Arianrhod's Vessel

right, just what i need. another fic to work on. but the bunny bit me... a slow, teasing thing that wouldn\'t leave me alone. so here i am, writing yet another fic. gods help me. i\'ll say up front that i don\'t own any of the characters contained with in, except for the moment one. she\'s entirely of my own creation and i hold rights to only her. the rest of them all belong to j.k. rowling and she is the one making all the money. not me. i only write for my personal enjoyment. and hopefully, yours as well.

a few things i wish to cover before diving into the fic. this will contain hints of sexual relations between a minor and an adult. this is strictly for the flow of the story. i don\'t condone such things and do not wish to seem as if i do. as stated, i only used it for the story and nothing else. please don\'t flame me for it when i\'ve warned you ahead of time. if the idea makes you feel uncomfortable, simply don\'t read. its as easy as that.

i don\'t think the first chapter will contain any kind of smut, but there will be some in the story eventually. just a head\'s up.

finally, if you find you enjoyed this, please let me know. thanks so much for reading.

Chapter One: Lost and Found
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\"M-m-master Malfoy!\" the small, beady-eyed man stuttered as he saw the tall, elegant blonde. His gaze flicked to the figure on his right and he quaked even harder. \"Master S-s-s-snape. A p-p-p-leasure to see you again. What brings you to m-m-m-my humble establishment?\"

\"We are here searching for a girl,\" Lucius replied, gazing down at the man in distaste. He didn\'t like Roger Finch. The man was slimy and opportunistic. But he ran the finest brothel in all of England. If anyone could help Lucius in his quest, it was Roger Finch. Severus remained silent and imposing at his side. As if Lucius needed someone to look forboding for him.

Finch brightened with his words, a smile spreading across his pasty face. Lucius knew that he\'d perk up expectantly with that. Finch was ever looking for a way to make more money. \"I have some of the finest women in the country here, sirs. And any number of them willing to do what ever the Masters would like. If you gentlemen would follow me,\" he motioned to the main area of the house.

Lucius and Severus followed him into the room, both men looking rather disdainfully at the garish furnishings. The room was covered in a deep, dark red that made both of them think the walls, floor and furniture had been liberally doused in blood. It was repulsive, yet befitting a brothel. Several women lounged over the couches and settees. None of them wore much more than a few well placed scraps of lace. A couple of women were off in a corner, the moans and sucking sounds coming from their direction telling the men precisely what was happening.

\"I\'ve just gotten a new shipment of whores in,\" Finch said, his back to the blonde and his companion. He failed to notice the looks of disgust on the men\'s faces. \"They come all the way from a harem. A Turkish Wizard was forced to give them up. His wives disliked the idea of his having whores in their home.\"

They turned to climb a set of stairs, both Lucius and Severus following the slouched over man who owned the popular business. As they walked and the man talked on about this new batch of women he seemed highly impressed with, Lucius allowed himself to recall what had spurred all of this madness into being.

\"Lucius, love,\" Narcissa\'s voice was full of that quality it got when he knew she was about to ask him for something. He lifted his eyes from his papers and smiled at her pleasantly. It was his prompt for her to go on. \"I wish to have another child,\" she pouted, her lips perfectly formed for the maximum effect.

Her words startled him. She wanted another child? Now? Draco was fully grown. Surely he didn\'t need a brother or sister underfoot? He was in his third year at Hogwarts now and was spoiled to being the only child. Lucius schooled his face into a polite mask and watched her a moment. She was sincere in her request. She wanted a child. \"But dearest, you know that its simply not possible.\"

\"Of course it is, my love,\" she replied. \"We did it once before. We can do it again. Nisha can....\"

\"Nisha is not here, dearest,\" he reminded her gently.

\"I know this, Lucius,\" she set her corrospondence aside and stood. He watched her saunter over to him, lifting her skirts as she did so. His eyes looked hungrily upon her, taking in the delicate turn of her ankles and the fine line of her legs. He was not surprised to see her bare beneath her layers of skirting. She moved to his desk, pushing his papers to the side so that she could sit on the desk. She kept her legs open for him, running one foot up his thigh to his rapidly swelling member. \"You must find her again.\"

He\'d agreed to it because she\'d been so earnest in her ministrations to his needs. How could he have refused a so eloquently posed request?

They were on the first floor and Finch was leading them to the first door on the hall. Judging by the sounds coming behind the closed door, someone was occupied. Without concern or warning, Finch threw the door open and glanced inside before motioning to the couple engaged in a mutual exchange of oral sex. Lucius scowled at the little man. It told Finch clearly that this was not the woman he was seeking.

