Supernatural Earth Pt. 02

Daniel moved his head back and opened his eyes. Lily was looking at him with tears in hers; her lower lip was quivering. "Daniel," she squeaked out softly. "I-I love you...don't ever leave me, please?"

He gave her a sad smile and kissed her gently on the lips before hugging her close to him. "I love you too, Lily. I promise that I won't ever leave as long as you'll have me."

*

The remaining Champions had been thinned out considerably by what he considered day seven of the trials. Daniel's cheering section increased with every victory as those that he'd beat in combat became his biggest supporters. As each day went by and more and more were eliminated from the 'Tournament of Champions', as Daniel started calling it, less fights were being done each day as those defeated were weeded out. His unorthodox tactics and knowledge of multiple human martial arts helped him in every bout. As was his routine now, he stepped out into the throne room and took his place at the ring when he was summoned. He started feeling like he was some kind of Roman Gladiator who was only here for the amusement of the Fae.

Judging by the amount of cheering Fae that were always in attendance now, he figured that he wasn't far from the truth. 'We who are about to die' indeed.

Daniel eyed his opponent for this round who had to be the largest, buffest, and probably most handsome of the male Fae that Daniel had seen around here. Judging by the amount of Maidens that made up his cheering section, this one was probably the most favored out of all of the Champions that he'd seen. He could see why as the man looked like he was a pale-ass version of Chris Pine; albeit it younger, buffer, and far better looking.

As he flexed and rolled his shoulders while giving the rapier he'd chosen for this match a few test swings and thrusts, Daniel wondered where all of the other Champions were at as they normally stuck around to watch the matches after they were done. The male Fae who were watching were all in normal clothing and it was only Daniel and his opponent who looked like they were ready for a bout. In fact, Daniel couldn't even tell if any matches had taken place already. Had he actually been moved up in the lists that far?

The Queen came out into the throne room with her usual retinue of Maidens to sit regally in her throne. As one, everyone gathered bowed formally to her before she gave them all permission to rise. As Daniel straightened back up from his bow, he watched as the Queen held her hands up gracefully as she began to speak. Daniel couldn't help but think that if she weren't a complete bitch to him, he might've actually found the Queen sexually attractive. She kinda reminded him of that one ice chick from that recent Disney movie.

"My people," The Queen said with a smile, "We are here at the final trial to determine who will represent Winter against the other seasons."

Daniel rocked back in shock at that and looked to Lily for confirmation. Lily smiled broadly and gave an enthusiastic nod of her head. Daniel had indeed made it to the last round. He looked back at the Queen, who was droning on about the rights and responsibilities of the Winter Guardian, especially during the times of war involving the Fae. His gaze flicked over to his opponent, who looked really somber. Daniel frowned. Normally by this time his opponents were glaring, snarling, or just downright ready to try and kill him. This one, however, Daniel couldn't get a read on him.

The Queen was finishing up her spiel. "We have with us here on this cycle the two best that our trials have produced; D'janek'n 'ibid Ad'vinter, and Daniel Butler of Alaska," she said, motioning to each of them in turn with her hands.

Glancing between the Queen and his opponent, Daniel mulled the name over in his head as his lips tried to sound it out. "D'janek... D'jak... Da Jack?" he muttered as his mind tried to remember that damn primer that Lily had given him a couple nights back. "What the hell is Ad'vinter? Add Vinter? Bid the Vinter... Bid, or bring, the Winter... Jack the Winter, or is it 'of the Winter' or 'of the Frost'?" his eyes went wide as his head snapped around to his opponent. "Fuck Me! Jack Frost?" he blurted out before he could help himself.

Daniel had a sinking feeling in his gut that he might not be able to keep his promise to Lily. He didn't think that he could beat Jack Frost no matter what tricks he pulled out in the ring.

Jack Frost gave Daniel a nod and a hint of a smile at the recognition while the Queen rolled her eyes. "Yes, that is the more common name that you humans have given him," she sighed. She brought her hands up to single the start of the bout.

"A moment, my Queen," Jack Frost said, holding up his hand to forestall her. Both Daniel and the Queen looked at him quizzically. Jack Frost took a step forward. "In light of this human's achievements among our kind for the past seven cycles; honor dictates that I must abdicate my right to be here in favor of the superior fighter." Jack Frost placed a hand over his heart and bowed deeply at the waist.

