My Fated One

5. AURORA'S GAME

POV (LUCAS)

Don't fall asleep. Don't give in. I kept saying it over and over again in my head, but the soft rocking back and forth from the carrage's wheels, mixed with the clip clop of the horses hoves on the dirt path, was creating the perfect lullably to lull my mind to stop and drift away. Away to a time when the gentle sweet sounds of her laughter would tickling my ears like a crisp autum breeze, while her tiny hands would poked and prodded at my side begging for my attention. I was losing it. Losing the battle between being able to stay awake and disern if what I was seeing was a memory or a sweet dream. Yet, it soon did not matter. For suddenly I was back there. Back to a time when the mid-afternoon sun would bear down on my face as we rested by the old oak tree outside our wooden thatched roof cottage. I knew it was wrong to be doing so, that she should have been resting in doors away from the heat and the wandering eyes of the pack, but I could not help it. For bring her out of her inclosure, and giving her a bit of normalcy, made breaking the rules and disregarding orders just worth it.

"Abelia, what are you doing?" I said, as she began to rub her nose on my shirt, causing a tiny wet spot to appear. While her soothing scent of vanilla and honey surrounded me, as I stretch my back and shoulders and wrapped her up tightly in my arms.

"Noo." She protested, in a small little voice that would instantly cause me to melt and do here bidding. However, not this time.

"Nope. I'm not letting you go." I laughed, making her kick and hit me lightly but I could tell from the sparkle in her eyes, that she did not want me to release her either.

"Do you have to train today?" She murrmered, as her head rested on my chest, while I began to twirl one of her small white blonde locks around a finger.

"Yes, but I'll be back before dinner."

"You promise." She questioned, as she flipped over on her belly and gazed up at me with those innocent but knowing eyes. Eyes that one day knew my words might turn into a lie. She had always been like that. Silently watching and mimicking me, to the point that I would find myself forgetting exactly how old she really was.

"Of course, do you even have to ask. There is no way I would not return to you." I said, as I burried my face in her hair and kiss the top of the head. How could something be so lovely, so pure and true in a place that felt like it was getting darker by the minute?

Carefully, I picked her up and raised her high above my head causing her to let out a merry sea of giggles that made my heartache and yearn to just runaway. It would be so simple to just hide us both from this messed up world and yet, how could I? After everything I had done, could I really bring myself to give up half away? No, I already knew there was no escaping from our past. For once again our enemies were many. They lurked in the shadows or stood proudly in the light, constantly taunting and daring us to fight them. However this time it would be different. No matter their numbers and power, I would never yeild or fail her like I had in our first life together as brother and sister.

Like a horrible nightmare I can't avoid, I can still remember how angry I was the night she took my family from me. Even as my mother begged me on her death bed to watch over my baby sister and keep her safe, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Seeing the woman that had raised me and loved me for four year waste away into nothing, and then experience the same with my Father, was just too much for a young child to handle. And so when the Alpha told me Abelia had to be locked away to protect the pack I welcomed the suggestion. I loathed her, despised her with every part of my being, and yet all she did was adore me. Like a helpless chick imprinting on its mother she followed me around, tottering and babbling happily every time she saw me. Yet, I could not reciprocate her feelings, and the day the King called me into service, at the age of 15, I watched as she crumpled to floor.

(FLASHBACK - 11 yrs old ABELIA'S FIRST LIFE IN THE PAST)

"No! You can't take him!" She screamed, causing the officials and knights to shake their heads at me and even pull swords on her.

"Lucas Livingstone, what is this the meaning of this? Are you saying you refuse the Crown's orders?"

"Absolute not, my Lord!" I said nervously, as I bowed my head, and kicked her off. Causing her knees to hit the hard cobbled stones of the city square, as I prayed this action would deter her from interfering in my life any further. But it still wasn't enough to quiet her tongue from saying the one word I forbade her from ever uttering.

"Please, Broth..."

"Don't you dare call me that! I will never allow you that privilege after what you have taken from me!" I snarled, as my eyes glowed with furry and rage. I had never spoken to her in such a manner and it seemed my message had been recived. Slowly, she withdrew as the Alpha came up from behind her and placed a pair of possessive hands on her tiny trembling shoulders.