They moved on to the next room. Here, it was the same. Not the right woman at all. Finch talked to them incessantly while both Lucius and Severus remained silent behind him. They looked in room after room, seeing men and women or women and women or even trios and quartets and large groups of men and women together. The sexual proclivities ranged from simple, ordinary and boring positions to ones that defied explanation. There was leather involved. Chains, whips, cuffs and all manner of toys involved in the acts going on. But none of the women were the one Lucius searched for.

\"Oi believe Oi found `er, Gov\'nah!\" the oily man told Lucius. He\'d been forced to hire a Wizard detective. The man had searched all over for several months, spending quite a few galleons on leads and information. Malfoy didn\'t like him one bit. The man was a rodent, with a high-pitched, nasal voice and glittering eyes. Quickly, he laid down some photos for Lucius to look at.

They were generic pictures of groups of women huddled together. What made him look twice was the sight of a head of seemingly black hair that flashed with golden and red highlights, as if fire burned in the silken strands. Lucius knew that hair. He knew it well. He had run his fingers through it many and countless times.

\"This be a group of women bein\' shipped into the country. Sent from some foreign land. They\'re `ere in the country. Sold to a bunch of brothels to pay off their cost,\" the rat had given him a knowing smirk that left Lucius feeling rather ill. He turned his attention back to the pictures and scanned every one of them thoroughly. Each one of them showed that same head of hair, though the face never turned in the direction of the camera. But he knew it was her. He had fulfilled part of his promise to his wife. Now he had to find a way to fill the rest.

Lucius had asked Severus to accompany him on this quest. Together, the two men had scoured every whore house and brothel the length and breadth of England. They had started to dispair of ever finding the wench. Finch\'s establishment was the last one to look at. And so far, it hadn\'t been terribly encouraging.

They were on the uppermost level of the building, not much more than an attic. The ceiling was low, so that both Lucius and Severus had to stoop to avoid smashing their heads time and again on the wooden beams that supported the roof. There were two doors here. \"That room is empty. Its this one down here that has my last whore. Didn\'t want to play by the rules and had to be punished,\" Finch informed them. He was holding a ring of keys in his hands, the lot of them jangling against one another.

He finally stopped before the door and slid an ancient looking key into the lock. The tumblers turned loudly, groaning in protest from long periods of disuse, then this sudden activity. The thin wodden panel swung open and Finch stepped back to admit the two men into the room. Lucius stopped and stared.

She was laying across the bed as if she\'d been thrown there haphazardly. She wore nothing more then a short shift, the hem of it pulled up over her hips to expose a bared bottom that was discolored with bruises. Her face was hidden by a tangle of brown hair so dark as to be black. Skin a pale and dusty golden color covered long, delicately formed limbs. Lucius knew that lithe frame, even though it had changed much over the years. The floodgate on his memories lifted and he was assaulted by a barrage of long forgotten images.

The first time Lucius ever saw Nisha, he knew there was something special about the girl. She was only fifteen, but he could tell that she was different from every other child he\'d ever met in his life. He and Narcissa were in Diagon Alley, shopping and visiting with the medical staff at St. Mungo\'s. They were both rather depressed because their best ostetrics Medi-Witch on staff had confirmed that there was no way Narcissa would ever conceive a child.

His wife was silent and sullen as they sat at the best café in the Alley and picked at their meals. He could understand her feelings. He was as upset with the news as she was. It wasn\'t simply a matter of an heir. It was a matter of pride. And a need to prove himself as a father. And then he looked up and saw the most extraordinary thing. A young girl stood on the other side of the street. She was looking longingly at Madam Malkin\'s shop, a thin and well worn cloak clutched tightly in her small hands.

He didn\'t know what it was about her that drew him to her. He only knew that he stood, excusing himself with a quiet murmur, then moved over to where she stood. He was sure that Narcissa watched him as he went and spoke with this seemingly forgotten waif. Lucius found himself enrapt with the child the moment she spoke to him. She was tall and thin, just starting to blossom into a woman. He could see the curve of her young breasts under the thin outer garment draped over her shoulders.

Why he noticed this, Lucius couldn\'t say. But he did. And he found himself enchanted with her immediately. He let his gaze rove over her draped form, almost able to imagine what she looked like beneath the cloak. Some part of his brain wondered why he was looking at her as he did. But there was no explanation for it. He was simply captivated by the girl.

