Immortal Love Ch. 01

"What is it?" She asked stopping aside him.

He grinned and winked, oh how she loved it when he did that...

"You ever climbed a tree before?"

"No." She replied looking at her brothers' mischievous eyes. She dragged the word out and gave it a quizzical tone.

"Well here is your lesson today."

She looked the tree up and down it was a giant lumbering tube of wood. How could she even begin to start it?

David stood there arms crossed and looking as if he was watching a film (if they were around), his expression unreadable.

She jumped to grasp the first branch and barely caught it before slipping from her hold. David laughed, it was light hearted and she found herself giggling too.

She tried again with the same result. She tried a third time and grabbed the branch. But with poor upper body strength she struggled to actually get onto the thick branch, albeit she managed slowly to get up.

And in the same method she scaled three more levels of the tree before stopping and sitting on the tree branch.

Ashleigh looked down at her brother below. Even from above she could make out all of his handsome features. His broad shoulders leaning back looking at her face with a smile.

But all her self-smugness dropped from her face when he crouched down and jumped from the ground to the branch she was sitting on.

David sat down beside his sister calmly and coolly with a smirk as he looked at her, mouth agape.

"How did you do that?" She gasped.

"Magic." He said the same way a magician may for a child, throwing his hands in an arch with his fingers wide out.

"Seriously though, it was funny the way you tried getting up here, but well done for you."

She basked in the compliment, the same way she had for all he had given her, whether it was the wrong way like just or getting a question right after not understanding she loved how he always made her feel special.

"Come on." He said getting up and holding her hand sending tingles down her arm and her legs wobbly.

"Where we going?" She asked voice shaking.

"Up."

He explained how to get the energy to move around a person and then carry the weight leaving them weightless and able to literally float higher. It took her five minutes before she could successfully feel the weightlessness and be confident enough not to drop ten feet to the floor.

She crouched and jumped... and completely failed.

She watched as the image of her brother came smaller and smaller. She closed her eyes and waited for the impending impact of the ground.

David saw his sister fall to the floor. He felt the panicked energy begging for release from within, he brought the energy of the trees to his heart and slowed time in his eyes.

Throwing his hands towards his sister, he caused a mini tornado that swept underneath her in a column of rising air. Caught in the updraft of a vortex of air Ashleigh rose from the fall secretly happy that her brother was scared at the prospect of her being harmed, he would never hurt her. Higher and higher she rose until she was floating at the same level her brother was standing at, his hands glowing red.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi!? You can say hi? You almost got hurt, again, around me. That's it we're going home."

"It's my fault, isn't it?" She asked sadness in her heart, a good day gone badly because of her, again.

"No. it's not your fault, I shouldn't have told you to jump. Maybe I should stop teaching you." David said.

Panic hit her. Worse than the idea of falling from the tree was the idea of not spending time with her brother.

"No, I like you teaching me." She moaned and smiling.

Her hazel eyes glinting in the sun light and hearing her say those words David smiled. "But every time I teach you, something bad happens."

"And you're always there to save me, my own knight in shining armour." She countered. "I'd rather be in danger with you than be safe without."

Her words struck every chord in his heart. She loved him, he loved her.

"Can you raise this higher?" She asked breaking him out of his trail of thought.

"Higher?"

"Yeah higher."

He looked up, "Where?"

She pointed at a thick branch high at the peak of the tree, "Will that support both of us?"

He looked at the tree, "I guess, wait a second. No, I am not putting you up there, what I should do is float your beautiful butt home." Emphasis on the 'beautiful butt', he thought.

"Then I'll run back to you, looks like we have a problem."

"I'll come home with you."

"Then I'll come here myself."

"Fine." David sighed raising his hands and watching his sister float to the sky like an angel. The updraft stopped where he thought was the branch she wanted was. Nimbly she moved to the branch and sat down.

David summoned the energy and did as he taught her moments ago, with a bountiful leap he landed one branch lower than his sister, with a small hop he stood on the branch and sat beside his sister, shoulders touching he gazed at the view.

