Fondest Dreams Ch. 01

"So most humans have never met a Werewolf?"

"Ja. For that matter, many rural Weres go their whole lives without meeting a human. How many have you met?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a twinkle in his eye.

"You... are the first," Zsálya admitted. Between her visions and the everyday business of living, she had never thought much about the world outside the Vlkolak lands. Even when grandmother had told her and Orsolya bedtime stories about knights and princesses, heroes and villains, they had simply been wonderful stories to Zsálya's mind. Now, speaking to this human who so resembled the dashing knights in grandmother's stories, Zsálya felt very simple, small, and plain.

Wilhelm simply nodded. "And keep in mind that regular wolves sometimes attack humans. Therefore humans fear wolves, and for good reason. Put that together with their ignorance about Werewolves... and unfortunate situations can develop. My family and our associates keep an eye on these events and step in to keep the peace when necessary."

"Is that why you are so good at fighting, Wilhelm?"

"It is why I am trained to fight, but I am not very good, relatively. You should see my father and brothers. I make up my physical deficiencies with magical power, though." Wilhelm grinned. "I am more at home in the library or at the negotiation table than in a sparring circle. I have trained ever since I could walk, though." He shrugged. "It is just a part of me now."

"So, are you here because I or my pack have done something wrong?" For a moment, Zsálya was afraid he was here to save the humans somehow. Had she been so wrong about him? Was he not her friend?

"What? Oh, goodness no!" Wilhelm tried to explain how he had come to find Zsálya's dream the previous night.

"I think I understand." She paused a moment, sighed, and shook her head. "No, Wilhelm, I do not understand." His explanation was far above the knowledge of a young Werewolf who had lived her entire short life in the Carpathian Mountains. She felt even smaller and more insignificant.

"I know that look; you should not feel foolish or ignorant, Zsálya," Wilhelm told her firmly, linking his arms behind his back. "It is not that the concept is difficult, it is that, because dreamwalking is so rare, there exist no words with which I can explain it. Not in Hungarian, nor in German, nor even in Latin, which has a special vocabulary that people use for discussing magic. So you see, it is not that you cannot understand, but that I cannot explain." He looked down at her with a wry smile.

That actually did make her feel better. Gazing up at him, Zsálya was struck by how much his bearing reminded her of her father and her elder brothers. Despite his curiously stiff way of speaking, von Helsing—Wilhelm—carried himself with sureness and confidence. She could tell that he was accustomed to being looked to by others, and squared his shoulders to the task of guiding and protecting them. In short, if it were not for his strange human scent Zsálya might have thought him to be an alpha Werewolf, or a high-ranking beta at the very least. Just like with the other alphas she knew, his sense of presence awed her somewhat. He was the first alpha, though, whom she had ever found so... attractive? Was that what this strange feeling was? She'd never felt it before, but sitting here and looking up at this handsome alpha human, Zsálya felt like a flock of little birds were flying about inside her.

Could this be what Orsolya feels when she sees her mate in her dreams? Zsálya had felt so alone since her eighteenth birthday. Her twin had dreamt of her mate, and his wolf came to her each night in her dreams. Zsálya had dreamt of no one and, until last night, she had had only evil come to her at night. But now, with her new friend, she had something to look forward to each night, a reason to want to sleep.

"Are you an alpha human, Willi?" she blurted. Realizing that she'd just changed the topic completely, Zsálya looked down, thinking of how impolite that must be. She felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Hmm. You know, I suppose I am."

The thoughtful tone of the reply gave Zsálya the courage to look back up at her handsome friend. He was looking at her with a contemplative smile. "I am in line to be the King of Thule. Well, technically Grand Prince, since our nation is so small. My point is that the king and queen of a human nation are somewhat like the alpha couple of a Werewolf pack. The nation's nobility are akin to a pack's betas. And the commoners would be omegas. I am the second of the king's three sons." He briefly explained how human inheritances worked.

"Will you go off to form your own pack, since your elder brother will become alpha?"

Wilhelm echoed Zsálya's mannerism of cocking her head to the side. "Who said I wanted my own country?" he asked with a wry smile. "In any case, it is not as easy for humans as it is for Weres, Zsálya. There really is no unclaimed territory left, anywhere, so claiming a territory for myself would mean coming into conflict with other nations. War is sometimes necessary, but it is never a thing to be desired."

"That is very strange. How much hunting land could a pack need?"

"Most human nations are much, much bigger than were packs, mein kleinerwolf..." As he went on, Wilhelm reached down, took Zsálya's hand, and helped her back to her feet. Her disappointment at the change of perspective was mollified when he showed her how to link her arm with his. The two strolled through the snow in no particular direction while Wilhelm gave Zsálya an overview of modern human civilization. He spoke of cities and farms, of science and religion, and of many different nations and cultures, citing both the good and the bad points of each. He summarized without simplifying, clarified without condescending, and explained himself when he used a word that Zsálya did not know. His earlier stiffness of language faded quickly, revealing a great gift for making himself understood.

