#raythereignfans

Winter Solstice

 Cole snuggled down under the bed covers, his nose was freezing, but if he stuck his head under the covers he couldn't breathe properly. Why was his room so cold?! Stephanus had told him that his room was at the perfect temperature, but Stephanus was an incubus! He always ran hot.

The door to his room opened and Cole groaned, deciding he'd rather hide than be even colder with the cold air coming in through the door. Even in the middle of winter the club should not be this cold. Maybe Stephanus had forgotten to pay his electric bill? Cole thought that was unlikely as Anita probably took care of that. Or maybe the heating was broken in his room. Cole groaned again, maybe it was as simple as a window being left open.

Cole was a mix of incubus and succubus, why didn't he run hot? Even being The Bringer should bring him some warmth. A voice inside his head told him that being The Bringer wasn't to provide his human vessel with warmth. Perhaps the Unnamed One was somewhere, he brought extreme cold with him, objects got so cold that they burnt the skin, but then who had entered his room. Only Stephanus came in uninvited, not that The Unnamed One wouldn't, but he usually announced his presence.

Something crawled along Cole’s bed, making him frown. Stephanus wouldn't crawl along his bed, he was too adult for that, and it didn't feel human size anyway. Sticking his head out he came face to face with the clearest, but bluest feline eyes he had ever seen. It had an aura of superiority and Cole practically felt the need to bow down to it. The cat’s fur was jet black and it sat on his other pillow looking completely unimpressed with the sight before it, namely Cole. ‘Good Morning Mr Cat, how'd you get in here?’

‘He snuck in when I came to wake you.’ Stephanus replied from over at Coles wardrobe. Stephanus had the doors open and was perusing the choices within. To be fair, Cole didn’t have many choices or at least he didn’t when he had been living at home. Stephanus had made clear his disdain of just jeans and t-shirts and the odd shirt in case he had to dress up for anything. Stephanus had been gradually adding suits and the like the whole time Cole had been living at the club, Cole hadn’t bothered to say anything, he still wore what he more comfortable in, however Stephanus had overcome that by buying him designer clothes or handmade clothes made for the best materials, much of Cole’s clothes had been replaced with far better replicas but Cole refused to say anything about that, he knew that it irked Stephanus that Cole hadn’t bothered to mention he was wearing handpicked, handwoven  cotton and not some manmade polyester mix.

Cole pushed himself into a sitting position, his covers falling into his lap, leaving him bare chested, but still freezing. Goosebumps rose on his skin and his nipples hardened.  ‘Where did he come from?’ Cole asked as he reached for the cat and held it close, calmly ignoring the heated look he was receiving. The fur was so soft and glossy, Cole could sit and stroke the cat all day.

‘He is my Winter Solstice gift.’

‘Winter Solstice?’

‘Did your parents not celebrate it?’ Stephanus asked. ‘Its fall differently every winter.’

‘I’m not sure now that I think on it, maybe that when they went to feed.’ Cole frowned, why couldn’t he remember, surely, he would know about such things. ‘Did Anita get you him?’

Stephanus laughed. ‘No, your friend Paul has left me requiring some feline therapy.’ Stephanus began pulling out suit choices. ‘There is magic in the air tonight, I can feel it, it is a holiday that I celebrate, Anita has tried to celebrate with me, but she cannot feel nor see what I can.’ Stephanus held out a black suit with his right hand towards the bed, measuring it against Cole as if he could judge size. ‘Nope, too dark.’ Stephanus turned around and pulled out another, this one was dark grey but seemed a more casual fit. ‘Ah, this will be perfect.’ Stephanus closed the wardrobe and hung the suit on the front of the door. ‘Can you not feel the pulsing in the air? This is my favourite time of the year!’

Cole frowned. ‘No.’ The cat nuzzled him, as if sensing his disappointment, or frustration. ‘Why doesn’t Anita celebrate anyway? There’s plenty of stuff she can see or feel.’