It took him some time to convince the child to accompany him back to the table he shared with his wife. Narcissa was looking at them with a fair mix of curiosity and unhappiness. Lucius sat with her and motioned the girl into a seat. Lifting a hand, he snapped his fingers and called the waiter to their side. \"Bring a hearty lunch for the child. And a glass of milk.\"

\"Of course, Mister Malfoy,\" the waiter nodded and hurried off. Narcissa looked at him, her mouth pursed as she prepared her speech.

\"Lucius, my love,\" she began. \"What in Merlin\'s name possessed you to do such a thing?\"

\"I honestly cannot say, darling. But I have this feeling about her,\" he told his wife patiently. The child watched them with brilliant, almond shaped eyes that were golden. Not like whiskey was golden, but like the gold of a lion\'s eyes. There were flecks of a darker brown color in them, giving them depth. It was to those eyes that a person looked first. Narcissa turned to study the girl and Lucius watched her face. He knew the moment she was caught in the snare of the girl\'s magnetic personality. It took several long moments for Narcissa to blink her eyes and turn them to her husband.

\"I think I understand. You wish to take her home?\" she asked him. Lucius nodded, his eyes going back to the girl. She still watched them in silence, her eyes staring at the two of them unblinkingly. Narcissa smiled at the girl and reached out to cover one of her slender hands. \"What is your name, child?\"

\"Nisha,\" the girl told them, her voice holding hints of exotic locations and unseen lands. It was a sultry kind of voice, rather out of place coming out of the mouth of a child so young. The waiter returned, setting a plate of fettucini alfredo with broccoli and grilled chicken before her. There was a plate with a slice of garlic toast with it, a Ceasar salad and a tall glass of cold milk. Nisha eyed the two of them a moment before Lucius offered her an indulgent smile.

\"If you\'re hungry child, please feel free to help yourself,\" Lucius told her. They watched as Nisha dug into the plate almost ravenously. It lead them both to believe that she hadn\'t eaten much in some time. After the fettucini, Narcissa ordered her a desert. A sundae of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge, a heavy sprinkling of nuts and whipped cream covering the gooey mess. It was all topped with a cherry. Nisha ate that greedily.

When the meal was concluded, they stood and stared at one another uncertainly. The silence stretched between them for some time until Narcissa took one of Nisha\'s hands in her own and pulled her along with them. Lucius motioned toward Madam Malkin\'s shop with one hand, nodding his head in the direction of their new companion. Narcissa smiled and pulled the girl after her, taking her into the clothing store. He knew his wife would be occupied for some time as she spent money on the girl and most likely herself, so he headed off to Flourish and Blotts. Though he had a strong desire to watch the two women primp and preen before a mirror, trying on one gown after another, he thought the absolute boredom of the task might just do him in.

Lucius met up with Narcissa and Nisha at the Leaky Cauldron later that day. Gone was the drab cloak the girl had been clutching to her frame. In its place was a finely crafted cloak of deepest burgandy. Though not one of his more favored colors, he had to admit that it brought out the golden hue of her eyes and the burnished gold and red highlights in her hair. She still clutched it closed, but his wife gently pried her hands from the edges and spread it so that she could show off the new gown the child wore.

Beneath the thick, velvet cloak was a gown of deepest emerald green. It was floor length, with a moderate neckline and a high waist like something from the Edwardian era. A thin sash of dark green satin was pulled snugly just beneath her blossoming breasts. They were larger than Lucius had first believed, making him think the clothing Nisha had been wearing had been much too small for her. Her feet were tucked into black velvet shoes, the toes of which were peeping out from under the hem of the skirt. He offered her a smile, then gave it to his wife. \"I am truly a fortuante man to be in the presence of two of the most beautiful women in all of England,\" he intoned seriously.

Nisha blushed, a dusty rose tint rising to stain her cheeks. It gave her an all too innocent look. But that thought flew when she giggled. The sound was like the finest of crystal, tinkling musically in the gentle breeze. The sound captivated the attention of many of the people in the smoky room. A scowl from the blonde man sent them all back to what they\'d been doing. Lucius offered his arms to both women. \"Shall we return to Malfoy Manor?\"

\"Are you sure this is the woman you seek?\" Snape\'s voice brought Lucius back to the present and he glanced at his friend. He motioned one elegant hand at the unconscious form on the bed.