Wilhelm was genuinely enjoying himself. Most of the beings he dealt with either thought they knew everything or had no appreciation for scholarship and lore. He did not hold Zsálya's near-total ignorance of the outside world against her in the slightest; that was fairly normal for rural people, and in all fairness country folk had no practical use for scholarship at all. Moreover, Willi understood the appeal and value of such a simple, wholesome life. However, the vision of beauty on his arm clearly had an active mind, and he could see his explanations lighting the fires of curiosity and learning in her lovely blue eyes. Wilhelm raced to feed that fire, delighting in the way she took each new bit of knowledge and wove it into her ever-expanding understanding of the world.

He was delighting in her spiritual beauty as well as her mental beauty. There was a deep-seated sweetness in Zsálya's nature that warmed Wilhelm's heart, a wondrous relief from his grim, purposeful brothers and sisters of the Order, or the endlessly calculating diplomats and politicians with whom his duties brought him into contact. Where most of those around him were worldly and guarded, Zsálya was gentle and innocent. Innocent, yet intelligent! Gott in Himmel, what a rare combination; truly a treasure among beings.

And, truth be told, he was deeply affected by Zsálya's physical beauty as well. She was lovely even by Were standards, but seemingly unconscious of her body's effect on males. Perhaps that tied in with the deep sadness and terrible burden that she carried, Wilhelm thought. He did not yet know what her burden was, but he was resolved to coax the secret from her, and aid her with it if he could. In any case, the fact that such a beautiful woman did not put on airs or try to manipulate him attracted Wilhelm strongly. Though he knew himself to be quite handsome, like his father and brothers, he disdained any self-promotion beyond keeping one's self clean and presentable. All of these things brought a large number of un-gentlemanly thoughts crowding forward from the dark recesses of Wilhelm's mind when he gazed at Zsálya. He forced them back, but it was surely a test of his honorable nature.

For her part, Zsálya gazed at her human friend in wonder as they walked the forest, hanging on his every word. His revelations fascinated her, but at the same time a small part of her mind was just gazing up at Willi. He was so smart, so grand, and carried a sense of power and confidence around him like a cloak. Why would he spend his time talking with a backward, plain female like her? The fact that he did pay her so much attention made Zsálya giddy, and with her arm entwined with his she felt like one of the glamorous princesses from Grandmother's stories. The thought made her blush, and she became conscious of wetness between her legs as she ran her gaze over Willi's handsome face.

If her visions spoke truly, Zsálya knew, she was most certainly a damsel in distress. Perhaps this gorgeous prince could save her? But no... the visions could not be changed, must not be changed if her pack was to survive. If her friend tried to alter her destiny, he would only be hurt... or worse. Zsálya pushed such thoughts deep into the back of her mind. If her time with Willi was to be limited, she was determined to enjoy it.

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The night passed in a whirl of conversation, covering a vast range of topics. After talking for quite some time, Wilhelm had turned the conversation to Zsálya's world, asking her all about her pack, her family, and the life they led.

She answered as best she could, telling him about everything she could recall—except for her visions, and Orsolya's. That was not spoken about to outsiders, she knew, no matter how kind... or attractive. Zsálya's sex continued to leak whenever she allowed her gaze to linger on Willi's face for too long. Worried that her dress would stain, she tried to think her thighs clean—and it worked! She was forced to do this periodically, especially when she would lose herself in his deep blue eyes for minutes at a time. What would he think if he smelled her arousal or saw the way her nipples were standing out? Zsálya was sure that she would seem pathetic and whorish, like a foolish little omega bitch trying to catch the alpha's eye.

Meanwhile, thankfully for Wilhelm, Zsálya seemed more interested in looking at his face than at his crotch. He could sense desire in her emotions, but she did not seem to understand how to act on it. Gott, she was innocent, Wilhelm thought, and despite their conversation's complete lack of flirting or sexual subtext, the way she was looking at him made his cock stand to rigid attention. Finding himself unable to control his biological reaction, Wilhelm was actually forced to mentally adjust the fit of his trousers to make it less noticeable. The dark material saved him from any worries of visible wetness, but he was worried that at any moment Zsálya would notice his erection and think him a lecher.

And so it went throughout the night. Willi listened to Zsálya intently, hanging on her every word just as she had upon his. The intensity of his gaze made the young Werewolf glow inside. She felt special, important, like she was the most beautiful female in the entire world. She liked it.

Likewise, the guileless longing in Zsálya's gaze was incredibly flattering to Wilhelm. It made his stomach flutter in a way it hadn't since he was a boy. Though he had a very positive self-image, the looks this little black-haired angel were giving him made Wilhelm feel like the most handsome, charming man alive. He liked it.

Mutual desire aside, their conversation flowed easily for hours upon hours of dream-world time. Zsálya eagerly absorbed everything that Wilhelm could tell about the outside world, often pressing him for details on a particular point or asking remarkably insightful questions. Though she didn't fully understand much of what he told her, both of them could see her comprehension growing by leaps and bounds as they spoke. Periodically, Wilhelm would turn the conversation the other way, drawing more insights into Were culture, history, and customs from his new friend. He seemed fascinated by anything she could tell, even cubs' tales or the little tunes that Grandmother hummed while she wove.