"Do not worry Lucas, all will be well while you are at the Academy. Isn't that right my darling neice?"

"Please, don't leave me here. I can't..."

But I did, even when her mindlink wavered and whimpered in my head it did not change my actions. I left her, an innocent eleven year old girl, in the hands of a derange lunatic. I shouldn't have been surprised when I got word she had run away. And that no matter how many trackers and search parties they sent out after her she could not be found.

That night as I sat on my bed and reread the letter from Thomas of her disappearance I was hit with a horrible truth. Abelia did mean something to me. Since before she could even talk she had always been in my shadow, watching, waiting, patiently observing every little thing I did. Then when she got older and could stand on a stool in the kitchen, a warm meal was always available or medicine could be found at my bedside table. She was brilliant, maybe more so than me. And yet, I completely ignored her. For no one trained her, no one taught her, but that never seemed to stop her. Looking back on it now, Abelia was never a little sister to me but more like a mother.

The minute I understood this, I made it my mission to find her. Yet, I could not leave the Academy and was too afraid to break protacol and ask the King for leave. Meaning it would be many years before I would ever see Abelia again. Yet when I did, it was not as my sister but as the future queen of Norweden. It was never clear to me on how Alexander found Abelia, but I didn't care. Because for the first time she seemed happy and was protected in his arms. So, I accepted their union and bowed to the future King for doing the one thing I, as her older brother, I had not. But I was horribly wrong. For Alexander had never worthy of Abelia, and due to my naive thinking my reward was seeing him murder the one person who really loved me in this world. I can still taste the smoke from the fires, and hear her last mind link to me, as I raced to reach her in time.

"Goodbye Lucas, my Brother. Please find the happiness I took from you, it is all I have ever wanted."

How could she say that? How could she be such a saint, when I was such a monster to her? No, I would never experience that again. I would never make the same mistakes a second time. I did not travel through thousands of years, and plot against ever faction throughout history, even abandon my own mate, just to watch Abelia be killed by his sword again. It was hard enough having to watch her sacrifice herself, in the future, to save those demons and die in Alec's arms in the process. I thought I was going to go mad. If it had not been for Sebastian, holding me back and reminding me of what we were doing there, I would have killed Alec on the spot. But it had to be done. It was the only way to bring her back to this moment, to this timeline in the past, so I could make amends for what I had done.

"Lucas, why are you..." Suddenly, I felt the warmth of her breath on my cheeks as her little fingers wiped away the tears that I could no longer hide.

"Does it hurt?" She whimpered, as she placed a hand to my heart. How could she know that? How could she tell that was were my pain was? She did not have any memories of the future yet, and even so, she knew. Maybe that was it, the reason she had said those words to me as she died. Even as a three year old child she already had enough understanding to see what damage she had done. God, I was vile, I was foul, I deserved nothing, least of all her empathy.

"It's alright Abelia. It's just an old wound."

"Then you need med..medic..medicine." I could not help but chuckle at her stuttering to say a word that would come so naturally to her one day. A word that would make up her entire life's purpose.

"Then I guess will need to spend more time with you, baby sister." I cooed, as I kissed her cheeks and caused her to wriggle free from me.

"Nooo, stop!" She cried out, but I knew I never would. For now all I wanted was to be a good brother, a decent man, and do what my mother had wanted me to do from the start. Watch over her, protect her, and let her experience life's little and big pit falls in the safety of my watchful gaze. So that one day, when we were old and grey and watching our children's children race through the fields I could look over at her and finally say.

"Did I do a good job? Was I good older brother to you?"

That was it. That was my goal. Because after loosing her once before I now realized how much I cared and loved Abelia. And there was no way I would let anything tear us apart, unless it was necessary I do so.

"Abelia, would you like to play a game before I leave?" I said, as I blinked back what remained of my hesitation and set my plan in motion.

"A game?"

"Yes, it's an old one." I said, as I picked up the tiny black cloak that lay on the roots of the tree and placed it about her shoulders. God how I hated that thing. How I despise making it knowing that it would cover every part of her and hid her from view. She didn't need to hide. She was stunning, powerful, and would one day glow across the night sky like the Aurora Borealis. But, if I wanted to keep her alive, to make sure she was safe, I would have do this. I would have to play a part in the Alpha's game, but what he didn't know is I was manipulating his moves the entire time.

