She stood tall, waiting for the rest of her comrades with her silent companion. They were in one of the many hidden catacombs in the land. She could hear the battle cries of the Lilim Knights as they met their death by the hands of the other assorted warriors in the tombs. Sighing slightly, she shook her waist length golden hair back over her shoulders and idly twirled her sword in practice swings.
He watched her as he always did. She was his obsession. Even when she was with the human male she seemed to like, he always watched her. Stretching quietly, so as not to alert her to his movement, he started to walk towards her, perhaps now was a good time to begin his game. As he was about to gain her attention, the rest of their party showed up. Hiding a disgusted look while he exchanged a few curt words with the new arrivals, he mentally cursed his luck. Shilien must surely be angry with him. He once again looked at her, only to find that she was engaged in a conversation with the hated human.
“It will not work you know.” The female prophet said. She had seen him watching the female temple knight ever since she had joined the little group many moons ago. “She will fight you with every bit of her strength.” She grimaced, “She shouldn’t even be helping you or your friends either.” She stated, referring to the orc. “The Goddess of Eva would not be happy to know she is helping you.” His only reply was a derisive grumble, to low for her ears to catch, before he resumed his aggressive silence.
Their conversation, if it could be called that, was interrupted as the sound of a magic spell broke the tense moment between them. The human male, a warlock, had summoned a magical cat do his bidding. The cat took form with a yowl and began to purr lightly. The elven female crouched down beside the cat and began to pet its soft white fur, all the while speaking in a soothing tone.
At the request of the leader of the small hunting party, a human paladin, the orc motioned for everyone to gather round quickly as he began his chants for protection and strength. While he began his chants, the prophet also began to cast her own magic.
As the chants and spells for protection came to a close, the elven knight stood up from petting the cat and quickly checked her swords. After taking a playful swing, missing the warlock by a scant few inches, she decided that they were in good condition.
The warlock gave a mock frown before lightly smacking her back with his staff, earning a giggle from the female as she raced away to follow the orc, paladin and prophet. He admired the view for a moment until he noticed that he was being watched. Looking to his left he saw that the phantom ranger, who had been brooding in a corner, was glowering at him from underneath his dark locks. The dark elven male had always made the human nervous, and he quickly broke eye contact with the intimidating dark elf and hastily caught up to the rest of the hunting party.
The phantom ranger grinned maliciously at the human males back. Deciding to have a little fun at the humans’ expense, he let a powerful shot loose from his bow, sending a powerful shockwave thundering toward the human and striking the cat instead. He watched in smug satisfaction as the human’s step faltered slightly, the cat was severely injured. Had the shot struck the warlock instead, it almost certainly would have been a killing blow. He ran up to the human and stood towering over him for several seconds, staring him down, before taking up a position a little ways behind the temple knight and began to fire arrows in rapid succession at the Catacomb Serpent she and the others were attacking.
The warlock stood glaring at the elf, the message had been well received. He was loath to admit just how uncomfortable and alarmed he had been when he heard the mere sound of the shot the elf had sent after him. Deciding not to be intimidated easily, the warlock summoned a fireball and sent it rocketing past the dark elf. As he did so, he noticed that the dark elf was standing far closer to the elven female than was strictly necessary given the bows lengthy attack range.
The dark elf ignored the fireball rushing past him on his right side, even as it scorched his face slightly from its close proximity to him. The fireball might not have harmed him very much if it had hit, however, it was still a respectable attempt to threaten him. Obviously the human wasn’t as dense as he’d originally thought, he had clearly figured out the reason he’d been threatened. He played a deadly game with the dark elf and was well aware of it. They continued hunting without further incident for several hours.
Unbeknownst to the two competing males, the leader of the group, the paladin, had observed the entire confrontation from start to finish. Calling a break to the hunt for a brief rest while they contemplated on the success of the hunt, he called the warlock aside. While they were discussing the matter and whether it was wise for the young warlock to challenge the older dark elven male, the paladin observed the dark elf make his move. And judging from the sharp hiss of indrawn breath he could only guess that the warlock had witnessed it too.
While the elven female stood quietly studying the movement of the catacomb creatures, the dark elf came up behind her and wrapped his arms lightly around her waist and powerfully pulled her toward him. She stiffened in alarm, trying to pull away from him, before realizing that she was no match for his strength and giving up the fight. The years of drawing a powerful bowstring made him more than a match for her in upper arm strength.