\"I\'m most certain. But, if you have doubts, I suggest you check her back, just below the place where neck and shoulders meet. There will be a mark. It is a crescent moon. It is colored in purples and whites,\" Lucius informed him. He watched as Snape moved to the limp figure and shifted her hair away from her shoulders. He stared only a moment before lifting his head. There was a grim look on his face. Lucius took it for what it was, a silent commentary on the shape of Nisha\'s back. He turned and pinned Finch with a nasty glare.

The little man shrank back, moving on clumsy feet for the door. He knew he was in trouble. Lucius moved with all the speed of a striking snake, one hand curling tightly around Finch\'s upper arm. The resisting brothel owner was physically dragged back into the room before the door was slammed shut. \"You will tell me precisely what the meaning of this is,\" Lucius snarled at him, one hand motioning to the prone form.

From where they stood, it was clear to see the lines that criss-crossed Nisha\'s back. Thin and thick, they were heavily scabbed. It was plain that whatever had been applied to the woman\'s flesh had cut deep. Severus bent over and moved her hair from her face, laying one long, pale hand against her forehead. \"She seems to be feverish, Lucius. I will return to Malfoy Manor and make sure a Medi-Witch is waiting your arrival,\" he told his friend before slipping past both men and out the door.

Finch shook, his eyes nervously darting to the girl on the bed. She\'d put up a fight and he\'d needed to subdue her so that he could properly test her out. It was common practice. He needed to know how much to charge for her. Only he hadn\'t gotten that far. The lash had bit deeply enough that the chit had lost consciousness early on. He didn\'t dare tell that to the angry blonde before him. It was widely known that anyone who dared upset Lucius Malfoy met with painful, mysterious accidents. He didn\'t want the skin flayed off his back or his family jewels to be found dangling from his mouth. No, Roger Finch liked all of his body parts exactly where they were, thank you very much. He opted for a small lie. \"She didn\'t want to comply by the rules,\" he protested. \"If I let her get away with it, then I\'d have to let the others get away with it. I can\'t have anarchy. I have a business to run here!\"

\"A business built off the backs of these women. From their sweat and tears. You can\'t earn money from them when they are in this state,\" Lucius hissed, his fingers curling tightly into Finch\'s obnoxiously brilliant yellow robes. \"She will be coming with me. You will now go find appropriate attire for her. I will not take her to Malfoy Manor in such a state of disarray. Do you understand me?\"

\"Yes, Master Malfoy. I\'ll take care of it personally,\" Finch nodded, his jowls wobbling long after his head had stopped moving. The man glanced at the woman on the bed, then back to Malfoy. He was gone in a heartbeat, leaving Lucius to stare at the body laid across the bed. He stepped closer, looking down at Nisha. She was older, naturally. But there was still a naïveté about her. He could sense it as surely as he could sense the difference in her. It was what had drawn him to her all those years ago when she\'d been nothing more than a child.

He could see she\'d either not been eating or had been deprived of food. It was likely the reason that there was a fever. She was thin, almost to the point of being gaunt. The idea that she would starve herself didn\'t rest well on Lucius\' shoulders. He planned on finding out just what had happened to her while she\'d been gone for thirteen years.

Finch burst into the room, one of his tarts trailing in behind him. She wore a neon green, see though teddy that only served to give her a more sickly skin tone. She held a large bag in her hands. She glanced from Nisha\'s still form to Finch to Lucius, then shoved the bag into Lucius\' hands and hurried out the door. Finch laid a few items on the end of the bed, then turned to face Lucius. \"Seeing as you\'ve got it under control her, Master Malfoy,\" he stammered nervously. \"I\'ll leave you to tend her.\"

Before Lucius could say anything else, Finch was gone.

The gown was slightly small and it showed though the bust area. The material pushed the mounds of Nisha\'s full breasts in and up, leaving an obscene amount showing over the neckline of the garment. It would do until he could get her back to the Manor. He wrapped a cloak around her, a wollen garment in a drab brown that did nothing for her. He shrank the bag and slipped it into a pocket, then picked her up and cradled her in his arms. \'This is for Narcissa,\' he reminded himself.

It was slow going down the stairs. Lucius had to keep changing his position so that he wouldn\'t hit either her head or feet on the posts and wall. The sitting room was full of women and all of them fell silent as he strode through. Their eyes were riveted to the limp form in his arms. He scowled at any who dared whisper to their neighbor, letting them know silently that they would suffer greatly at his hands. He moved to the floo and shifted Nisha up far enough so that he was able to scoop up a handful of powder, then he stepped into the empty hearth. \"Malfoy Manor,\" he called out and tossed down the powder.

