What fools these mortals be
Title: What fools these mortals be: The Shadow Queen
Author: Onthethruway01
Rating: NC-17? graphic heterosexual scenes
Pairings: Yoochun X OC
Genre: Fantasy, smut, Shakespeare with a twist
Summary: Some things are worse than death.
The demon lord of the Shadow Realm crept up from the depths of his accursed land with mischief on his mind. For many years he had lusted after a virtuous elven maid whose beauty had melted his evil heart. He swept her away in the dead of night; down to the darkness of Hell where he ravaged her; returning her to the forest when his lust was satisfied. Devastated by her abduction and deflowering at the hands of a savage beast, the poor girl fell into a melancholy state. Her belly grew fat; but there was no joy in knowing that she was with child. The babe in her womb was an abomination; a creature to be feared and despised.
The Fairy Queen did all she could to comfort the elven beauty whose wits were now blown away with the north wind, but it was too late. After giving birth to her half breed, she wandered outside the borders of the elven lands where she succumbed to the poisonous air of the human world; her demise witnessed by an elven boy, too young to stop her…
Yoochun awoke in a cold sweat; fever gripping his body. He was still going through the changes, but something else was not right. He had arrived in the east with Changmin and Lilliana a few days before, and ever since then he had been unwell. His fever had increased; skin flushed and hot to the touch. His breathing was difficult and his bones and muscles ached. He ate, but food did not stay down. His body shook like a leaf; one minute he was cold, the next, hot. This was something more than the changes; this was an illness. The elders were decidedly worried; elves did not get sick.
They sent for the Fairy Queen; she who was wise in the ways of healing; she who had raised Yoochun since childhood; she who had initiated him in the ways of love.
As Yoochun lay shivering beneath his covers, Liliana sat in a chair by his bed, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. His new bride did her best not to show her emotions, but she knew that Yoochun was very sick. The Fairy Queen examined her adopted son thoroughly and then summoned Changmin to her side. The elven youth strode in, bow across his back, arrows secure in a deer skin quiver.
“Give me one of your arrows,” she commanded, and he pulled one out, gently handing it to her.
The Fairy Queen examined the weapon, taking care not to touch the sharpened arrow head. She brought the tip to her nose and inhaled.
“Are these arrows the same kind that Yoochun uses?”
Changmin nodded.
“What are they used for?”
Changmin raised an eyebrow.
“We hunt with them. Animals for food, and when necessary we use them to kill humans.”
The Fairy Queen raised her hand, interrupting his words.
“They are effective are they not? Do you know why?”
Changmin’s eyes grew wide. He stared at Liliana who seemed to know what was going to be said next. She put her hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp.
“Answer me Changmin.”
Tears flowed from Liliana’s eyes.
“They are dipped in poison.”
The silence was deafening.
“Is he going to die?”
The Fairy Queen sighed deeply.
“Some things are worse than dying,” she spoke softly. “This is one of them.”
Liliana and Changmin looked at each other. What could possibly be worse than dying?
“Tell us Lady. What is going to happen to Yoochun?”
The Fairy Queen did her best not to show how upset she was.
“The poison is coursing through Yoochun’s veins. Soon he will lose all reason. He will not remember who he is and who we are. He will go insane. If the poison is not removed from his body he will be enveloped in darkness for eternity.”
Changmin caught Liliana in his arms as she fainted.
“See to her. I must speak with the elders.”
Changmin nodded and he gently lifted Liliana into his arms, carrying her over to the chair by Yoochun’s bedside. Using the same dampened cloth, he wiped her face until she came to.
The Fairy Queen summoned the elders of the eastern clan. As Liliana revived, she and Changmin could hear the elders and The Fairy Queen arguing.
“What do you think is going on?’ Liliana asked Changmin.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”
After what seemed like hours of deliberation, the Fairy Queen entered the bower.
“We’ve agreed to send for help, but the final decision is Yoochun’s. He is still in his right mind. He must decide.
“Decide what?”