"WHAT?" The Queen and Daniel both exclaimed. They both glanced at each other in surprise before the Queen walked down from her throne to stand in front of Jack Frost. "Do you realize what you are saying? What you are doing?" She asked, her voice just above a whisper. The Queen pointed at Daniel, who still looked confused as to what was going on. "You are just giving Guardianship over to him? To a mere human?"

"Yes, I am," Jack Frost said evenly. "If a 'mere human', as you put it, can progress this far in our preparation trials, imagine what he can do if he were actually one of us."

Taken aback, the Queen blinked at him as she thought it over. "That has not been done for some time."

"But it has been done," Jack Frost said, holding her gaze. "Think about it, my Queen; if you are having this much trouble with the 'mere human'; how are the other Guardians and their Queens going to react? How do you think that our enemy will react with a human-turned-Fae leading Winter's Champions into battle? You said it yourself that he might be useful. I think that this might be his use."

The Queen smiled at Jack Frost and caressed his cheek lovingly. "You always know what to say to me and what advice to give, which is why you will still be my Harbinger. I so did want you as the Guardian as well," she said. Jack Frost nodded formally to her and the Queen then turned and walked back up to her throne where she sat back down.

"My people!" Jack Frost proclaimed in a loud and booming voice that seemed to resonate off of the walls. "I give to you your victor, your Guardian; Daniel Butler... of Alaska," he said before sinking down to one knee and bowing his head low.

All around the throne room all of the Fae, save for the Queen, followed Jack Frost's lead to kneel and bow to Daniel. Daniel looked around in wide-eyed confusion as everyone paid him homage. "What the fuck just happened here?" he asked aloud.

"Daniel Butler of Alaska, you are victorious in our trials. I bid thee to approach." The Queen commanded him. Daniel walked forward in a daze, still unsure of what was going on. His head swiveled from Jack, to Lily, and back again. They both nodded and motioned him forward. Daniel did so and stopped in front of the Queen. "Kneel," she told him. Daniel sank to one knee like the other Fae had done. "It is rare among our kind that a mortal is welcomed into our populace. It is rarer still that one rises to be a Champion. Even rarer that one becomes Guardian to the point that it is unheard of in living memory. But you have managed to not only do all three, but to also win the heart of one of our Maidens." The Queen glanced over at Lily, who was trying not to make it obvious that she was watching when her eyes should have been downturned.

The Queen smiled at Daniel. "Do you Daniel Butler of Alaska, solemnly swear on your very essence that you will protect and defend Winter at all costs; that you will not shirk from your duties, that you will obey the edict of your Queen, and that you will fight for our way of life until the end of all?"

Daniel couldn't help but feel pride and joy at the honor of being asked to be one of them. He knew the answer in his heart even before he said it. Despite the cold reception he'd received (no pun intended) when he first arrived; he realized that he still wanted to be here and apart of this life. More importantly, he wanted to do anything he could just to stay with Lily. "I do so swear," Daniel said with a lump in his throat.

"Maidens," the Queen gestured to her retinue. "You too," she said to Lily, who bounded up with joy. The Maidens all joined hands in a circle around Daniel and the Queen and raised them high. The Queen put her hands over Daniel. "Then our power, we grant to you. Do not squander the gift that you are given, but use it to advance our kind and for the good of all. Daniel felt something that could only be described as the feeling of a warm blanket settling down over him, surrounding him, engulfing him, and then wrapping tightly against his body. He suddenly felt the cold air around him melt away as his skin turned a paler shade and his eyes flashed from brown to blue. It was like he could feel every molecule of water that was around him. He took a deep breath, his first as a newly reborn Fae.

"Now arise," the Queen said, "and face your kin." She raised her head up high and spread her arms out as the Maidens dispersed to stand behind the throne. "My people. I give you your Guardian; Daniel Butler... of Winter."

***

Chapter 4: The Winter Guardian.

*

A/N: Occurs after "Vampiress, Mine Ch. 07". Originally published 12/23/14 to Literotica.com under my screen name of DieselJester.