The warlock studied them mutely for a second. While it was true the female was slightly relaxed after her brief struggle, she was obviously far from comfortable with the situation. One only had to look at the grip on her swords to determine this fact. Her knuckles were obviously bunched and had she not been wearing gloves, he was sure they would have been white. Her arms were also quite stiff, not allowing the swords to have a more relaxed position with the tips facing downwards.
Her mind reeled at the thought of who held her. She had known of his abnormal fixation with her, but had never thought him to be bold enough to act on it. It took everything she had to just stay still and to think calmly on how to get out of this situation. However, all thoughts ceased when he buried his face in her honeyed hair and inhaled deeply. She took in a sharp breath of air and further stiffened in his arms and he still refused to let go. The grip on her swords tightened even more as she began to slowly heft them higher, into a more aggressive position. Even though it would never work, the thought of simply whirling around and slamming him into the nearest wall with the blades crossed at his throat was becoming more appealing by the moment.
The dark elf smirked to himself as he felt her tense up. He was aware of the swords slow movement into a more attack ready stance, and he looked forward to it. The thought of taming the beautiful female was highly intoxicating. His lecherous thoughts were derailed however with the sound of a cheerfully purring, fluffy white cat. The cat ran in meowing circles around the pair, annoying the archer to no end before taking a playful swipe at the reluctant enchantress in his arms.
The female quickly took the opening given to her and pulled out of the opportunistic males’ arms and began to lightheartedly chase the cat before stopping to sit down and rest. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the warlock come and sit near her quietly. Without a word, she stood up and walked over to him and sat back down. They sat like that for a few minutes before the warlock shyly reached over and took her hand in his and was overjoyed when she twined her fingers with his.
Meanwhile, the phantom ranger stood in ominous silence, angered over her obvious rejection. It was only when five of her countrymen, who had been watching the entire scene out of sight unbeknownst to anyone in the group showed themselves, did he even begin to realize the deadly situation he had put himself in. All of the new arrivals were older, more experienced archers than him. They encircled him tightly while arming their weapons in an unmistakable promise. He had crossed a line and they had no intention of letting this offense go unchallenged.
The paladin, who had watched all of this, knew the five silver rangers were not going to leave until punishment had been exacted upon the offending dark elf. He gathered the rest of the group and pushed them deeper into the catacombs, leaving the ill-fated archer to fend for himself. He waited patiently for all of his charges to pass around the bend before him.
He noticed that the orc was torn between following his orders, and going to help his people’s longest ally. When he began to go back to the doomed archer, the paladin put his hand out, effectively stopping him. When the orc looked at him, he just slowly shook his head before saying, “You can’t help him. They won’t leave until their job is done.” He gave one last look toward his longtime comrade before heeding the human’s words and continuing into the catacomb.
Just before the human began to follow after him, he heard the distinctive sound of bowstrings being drawn taut, the twang of release, and the inescapable finality of the magic laden arrows finding their mark, and a body hitting the ground. There was a moment of silence before he heard five sets of footsteps race away in the opposite direction and then all was silent once more, except for the lonesome cries of the catacomb creatures.
K, I couldn't find a way to continue the original story so I've begun another. Hopefully it doesn't suck to bad.
****
Treason
Caellia watched the young elves clumsily aim and fire their small bows at the keltirs and sighed. She watched as they tried again with little more success than last time. There was nothing else for it, she was bored. She had been called back to her home village by the High Priest Asterios for an important announcement. She wondered if it had anything to do with her upcoming birthday. She was fast approaching her 610th year and it was traditional for a celebration to be thrown in honor of those approaching that year. You officially came ‘of age’ in that year. Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the Sentinels, Alberius, if she remembered correctly.
“Princess Caellia, High Priest Asterios will see you now.” He intoned lightly with a bow.
Caellia gritted her teeth in irritation before muttering, “Don’t call me Princess, I do not wish to be called that.”
“But that is who you are, why wouldn’t you wish to be called by your proper title?” Alberius questioned as he rose from his kneeling position. “You are our Princess. You should never be ashamed of that.” With that said, he turned to lead her to Asterios, a slight frown on his face.