‘That’s true.’ Stephanus replied. ‘It is more a case of that with the magic that is in the air, some paranomals’ can become quite drunk and can sometimes be dangerous, and I am not immune to such effects so I prefer her to be safe.’

‘You can get drunk on the air?’ Cole asked excitedly, this was an opportunity to get some fun time.

‘I can.’ Stephanus replied, ‘However, it much depends on how many paranormals’ are at the club at the current moment and since the club is almost empty, I doubt that will happen. Winter Solstice is also the only night of the year that I don’t have to feed, it is such a freeing feeling, to not have the hunger hanging over me.’ Stephanus placed polished shoes at the chair Cole used to dress and a pair of black socks on the tables. ‘As to you not feeling the magic, I believe that you aren't fully in tune with yourself yet.’

Cole shrugged, he doubted The Bringer celebrated such things, he didn't need the extra magic. Not only was he strong, but he had an army, what was one night of the year to him? ‘What's this beauty's name?’ Cole asked, stoking the cat, the motion soothing. Loud contented purrs rose to greet him, he could also feel the sound in the cat’s chest, it was exciting that the animal wasn’t scared of him.

‘Alric.’

Cole laughed hard. ‘Won't the King of the Elves be insulted?’

‘No, of course not. Alric is a cat worthy of such a strong regal name!’ Stephanus walked over to the bed and lifted the purring Alric away. ‘I do believe Alric himself would be quite honoured to have this majestic creature named after him.’ While holding Alric in one hand, he grabbed the rest of Cole’s covers and dragged them off the bed. ‘Now come, get dressed in that lovely suit and I will show you the surprise I have downstairs.’

‘You’ve just named him that so you can feel like you’re stroking the real Alric!!’ Cole laughed as Stephanus swept out of the room, of course stroking his cat. Climbing out of bed, Cole headed for the shower and quickly washed himself, he was excited to see what was downstairs. Stephanus wasn’t one for huge acts of grandeur, but something felt different, something felt happier and lighter and Cole was going to take advantage of them, he wasn’t going to dwell on being The Bringer, he wasn’t going to dwell on his fate, he was going to enjoy today, he was going to enjoy this moment with Stephanus and all others be damned.

 *

 Cole walked out into the hall and felt something being placed over his eyes, he panicked slightly and felt himself go to grab the material away.

‘Calm, I just want to make my surprise for all that more special, please indulge me?’ Stephanus whispered in his ear.

Cole couldn’t repress the shiver that passed thorugh his body as Stephanus’ breath brushed past his ear. ‘I-I trust you, you just took me by surprise is all.’

‘My apologies.’ Stephanus tied the blindfold around Cole’s head.

Blackness engulfed him, Cole feared this type of dark sometimes, he feared what he might find in it, or what might find him. Sometimes he had nightmares about his parents, their body parts up for sale for the highest bidder and that in the darkness it could happen to him, that he could be helpless and defenceless. The Bringer he may be, but in his dreams, he was ordinary, human even, easily killed.

Suddenly he was blinded by light and Stephanus was kissing him.

‘I am sorry, I didn’t realise how hard taking your sight from you would be.’ Stephanus stroked his hand down the side of Cole’s face. ‘Forgive me?’

‘I trust you Stephanus, I do, it’s just complete darkness, total and utter darkness, there’s just something about it.’ Coles dropped his head, upset and embarrassed.