Yoochun spoke for the first time, the arguing outside his humble bower snapping him out of his fevered sleep.
The Fairy Queen ordered Liliana and Changmin to leave her alone with Yoochun.
“Well my wayward son, it seems we have a problem…..”
Darkness fell upon the eastern lands; the moon rose, blood red in the night sky. No stars blinked; all was black. The sanguine moon brought with it something foreboding; something evil. It brought her; the Lady of the Shadows; the Queen of the Dead.
Yoochun stood, despite his weakened state, all by himself. The others were not allowed to be present. They gathered together in their sacred hall, praying silently to their ancient and venerable Gods; praying that darkness would not befall their favored son.
The creature crept from the shadows, surrounded by a shroud of mist. It followed her as if it had a mind of its own. The Shadow Queen stood tall in front of Yoochun, the elf standing proud; forgetting that his very soul was in peril. The deadly creature spoke, her voice surprisingly soft and gentle.
“Hello Yoochun,” she said, the sound of her dark and velvet voice sending a chill up the elf’s spine.
“Delphine,” he whispered back to her; she smiled wickedly at the sound of her name.
“I’m glad you remember me.”
The Shadow Queen walked around him, surveying him with her greedy eyes; the floating mist trailing after her as she moved.
“How could I ever forget you, Delphine?”
The Lady of Shadows laughed heartily and grinned, her sharpened fangs glistening in the night. The half breed, with her elven features was a sight to behold. Tall, slender and pale as the mist that surrounded her, Delphine’s beauty was intoxicating.
Yoochun’s heart beat hard as the Queen of the Dead reached out and touched his face.
“So lovely,” she whispered her breath cold on his neck.
Her small and delicate hands ran through his long hair; the wisps of ghostly mist mimicking her every move.
“Will you come with me?” she entreated him, her dark, intoxicating eyes staring him down.
She brought strands of his silken hair to her nose, inhaling deeply. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
“Do I have a choice?”
The Lady of Shadows shook her head.
“Then I must go.”
As he spoke, the shrouds of mist began to encircle both of them until he could no longer see his beloved forest.
“Are you afraid Yoochun?”
The mist became thicker; Yoochun feeling as if he was floating inside it.
“I may be an idiot,” he exclaimed, “but I’m no fool. Only a fool would not be afraid to go to Hell.”
The Queen of the Dead laughed, as the swirling mist engulfed them; Yoochun’s eyes closing as it whisked them away.
Darkness; or so he thought. He blinked and slowly adjusted to his surroundings. There was some light; where was it coming from? Shadows on the walls; creatures scurrying to and fro. Then he saw it. Lights. Lights on the walls. They were moving. The creatures themselves glowed, illuminating the cavern. Water trickled down the sides of the caves forming small puddles. As the drops fell, they echoed loudly. He looked up. More lights; no; more creatures that gave off light. He smiled; a strange reaction for one who found himself in the Shadow Realm.
“You seem amused,” Delphine asked him.
“These creatures are amazing.”
He laughed as one crawled up and dared to touch him. He giggled and it ran away.
The elf known as Yoochun felt strangely at ease, even though he was the guest of the Queen of the Dead.
As the Lady of Shadows moved closer to him, the lights dimmed; squinting, he could feel her breath on his neck once more. The small creatures with their glowing eyes and bio luminescent bodies slowly crawled away from their mistress and her strange guest.
“Delphine?”
Her hand grasped his; it was surprisingly warm. His body shuddered as she gently pulled him onto the cave floor. Warm vents of steam surrounded him, yet he felt cold. He shuddered as her hands roamed across his body.
Yoochun’s back arched as her tongued flicked out to taste his flesh; her soft lips planting gentle kisses on his face, his neck, his chest. These were not the actions of an evil creature of darkness; this was affection; affection from a beautiful young girl; a girl who had been ostracized from her people. Yoochun felt himself crying.
“Why Delphine? Why are you here? You don’t have to stay in the shadows. Come home. Come home where you belong.”