Caellia could only shake her head as she followed Alberius. She should’ve known that would be the response she would get. How could she make them understand that she would rather not be their Princess? All the title did was get in the way. She was a fighter, a Silver Ranger, not some pampered Princess. Perhaps she would’ve had different thoughts about that, had she not been born during the wars with their dark brethren to the west and the orcs from the lands of Elmore. She remembered something she had been meaning to ask ever since she got here, and if anyone knew the answer it would be Alberius. “Why are there so many older elves here? Has something happened that the High Priest felt that the Sentinels were not enough protection?” There was a slight stiffening of Alberius’ back before he answered quietly, “The High Priest will know the answer to that.”
She was so wrapped up in her musings that she barely had time to realize that she was being formally introduced to Asterios. Giving him a polite bow, she waited for him to inform her why she was here.
Asterios could not believe the changes that had been wrought upon Caellia. Her hair was longer and worn down loosely instead of in the braids that had been fashionable years ago. It was also now a more platinum blonde color instead of the honey blonde he remembered when she was just a child. She also now wore it covering the faint mark on her forehead, the tattoo that had been placed there to show her true heritage as the Elven Princess.
Her petite frame also held a few scars from some of her more vicious battles. One of which was prominently displayed on her abdomen, a long thin line of slightly darkened skin. He looked to her clothing, noticing the dark green tinted leather with silver designs on the breastplate and skirt. He also noticed the massive bow she was carrying. It was gray with two sets of stems, quite powerful indeed.
Caellia watched the older elf with a slight look of boredom. He was honestly wearing on her nerves staring at her. She understood patience, she had learned it many times on her frequent hunts, but this was beginning to be ridiculous. Her thoughts were interrupted as Asterios began speaking.
“Caellia, it has been a long time. You’ve grown into a beautiful elf. You are the image of the strong proud race we are.” He bowed before her.
Caellia was surprised to say the least. He was bowing to her? Preposterous, she quickly motioned for him to raise himself back up saying, “Please don’t, I haven’t done anything to deserve that.”
“Oh but you have and you will, I assure you.” He motioned for her to follow him onto the balcony. “Let me explain a few things to you. I’m sure you are eager to understand why I sent for you to come back home.”
*****
Far away from the village, near the so called neutral zone, a sword singer was being threatened. “Don’t attempt to betray us as you are them, you will die a slow painful death if you do. We want the Princess and you will help us get her.” The sword singer was flung painfully to the ground where he stayed. “I won’t betray you. I swear, you will have her and with her will be able to claim these territories.”
“What about Oren castle? It will do me no good to take these lands and not control the castle now would it?“ The strider stepped dangerously close to the sword singer, breathing hot, sulfuric breath in great bellows.
Einao flinched away from the massive jaws of the beast before replying, “Caellia is to be married to the human warlord Goryn, the current King of Oren. The marriage was supposed to guarantee the protection of the Elven forest as provided by Goryn.”
“Hmph. That remains to be seen. You will help me take Caellia hostage. Goryn will have to give up his castle if he wishes to see his pretty Elven princess.”
Einao nodded his head in agreement. “She will not be easy to take. She will be heavily guarded from here on until her marriage.” He looked up and could have sworn he had seen Lord Nathavin Despana smirk evilly.
“We shall see just how good her protectors are.”
*****
Caellia was stunned. She was to be married to a human king to ensure the village’s protection?! But why? Oh she knew what Asterios told her but it didn’t quite fit. There had to be another reason.
She had been walking outside the village ever since she had heard the news and was now stopped outside the abandoned Elven Fortress. She was about to head on to Iris Lake to watch the unicorns when a light laugh had her spinning around quickly.
“You should be more alert Silver Ranger. One never knows when one will be under attack.” Einao said with a smile before quickly rushing her like they used to do when they were children.
Caellia felt laughter bubbling up before getting it under control and in a mockingly stern voice she bit out her reply, “You would do well to stay out of my bow’s range stranger.” She fired an arrow, watching as Einao skillfully brought his shield up and deflected it as he always had done. “What are you doing home?” She laughingly asked him, putting her bow away.