"Beautiful." Ashleigh sighed.

David looked into his sisters eyes; her blonde hair blowing gently in the breeze. "It is." He said never looking away.

She blushed. She smiled. He smiled.

Gently he drew his hand through her hair and cusped the back of her neck, he brought her head forward and watched as she closed her eyes. She really was beautiful.

There above the treetops with the world staring out at them, brother and sister kissed like they had never before. It would be a lie to say that this kiss, like the first lacked any passion. It was not a kiss of comfort as before but a kiss of will. They both wanted it. He nudged her mouth with his tongue and was pleased when she parted her lips to accept him. His tongue slipped inside her mouth trailing across her tongue. She giggled into his mouth. Soon she followed his approach and her tongue met his dancing and gliding across his own.

Nothing could have disturbed the siblings above the trees in their own private world kissing with passion. But time was against them... she was to be married.

The book had come true... two hearts joined, friendship blossomed, and the test had begun.

Chapter 6: Wedding jitters.

One day before wedding

"Run away with me." David asked sitting on his bed facing his sister.

They both had retreated to David's room early in the morning. Forgetting about the mortal lessons in the morning, they had come back up the stairs and both sat on his bed facing each other. They sat crossed legged on the mattress holding each other's hands staring into each other's eyes.

"What?" Ashleigh asked afraid she might have missed heard him.

"Run away with me." David repeated.

Oh how she wished that were possible, just forget everything and leave never looking back. She knew she wanted to, boy she wanted to. Just her and her brother, together, the thought brought a smile but she knew it couldn't happen, tomorrow she would be wed. She wanted to cry but tried to hold back so her brother wouldn't see.

"I can't." She said softly. She leaned forward and kissed his lips.

"Why not? It'll be just you me and nobody else." He said.

"It's just not that simple. We have nowhere to go."

"Then we'll live in the woods."

"If only we could." She quietly mused.

There was a knock on the door, "Kids' you in there?" His mother voice called out.

"Yeah." David yelled back. He pulled his hands away from his sisters and sat back against the wall.

The door opened.

"Why did you 'no-spy' your door?" She asked.

"Why did you curse yours?" David countered.

Their mother smiled. Smart kid...touché. She was wearing a long purple dress, something his sister would never be caught wearing; it came down and barely stopped above the floor.

"Geesh, David, it would take a dozen 'clean me' spells to get this place clean" Their mother scolded.

David shrugged his shoulders, "Waste of energy."

Ashleigh giggled, he was braver -- maybe it was because he had changed because of their kiss, maybe he had snapped when he stopped his mother hitting her, maybe he changed when he hurt those men going to hurt her... maybe none of them, maybe she just saw him in a new light.

"Anyways I need your help." Their mother said walked away from the door and giving a dirty look at Ashleigh. She ignored her.

"Sure, be down." He said getting up, "Stay here ok, I'll be back." He said looking at his sister.

He followed his mother to the outside where she had opened the shed door. As they walked closer she asked "So what's Ashleigh doing in your room?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking. You know she is being married tomorrow." He lied putting emphasis on the word 'being'.

"It'll be a good marriage. This house will finally have a name." Their mother replied sceptical of his lie.

"That's not how she feels." David shrugged, either way it wouldn't matter what he told his mother she would get the marriage to happen.

His mother ignored his reply. "I need something bringing down."

"It's a chest and rather heavy. I couldn't manage it on my own and I cursed it before, no magic can be used around it."

That was a lie.

"Where is it?" David asked.

"In my room. I let the curse off my door, just pop in and get the chest can you?"

"Sure."

David rushed back up the stairs to the landing. His sister popped out behind the door.

"What did mom want?" She asked.

"Just for me to grab that chest and put it in the shed in the back garden." He replied.

His sister smiled and came out of the room; she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged his chest. She looked up in his brown eyes and kissed his lips with a small peck. "For a second there I thought we were caught." He smiled, "Me too."