The half-breed spoke, her voice low and smooth as silk.
“This is my home. I am Queen of the Dead. It is my birthright. The elves will never accept me as one of their own. Don’t you remember?”
Yoochun did remember. Delphine was abandoned by her mother; the poor girl who in her madness walked into the human world and died. Yoochun was a small child and was helpless to stop her. The Fairy Queen took pity on the half-breed child and raised her along with Yoochun. The two orphans grew together, but as the demon side of Delphine took over, it was evident that she could no longer stay in the elven world. She was banished to the Shadow Realm, never to be seen again; or so everyone thought.
“The blood lust came upon me Yoochun. I became dangerous. They had to send me away.”
He shivered as the tip of her tongue licked the shell of his ear.
“You cried for me Yoochun. I’ll never forget that day. You wept as the demons came and took me away. You and the Fairy Queen were my only family, but the others forced you to give me up. I’ve missed you so much. I loved you Chunnie-ah. I still do.”
Yoochun’s tears flowed; flowed for the pitiful creature before him. He was beside himself; he was ridden with guilt.
“Forgive me,” he begged her. “I could not help you. I was just a child.”
She nuzzled his throat; hands shaking as her fingers danced across his slender torso.
“My beautiful Chunnie-ah, it doesn’t matter. We are together now.”
He swallowed hard.
“Forever?”
The Lady of Shadows stopped.
“Is that what you think?”
Yoochun sat up. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see her face.
“I’m your prisoner, aren’t I? I can’t go home. The darkness will over take me. I do not wish for my friends and family to see me suffer. If I am to go mad, what better place for me to lose my wits than in Hell?”
The Queen of the Dead laughed, scattering the entourage of small creatures to the corners of the cavern.
“I’ve brought you here to heal you, not make you a captive.”
“Poison flows through my veins. What can anyone do to help me?”
Delphine sighed.
“When the demons brought me here, I learned their secrets. The river that flows beneath these steam vents is poisonous, yet they were not affected by it. They drank from it. I drank from it too. It made me sick at first because I was a half breed. As time passed it no longer bothered me. I became immune to poison.”
Yoochun was uneasy. The creatures began to creep closer once more, their body heat casting a glow upon the cavern walls. As the light intensified, he could see Delphine smiling; her fangs illuminating in the darkness.
“You see Yoochun; I’ve lived here so long, I am more demon than elf. I’ve grown accustomed to the dark; I receive nourishment from the poisonous river. There is only one thing I have yet to experience. You see, my lust for elven blood has never been quenched.”
Her hands grasped his shoulders and pressed him down upon the cave floor.
“I will heal you. I will take away the madness. I will drain the poison from you. I will drink your blood.”
Yoochun shivered in fear.
“By all the Gods.”
Delphine’s voice interrupted him.
“Your Gods cannot help you. I am your God now. Worship me. Sacrifice yourself to me.”
His screams reverberated off the cavern walls as she sank her fangs into his neck.
Minutes, hours, days. Yoochun couldn’t tell. He lay upon the cavern floor, drained and exhausted. He cried out for Delphine, his voice raspy and weak. The Queen of the Dead was otherwise occupied. Her blood lust had made her drunk. In her stupor, she wandered around the cavern, her hidden claws now fully extended. She raked them across the cave walls, mutilating the hapless creatures that scurried for safety. She cackled as their bodies splattered under her power.
Yoochun cried out for her once more. Regaining her composure she joined him on the floor.
“You are delicious my love,” she purred, her fangs scraping up against his sore neck.
He winced in pain.
“I’m thirsty.”
The Queen of the Dead picked up something from the floor of the cave. She filled it with the water which trickled down the walls. She gave it to Yoochun to drink.
“It’s safe,” she reassured him. “The water down below is poisonous. This water is fresh.”
He drank it slowly. When he finished, he looked at the vessel in his hand.
“What is this?” he asked her.
She giggled.
“It’s a sea shell.”
“What?”
“A sea shell. From the sea. It washed upon the beach.”