As they arrived back at the snow-shrouded meadow from their long aimless walk through the woods, Zsálya very suddenly slipped her arm from Willi's, then gave him a hard shove, sending him sprawling onto his back in the snow. Before he could get back up, she dove into the powdery snow beside him and cuddled up against his firm, strong body, reveling in the contrast between the cool snow and his warm flesh. She nestled the top of her head under his chin, wrapped her arms around him, and resumed the conversation from where they'd left off as if nothing had happened. The simple, impulsive gesture left both of them in turmoil for a moment.

Zsálya could not believe herself; a small part of her carried on the conversation while the rest marveled at her own audacity. She had never been so bold, not even with her twin sister Orsolya! Moreover, the way she had cuddled up to Wilhelm astonished her. Placing her head under his chin like that showed submission; it was something a wolf did only with her parents, her alpha... or her mate. Wilhelm was not her mate—Zsálya and her wolf agreed on that point—so why was she acting like he was? When Zsálya put the question to her wolf, her reply was approximately 'who, me?' Zsálya didn't know what to think, so she stayed where she was, making the most of her wonderful new situation. Mate or no, her human friend smelled good.

On Wilhelm's end, his astonishment stemmed from the fact that Zsálya had taken him unaware. To be sure, there had been no hint of hostility in her emotions to put him on his guard, but he was still a scion of House Helsing, trained from infancy as a warrior and monster-slayer. To be taken down by an untrained opponent, even a Werewolf, was unthinkable. And yet, it had happened. As he and Zsálya spoke, Wilhelm slowly realized that he had completely relaxed his guard, even at the most subconscious levels. He never did that, not even with his own family! Not that he had to be wary of his family; readiness for trouble at any moment had simply been a part of his psyche. Until now. What was it about this lupine angel that made him so incredibly comfortable around her?

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

All too soon, a setting sun overhead heralded the coming dawn in the waking world. Zsálya and Wilhelm ignored it for as long as they could, enjoying their cuddling and their conversation, but soon it was impossible to ignore. The couple helped each other to their feet, brushing off snow and beginning to make their goodbyes.

"Will you return tomorrow night?" Zsálya asked, taking Willi's much larger hands in hers without thinking.

Wilhelm nodded and smiled. "I shall come to you every night, Zsálya, until you ask me not to. If there is ever a time I do not come, it will be because there is a crisis and I have no chance to sleep."

Zsálya giggled. "Thank you, Willi... for everything."

"Bitte, kleineprinzessin."

"What?"

"You are welcome, little princess." Willi grinned.

"A princess? Me?" Zsálya's cheeks colored as her friend gave voice to her persistent thought.

"Certainly. Your father is the alpha, is he not? In human terms, he is the 'king' of your pack." Wilhelm raised Zsálya's slender hands and kissed them softly. "That makes you and Orsolya princesses."

The moment lingered into a small eternity before Willi released her hands. A sudden, wild impulse seized Zsálya and she flung her arms around his neck, standing up on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek. Then her shyness returned and she jumped back, blushing to the roots of her hair and looking down at her feet. Zsálya linked her hands behind her back and twisted from side to side like a little girl, torn between an impulse to flee and another impulse to giggle uncontrollably.

Wilhelm blinked a few times and, surprising both of them, blushed as well. He gave his Werewolf princess an elegant, sweeping bow and a bright, boyish smile. "Have a wonderful day, Zsálya."

Then, without any sound or fanfare, he simply vanished.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Zsálya awoke with just a hint of a smile on her lips. She quickly glanced over to her sister, still asleep, a silly grin on her face. She must be dreaming of her mate. Well, now I have someone to dream of as well!

The raven-haired female yawned and stretched. She didn't remember ever feeling so rested as she had the last two days. Perhaps Willi was her very own hero, sent to rid her of her nightmares. Was he real, as he said? Or was he sent by The Ancestors to guide her through her final days?

Well I do not care if he is real or not. I will enjoy every bit of my time with him. I do not remember the last time I laughed. And with him, I feel as if I cannot stop smiling.

Zsálya's wolf agreed wholeheartedly. They didn't have a mate, so why couldn't they enjoy themselves with what little time they had left?

Orsolya sat up in her bed and turned to look at her sister, a joyful smile on her face. "He is coming, Zsálya, soon!"

"I am so happy for you, Orsolya." Zsálya smiled, as much for herself as for her sister. Neither of them had much time left for happiness.

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{More from Archangel_M: Will the presence of this mysterious human change what happens? Will he become a Werewolf? To find out, stay tuned for the next chapter of Fondest Dreams!

While editing The Destruction of the Vlkolak for LG6, I fell in love with Zsálya. This is my way of expressing it. It was LG6, though, who elevated this story above the level of a simple fanfic. ^_^

For the record, neither LG6 nor I speak German, though I do have a very, very basic understanding of its structure. If you speak German and there are any weird errors, blame Google Translate. Oh, and tell us so we can correct them! ^_^

You should be aware that Wilhelm exists within a much larger continuity, so there are some allusions that may not be explained in the course of this story. None of them are important. Deo volente, you will see more stories from this newly extended continuity in days to come.}