#meldarkthrop

Happy Easter!! I hope that everyone has a great day and get’s lots of chocolate!

I know this has been discussed over and over again (at least I think so) but wth?! In TLO you suddenly get the chance to have another pairing for Mel, and since Edward was the only option before, it’s really interesting to have Spook around! I didn’t really support it at first but even though I didn’t WHY THE THREW ALL THE ATTRACTIONS POINTS IN OUR FACES AND THEN– NO, NO, NO DEAR NO SPOOK/MEL PAIRING AND CERTAINLY NO GYENDAL/MEL PAIRING! And then Mel discovers magic and poof! The end!

(∩｀-´)⊃━━☆ﾟ.*

(it annoys me so much)

BTW: This Fanfic corresponds with my avatar, which was drawn for me by the lovely and incredibly talented Mu11berry!

It was a long walk back to the ship for Mel and her Party. They had just finished up their business in the Orc Empire. Through some clever maneuvering they were able to steal the Orc King's Quarter Key without anyone noticing. For the most part, everyone was pleased with how their quest was going so far. So far, they had found two out of four of the Quarter Keys. They were making a decent amount of progress. They had reason to be proud of themselves. After all, not many humans were known to survive the Orc Empire. The very presence of Hercules and the Human Slaves back in the city jail was proof of that.

As Mel replayed that encounter through her head, she couldn't help but remember the conversation she had with Te'ijal and Galahad. She had known that they were a strange couple from the very start, but she had never imagined that they had such a complicated past. Te'ijal had never been easy to understand. You never knew what she was thinking. One moment she was remarking on how delicious your neck looked, and the next she was saving that very same neck from the clutches of her power hungry twin brother.

At times Mel wanted to know what went on in her mind, but there were also times when she didn't want to know. This was one of those moments when she did want to know. "Hey, Te'ijal, can I ask you a question?" she asked the Red Haired Vampress, as she walked up beside her.

"You certainly may, my little lamb," Te'ijal replied. "What is on your mind?"

Mel bit down on her lip, hesitating for a moment as to whether she should bring up such a topic. "Why did you want to marry Galahad so badly? I mean, you went to such great lengths to make him yours. Was he worth all the trouble?"

"I'm quite curious about that myself," Stella added, joining in on the conversation. Meanwhile, Lydia stayed behind, too busy watching her every step to ensure that nothing tore or soiled her new dress.

Te'ijal's ruby red eyes lit up at the mere mention of her husband. Mel might have been a bit inexperienced when it came to love, but she could clearly tell that the Vampress loved the Blonde Paladin with all of her unbeating heart, even if she did have a strange way of showing it at times.

"I do not regret the decision I made all those centuries ago, for he has indeed been more than worth the trouble," Te'ijal admitted, casting a glance towards her husband, who was slightly ahead with the other men. The girls all knew that he could probably hear them talking, seeing as he was a vampire with all the heightened senses of one.

"What made you want to marry him?" Stella asked. "Were you attracted to him, or was it simply because you found him entertaining?"

"He certainly is entertaining to me, but that is not entirely why I married him," Te'ijal explained. "He has always been a stubborn man, holding tightly to the morals in which he was brought up with, and I admire that, even if I do find them a bit frustrating at times. In addition, I have never met anyone quite as strong as him, and for someone who loves adventure and the dangers that come with it, it is wise to have someone like him around, just in case."

She went quiet for a few moments, as she appeared to be staring off into space, but then all of a sudden, she quickened her pace, easily catching up with the men, and wrapped her arms around Galahad's broad, armor-clad shoulders. Her long, spidery fingers slowly moving down his back.

"However, above all else, I married him because he is very muscular and sexy. I do believe he has the finest ass that I have ever seen," she commented with a slight smirk.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, their faces each turning as bright red as the Vampress's hair. Well, everyone except for Galahad of course. He probably would have blushed at that moment as well, had he been capable of doing so.

"Silence your tongue, Demon Spawn!" Galahad exclaimed.

Te'ijal giggled flirtatiously, and in a sudden bold move, she reached down and grabbed his ass for a brief moment before walking past him, swaying her hips as she went in a most seductive way. It was obvious that she was taunting him.

"I did not need to see that!" Edward exclaimed, pretending to gag as he grabbed Stella and hurried on his way.

"I thought it was rather romantic," Stella remarked, blushing madly as she peered down at Edward's ass, or at least what could be seen of it underneath all of his armor.

"Personally, I find the two of them disgusting," Lydia remarked, sticking her incredibly long nose high up in the air.

An uneasy feeling washed over Mel the moment she laid eyes on the Orb of Death. It was by far the most powerful orb that her ancestor had ever created, and that was exactly why she had come all the way to Eldrion to find it. She had to destroy it, otherwise someone else might try to use it. The Orb of Life had given Stella her life back, and turned Te'ijal, Galahad, and Gyendal human again, so she imagined that the Orb of Death would do the opposite and steal lives. She wasn't about to let anyone else die because of this quest.

"It's about time we found it," Mel muttered, taking a deep breath.

She looked at the group of friends that surrounded her. They had come a long way together. She honestly didn't know what she would have done without them all. Although she liked to think that she was capable of taking care of herself, she had to admit that she was lucky to have them. They were like the family she never had. She only wished that Te'ijal and Galahad could have been there with the rest of the group to witness it.

"This is our reward?" Yvette asked, clearly disappointed. "It's just a stupid crystal."

"That stupid crystal has the power to kill people!" Mel snapped, shutting Yvette up for the moment.