Yoochun looked at her strangely.
“There’s an ocean down here?”
Dephine helped Yoochun to his feet.
“You’ve never heard of the Midnight Sea? It’s the ocean that flows underground. You can only get to it from the Shadow Realm.”
Delphine led Yoochun through the dark and narrow passages of the Shadow Realm until it opened up into a magnificent sight. There before his eyes, was an ocean; dark waves crashing upon a pristine beach. She ran into the waves, splashing like a little child, still drunk from the blood lust. He laughed as she fell upon the sand rolling around in it; the water soaking her sheath-like gown. It clung to every curve of her body. As he watched her frolic upon the shore he realized she was right; she truly was a goddess.
He dug his toes into the sand; it felt good. Slowly making his way to the waters edge, the waves tickled his feet and ankles. Delphine grabbed him and pulled him down. She rolled on top of him and stared at him with her dark eyes.
“Delphine,” he breathed. “I must ask you something. Where is your father?”
The question seemed like a logical one to ask, but the answer was far from simple.
“I killed him and took his place. I avenged my mother. It had to be done.”
Yoochun swallowed hard. He stared into the eyes of his childhood friend and saw her pain.
“Delphine. If you ask me, I will stay with you. I will stay with you forever.”
A tear drop fell from the eye of the Queen of the Dead.
“No Yoochun. You must go home. You must return to the Fairy Queen and your people. You must go back to your beloved Minku and your wife; your wife who is with child.”
“Am I cured then?” he asked her.
She nodded her head.
“Yoochun?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Warm soft lips met his; he welcomed them openly. He moaned as her tongue explored his mouth; thrusting between his teeth. She wasted little time; stripping him of his simple loin cloth she took him fully in her mouth until he grew hard. Delphine sucked upon him relentlessly; his body burning up from the core. The ocean waves crashed upon their bodies, but it did little to quench the fire inside him. Her claws dug into the sand as her tongue swept across the underside of his rigid length. She took him deep once again into the back of her throat before impaling herself upon him. Yoochun held onto her waist as she rode him; breathless, he marveled at her divine body. He flipped her onto her back, and as the ocean waves pounded against the shore, he rocked into her body; the water splashing over them, soaking them to the bone. They made love upon the sand for hours; hands fondling; nails raking across each others backs. They moaned each others names into their throats; mouths pressing feverish kisses upon each others flesh. He sucked upon her milk white breasts which fit perfectly in his mouth. His tongue licked a trail down her spine and between her legs; his attention focused on her moist flesh which he attacked with great skill. She shrieked his name at the top of her lungs as he made her come over and over again. It was the Queen of the Dead who sacrificed herself, and Yoochun was her God. On her hands and knees she presented herself to him; his engorged length plunging deep inside her once more. He thrust in hard and fast; and then slowed down; steadying his breathing to keep from coming too soon. He continued this ritual; pulling out slowly then slamming into her hard, making her cry out. He leaned in and bit her. She smiled; perhaps there was some demon in him as well. Yoochun rammed into her with great intensity, his rigid length delving deep inside her. Her insides constricted upon his wide girth; the pressure too much for him to bear. He felt the fluid weeping from the tip of his arousal and he knew it was time. Grabbing onto her hips his body bucked forward. He spilled; her name escaping his lips. They collapsed upon the shore, breathless. They lay together, the Midnight Sea washing away the signs of their love making; if only it could wash away the sorrow and the tears.
“You must go now Yoochun.”
Delphine led him back to the caves. A mist formed around him.
“Wait,” he cried out to her. “Wait.”
“I love you. Remember. I love you.”
His arms reached out and in that last final moment before the mist took him home, their finger tips touched for the very last time.
Yoochun returned to his family; all were overjoyed to see him safe and sound. He did his best to pretend that all was well, but his heart was full of sadness.
Deep beneath the eastern forest, in the realm of shadows, a young woman wept for her lost love. She traveled the endless beaches, crushing shells beneath her feet as the waves of the Midnight Sea crashed upon the shore.