“What? And miss my cousin’s celebration and her wedding? I could do no such thing Caellia.” He walked closer to her, “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too Einao.” They both sat down on the grass. “It’s good to see everyone again after such a long time away.” Caellia’s look turned wistful as she watched some nearby children playing. “Don’t you ever wish we could be children again? Their lives are so carefree and they know nothing of the dangers outside this forest.”
Einao watched her closely while she wasn’t looking at him before he responded. “I think I would never want to be a child ever again, always being told what to do, where to go, and who to hunt with, or not to hunt with.” He stood up abruptly, “Caellia you shouldn’t be here.”
Now that got her attention, not only the words but the gruff, almost menacing way he said them. “Why?”
“It…It isn’t safe Caellia. There are things…things you don’t know and should never know.” He knelt back down and grabbed her hands in his. “Please leave. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“What’s going on Einao? What do you know that no one else does?” Caellia questioned.
Before they had a chance to discuss the matter more, a dark figure emerged from the shadows. “Well look what I’ve found, two lovebirds not paying attention to their surroundings. That could get you hurt you know.” The blade dancer chuckled.
Caellia was instantly on her feet with her bow drawn, all thoughts of her previous conversation with Einao gone. “What do you want here? You are to leave these lands immediately or forfeit your life!” She could not believe the audacity of the blade dancer. They were not supposed to cross the boundaries into the Elven lands at all. This was bad, where there was one, there were usually others. Looking around she saw one more dark elf and a massive orc. While she could not get a clear look at either, she suspected the orc to be a destroyer and the other elf to be an assassin.
A child’s laugh nearby captured their attention. Caellia cursed inwardly as she watched the dark elf’s eyes shift to the young one before sliding back to her and Einao. “I wonder if your young ones have ever seen a dark elf such as me. Probably not, you tend to keep them very protected until its time for them to make their own way in this harsh world.” With that he moved as quickly as an arrow in flight and stood over the now frightened child. “You dropped your sword little one, that’s not a very good way to protect yourself. Let me pick it up for you.” He stooped down to pick the sword up but shot back upright as an arrow whistled past his nose.
“Child, run to the village and do not look back. I will bring you your sword later.” Caellia ordered, her bow once more strung and ready to fire, her eyes never leaving the blade dancer. She listened to Einao’s smooth voice as he sung his songs of battle. “Leave these lands dark ones, or I will bury you on them.” She practically growled.
The assassin came out of the shadows of the trees and stated, “We will go.”
The blade dancer whirled around and stared disbelieving at his comrade. “I do not wish to go, I wish to fight!” He raised his swords at Caellia and bellowed, “Fight me!”
Caellia sneered, “Gladly.” She loosed the arrow and turned to run a few feet before turning once again and firing. She managed to stay one step ahead for a while before he slowed her with a spell. Now she had to stand still and fire through his rapidly swinging swords.
His lips turned upward in a feral smile as he stung her flesh, watching the red blood flow. Then suddenly all he could see around him was a yellow field of energy with crackling blue ribbons of power laced throughout before he couldn’t move anymore. He watched as Caellia took a few slow steps away from him before turning back towards him with a final arrow in place. As she raised the bow for the final attack he heard a voice behind him cry out.
“Stop! You’ve beaten him, let him go.” Einao desperately needed to keep her from killing the blade dancer. That was Nathavin’s brother and he did not want to have to answer to the dark lord if his brother was killed. Shuddering at that thought, he walked toward Caellia. “Enough let them go. I doubt they will cross our borders again.” He put a hand on her bow, lowering it to ensure that she wouldn’t fire the arrow anyway.
Caellia stared at Einao in confusion. Why should she stop? She attempted to bring her bow back up and was further confused when he wouldn’t let her. “Einao, why?”
He thought quickly before answering her, “Do you not see his clan crest on his armor? He is part of Lord Nathavin’s clan. If you kill him, even the great land dragon Antharas couldn’t stop Nathavin from coming after you.”
“I’ve been fighting our dark brethren for years and have never heard of Lord Nathavin.” Caellia muttered darkly as she watched the orc and the assassin gather their comrade and leave without looking back.
Einao closed his eyes and looked toward the sky before saying in a sorrowful tone, “You will know him soon enough.”