"What is this? Is it part of the game?" She said, as she touched the thick fabric, causing me to have to hold back a growl.

"It is." I said, as I put a smile on my face and began to pull the hood up. "I want you, whenever you go outside, during the day to pretend you are the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis. "

"The Aurora?"

"That's right. And can you see the Aurora when its daytime, when the sun is out?" I said, as I pulled up the cloak and raised it to cover my face and then quickly pulled it back down like a game of peek a boo.

"No, you can't." She said, with a grin, knowing she was right.

"Exactly, so that means when you go outside what do you do?"

"Hide."

"Correct. So then at night you can?"

"Glow!" She shouted, as she removed her hood and raised her arms out allowing her white blonde hair to float about her like a halo. Sebastian was right, Abelia was like the Northern Lights. It was why, when she saved him and his brother from the witches, and brought light into his dark life, he called her Aurora. It was a term of endearment, and I was taking that memory, that moment, away from him. It was wrong to do so, but the very thought that a vampire could nickname my sister was too much for me to accept. Not only that, but to then have her called herself that in the future when she was Abelia's wolf. No, it could not be ignored. Thus, if I was going to have my way, I would need to change everything. Even something as simple as the story behind a nickname.

"That's right Abelia, you glow."

For the next few days Abelia got use to putting on the cloak and would even reach for it after breakfast. To let her know the game had started I began to call her by a different name, Aurora. She would never know, or understand, that this was all part of my plan. To her is was an elaborate game of hide and seek, where she had to turn into a different person during the day and another at night. It was frustrating to see her like this, but because I had shown her affection and attention early on her personality had become different. She was easily excited, eager to show me everything, and dare I say it outspoken. However, this would not work. I needed her to be quiet, still, and not draw the Alpha's attention. Thus, I created Aurora's Game.

I could hardly believe how perfectly it work. For during the day Abelia or Aurora was calm, subservient and would obey me without question. But the minute the moon and stars came out she was a bundle of energy that just wanted to play, sing, laugh and be a little girl again. But this wasn't enough. I needed her to do more, I needed her to be like this even if I wasn't around. This had to become a habit, something so natural it would be like breathing for her. And the only way that was going happen was by creating an event that would demand she act in this way if she wanted to make it out alive. So, I gave the Alpha his chance. I let him think he finally had won control over us. Unfortunately, he was dancing right into my trap.

It was a normal day, like any other. Aurora was wearing her black cloak and gathering up a basket of small trowels, seeds, and gloves. She had planned on spending the day out in the garden, or I should say I had put the idea into her head last night during dinner. I told her she was old enough to be outside on her own, while I went off to train with the other young warriors. She was ecstatic by this news, and it was difficult to not feel the pangs of guilt at knowing she most likely would end up planting nothing the entire day. But instead, would be locked up god knows were and it would be my mission to find her before dark.

"Brother. Brother?" She called out in a faint voice.

"Yes, Aurora my love." I said, causing a twinkle to appear in her eyes. She would get so excited when I would call her by that name, since it meant she was doing a good job playing her role.

"Do you want more?" She said, as she held out a plate of lightly buttered toast to me. It was not just that her voice was softer, her entire nature was different. I could not be certain of what was really going on in her little head but for some reason Aurora acted much like a servant, while Abelia was the master. Maybe I should have been concerned, since I kind of was giving my baby sister a split personality complex. However, in due time that was exactly what was going to happen. When Abelia from the future showed up my little Aurora would be different.

"I am fine Aurora, but I need to head out. You'll be good while I am gone, right?"

"Of course Brother." She said, with a slight bowed head. Making me hesitant to leave her but it had to be done. Quickly, I gave her forehead a kiss and patted her head.

"I'll be back soon, don't worry." I said, as I headed for the door but I could not help turning back and giving her one last look. She was clearing the table, carrying one plate at a time for fear they would fall if she had to many. Had it been nighttime Abelia would have stacked them and made a mad dash to the sink before they all toppled over. So different, it was unnerving and who knew how long this game might need to last.