing black tunics with swords at their hips, standing just outside of a large wooden door.

Both fae men had long blond hair but the man on the right had blue eyes while the other had green, both had an outer ring of color to their eyes just as Rowan had. In fact Harry noticed that every Fae he came across was fair skinned and had blond hair. Why is it that Rowan was not? This question bugged him and he hoped to have an answer to that before the day was out.

“Enter, the Queen is expecting you.” The man on the right said as the other opened the door for them. Only the three of them walked into the Queen’s room, leaving the other two guards’ men outside.

The sitting area was elegant, decorated in gold and white. There on the couch sat the Queen Heather, Erin’s mother.

“Come, I’m glad you have arrived safely. One can never be too careful.” Heather said as she stood to hug her daughter.

~'

When the time had come, Harry and Erin were guided into an arena of sorts, somewhat similar to the Roman Arena, where Harry was escorted to sit near the Queen. Erin was taken to the center of the arena which was a few levels below the audience. Harry felt the magic that was not but a few feet from him, a shield of sorts to keep the magic separate from those watching the duel. Various daggers and swords covered the walls along the lower part of the arena. The Queen explained that these weapons were available for the contestants to use against each other.

“This is it, Harry.” Heather said as she took a deep breath showing her nervousness. “This will be quiet a show for you.” She smiled weakly. “Keep in mind that you can not help my daughter in anyway. If you do you will cause her to forfeit the duel and you already know the consequences of that.”

“Yes, I understand.” Harry said with a pained voice and a worried look in his eyes.

Harry knew all to well that her brother declared that if Erin lost the duel, he was going to take her life. Harry was almost sick with worry as he saw her brother, Rhys, enter the arena. He looked tall compared to Erin, but you saw the similarities of them, both with their blond hair and fair complexion.

Rhys had a smirk on his face as he approached Erin. “So, my long lost sister came. How surprising. I figured you would be a coward and hide from me.” Rhys said as he looked at his sister disgusted, but still impressed with her beauty. She looked as innocent as he was evil. He had a moment of lust just before shook himself out of his thoughts to see to the task at hand.

“So, you are Rhys, my half-brother. Why are you so afraid of me?” She said as she kept her distance from her brother. “Only someone with fear would be so quick to call a duel with one that just discovered her magic.” Erin felt the needed to taunt Rhys as it was obvious that he saw her as a threat. Just maybe it was more than just keeping his status as ‘heir’ of the throne.

“Is it the throne you fear of loosing or do you feel that one day I could become more powerful than you?” She asked taunting him further.

“Insufferable brat!” Rhys said. But he didn’t get to say anything further as the Queen stood up and said with a booming voice. “Begin.”

Rhys magically called upon a dagger from the wall of weapons. He tossed it right at Erin and she quickly put up the invisible wall that she had used the very first time her magic had come to her, causing the dagger to bounce off. Rhys was surprised but it didn’t stop him. He quickly tossed another dagger at her other side. Erin slowed the dagger’s approach and grabbed the hilt with her hand and threw it at Rhys with all her might. Rhys easily dodged it with a wicked smile.

“Well done sister dear.” Rhys said just before throwing a ball of fire at Erin. Erin threw herself to the ground, but not quick enough. She still felt the fire singe the hair off her arm.

Rhys quickly followed the ball of fire with another dagger from the wall where Erin stopped it with a flick of her hand and with a wave she tossed it back to Rhys. Again, he was surprised but he blocked the dagger easily.

“So, you prove to be more of a challenge than I thought. Shame you’re my sister and a threat to the throne.” Rhys said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Erin was disgusted. She knew exactly what he was implying. Ewww.

Rhys suddenly put out his hand and dowsed Erin with water, startling her. She wasn’t expecting that. Rhys laughed at her expression.

His next move proved to be more fatal and from behind Erin, a dagger was thrown and it hit her in her thigh. Erin cried out in pain. She bent down and removed the dagger crying out again and dodging just in time before her brother stabbed her with a different dagger into her other leg.