Author: Onthethruway01
Rating: NC-17? graphic heterosexual scenes
Pairings: Yoochun X OC
Genre: Fantasy, smut, Shakespeare with a twist
Summary: Some things are worse than death.
The demon lord of the Shadow Realm crept up from the depths of his accursed land with mischief on his mind. For many years he had lusted after a virtuous elven maid whose beauty had melted his evil heart. He swept her away in the dead of night; down to the darkness of Hell where he ravaged her; returning her to the forest when his lust was satisfied. Devastated by her abduction and deflowering at the hands of a savage beast, the poor girl fell into a melancholy state. Her belly grew fat; but there was no joy in knowing that she was with child. The babe in her womb was an abomination; a creature to be feared and despised.
The Fairy Queen did all she could to comfort the elven beauty whose wits were now blown away with the north wind, but it was too late. After giving birth to her half breed, she wandered outside the borders of the elven lands where she succumbed to the poisonous air of the human world; her demise witnessed by an elven boy, too young to stop her…
Yoochun awoke in a cold sweat; fever gripping his body. He was still going through the changes, but something else was not right. He had arrived in the east with Changmin and Lilliana a few days before, and ever since then he had been unwell. His fever had increased; skin flushed and hot to the touch. His breathing was difficult and his bones and muscles ached. He ate, but food did not stay down. His body shook like a leaf; one minute he was cold, the next, hot. This was something more than the changes; this was an illness. The elders were decidedly worried; elves did not get sick.
They sent for the Fairy Queen; she who was wise in the ways of healing; she who had raised Yoochun since childhood; she who had initiated him in the ways of love.
As Yoochun lay shivering beneath his covers, Liliana sat in a chair by his bed, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. His new bride did her best not to show her emotions, but she knew that Yoochun was very sick. The Fairy Queen examined her adopted son thoroughly and then summoned Changmin to her side. The elven youth strode in, bow across his back, arrows secure in a deer skin quiver.
“Give me one of your arrows,” she commanded, and he pulled one out, gently handing it to her.
The Fairy Queen examined the weapon, taking care not to touch the sharpened arrow head. She brought the tip to her nose and inhaled.
“Are these arrows the same kind that Yoochun uses?”
Changmin nodded.
“What are they used for?”
Changmin raised an eyebrow.
“We hunt with them. Animals for food, and when necessary we use them to kill humans.”
The Fairy Queen raised her hand, interrupting his words.
“They are effective are they not? Do you know why?”
Changmin’s eyes grew wide. He stared at Liliana who seemed to know what was going to be said next. She put her hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp.
“Answer me Changmin.”
Tears flowed from Liliana’s eyes.
“They are dipped in poison.”
The silence was deafening.
“Is he going to die?”
The Fairy Queen sighed deeply.
“Some things are worse than dying,” she spoke softly. “This is one of them.”
Liliana and Changmin looked at each other. What could possibly be worse than dying?
“Tell us Lady. What is going to happen to Yoochun?”
The Fairy Queen did her best not to show how upset she was.
“The poison is coursing through Yoochun’s veins. Soon he will lose all reason. He will not remember who he is and who we are. He will go insane. If the poison is not removed from his body he will be enveloped in darkness for eternity.”
Changmin caught Liliana in his arms as she fainted.
“See to her. I must speak with the elders.”
Changmin nodded and he gently lifted Liliana into his arms, carrying her over to the chair by Yoochun’s bedside. Using the same dampened cloth, he wiped her face until she came to.
The Fairy Queen summoned the elders of the eastern clan. As Liliana revived, she and Changmin could hear the elders and The Fairy Queen arguing.
“What do you think is going on?’ Liliana asked Changmin.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”
After what seemed like hours of deliberation, the Fairy Queen entered the bower.
“We’ve agreed to send for help, but the final decision is Yoochun’s. He is still in his right mind. He must decide.
“Decide what?”
Yoochun spoke for the first time, the arguing outside his humble bower snapping him out of his fevered sleep.