No problem :cool: The first story I had written based off of a screenshot i had taken with my main and a dark elf. My lightelf was standing with her back against the darkelfs chest and it looked as if he was hugging her to him with his head bent to her neck. I'd post the pic but the darkelf is my clanleader and i don't know if he reads these boards very often. lol it was a cool pic though and the first story wasn't really meant to be continued although i'm bringing that PR back with a name and a new interest, hope you like! :)
Goryn looked at the scroll penned by the High Priest Asterios. It mentioned that Caellia would be leaving the Elven lands en route to Oren in two days time. Checking the date the letter had been penned he figured she would already be on her way. He wondered how the silver ranger was fairing the trip. He had seen her once or twice before well north of Oren and knew she could’ve made the trip herself. She was quite skilled and generally preferred to travel alone. Smirking slightly, he remembered one of their chance meetings.
She had been fighting a Witch Doctor near the Bandit Stronghold when he first saw her. She had just finished killing one when another had appeared and blasted her with a powerful gust of wind. She had been younger then and tired quickly and had asked him for help. The look on her face was so forlorn when she had asked for help that he couldn’t refuse and had killed the witch quickly for her. She had then paid him and began to leave him. That simply had not sat well with him and he tagged after her. Keeping up with her quick pace was not easy, but his tracking abilities had prevailed over her speed.
She had yelled at him for following her. She had threatened him, she had even fired upon him, but in the end he had won. They had become fast friends and had gone on many outings together after that. He had later found out about the marking on her forehead. Curious he had asked her about it only to have her close herself off from him and leave Oren not long after. It was many years later that he finally found out the meaning of that tattoo and only then had he understood her sudden flight from his castle. He had heard she had traveled to the devastated castle area to continue her training.
Recently he had received news that the Dark Elves and the Orc race were plotting to take the Elven lands. Goryn had sent his troops to help protect the Elven lands but could not continue to place his troops in harms way without a good cause. Caellia was to be that cause. He had not wanted to do this to her but there was no other choice. His troops and allies would not continue to lay down their lives for a bit of forest he didn’t control. His marriage to her would give him direct control over the Elven forest. He adjusted his heavy red hued armor uncomfortably at the thought of facing her. Her temper was something to be reckoned with and he was not looking forward to be on the receiving end of it.
If only he could take care of Lord Nathavin without doing this. But that was impossible. Lord Nathavin and his allies had built their own castle far north of the Blazing Swamplands. The new Goddard Castle was under direct control of Nathavin. Not much else information other than that had been obtained as yet. Although it was a reasonable guess that Nathavin wanted all the known lands under his control, and was willing to do anything to get that. Goryn was plainly curious why Nathavin was seeking to gain the Elven forest so soon. What value did it hold? Surely Aden castle would be a more reasonable target at this time. Noticing the time, he picked up his sword and shield to begin his daily rounds of checking up on his allies and being brought up to speed on the current goings on of his men.
*****
Nathavin looked scornfully down at his brother. “How could you let a silver ranger do this to you? Haven’t I taught you how to properly avoid being hit by arrows?” He rose up to his full height and picked up the bow that was known to be the main cause of bloody carnage on many battlefields. He took aim at his brother and fired a shot, grazing his brother’s sensitive ear. “You should’ve avoided that shot like you should’ve avoided hers! Now my brother has severe wounds and can not help me on the battlefield!”
“I didn’t mean to lose Nathavin. You must believe me.” Naldorl hissed through his pain. “She was stronger than I thought.”
“She was the same age as you!” Nathavin roared. “How do you expect to help me take Caellia if you can’t handle one silver ranger?”
Naldorl was desperate to deflect his brothers’ anger. “She wasn’t alone! Einao was with her. He was asking her to leave. He didn’t want her to get hurt. He sung for her to be stronger. He helped her.” He watched his older brother lean back in thought.
“Einao helped her did he? Wonder what his attachment to her is.” He mused to himself. He gave a sharp look at Naldorl, “What did he say to her?”
“I didn’t hear all of it. He said that she shouldn’t be there and that it wasn’t safe and he didn’t want to see her get hurt.” Naldorl paused to readjust his position to accommodate for the still healing arrow wounds. “There were children nearby and they were laughing loudly so I couldn’t hear everything that was said.”
“No matter, Einao shouldn’t have helped her. He will pay the price for his actions. I warned him once, and that is all the warning he will get.” Nathavin whispered darkly.