*

I raise my flags, don my clothes. It's a revolution, I suppose.
We'll paint it red to fit right in... Whoa.

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus.
This is it, the apocalypse...

-Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive" (2012)

All the people cheer 'til the end is near and the hero takes a fall.
Then they'll drag you through the mud; you're only flesh and blood.
I have walked the path from dark to light and they've yet to come to terms.
Alone I take my stand, I'm only a man against the world...

-Survivor, "Man Against the World" (1986)

*

The Winter Fae certainly knew how to make one feel welcomed, once one had proven themselves at any rate. After the equivalent of being knighted, Daniel had many questions for his new Queen and for Lily. Unfortunately, the Queen pulled Lily away herself while the Maidens surrounded him and ushered him off through a door next to the one that the Queen normally came in and out of.

Daniel was taken into a room similar to Lily's but on a much larger and grander scale. Daniel had to hand it to the Fae; they also knew how to enjoy life's comforts. If Lily's personal chambers were a 5 Star hotel then these accommodations had to be up there with royalty. He could only imagine what the Queen's chambers looked like. "What's all of this for?" he asked moments before the Maidens took him into the spacious bathroom and tossed him into the large floor tub in the middle. It reminded him of pictures he'd seen of a Turkish Bath.

"Tribute must be paid to the new Guardian," one of the Maidens giggled as Daniel surfaced out of the water with a sputter. With a wave of her hand, Daniel's clothes disappeared from his body and his weapons floated over to a nearby corner. Another Maiden waived her hands and the water started bubbling like a Jacuzzi. A third Maiden got some kind of soap going with her magic while a fourth conjured up brushes and towels. By the time the whole crowd of them were finished, Daniel was upstairs lounging naked in the middle of the beddings feeling like he'd just been through a car wash. The Maidens all giggled and waived as they left him there and retreaded back to the throne room.

He wasn't left alone for long for as soon as the Maidens were gone, a lone Maiden came through the door and walked all the way up the spiraling ramp to him. She was naked save for strategically placed jewelry on her nipples, naval, and pussy. Daniel's cock sprang to life on its own as he drank in her beauty. She had to be the most beautiful creature that he'd ever seen, and that was saying something.

However, it wasn't Lily and Daniel felt a pang of disappointment.

The Maiden knelt submissively at the edge of the bedding with her eyes downcast, her single braid of white hair falling down over her left shoulder to just above her breast. "I am yours for this evening by order of the Queen," she said softly.

"Uhm," Daniel croaked, "thank you?" he really wasn't quite sure what to say. In the back of his head, something just felt off about this whole thing. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly to clear the fuzziness from it so that he could think clearly as he stood up. "Uhm, look, I'm honored, flattered really. But you don't have to, uh, be with me or anything tonight," he said gently. He walked over to her and took her by the shoulders to stand her up and point her back towards the ramp.

"Do I not please you?" the Maiden asked in alarm, pushing back against his hands to try and stay in the bedding area.

"Oh you are very pleasing," Daniel said as he walked her back down to the door. He wasn't sure, but he thought that he heard footsteps behind him. When he glanced back, no one was there. "But look; I... I just can't," he said.

"You feel like you can," the Maiden said, reaching back and giving his cock a gentle stroke.

Daniel let out a groan as sexual tingles ran from the tip of his cock all up and down his body. "Believe me, I have the physical ability. I just... don't want to."

"Am I not beautiful?" she asked, "I am, after all, the most beautiful of Winter and I was chosen specifically for you." She turned in his grasp, pressing her near naked breasts to his chest in order to kiss him full on the lips. She gyrated against him, her tongue probing his mouth. Daniel managed to clamp his lips shut before they went full on lip lock and started tongue wrestling with one another. The Maiden pulled back and regarded him with curiosity. "Do you not want me?" she asked, her voice deep and husky as she trailed her delicate hands down her front, through her ample cleavage as the strategically placed jewelry disappeared to leave her completely nude before him.

"No."