The Fairy Queen ordered Liliana and Changmin to leave her alone with Yoochun.
“Well my wayward son, it seems we have a problem…..”
Darkness fell upon the eastern lands; the moon rose, blood red in the night sky. No stars blinked; all was black. The sanguine moon brought with it something foreboding; something evil. It brought her; the Lady of the Shadows; the Queen of the Dead.
Yoochun stood, despite his weakened state, all by himself. The others were not allowed to be present. They gathered together in their sacred hall, praying silently to their ancient and venerable Gods; praying that darkness would not befall their favored son.
The creature crept from the shadows, surrounded by a shroud of mist. It followed her as if it had a mind of its own. The Shadow Queen stood tall in front of Yoochun, the elf standing proud; forgetting that his very soul was in peril. The deadly creature spoke, her voice surprisingly soft and gentle.
“Hello Yoochun,” she said, the sound of her dark and velvet voice sending a chill up the elf’s spine.
“Delphine,” he whispered back to her; she smiled wickedly at the sound of her name.
“I’m glad you remember me.”
The Shadow Queen walked around him, surveying him with her greedy eyes; the floating mist trailing after her as she moved.
“How could I ever forget you, Delphine?”
The Lady of Shadows laughed heartily and grinned, her sharpened fangs glistening in the night. The half breed, with her elven features was a sight to behold. Tall, slender and pale as the mist that surrounded her, Delphine’s beauty was intoxicating.
Yoochun’s heart beat hard as the Queen of the Dead reached out and touched his face.
“So lovely,” she whispered her breath cold on his neck.
Her small and delicate hands ran through his long hair; the wisps of ghostly mist mimicking her every move.
“Will you come with me?” she entreated him, her dark, intoxicating eyes staring him down.
She brought strands of his silken hair to her nose, inhaling deeply. He closed his eyes and exhaled.
“Do I have a choice?”
The Lady of Shadows shook her head.
“Then I must go.”
As he spoke, the shrouds of mist began to encircle both of them until he could no longer see his beloved forest.
“Are you afraid Yoochun?”
The mist became thicker; Yoochun feeling as if he was floating inside it.
“I may be an idiot,” he exclaimed, “but I’m no fool. Only a fool would not be afraid to go to Hell.”
The Queen of the Dead laughed, as the swirling mist engulfed them; Yoochun’s eyes closing as it whisked them away.
Darkness; or so he thought. He blinked and slowly adjusted to his surroundings. There was some light; where was it coming from? Shadows on the walls; creatures scurrying to and fro. Then he saw it. Lights. Lights on the walls. They were moving. The creatures themselves glowed, illuminating the cavern. Water trickled down the sides of the caves forming small puddles. As the drops fell, they echoed loudly. He looked up. More lights; no; more creatures that gave off light. He smiled; a strange reaction for one who found himself in the Shadow Realm.
“You seem amused,” Delphine asked him.
“These creatures are amazing.”
He laughed as one crawled up and dared to touch him. He giggled and it ran away.
The elf known as Yoochun felt strangely at ease, even though he was the guest of the Queen of the Dead.
As the Lady of Shadows moved closer to him, the lights dimmed; squinting, he could feel her breath on his neck once more. The small creatures with their glowing eyes and bio luminescent bodies slowly crawled away from their mistress and her strange guest.
“Delphine?”
Her hand grasped his; it was surprisingly warm. His body shuddered as she gently pulled him onto the cave floor. Warm vents of steam surrounded him, yet he felt cold. He shuddered as her hands roamed across his body.
Yoochun’s back arched as her tongued flicked out to taste his flesh; her soft lips planting gentle kisses on his face, his neck, his chest. These were not the actions of an evil creature of darkness; this was affection; affection from a beautiful young girl; a girl who had been ostracized from her people. Yoochun felt himself crying.
“Why Delphine? Why are you here? You don’t have to stay in the shadows. Come home. Come home where you belong.”
The half-breed spoke, her voice low and smooth as silk.
