66 -- Nightfall

Lily practiced till nightfall. She turned and turned till the pain subconsciously ebbed away. Till she acclimatized with her wolf and with the strength it offered. She had never felt so freeing and she revelled in it. In the feeling it gave her.
She had just gotten to the camp, after going many miles away from there to practice her werewolf transformation, and so she was surprised when she saw that everywhere was quiet.
Since they'd set camp, the grounds have been busy with Vampires and Werewolves, all practicing and learning how to work as a team. Sure, they have been some hitches and in total, everything was yet to go smoothly, but she saw the progress that they made, even as they didn't.
She walked stealthily past the tents, trying not to make a sound and hoping that she won't step on any branch. She heard a rustle to her left and squatted down behind a tent, looking around it as two men - her men, walked past her.
One had his arm around the other and the other tried so hard to keep his friend standing, even as he pulled him along. Lily could hear as he expelled harsh breaths and she froze when they came to a stop a few feet in front of her.
"You're really so heavy. Perhaps, next time, you'd make sure your hands stay away from the ale." The tired one scolded the other, wrapping his hand around the other's waist and lifting his companion, which Lily had just found to be drunk.
They continued moving and Lily released the breath she was holding. Thinking about it, there was no need for her to be hiding from them. Yes, she had lied about retiring early because of a nagging headache, but they couldn't honestly expect her to not leave her room to perhaps, relieve herself? She shook her head and stood, walking faster to reach her tent.
She had just pulled back the flap to her tent when she saw a dark figure move towards her sleeping mat. She opened her mouth to scream but the figure dashed forward swiftly and covered her mouth.
She knew that it was him even as he had moved, before his hand came to rest heavily over her mouth. Only a vampire could move that quickly and only him would dare to venture to their side of the camp. To her tent.
She pulled his arm from around her and walked farther into her tent, going to the far end but keeping an eye on him, so he won't come close to her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. She tried to quell the panic that arose when she saw Nicholas staring at her feet in shock. She looked down and saw that her feet were caked with mud. He wouldn't think too much about it, would he? No one suspected her of being a werewolf and she wasn't ready to share that piece of information with anyone just yet.
His eyes continued to linger on her feet, forcing her to move to the basin of water she had left in her room earlier on and to rinse her legs of the mud. The cold water stinged. She didn't know that she had sustained injuries from walking bare footed but now, she could feel her skin tearing. She flinched and Nicholas saw it, rushing forward to aid her.
Or whatever it was he planned to do. He didn't get far because she lifted a hand up, staving him off, letting him know that he wasn't welcome close to her. His face pinched, he looked away from her in annoyance and went back to his place by the flap.
She finished with the rinsing and dried her feet, glancing at him from beneath her lashes and cringed when warmth suffused her from how he watched her.
This was madness. Loving Prince Nicholas was madness in itself and she was a fool for still having those feelings. He had done terrible things and she shouldn't just forgive him for that. The only reason she was helping was because they needed to take down King Eric. Not for any other reason. Not for herself.
"What is it that you want?" She was tired of waiting for him to speak, and with the way he lingered inside her tent, it felt like he didn't want to leave. Like he didn't want to speak even. She decided to get him to talk, so he'd leave her be and maybe, take this madness assuaging her along with himself.
"Can't I just come and see you? We're friends after all." There was a sad smile on his face and Lily laughed out. Surely he wasn't feeling bad for what he had wrought? If he was, Lily knew that it was only because he wasn't on the throne he had taken violently that was now in his father's grasp.
There was no way he actually felt sorry for all he did. For deceiving her, for tricking the werewolf Princess, for sabotaging a sacred Ritual and raping women. No, he might be a better person than his Father, but he was just as evil. The apple really didn't fall far from the tree.
"We're not friends, Nicholas." She rubbed at a sore spot on her temples and found that she had started doing that a lot recently. She couldn't just help the tiredness and migraine that always popped up whenever Nicholas was around.
"Friends don't use their friends or deceive their friends. Friends don't do things that'll sabotage their friends. Friends don't do things that go against said friend's beliefs. You raped women, Nicholas, you had your men do that. And I don't think I'd ever forgive you for that."
She was done speaking with him and she hoped that he got the message and that he'd leave immediately. She didn't want to have another conversation with him. She just wanted to go to bed.
"We're friends, Lily. If there's anything that disqualifies us from being friends, it's the fact that we kissed. And that we both enjoyed it. Friends don't kiss each other, so we're definitely not that. We're more."
Lily laughed loud then. She couldn't help it. "Funny how you mention that kiss when you were engaged then. And you're talking about us being more? Tell me, Prince Nicholas, what happened to your wife? You know, the girl you were engaged to even while you kissed me? What happened to her?"
