Fondest Dreams -- Chapter 2
Written by lilgirlsix and Archangel_M
Edited by Doctime
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lilgirlsix: It's been so much fun to write with Archangel_M (from now on I'll refer to him as AA since his name is just way too long.) He is introducing so many things that are new to my "Baxterverse" (as AA calls it) and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do. Remember the things you read now, as they may play a role in future story lines.
If I were to classify this story as anything other than Non-Human, it would be romance. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Not only has this adventure been fun, it's been exciting to watch the story emerge from AA's brain. And I encourage you all to listen to the music suggestions. After reading a chapter, it really was interesting to listen to the music and picture the characters, the scenes, the situations.
And a huge shout out to Doctime, who took on our editing challenge with an open mind and, hopefully, had as much fun as we did.
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Archangel_M: This story would never have progressed beyond an idle fantasy of mine if it wasn't for LG6's encouragement and energy. In addition to her delightful qualities as a friend and as an author, she is an excellent motivator! This is important, because I am rather lazy if left to my own devices. ^_^
I know that Willi has probably put some people off. I encourage you not to judge him too quickly. Please remember that he is a). German and b). a diplomat. That means that his default manner is very stiff and formal. It'll take him a while to fully loosen up around Zsálya, especially since she's so gorgeous. Beautiful women are very intimidating to men, and any guy who says different is lying through his teeth.
Also, I would like to echo Lil's shout-out to Doctime for his excellent editing—and for his patience with us dern kids! :P
My music suggestion for this chapter is
"Cursum Perficio"
by Enya. It should be easy to find.
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{
Language Note:
Hungarian dialogue is in plaintext, <and German dialogue is in carrots.> Many thanks to
Fräulein
Anne for correcting my amateurish German!}
January 10, 1858
Wilhelm called a greeting as he emerged from the forest, and moments later Zsálya nearly tackled him with the enthusiasm of her hug. He hugged her back, amazed at how much their friendship had blossomed in only a few days.
"And how are you,
mein kleiner Wolf?
" Wilhelm asked as they parted, reluctant as always to let go of Zsálya's warmth and softness. Four Below, she was so beautiful! He fought down his desire to bury his fingers in her shimmering ebony hair and press his lips into the crook of her neck.
Zsálya smiled up at Wilhelm, her hands just able to rest on his shoulders. "I am much better now that you are here," she told him, quite honestly. The horrible black Werewolf that stalked her dreams had already sent her screaming back to wakefulness once tonight. Now that Willi was here, Zsálya knew she was safe. The urge to kiss him was strong, but her shyness and doubts held her back.
As had become usual each night, they parted completely after a few long moments of staring at each other. Over the past tenday, these moments had become both increasingly awkward and increasingly charged. There was a growing tension between them that Zsálya didn't quite understand, and which Wilhelm feared might lead him to do something terribly presumptuous.
They had learned not to get too involved in anything at first, since
der
böse Wolf
—the bad wolf— as Wilhelm thought of it, rarely waited long to make its appearance. And, true to form, it was but a few minutes before the pair heard a low, menacing growl from the treeline.
On each of the previous nights, Wilhelm had dispatched it quickly. While this certainly worked in terms of keeping it away from Zsálya, the aggravation of not understanding what in the Nine Hells this thing
was
, and more to the point,
why
it kept menacing his beautiful friend, had been grating on Wilhelm more and more. This evening, Wilhelm's patience finally failed him.
Stepping around Zsálya, he strode towards
der böse Wolf
with a terrible purpose in his eyes. As always, the matte-black wolf growled and leapt for his throat. Rather than dodge as he had on that first night, Wilhelm raised his fist and punched the thing right in its slavering face. The
crack
of breaking bones echoed across the clearing as the punch deflected the aggressor's flight a full ninety degrees, sending it sprawling into the snow with a shattered jaw.
Its bones knit before Wilhelm's eyes with unnatural speed, even for a Were. Herr von Helsing didn't care, and his voice boomed across the snowbound dreamscape: "Who are you and what do you want?"
The wolf's only response was a snarl and another attack.
Again, Wilhelm responded with a vicious uppercut that sent it spinning nose-over-tail through the air, its jaw shattered again. "<Who are you and what do you want?>" he bellowed.
Again, no reply. Zsálya watched in horrified fascination as her human friend inflicted a series of terrible injuries on her demon, using nothing but his bare fists. Each time he struck
der böse Wolf
down, Wilhelm would shout at it in a different language. The demon made no reply to anything he said, except to get up and attack again.
Finally Wilhelm's temper overflowed completely, and he sent the wolf flying to the other side of the meadow with a roundhouse kick. As Zsálya watched, Wilhelm dropped to one knee, and then leapt impossibly high into the air. The air around him shimmered and shifted crazily, and suddenly her friend was gone. In his place was a large, dark brown eagle, with touches of gold at its head and neck. The eagle burst into flight with a powerful beat of its wings, climbing until it was just a brown dot in the sky. Another low growl tore Zsálya's gaze from the sky to the ground. The wolf had healed itself yet again and was tearing across the snow, straight towards her.
In that moment, Zsálya's fear that her protector had abandoned her was even greater than her fear of what the wolf might do to her.
Before the demon wolf could reach her, though, a brown streak fell down from the sun and dove at the matte-black wolf like a falling meteor. Just as it passed over Zsálya's head the eagle shimmered and transformed back into a human. Though she thought that what she saw was impossible, Zsálya just stood and watched, her mouth hanging open and her eyes very wide.
Every normal rule of the world said that the speed of Wilhelm's landing should have killed him. Instead, it produced a shockwave of crackling energy, which blew outwards from his point of impact towards the oncoming demon. The explosive release of force was like nothing Zsálya had ever imagined, let alone seen. The blast tossed the demon away like a clod of dirt and ignited part of its fur before slamming it bodily into a tree amidst a swirling maelstrom of snow.
Zsálya barely noticed the demon's plight, nor heard the deafening clap of thunder as she looked in terror at her friend.
Instead of his usual woolen clothing, Wilhelm was now wearing a shirt and trousers that looked to be crafted from shining metal, yet flexed with his body in a way that Zsálya would not have thought possible. Over these wondrous clothes he wore an odd garment of pure, gleaming white that fell straight down his chest and back, girt with a silver sword-belt, and a flowing cape of the same color. Emblazoned upon both garments was a twelve-pointed star of rich, vibrant blue. Zsálya had never seen clothes even remotely like these, but they were not what frightened her so.
It was the fact that Wilhelm was on fire.
Bright orange flames lapped up Wilhelm's arms and jumped upwards from his shoulders, yet his flesh and clothing were not consumed by the inferno that swirled around them, not even producing smoke. Then Wilhelm glanced over his shoulder at Zsálya, and her heart quailed. His eyes were no longer the twinkling, intelligent blue orbs she remembered. Now they were two points of glowing blue energy, giving his handsome face an impossible, otherworldly appearance.
This must be magic!
Zsálya's wolf screamed.