‘For a time, I feared the dark.’ Stephanus said quietly as he took Cole’s hand and began to lead him through the club. ‘Before The Unnamed One, when I was still at my masters beck and call. I was kept in a dark basement, devoid of all light and my master took great joy in having this control over me. Every creature has something that they have that they fear lives in the darkness. Mine was him … he would turn on every light to blind me, then turn off all the lights, it was true darkness then for I couldn’t see in the light or the dark until my eyes healed.’ Stephanus gripped Cole’s hand. ‘As you know, many paranormal creatures can see in the dark, but I could not, my first memory is of him, I don’t know if I was taken as child or what, but learning to see in the dark was not a skill I learned. It is not a natural thing for my kind, we look for aura, how healthy a human is so that we may feed, but his, his was dark, tainted, evil,  so for a long time I saw nothing.’ Stephanus took a deep breath. ‘After I escaped, I saw sunlight for the first time, but I also saw it set for the first time, I didn’t know it would come back, those first few nights away from him were terrible, I feared the dark, scared of what it could bring and I was so-so hungry, I cursed this world, I cursed my master and I cursed The Unnamed One. That was the fear talking. Sometimes, in the dead of night I still hear him, but again that is the fear I once had, I became strong, I surpassed all those who step on me. I am where I am because I chose to accept my fear and overcome it.’ Stephanus stopped and looked at Cole. ‘I am sorry for doing the same thing to you, I did not think on it too much, just that I wanted to surprise you, forgive me please?’ Stephanus gave his hand another tight squeeze. ‘Don’t do something just because I ask you to. Please tell me if it scares you, we can work on it together, you are not alone.’

‘I’ll just close my eyes then, I’ll let you guide me.’ Cole gave a tentative smile. Inside he was fuming, The Bringer, not one for caring about others seemed to care for Stepahnus and he wanted to tear Stephanus’ old master to shreds, to make him suffer. That was something they could both agree on.

Stephanus flashed a brilliant white smile at him. ‘Come then.’

Cole let himself be guided through the club, he had a general idea of where he was going, it seemed that they were headed for the large banquet room that was underneath his bedroom. Cole had only ever been in it once and that was because he had gotten lost. Anita had found him and said that the banquet room was barely used, guests preferred be alone in their rooms or guest areas, different types of paranormal rarely mixed, seeming to cautious of each other. Alric had on occasion given a human celebration there, inviting guests for charity events or the press when they demanded some sort interview. Anita had showed him around the cavernous space, not that there had been much to see. There was a bar off to one side and it seemed like a music system set up in another corner, there were huge windows that let light stream in that was almost blinding. Cole wondered why there were heading there now. Stephanus had a surprise for him, but why use such a big room, especially since Cole sensed that the club was empty at this time.

‘I can hear you brain going from here.’ Stephanus laughed at him. ‘I know you can guess the general direction that we are heading.’

‘It's still going to be a surprise though. I haven't been down this way for a while.’ Cole felt his hand being released and stood stock still. He could feel a blast of cold air in front of him. What the hell had Stephanus done?

‘You may open your eyes.’ Stephanus said pushing open the double doors.

Cole slowly opened his eyes and gasped at the way the room had been overhauled. The room had been transformed with a huge amount of ice, but now that he was seeing it, he didn't feel any cold at all. The ice glistened in the sunlight from the windows, even they had been decorated, massive stained glass reliefs on them, depicting a story, it seemed familiar but he couldn't grasp it. The floor looked like glass that had snowflakes trapped inside that glittered beautifully in the sun. Around the sides stood trees, also made from ice, some were fully decorated with colourful leaves also made of ice and some were like trees from winter, bare, but beautiful in their starkness. The chandelier in the ceiling had also been decorated in ice, beautiful snow crystals hung from its edges, almost reaching the ground it was beautiful. Just inside the hanging ice crystals was a dining table, it too was covered in crystals and glisten pure silver in all the light. ‘What's all this Stephanus?’ Cole asked as tears threatened to fall.

‘It is a celebration.’ Stephanus replied. ‘Come sit.’ Stephanus led Cole to the table. ‘This is a gift to you and you alone.’

Cole sat down and stared at everything around him, it was all so awe inspiring. ‘How did you manage this?’

‘Magic.’ Stephanus smiled and began serving lunch. ‘I can manipulate certain things, ice seems calls to me and on the Winter Solstice I can do much more than I usually can.’

Cole dug into his food, it had taken all morning to move himself from the cold and that was only because Stephanus had come to get him up, he was famished. He could feel Stephanus smiling indulgently at him as if feeding Cole was a delight. Cole was only terrified that he might get some of his food down his expensive designer shirt that probably had more zeros that he could even guess.