When he didn't provide any answer, she turned her back to him, not wanting to see anymore of him. "You're a cheat, Nicholas. You're evil and wicked and despicable and the only reason my people are here right now, offering help to you, is because it's the right thing to do.
"Your father would rid this earth of all the good things if he takes total control of the werewolf kingdom and we simply can't allow that. You need us, just as much as we need you."
He stood at her flap, his mouth opening and closing, no words coming out. She smiled, knowing that at least, she had put a lid on the feelings she had for him that wouldn't leave, no matter how hard she tried.
"Please, leave. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
She was just about to take down her hair from the tight bun she had put it in earlier when there were shouts from outside. She heard hoofbeats and she sprang into action, scared a bit because from the state of the two men she had seen earlier, it seemed like there had been a party and her men were clearly drunk. She made a promise not to loose anyone and ran out of her tent, Nicholas following behind her.
She came to the commotion, Walking into the circle that her barely standing men and the vampires had created to hold the Intruders. Horse neighed loudly and in fright and she lifted her hands, telling her men to stand back.
She had just shot a look to Ralph, who stood beside her head warrior, his knees locked in fear, when she saw who sat on the lead horse.
"Alok?" She was baffled? What was King Alok doing here this time? She hoped that he didn't come to get his revenge again. Her men wouldn't survive this fight and the fight they had coming with King Eric.
"Commander Lily, Greetings." He alighted his horse and strolled towards her, casting furtive gazes about, probably to make sure one of her men didn't run out in anger and dagger him to death.
Two of King Alok's men came down with him and flanked his side, offering their protection. Lily frowned in thought. Alok's men looked battle ready, their red and blue frock and metal armor glinting. He was obviously going to battle, but why was he approaching her slowly, like he was trying to be amiable.
He came to a stop directly in front of her and Lily saw from her periphery, Nicholas edging closer to her, his hand on his sword.
"I would like for us to have a talk. If you don't mind?" He added the other and Lily knew for a fact that he didn't come to fight a battle against her people but beside her people against King Eric.
She relaxed her stance and smiled. "Of course, why don't you follow me." She dispersed her men, her head warrior and Ralph still standing, as Nicholas led them to his tent.
The head warrior, Kazeem, stood outside, to ward off prying ears. They all stood within the tent, King Alok's men eyeing the space suspiciously.
Lily got down to it immediately. "You came to fight with us against Eric." It wasn't a question. She knew why he had come and she was letting him know that she could read his actions easily.
He smiled deviously. "Such a smart woman you are." She bristled at that but tamped down her anger when Nicholas shot her a look. He was right, getting angry won't get her anywhere, especially as they needed all the help that they could get to fight the vampires.
"What do you want, Alok?" She was giving him a chance to be smart and answer sensibly.
"I want to fight with you guys. We've not been on the best of terms and that was entirely my fault. My son's death did things to me. Yes, he was a fool and I saw his wicked acts but he was my son. And I'd have done anything for him. Even turning a blind eye to the atrocities he committed, covering up his crimes and getting into a war because of his well deserved death."
Lily could feel his love for his son then and although she didn't feel bad about his son's death - seeing as he had been well deserved after he raped one of her people, she pitied for King Alok and felt sorry for his loss.
"All's well, Alok." As she said this, she realized that she truly forgave him. Even though he had been the cause of Baba Mbazi's death, she still forgave him. She had to anyway, the all needed to work together to defeat King Eric. She just hoped that her men would be okay and open with the new merge.
"It's late so we'd talk tomorrow. Have your men pitch their tents, away from ours, I'll advice. Most are still sore about what was done to our people and wouldn't mind putting a knife through your men's throat. And yours." She watched as he blanched, his face draining of color and she smiled.
"Let's talk tomorrow. We need to get to our allies, hopefully before Eric does and tell them how we're planning to take him out." Her eyes cut to Nicholas and she hoped that he didn't take it to heart, them wanting to kill his father.
He caught her look and shook his head. "Don't think much about it. He's my father and I'd always love him, but right now, the needs of all the species come first. We'd do what needs to be done."
He walked out of the tent after that and it didn't escape Lily that this was his tent and he should be in it. He needed some time to come to terms with his father's impeding death. She felt bad for him. She immediately shrugged the sad feeling off, Nicholas didn't deserve it.
King Alok had left with his men as soon as Nicholas had left and it was just her and Ralph. She wondered why he had come, seeing as his war skills were mediocre but she didn't think too much about it.
"Let's get some sleep." They both exited the tent, needing to sleep for the long day ahead.