“This is my home. I am Queen of the Dead. It is my birthright. The elves will never accept me as one of their own. Don’t you remember?”
Yoochun did remember. Delphine was abandoned by her mother; the poor girl who in her madness walked into the human world and died. Yoochun was a small child and was helpless to stop her. The Fairy Queen took pity on the half-breed child and raised her along with Yoochun. The two orphans grew together, but as the demon side of Delphine took over, it was evident that she could no longer stay in the elven world. She was banished to the Shadow Realm, never to be seen again; or so everyone thought.
“The blood lust came upon me Yoochun. I became dangerous. They had to send me away.”
He shivered as the tip of her tongue licked the shell of his ear.
“You cried for me Yoochun. I’ll never forget that day. You wept as the demons came and took me away. You and the Fairy Queen were my only family, but the others forced you to give me up. I’ve missed you so much. I loved you Chunnie-ah. I still do.”
Yoochun’s tears flowed; flowed for the pitiful creature before him. He was beside himself; he was ridden with guilt.
“Forgive me,” he begged her. “I could not help you. I was just a child.”
She nuzzled his throat; hands shaking as her fingers danced across his slender torso.
“My beautiful Chunnie-ah, it doesn’t matter. We are together now.”
He swallowed hard.
“Forever?”
The Lady of Shadows stopped.
“Is that what you think?”
Yoochun sat up. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see her face.
“I’m your prisoner, aren’t I? I can’t go home. The darkness will over take me. I do not wish for my friends and family to see me suffer. If I am to go mad, what better place for me to lose my wits than in Hell?”
The Queen of the Dead laughed, scattering the entourage of small creatures to the corners of the cavern.
“I’ve brought you here to heal you, not make you a captive.”
“Poison flows through my veins. What can anyone do to help me?”
Delphine sighed.
“When the demons brought me here, I learned their secrets. The river that flows beneath these steam vents is poisonous, yet they were not affected by it. They drank from it. I drank from it too. It made me sick at first because I was a half breed. As time passed it no longer bothered me. I became immune to poison.”
Yoochun was uneasy. The creatures began to creep closer once more, their body heat casting a glow upon the cavern walls. As the light intensified, he could see Delphine smiling; her fangs illuminating in the darkness.
“You see Yoochun; I’ve lived here so long, I am more demon than elf. I’ve grown accustomed to the dark; I receive nourishment from the poisonous river. There is only one thing I have yet to experience. You see, my lust for elven blood has never been quenched.”
Her hands grasped his shoulders and pressed him down upon the cave floor.
“I will heal you. I will take away the madness. I will drain the poison from you. I will drink your blood.”
Yoochun shivered in fear.
“By all the Gods.”
Delphine’s voice interrupted him.
“Your Gods cannot help you. I am your God now. Worship me. Sacrifice yourself to me.”
His screams reverberated off the cavern walls as she sank her fangs into his neck.
Minutes, hours, days. Yoochun couldn’t tell. He lay upon the cavern floor, drained and exhausted. He cried out for Delphine, his voice raspy and weak. The Queen of the Dead was otherwise occupied. Her blood lust had made her drunk. In her stupor, she wandered around the cavern, her hidden claws now fully extended. She raked them across the cave walls, mutilating the hapless creatures that scurried for safety. She cackled as their bodies splattered under her power.
Yoochun cried out for her once more. Regaining her composure she joined him on the floor.
“You are delicious my love,” she purred, her fangs scraping up against his sore neck.
He winced in pain.
“I’m thirsty.”
The Queen of the Dead picked up something from the floor of the cave. She filled it with the water which trickled down the walls. She gave it to Yoochun to drink.
“It’s safe,” she reassured him. “The water down below is poisonous. This water is fresh.”
He drank it slowly. When he finished, he looked at the vessel in his hand.
“What is this?” he asked her.
She giggled.
“It’s a sea shell.”
“What?”
“A sea shell. From the sea. It washed upon the beach.”
Yoochun looked at her strangely.