‘This was so tasty!’ Cole exclaimed after finishing his last bite, he set his fork and knife down with a flourish and sat back with a groan. ‘As much as I loved it, I don’t think I could handle a desert right now.’

‘Come then.’ Stephanus stood up and offered his hand. ‘I shall explain to you the windows.’

Cole grasped his hand and followed him to the first window, well he assumed it was the first window since that was where it was Stephanus had gone to first. The glass relief on the first one had the silhouettes of a man and woman on opposite sides, as if they were in different places.

‘Once there was a man and woman, they were hunters, but they only hunted a certain kind of creature.’ Stephanus began. ‘It was unusual for the paths of these two hunters to cross, but that night they did and it changed many things forever.’ Stephanus moved to the next window. The man and woman were entwined with each other as if they were making love. ‘They feel in love that night, once their eyes had met, there was no breaking the connection, love at first sight. A myth for such hunters but one the found to be true, they could not deny each other, they could not step away from each other.’ Stephanus brought Cole to the third window. The man and woman were on their knees, kneeling in front of a King, his crown shining with the sun. ‘They stopped being hunters, they moved away to somewhere new, somewhere protected and somewhere safe, but to stay there, they had to ask the King of the region, they thought they would have to swear fealty, but that was not the case, all they had to do was abide by his rules and that was not harm each other or anyone else and to just live their lives.’ At the fourth window, Stephanus took a deep breath. The man and woman were standing apart, a small child holding their hands in the centre of them, their backs were turned, they seemed to be walking into the light. ‘A child was born, one that should not have happened, but the man and woman had been blessed. They loved this child more than life itself, they would ensure nothing would happen to the child.’ Stephanus looked towards Cole and then proceeded the penultimate window. This window was direr, it had the man and woman on the ground and a young person appeared to be crying over their fallen forms. ‘Safety it seemed could not last forever, evil came for them, evil came for their child, they could not defend against such power, but the child survived by chance, he was not home at the time his parents were murdered.’ Stephanus moved to the final window. In the centre stood a young man, his head shining gold as if he bore a crown, but a lot of darkness behind him, as if the darkness was coming from him, but the light was keeping it at bay, keeping it equal. ‘The child is the best of both worlds, his heart is pure, as pure as his parents wished him to be, but he has the power of his birth, the power of darkness that only he can control.’

Cole lifted his hands to his face, his tears flowing freely, he had guessed where this had been going, but for it to be confirmed, Cole couldn’t handle it.

‘It is a memorial to your parents.’ Stephanus said quietly. ‘These will be here forever; their story will never be forgotten. I have cast what magic I can to help them survive, but Alric and Nyssandra have also cast protections on them.’

‘Why?’ Cole asked.

‘Some stories need to be forgotten, some need to be forgiven and some need to be revered, your parents did what none of my kind could, they were happy.’ Stephanus gave a small smile. ‘Many of my kind fight each other, hunting grounds and the such, but your parents overcame those innate feelings and loved each other to the end.’

Cole touched the window of his image, it didn’t look like him, but he knew it was. ‘You believe I won’t fall into the darkness?’ Cole turned to face Stephanus. ‘The Bringer is strong, stronger than me, he can protect everyone.’

‘No, he can’t, his choice is to fight, not to save, he will not save your friends, he will not save this world, only you can, he gives you the strength to fight only.’

Cole lowered his head. ‘What if I follow him to the darkness and stay there?’

‘Then I believe that will be the choice you have made. For whatever reason that may be, if you follow him into the darkness, then that is where I will go, I will follow where you lead Cole. We have our own story to tell and until we’ve drawn our lasts breathes I will follow you until the end, whichever decision you make because I believe in you and the gift yours parents left you with.’

‘What did they leave me with?’ Cole asked.

‘A heart.’ Stephanus placed his hand over Cole’s heart.

Cole through his arms around Stephanus and hugged him tight. ‘Thank you.’ Cole kissed him deeply. ‘Thank you for giving me this.’