The hard word that came out of his mouth surprised him as much as it did her. Daniel straightened up as much as he could, standing buck naked with a Maiden while his cock tried to convince him to jump her bones and be done with it. He took a deep breath to steady his already racing heart, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently pushed her away. "Look, any other day prior to, oh, two years ago, we'd probably be rolling in the sack now. But now..." his voice trailed off as his feelings overwhelmed him. He shook his head. "I was hoping that you were going to be someone else that came to me tonight." Daniel moved past her and tugged on the door handle, frowning when it wouldn't open. "The hell?" he muttered.

"Then it really is true then, isn't it?" The Maiden asked as she took a couple of steps backwards into the living area.

"What's true?" Daniel frowned, looking over his shoulder at her. "HOLY SHIT!" he yelped in surprise, flattening himself back up against the door when he saw that the Queen was now standing there, naked, in place of the Maiden that had been there. "What the fuck?"

"Forgive me, please, Guardian," The Queen said in amusement. "This was one, final test to see if you would accept or reject me. I am pleased to say that you have passed."

Daniel let out a groan as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose to starve off the impending headache. "Will you please explain to me what the hell is going on around here?"

"While we Fae, collectively, are what you humans would call a 'sensuous' species in which we would lie with anyone, we do also believe in the pairing."

"The Pairing?" Daniel asked. "You mean like mating and/or marriage or something?"

"Precisely," The Queen was pleased that her new Guardian had caught on so quickly. She was beginning to have doubts about his cognitive ability. "I did not realize that when my Maiden had laid down with you two seasons past that you two had actually paired with one another. I did not want to believe it at first, but the results are undeniable."

Daniel rocked back at that and blinked. "So I wasn't just pining over her like some lovesick boy...that's why she kept on appearing to me in my dreams."

"Your mental connections did not exactly..." the Queen cocked her head as she tried to think of the correct phrase, "...mesh well with one another," she said. "Now that you are Fae, through your declaration of allegiance to me and the powers we have bestowed upon you, the mental connection should be smoother not only with her, but with other Fae as well."

"Wow," Daniel said, leaning back against the door. It was a lot to take in at the moment. "So uh, what happens now?" he asked, very much aware that both of them were still very much naked in the same room with each other.

"Now, you get to enjoy your night as you had desired," The Queen said. With a twist of her left hand, snow and wind whipped around her to dress her back into her royal ice blue gown. Her right arm came up to her side and she dropped it instantly. Standing there in its wake when it came back down was yet another Maiden, but one that Daniel instantly recognized.

"Lily!" Daniel rushed over to her. Smiling, Lily likewise rushed to him and the two embraced.

"I will leave you two be now," The Queen said, gliding to the door. She gave a pointed look towards Lily. "Do not fret, little one, your obligations will be taken care of this cycle. On the next you may show him."

"Show me what?" Daniel asked the Queen, but she was already out the door.

Lily beamed at him. "I am so happy and so proud," she gushed, hugging him tightly. She cupped his face in her delicate little hands and kissed him passionately. "You won!" she whispered, placing her forehead against his. "We will never have to be apart ever again!"

"We won," Daniel gently corrected her as he picked her up into her arms. He wanted to be up in the bedding already making love to her. Before he knew it, the wind whipped around them and it felt like they were flying from the first floor up to the second in the matter the moment of him just blinking. When his eyes opened they were both laying down, naked, amid the furs, pillows, and blankets. "Damn, that's convenient," he whispered.

Lily smiled up at him, caressing the side of his face. "I'll teach you how to use your powers as we go, my love," she said, looking up at him lovingly. "For now, let us just enjoy the moment."

"As you wish, my dear," Daniel smiled, coming back down to her with his lips meeting hers. Their arms encircled each other's bodies, drawing them closer together. He felt connected to her in every way possible; mind, body, soul. As their naked bodies fully touched his cock came back to life, stiffening in response to their intimate contact. He rolled on top of her and drove his cock into her. Her cry of ecstasy from being penetrated was like sweet music to his ears.

Rocking her hips up in time with his thrusting into her, Lily clutched his body to her as hard as she could as she never wanted this feeling of bliss to ever go away. Daniel's lips trailed down her jaw to the sensitive side of her neck. She gasped as the erotic warmth radiated out from her loins to envelop her entire body. Her nipples stiffened, dragging against his hard chest.