She resumed her kiss. He put his arms around her neck and pulled her closer as they kissed. Her tongue snaked into his and rubbed along the top of his tongue. He followed suit as his tongue snaked inside her mouth curling around hers, she moaned into his mouth.

"I better get going before she comes back." David mumbled breaking off from the kiss.

Reluctantly she broke from the kiss and skipped back into his room jumping on his bed gleefully. She sighed.

Their mother was still by the open shed door when David came back outside hefting the chest in his arms. He grunted as he neared and stepped into the darkness of the shed.

The chest began to glow. Their mother gasped but did not speak.

She cursed the padlock using her stone in her room and went back into the house cutting up vegetables and meat in the kitchen space. David stoop dumbfounded outside the shed, it glowed... in front of their mother... did she know? Of course she gasped, but did she know it was for him? She didn't say anything, and he much suspected he wouldn't be in perfect health if she did.

Cautiously he went back to the house. "Need anything else?" He asked her, she shook her head no never turning around from slicing carrots.

His sister was sitting crossed legged on his bed a smile on her face. She was beautiful.

She was wearing a plain white shirt much similar to a modern day blouse but with stitching of leather down the right side where it was once ripped but repaired. She wore loose leather trousers that David mildly suspected were once his. Her feet were bare and clean despite her not wearing any protection all day -- 'clean me' spell?

"How did you get so beautiful?" He said more of a statement than a question; as he sat beside her.

She blushed, "You think I'm beautiful?"

"I think you're gorgeous."

She kissed him, virtually pouncing on his body and collapsing onto his chest as they locked lips. They lay together for three minutes passionately kissing before they heard the familiar shout of their mother announcing dinner.

Again, like before it was a pleasant dinner, idle chit-chat was made and no tempers ruined the evening. David praised his sister about how she was doing with her mortal lessons, their mother even inquired some questions about how it was all going, and it was peaceful.

After dinner their mother surprised them both stating that they both should so back to David's room and study their magic. "Come on kids, I know Ashleigh is studying magic, that's why you're always spending time together."

David and Ashleigh looked at each other nervously, if that's what she thought their reason was then sure, they could play along.

"You don't mind I'm teaching Ashleigh?" David asked sceptical.

Not at all, maybe I can come up sometime and help." She said cheerily adding to the scariness of it all.

"I'm only showing her basic things."

"Then when you're ready come to me and I can show you things you never thought possible."

"Thanks mom." They both replied in union.

Soon they were both in David's room 'studying'. If that's what one could call a hefty making out session with them both rolling around on top of each other on David's bed.

Ashleigh giggled into his mouth as her hands roamed exploring his chest and muscles, he groaned as his hands ran over her smooth back, running them through her hair twice.

Ashleigh broke the kiss and sat up on the bed looking depressed.

"What's the matter?" David asked already predicting the answer -- her wedding.

"Nothing." She replied sadly.

He knew, he felt the same -- tomorrow his beautiful sister who he loved more than himself was to be married. No longer were they to be together, no more kissing, holding each other, no more anything.

"Can we do some magic?" Asked Ashleigh, twirling her golden hair in her fingers; her hazel eyes staring into his soul with sadness.

Ashleigh loved magic with her brother, it was their own private world them together. She would listen as he taught her more what she could do. She loved how he looked at her when she got upset, how he always brought her back and never scolded her. Learning magic with her brother was the best time when her love for him increased -- and with the marriage tomorrow she desperately wanted to hold onto that love.

"Umm...sure, what do you want to learn?" He asked slightly surprised by how she broke away when a second ago she looked like she was enjoying herself.

A thought occurred to Ashleigh, "Can you teach me how to erase memories?"

David blinked dumbfounded, she wanted to forget? Forget him?

And then realisation hit like a ton of bricks. She didn't want to lose him but she wanted to forget him -- that way if she forgot about him she could get married and lead a happy life, free from pain of not being able to be with her brother she wanted to forget about her love and keep her brother as just that.

"Yeah, I can teach you that." He replied; he owed her a better life. She deserved that much.