With a big, deep breath, Mel gathered her confidence and finally stepped forward. Carefully she lifted the dark orb from it's stand, and just like all the other orbs, it began to glow as soon as she touched it. The orb was warm, and despite the fact that the air in the cavern was freezing cold, it began to flood her with warmth. The orbs all felt so familiar to her. It was almost as if they recognized her as their master. The thought disgusted her. She didn't want to be their master. She didn't want anything to do with them.

"Mel, you don't have to destroy it," Spook spoke up, coming up beside her. "You could hand it over to the Oracle and let her decide what to do with it, or just hide it somewhere else."

Mel was surprised to hear him talking to her. The two of them hadn't really spoken much since the party in Underfall. She never knew what to say to him, and he didn't seem to know what to say to her either. Regardless, she considered his ideas for a moment. The Oracle would probably be able to keep it safe, and out of the clutches of evil, seeing as no one with bad intentions was able to enter. However, hiding it somewhere else was not a good idea. It was too risky.

She shook her head. "No, the Oracle would want me to destroy it."

Without further hesitation, she slowly raised the orb above her head and threw it to the ground. For a brief moment, Mel was convinced that her problems with the orb were all over, but then something strange happened. The orb suddenly stopped in midair, just inches from the ground and flew to her right. Confused as to what was going on, she turned around and saw that it had flown straight into Spooks hands.

"What the..." Mel began to say.

"I'm sorry, Mel, but I can't let you destroy it," Spook said.

Spook's appearance suddenly began to change as an eerie looking black fog enveloped him, concealing him for a few moments. When the fog cleared away Mel found that it wasn't the Shaggy Haired Thief that she had thought she knew. Standing in his place, with the Orb of Death still clutched tightly in his hand, was none other than the ex-vampire mage, Gyendal Ravenfoot.

It didn't take Mel long to figure out what was going on. Spook had been nothing but a disguise. It had been Gyendal all along. Her whole body went stiff as she realized that she had unintentionally told Gyendal all of her deepest and darkest secrets. Not only had she told him to his face that she might be attracted to him, but she had kissed him!

She clenched her fists. He had been deceived her all along. She was sure of it. The fact that he had stolen the orb from her was all the proof she needed. All he wanted was to use her to take over the world. It was likely that every affectionate word and gesture had been a lie. It was nothing more than an act.

"Gyendal!" Edward yelled, drawing his sword and charging toward the mage. "I should have known it was you!"

With a flick of his hand, Gyendal cast a barrier around himself and Mel, preventing Edward, or anyone else, from reaching them. Edward tried to break through, striking the barrier with his sword and even tried body slamming himself into it, but nothing it worked. In the end, he ended up face flat on the ground. Mel was just about to pull out her own weapon when suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"I have no desire to fight you, Mel," he said, his voice sounding surprisingly calm. "I only want for you to join me."

"Why should I believe you? You've done nothing but lie and manipulate me! You pretended to like me, hoping that by doing so, I would follow you like some lost kitten!" Mel exclaimed. "I would rather die than go with you."

A dark look washed over his face, making him look even more intimidating than usual. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to resort to this, but it seems you've left me no choice."

By now Edward had gotten to his feet, but it probably would have been best if he had just stayed on the floor, for soon enough he found himself being blasted into the cavern wall. Blood spurting out of his mouth as he yelped in pain.

"Edward!" Mel screamed. She tried to go to her friend, but was unable to escape from the barrier.

"This doesn't have to end in death, Mel. I am willing to spare his life, as well as the lives of your other friends, but only if you give yourself over to me," Gyendal declared.

Mel could feel the anger within her rising at an alarming rate. She was so angry, yet she was conflicted at the same time. As much as she wanted to hate Gyendal for tricking her, she found that she was unable to. She wanted to believe that he hadn't been lying about everything. It was probably foolish of her, but she wanted to cling to the idea that maybe he did like her after all. After all, he hadn't stated otherwise.

Her whole body began to tremble as hot tears began to stream down her face. This was probably one of the first times in her life that Mel had cried, especially in front of others. She knew that she needed to calm down and make her decision, but at that moment, she felt as though she was unable to. Her emotions were just spiraling out of control.

Then, all of a sudden, she began to feel gradually stronger, and more powerful. It was truly bizarre. She couldn't explain it. It felt as though a spark had suddenly ignited deep within her. Before she knew what was going on, a blast of magic ripped out of her hands and broke the barrier.

"W-What just happened?" Mel asked herself, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"You have magic!" June exclaimed a bit too happily for the situation.

Mel stared at her own two hands. How was it possible? She had never had magic before. Why had it only appeared now? "N-No, you're wrong! I-I't can't be me."

With the barrier now broken, Yvette tried to take a step towards her, but as she did, Mel reached out her hand to warn her to stay away. Much to her horror, a fire ball came out of her hand as she did so. Yvette had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. It was at that exact moment that it fully dawned on Mel that it was true. She had magic.

"Stay away from me, all of you!" she exclaimed, slowly backing away.

She looked over at Gyendal, expecting him to be pleased by the sudden turn of events, but was surprised to find that was not at all the case. Mel wasn't quite sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw something in his expression that she had never seen before; guilt.

What happened next shocked her more than anything else. Gyendal actually let the orb fall out of his hands shatter into a hundred tiny pieces, the power within it vanishing into a puff of smoke. Everyone gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief. No one could believe what they were witnessing. Had Gyendal finally given up on trying to use the orbs? It sure seemed that way.

"Why did you ..."

Mel began to speak, but was cut off as Gyendal suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, claiming her lips in a quick, yet heated kiss. She let out a small startled yelp, surprised by the sudden gesture. However, no sooner had he pulled away, then he turned and summoned a portal.