*****
Caellia wondered the shops of Giran looking for some magical supplies for her weapon. She stared aghast at some of the prices. No way was she paying that! What did they take her for, a newborn? She continued her shopping, ignoring all the calls and insults of the store owners. She stopped and stared at a dark elf as he blocked her entrance to the eastern end of the city. He grinned darkly at her before stepping aside to let her pass.
Just as she was about to pass under the archway his staff shot out blocking her way yet again. “The reign of the Light Elves is coming to an end. Nathavin will see to that.”
Caellia looked the elf up and down taking in his clothes and staff in one calculating look before pinning the elf to the doorway with her bow. “Who is this Nathavin? I’ve never heard of him and if he’s making threats against my people then I wish to know him.”
The mystic just looked at her with crazed eyes before he spluttered out, “Nathavin will make the light elves our slaves! He intends on capturing the Princess and enslaving her to him.” He began to choke as Caellia put her entire weight on the bow, slowly crushing his windpipe as she leaned in close and whispered to him. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not the Princess now isn’t it? Or am I?” She watched in satisfaction as he looked at her anxiously. “Be careful that your tongue doesn’t wag when it shouldn’t, spawn of Antharas,” she hissed, “You can never be sure who you’re talking to. I could’ve been your precious Princess you speak so…fondly…of.”
“What’s going on here?” Guard Reikin demanded. “Lower your weapon at once.”
“Of course.” Caellia consented. She continued to glare at the mystic before turning her back to him and continuing on her way. “Remember my words my dark cousin, and heed them well.” Satisfied that all was once again well Reikin moved back to his post.
Caellia never saw the look of pure hatred in the mystics’ eyes as he rubbed his still aching throat.
Caellia took an alleyway going towards the north end of town, the incident with the mystic long forgotten. She wasn’t paying much attention to where she was going since she had traveled this alleyway many times before, so when she bumped into someone it was quite a shock as she stumbled backwards from the force of the impact. Looking up, and up some more, she saw the tattooed face of a tyrant. She muttered a curt “Excuse me.” Before continuing on her way.
He just looked at her then grabbed her elbow tightly, causing her to whip back around to face him from her own forward momentum. “Where is the Princess?” He growled. “We know she is here we have been instructed to give her a message from Nathavin.”
“So you are requesting an audience with the Princess?” Queried Caellia, stunned. “I will pass the message along to her. I’m her chief guard, what is it?” That was not quite the truth. A temple knight was her chief guard along with Einao, who was her second head guard. She sighed to herself, she was nothing if not curious. They are asking to see me, wonder what it’s about.
The tyrant looked at her intently for a second before growling out, “Follow me.” The plan was working perfectly. He led her to an abandoned part of the city then pointed to a dark doorway, “In there.”
Caellia, although very much a risk taker, was no fool. She had no intention of going in there with no back up. Turning to question the orc, she let out a small scream of surprise when a hand came from behind her and covered her mouth and effectively prevented anyone from hearing the scream. A second hand wrapped itself around her torso and began to pull her into the dark building. She struggled for all she was worth, using her bow to try to keep herself from being pulled completely into the building.
The orc looked at the bow, it was horizontal to the doorframe and since it was wider, it was not going through the door. Giving the elf a hard glare he grabbed both ends and bent it alarmingly far. The bow groaned and shivered under the immense pressure before finally squeezing past the door and springing back to its original shape. Once they were inside he snatched the bow out of her hands.
Naldorl looked at the orc thankfully before binding her arms together behind her back. He had to let go of her mouth to bind her hands, a rather unfortunate predicament he thought.
“Release me at once!” Caellia hissed frantically. She slammed her head backward, hoping to catch whoever was holding her on the chin and knock them away from her. She kicked her legs out, putting all of her weight on her unknown assailant, forcing him to take a few steps back. She tried it again, but this time he was ready for her and pushed back, forcing her feet back to the ground. She was all set to try another tactic when a smooth, silky voice began to speak.
“Is that any way to treat our guest Naldorl?” Nathavin spoke softly. “Surely we could be more hospitable than that. Release the young girl. It would be a shame to leave bruises on her.” He walked forward slowly, coming into the light. His eyes never left Caellia’s as he watched her closely for any hint of an attack.