Slowly he took her through the stages of taking away memories from a person including themself. Through each stage he taught her pain destroyed his heart, he was going to lose his sister and he was making it happen. Tears streamed down her face when he told her about the final stage to the spell.

He never told her of the warning, if the love was meant to be and pure for one another, there would be no spell cast.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips. No tongue it was not the time for passion, she knew if she kissed him how she really wanted to at that moment she could never go through with it. His hand cupped her cheek and her hand held his in place. She shut her eyes and lost herself in the tame kiss.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Carefully she found the energy inside herself. She tried holding the energy inside herself telling it how to remove her memories, to block certain areas of her own brain from working. Finally she stopped.

"David? What am I doing in here?" She asked.

"I was just teaching you things before you get married tomorrow." He replied sadly, she had done it; she was free.

She remembered certain events of her life, she remembered the hunting and the wedding and the lessons but nothing about when they kissed, when they hugged, when they held each other -- all reminisce of her love inside was blocked -- they were brother and sister again.

For the rest of the night David taught Ashleigh weak magic, never once holding her or touching her in any way.

He cried himself into a dreamless sleep.

Wedding day.

Ashleigh woke up early. This was it, the big day -- in a few hours' time she was going to be walked through the earl's court and presented to her husband, later that night they would bed. Her first time, she would be a woman -- then what was missing?

All the usual feeling accompanied her: nervousness, nausea, fear... but why was she sad? Today was the day, girls dream of this day all their lives... so why wasn't she happy?

She pushed the thoughts out of her head. And hurried down stairs to find her brother already awake and sitting at the table staring absently at the wall.

"You're up early." She said coming beside him and taking a seat.

"Couldn't sleep." He sighed. It was true he actually had no sleep all night.

"Really? Usually you can sleep like a log, remember that fire in the kitchen and you were still asleep?" She joked, he didn't smile.

She glanced at the area he was staring at, "So... what we looking at?"

"Just thinking." He replied.

"About?"

"Your wedding."

"Oh..."

"You excited? In four hours you'll be married and ready for life."

"Yeah and no." She replied. "I mean I want to get married... someday... but it just doesn't feel right."

"It will one day." He replied smiling.

She smiled back, and gave him a brief hug. In that single touch he felt serenity, he loved her and they were once again embracing, maybe not as lovers as he hoped but it was the start. Selfish.

Ashleigh's heart was pounding threatening to burst out of her chest, who would have thought a hug could feel so good... She stayed with her brother trying to prolong the feeling of his body against hers, how she could stay like this forever.

She pulled away with a sigh, "I better best get going. Mom wants me to wear one of those hideous dresses."

She ran off upstairs.

David walked outside to the back yard, the glowing shed drawing his attention. 'Stay together, let no man or woman come;' --the book -- he thought.

He made his way to the end of the garden and stopped. Amongst the overgrown grass and abundance of weeds a single tree stump lay, typically used as a standing block for cutting firewood with the heavy axe, it stood alone amongst everything else -- much like himself.

He gathered five firewood blocks and the axe. The heavy weapon weighed down his hands; he brought it over his head and slammed it down with a yell, with all the anger in his body he screamed as he plunged the weapon at the wooden block standing on the stump. Wooden splinters exploded like miniature explosions shrapnel digging into his clothes and splitting the exposed skin of his arms. He threw a new block on the stump and screamed as he brought down the axe with a powerful swing. Again and again wooden splinters rained from the stump hitting his body, drawing blood and digging into his flesh. He let it happen, he deserved pain, he had threw away the one thing he had loved and now it was no more, pain was what he needed -- what he got.

Standing in the kitchen his mother watched her son throw the axe into the stump and storm away, his face consorted to pain and anger -- she smiled.

The wedding was scheduled for four in the afternoon, the earl would open his court and Ashleigh was to walk through and present herself to her new husband.

David ran the scenario in his head, for the past hour he had repeatedly punched a tree in the back yard. Blood and wood caked his hands, with each punch he yelled. Not in pain but in anger, she was to be married! To someone else! Not together! He threw another few punches before stopping.