“There’s an ocean down here?”
Dephine helped Yoochun to his feet.
“You’ve never heard of the Midnight Sea? It’s the ocean that flows underground. You can only get to it from the Shadow Realm.”
Delphine led Yoochun through the dark and narrow passages of the Shadow Realm until it opened up into a magnificent sight. There before his eyes, was an ocean; dark waves crashing upon a pristine beach. She ran into the waves, splashing like a little child, still drunk from the blood lust. He laughed as she fell upon the sand rolling around in it; the water soaking her sheath-like gown. It clung to every curve of her body. As he watched her frolic upon the shore he realized she was right; she truly was a goddess.
He dug his toes into the sand; it felt good. Slowly making his way to the waters edge, the waves tickled his feet and ankles. Delphine grabbed him and pulled him down. She rolled on top of him and stared at him with her dark eyes.
“Delphine,” he breathed. “I must ask you something. Where is your father?”
The question seemed like a logical one to ask, but the answer was far from simple.
“I killed him and took his place. I avenged my mother. It had to be done.”
Yoochun swallowed hard. He stared into the eyes of his childhood friend and saw her pain.
“Delphine. If you ask me, I will stay with you. I will stay with you forever.”
A tear drop fell from the eye of the Queen of the Dead.
“No Yoochun. You must go home. You must return to the Fairy Queen and your people. You must go back to your beloved Minku and your wife; your wife who is with child.”
“Am I cured then?” he asked her.
She nodded her head.
“Yoochun?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Warm soft lips met his; he welcomed them openly. He moaned as her tongue explored his mouth; thrusting between his teeth. She wasted little time; stripping him of his simple loin cloth she took him fully in her mouth until he grew hard. Delphine sucked upon him relentlessly; his body burning up from the core. The ocean waves crashed upon their bodies, but it did little to quench the fire inside him. Her claws dug into the sand as her tongue swept across the underside of his rigid length. She took him deep once again into the back of her throat before impaling herself upon him. Yoochun held onto her waist as she rode him; breathless, he marveled at her divine body. He flipped her onto her back, and as the ocean waves pounded against the shore, he rocked into her body; the water splashing over them, soaking them to the bone. They made love upon the sand for hours; hands fondling; nails raking across each others backs. They moaned each others names into their throats; mouths pressing feverish kisses upon each others flesh. He sucked upon her milk white breasts which fit perfectly in his mouth. His tongue licked a trail down her spine and between her legs; his attention focused on her moist flesh which he attacked with great skill. She shrieked his name at the top of her lungs as he made her come over and over again. It was the Queen of the Dead who sacrificed herself, and Yoochun was her God. On her hands and knees she presented herself to him; his engorged length plunging deep inside her once more. He thrust in hard and fast; and then slowed down; steadying his breathing to keep from coming too soon. He continued this ritual; pulling out slowly then slamming into her hard, making her cry out. He leaned in and bit her. She smiled; perhaps there was some demon in him as well. Yoochun rammed into her with great intensity, his rigid length delving deep inside her. Her insides constricted upon his wide girth; the pressure too much for him to bear. He felt the fluid weeping from the tip of his arousal and he knew it was time. Grabbing onto her hips his body bucked forward. He spilled; her name escaping his lips. They collapsed upon the shore, breathless. They lay together, the Midnight Sea washing away the signs of their love making; if only it could wash away the sorrow and the tears.
“You must go now Yoochun.”
Delphine led him back to the caves. A mist formed around him.
“Wait,” he cried out to her. “Wait.”
“I love you. Remember. I love you.”
His arms reached out and in that last final moment before the mist took him home, their finger tips touched for the very last time.
Yoochun returned to his family; all were overjoyed to see him safe and sound. He did his best to pretend that all was well, but his heart was full of sadness.
Deep beneath the eastern forest, in the realm of shadows, a young woman wept for her lost love. She traveled the endless beaches, crushing shells beneath her feet as the waves of the Midnight Sea crashed upon the shore.