Erin started to breathe heavily as she started to panic. She just didn’t know what to do. But at the same time, she knew that she couldn’t last all night blocking blows and taking cheep shots. She was mortal and every wound hurt. At some point she was going to have to take some offensive moves. But what, she had no idea.

Soon enough, Rhys got tired of the game and sent a sword straight into his hand and approached Erin. Erin knew that she was in more trouble now. Backing up, she stumbled on her wounded leg, almost falling. He was so much taller and stronger than her. There was no way she could physically fight him. She quickly brought up some magic deep within herself and forced it at him. She was surprised to see that he almost fell.

Rhys was quick to follow up with another dagger from the wall and aimed it at Erin from behind. Luckily, his aim was off when he put it in motion, as he was in the process of catching his balance from her last blow. Unfortunately, it still hit Erin in her arm making her cry out in pain.

Harry had been gripping the arm of his seat all along trying to control his desire to help Erin. But, he just couldn’t sit still any longer. Rhys was cutting Erin up badly, first in her leg and now her arm. He could clearly see the blood flow freely from her wounds. He saw the pain and exhaustion flash in her face. He called out to her and she looked him in the eyes. Harry saw Erin’s expression had turned to fear.

Erin looked at Harry and was afraid that this was it. But as she thought of loosing Harry, she stood up taller with determination. She couldn’t loose now and be forever separated from Harry. She had forgotten what she was fighting for. Damn the throne, she thought to herself, Harry is who she was fighting for now. She couldn’t allow Rhys to take her life and separate her from her love. She suddenly got truly angry and the anger shook the ground creating large cracks in the dirt floor. That same anger also brought on the air that surrounded her and it flew her hair about.

Erin looked back at Rhys causing him to take a step back as he saw her eyes glow red. She pulled the dagger out of her arm with only a grunt and tossed it to the ground angrily without taking her eyes off her ‘brother’.

Rhys still had the sword in his hand and approached Erin with more determination of his own. Rhys saw that Erin was loosing a lot of blood and knew that her strength would leave her soon.

As Erin saw Rhys approach she narrowed her eyes. She took a fighting stance, putting most of her weight on her good leg and reached out her hand causing a sword that was against the wall to fly into her hand. She flinched slightly as she almost dropped the sword and discovered that she had to hold the sword in both hands in order to wield it properly. But as Erin gripped it with her other hand, the blood flowed quicker down her wounded arm, almost causing her grip to slip. Erin called upon the wind again allowing it to dry the blood on her arm and hand, giving her a firmer grip.

As soon as Rhys was in front of Erin he tried to swing at her, but the wind element was so strong that the blow intended for her upper body, bounced off as if he had hit a solid wall. Rhys stumbled back against the blow giving Erin an opportune strike and she took it, stabbing him in the stomach.

Rhys bent over double and fell on the ground. Erin kicked his sword out of the way and looked down at him pointing her sword at his neck.

“I am giving you an option that you wouldn’t give me.” Erin said looking down at Rhys with angry eyes. “Do you yield?” Erin asked breathing heavily as she tried to keep control of the heavy sword.

Rhys was angry that he had lost and was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak. He just shook his head yes.

Erin looked at Rhys’ man that was standing at the entrance to the arena and spoke to him. “Take your master away, this duel is done.”

Above the cries of the crowd, the Queen spoke. “Erin has proven to have Earth and Air elemental magic’s. And, she has proven her strength in battle as she still stands after two wounds. Her right of passage is complete.”

Unable to stand much longer, Erin dropped her sword and called upon the fairy in her, bringing forth her wings yet maintaining her adult body. Flapping them in her adult form, she flew to Harry. With a wave of her hand the barrier between Harry and the arena diminished and she flew into his awaiting arms. Erin called her wings back into her just as she landed to prevent them from becoming damaged.

A woman approached them and Erin barely acknowledged that the woman was her mother’s personal healer. Willow was her name and she was beautiful with jet black hair and black eyes.

“Queen, we must take her to your quarters. She has lost a lot of blood.” The woman said. Just then Erin fainted.


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