Lucius stepped out into the sitting room to find Severus waiting for him. The dark man motioned to the hall and fell into step behind the blonde as Lucius moved for the open door. He was glad that Narcissa had gone to visit her mother for a fortnight. It would be less to explain and worry about for the moment. Nisha was in no shape to be badgered about his wife\'s wants and desires just yet. The girl needed to rest and regain her health before he broached the subject of his wife\'s demands.

\"I have taken the liberty of preparing a room for her in the guest wing. One of the rooms that I know you have little occasion to use. It is as far from Narcissa as I can make it,\" Severus told him. Lucius nodded, remaining quiet as he travelled across the shining floor to the stairs. \"I took the liberty of summoning one of St. Mungo\'s finest Healers to the Manor and she is awaiting you in Nisha\'s room.\"

\"Thank you, Severus,\" he replied. \"Which room is it?\"

\"The Golden Room,\" Severus supplied. Lucius was somehow not surprised. The color scheme of soft golds and pale creams suited Nisha\'s coloring perfectly. The two men moved in silence, Snape understanding that his friend was, at present, cycling through so many thoughts and feelings.

Severus was one of the few people to know who Nisha was. He hadn\'t figured out what, exactly. But he knew who she was. If not for Nisha, Draco would never have been brought into existence. He had played the voyeur all those years ago and had watched the three of them together. Lucius was not one to generally take his lusts out on an underage child, but Narcissa had been desperate. Her husband had relented to the ménage a trois with the fifteen year old girl, then had asked Severus to watch. He thought that Lucius was hoping he would be able to see just what had happened.

To this day, Severus could not explain how Narcissa had gotten pregnant. He knew that Nisha had been responsible for it in some manner. But he honestly couldn\'t say how. Narcissa had been thrilled when she\'d been told the news. That joy had lasted until Draco had been brought pink and kicking and screaming into the world. She\'d been so ecstatic that she hadn\'t noticed the concern that plagued Lucius when Nisha had turned up missing.

He was fairly certain that, as they walked, Lucius was once more living through the concern and fear her disappearance had brought into being. The blonde had searched for the girl for months after the birth of his son, but he\'d found no trace of her. She\'d simply vanished. Lucius had never confided in Snape what his feelings for the girl might have been. But he knew that his friend had been rather sullen upon her departure. Perhaps it was nothing more than a general concern. The girl was, after all, alone. Perhaps it was something more. He couldn\'t be sure. But he knew that a small rift had formed the night of their threesome.

Neither Lucius or Narcissa spoke of it. They were very deeply in love with one another. But it had never sat well with the proud patriarch of the Malfoy family that he\'d needed to rely on a mysterious girl who was just barely past being a child to impregnate his spouse. His faithful wife knew that he despised himself ever so slightly for not being able to give her a child himself. She loved him all the more for allowing her the chance to give him an heir and she never let him forget that he was the love of her life. But now she was determined that she should have another child.

The door to the Golden Room stood wide open. Lucius turned sideways to slip into the room beyond, once more determined that neither Nisha\'s head or feet should suffer being bashed into wood. The Medi-Witch was standing there, watching them enter. Almost immediately, her sharp eyes went to Nisha\'s face. Lucius carried her to the bed and laid her out. In an instant, the Medi-Witch had her out of the ill-fitting gown and back into the plain shift.

Both men watched her work silently, her wand flicking back and forth over the girl\'s slight frame. Even for being in her late twenties, she was still delicately formed; a creature of petite build. None of them spoke, but the Medi-Witch was heard \'hmming\' more than once. She scribbled things down on a sheet of parchment on a clip-board with a well used quill, then dug into a bag resting on the chair near the bed for some phials of potions and ointments. She poured a glass of water and added four drops of a light blue potion to it, then sat on the edge of the bed and lifted Nisha up so she could pour some of the water down her throat.

The Medi-Witch rolled her, magicking away the shift while covering Nisha\'s bottom with a sheet at the same time. The marks on her back were truly ugly and looked to be painful. The skin immediately around them was bright red and swollen. She\'d been beaten badly and with some force. Lucius was ready to go back to Finch\'s brothel and give the man a sound thrashing. But that would only serve to relieve his immediate anger and it really wouldn\'t do much by way of punishing Roger Finch. He smiled. Oh no. He could do something so much more effective than beat Finch into a bloody pulp. He could simply ruin him. It wouldn\'t be that hard to do. A few choice lies dropped with the right people would see his vast clientele dwindle down to almost nothing in the span of a few short weeks.