“This is the one that defeated me brother.” Naldorl spat.
“I can see why. She has much spirit.” Nathavin strolled casually around her, taking in all details as she stood there quietly. He leaned closer to her when he was completely behind her, “Your hair shines in the candlelight. Did you know that?”
She was well and truly afraid of this person. He was far more skilled than her and she could easily see it in his choice of armor. The candlelight played with strikingly majestic colors of white and gold that was his armor. His gray eyes were cold and calculating as he crossed behind her field of vision. “Get away from me demon spawn!” Caellia snarled as he came behind her. She tensed with uncontrollable fear, she hated her reaction, but the aura around this elf just radiated power. He would be formidable foe on the battlefield and she secretly hoped she would never meet him there. Gathering her courage and strictly controlling her voice she asked, “Your orc informed me that you had a message to deliver to our Princess. Give me the message and I will relay it to her.” She had to get out of here.
“Now, don’t be in such a rush to leave.” His silken voice breathed. “I would like to spend more time with you. It isn’t very often I get to spend time with a lovely warrior such as yourself.” He came back in front of her, and looked down at the scar on her abdomen. “What happened here?” As he attempted to feel along the scar Caellia reacted out of pure instinct and slapped him.
“Don’t touch me!” She was livid. How dare he try to lay a hand on her? Her voice trembled with fury, “Don’t ever attempt to lay your hands on the Royal Guard of the Princess. You forfeit your life in doing so.”
Nathavin raised one hand to prevent his brother and the orc from killing the silver ranger. “You have much spirit little one.” His voice was stronger than before, no more a mere whisper. “Our proposition is this. Princess Caellia agrees to become my queen and I will protect the ancestral lands of the Light Elves as my own. She will arrange for Goryn to step down as the king of Oren and I will take his place.”
Caellia all but stopped listening the moment he said ‘my queen’. She stared in horror at who could only be Nathavin. She only dimly heard the rest of his statement as her terror stricken mind wrapped around the fact that this was Lord Nathavin, the dark one that was looking for her. And she was standing in front of him! She absolutely had to get out of here and fast!
Nathavin narrowed his eyes at her near blank look. What was wrong with her? She had been so feisty before, so what happened to change that in the blink of an eye? He thought back to his statement, he didn’t see anything in it that would cause this type of shock. Surely they must have suspected something along these lines. He could’ve outright taken Oren Castle on his own. He just wished to take it in the most humiliating way possible for both Goryn and Caellia. A siege just somehow wouldn’t be humiliating enough, although he wouldn’t shy away from one if it became necessary. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, “Girl! Look at me!”
Her eyes snapped back to his, she vaguely remembered that she was supposed to deliver this message to ‘her princess’. She nodded her head at him and in a shaky voice replied, “I will deliver this message the princess immediately.”
His narrowed gaze watched her intently for moment. Did she just stumble when saying ‘the princess’? It was almost as if she wasn’t used to saying that particular phrase. He shook it off, “Let her go, and give her the weapon back. I’m sure she’ll have use of it fairly soon.” Leaning close to her one more time he whispered softly, “We will meet again Silver Ranger, and when we do…” He let the rest of his sentence trail off, letting her imagination fill in the blank. Smirking at her expression he turned his back on her and walked back into the shadowy recesses of the room.
“Out.” The tyrant said glaring daggers at her. He shoved the bow in her hands and pushed her out the door roughly.
Caellia wasted no time and sprinted back to the main square of town. She had to gather her forces and leave now! It was not safe here any longer.
*****
They were on their way, Caellia was flanked by Einao and Nalia. Nalia was an experienced temple knight and was quite humorous to be around. However, get her angry and stand back. Caellia had sparred with her a few times and was personally glad she was their side. They had picked up a few humans on their trip through Giran. A human mystic, a prophet, and a human knight a dark avenger if Caellia remembered right. The trip to Oren castle would take a few days time due to the slower traveling abilities of the humans.
Nalia watched her friend for a moment before swatting Caellia with her swords. “You’ve been moody ever since we left Giran. What’s wrong?”
Caellia braced herself for the impact of the swords before arching her eyebrow and scoring a direct hit on Nalia’s shield. “I’m fine, just a little…nervous, that’s all.” She hadn’t told anyone that she had met Lord Nathavin. Let alone met him in an abandoned building alone, she could just hear all the scolding she would get. She would be locked in a tower and never let outside if they knew just how much danger she had put herself in. And she had put herself in that danger knowingly.