\"She\'s going to be in pain for some time, gentlemen. The method with which these marks were left was rather foul. I cannot be certain as to what it may have been, but it looks like a cane or something of that nature. It was also charmed against healing magic, so it will take time to fully heal,\" she told them as she gathered her things. Nisha still lay on the bed on her stomach, her back exposed to the air. The ointment smeared upon it glistened in the candlelight. \"I\'ll leave the standard pain potion and a few healing potions and ointments for her. She\'s going to be stiff and sore. I\'ve also given her a fever reducing potion. Try to keep her immobile for a few days, until some of the scabs aren\'t so thick. If she breaks one open, it will be a bloody mess. And I mean that in the literal sense of the word.\"

The rather stern looking woman moved to the door, stopping to look back at the girl on the bed. She didn\'t want to know what was going on here. She knew all about Lucius Malfoy and his wife and was well aware that, while the man was a genuine, red-blooded male with a healthy lusty appetite, the pair of them were never linked ot scandal. Whatever the girl was doing here, it was none of her business. \"Don\'t hesitate to contact me if you need any more assistance with her.\"

And, with that, she was gone. Lucius and Severus were left in the silence of the room, staring down at the girl pensively. Severus put a hand on Lucius\' shoulder in quiet support, nodding to him when the blonde looked up at him. \"I must get back. If you need me, do not hesitate to contact me,\" he said, then slipped out of the room after the Medi-Witch.

Lucius moved closer to the bed, looking down upon the woman who had given him the greatest gift in the world. One hand reached out, now divested of his ever present gloves, to touch the ridged flesh on her back. The scabs felt rough, attesting to how deep the gashes were. The skin between the raised ridges was hot. She\'d been beaten badly. Had it been the Turkish Wizard? One of more of his wives? Roger Finch?

He dragged a chair over to the bed. He shrugged his cloak off, tossing it over the back of the piece, then loosened the buttons of his vest, as well as the top few on his shirt. He settled down into the chair, then dropped his cane carelessly on the floor beside him. The chair was thick and comfortable and he lost himself to thought as he stared blindly at Nisha.

He\'d been most distressed to find her gone. He couldn\'t be sure what had driven her from the safety of Malfoy Manor. He had thought she\'d been happy. She\'d had all the latest in stylish clothing. She\'d been treated like royalty. They\'d never asked any thing of her but that one act of selflessness. And she\'d simply up and left. He didn\'t think she\'d ever seen what the son she\'d helped them conceive looked like. He and Narcissa both had asked her to be present at his birth. She\'d refused in a polite manner. And, when he\'d arrived back at the Manor, she\'d been gone.

He still didn\'t understand it. She\'d left behind all of the clothing they\'d bought her. The fine cloak had still hung in the closet next to her igh fashion gowns. Not even the House Elves, creatures he was sure roamed the house freely when they were gone, had no clue as to what had happened to the girl. He\'d looked for her all over, naturally. Had used some of his money and connections to see if he could trace the girl\'s where abouts. Nothing had come of it. It was as if she\'d simply vanished.

And now, here she was. Back in his life once more. Even though she was beaten into unconsciousness and was obviously half starved, she still retained that mystifyingly exotic beauty she\'d had as a young teenager. Only it had increased ten-fold in the last thirteen years. If he\'d been attracted to her before, he was more so this time around. As much as he loved his wife, Nisha was too much of a temptation for him.

\"Where have you been, Nisha?\" he asked her softly. \"And why in Merlin\'s name did you leave in the first place?\"

end chapter one.
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i truly hope you all like this. i know this isn\'t the usual Lucius fic, but i thought perhaps the man could be loving to his wife and still be an absolute prat to everyone else. so this might not be entirely canon. please don\'t flame me. its a bunny that bit and i had to write it.

about the title..... Arianrhod\'s Vessel. Arianrhod is a Welsh fertility goddess. since Nisha is the one that enabled Narcissa to actually become pregnant, i thought that the title should reflect her. this sentence is the small bit of information i found about her:

Arianrhod (Wales) One face of the Mother Goddess. She was associated with fertility, reincarnation, and beauty.

as i stated before, this will have mention of underaged sex. though it is consentual, its only for the basis of this story. i do not condone such and act. please do not take this story to mean i do.

also, there will be some flashing between past and present. thus the italics. bear with me. i\'ll try not to be too heavy with it. just enough to set the story.

please feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think of this twisted bunny. thank you so much.