Nalia pulled Caellia back and let Einao get farther ahead of them, “Caellia. What is wrong?” She looked seriously at her friend. “I, we, need to know what happened in Giran.” She nodded her head, her braids bobbing with the motion, “Yes, we know something happened. You need to tell us.”
“It’s nothing really, I just had a bad run in with an orc and two of our dark brethren and it was unnerving. I’m fine, really.”
Nalia wasn’t convinced and said so. “Caellia, please, I’m begging you as a friend and as your guard. What happened?”
Caellia sighed and related the events that took place in the building, leaving out the fact that it was Nathavin she had met. Nalia listened with shock. If there was a phantom ranger that powerful, Caellia didn’t stand a chance against him alone. She would have to be guarded extra closely from here on out until they reached Oren.
“Einao, come here please.” Nalia called. She retold Caellia’s story and made extra guard arrangements for Caellia. Einao took her orders and swiftly carried them out. “We will stop here and camp for the night.” Nalia commanded.
Caellia looked at her askance before she commented dryly, “But it isn’t dark yet. We can still travel a little longer.”
Nalia gave her friend a hard look, “You are under my protection, and protect you I will. But I will do it as I see fit, Princess.” She paid particular attention to the emphasis she tacked onto ‘Princess’.
Caellia glared back at Nalia, “I wish to travel longer. You forget that I am a silver ranger as well as a Princess.”
“You are our Princess first Caellia, silver ranger second. Or have you forgotten that? I haven’t and I never will.” Nalia snapped back. “We camp here and that’s final. I’m sorry, but my word outweighs yours under these circumstances.” She watched as Caellia stalked away and took her frustrations out on some poor beast that didn’t deserve to die in such a manner. “Was she always this difficult?” Einao had come up behind her and if anyone would know the answer to that question it would be him. She wasn’t thrilled with his one word answer.
“Yes.” He watched Caellia slaughter the beasts for a few seconds before turning to Nalia. “The preparations have been finished and I’ve already told the groups to prepare for camp.”
“Good, now if we can just get Caellia to stay in line and not wander off all will be good for the night.” Nalia rubbed her forehead wearily. Caellia was a dear friend, but she was as stubborn as they came.
Two days they had been tailing the convoy. Two days of spying and not one glimpse of Princess Caellia. They weren’t far from Oren Castle now, they would have to make their move and quickly. Nathavin’s eyes narrowed in concentration, what of the silver ranger? Likely she knew something, as a matter of fact, he knew she knew something regarding Caellia. It was time for action.
Caellia watched Einao as he readied everyone to go. He was nervous, but why? Grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows she approached him. “Hey.”
Einao jumped slightly and turned around quickly. “Don’t scare me like that! Make some kind of noise!”
“Sorry, but its habit to be stealthy.” She grinned at him. “We should be meeting some of Goryn’s men today shouldn’t we?” While she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of marrying Goryn, she was secretly glad to see her friend soon. Perhaps he’d be with his men she thought to herself.
“If all goes well yes.” Einao sighed. He hated this, the cost of his arrangement with the dark brethren was too high. He looked at Caellia who was happier than she would ever dare of admitting at the prospect of seeing Goryn. He looked towards the mountains, he knew they were there. He had noticed them trailing them several days ago. And he knew Nathavin was with them and there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that Nathavin would not figure out who Caellia was until it was too late and she was safely within Oren Castle. Luckily everyone had been calling Caellia by just ‘Lia, instead of the full name.
“Good!” She exclaimed, grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear. She took off to see Nalia and to hurry things along.
Einao looked back to the mountains and shuddered. This was going to be bad.
*****
Goryn looked at his men once more than gave the order to start out to meet the elven convoy. He watched with satisfaction as his troops left the gates. Since the convoy was in his lands and not but a day’s trip from the castle he took only a light contingent with him. He soon joined them in the ranks and they marched down the road to meet the convoy.
*****
“Leave the silver ranger to me. Do not touch Einao; he has much to answer for. Kill the rest, they are worthless as prisoners.” Nathavin spoke low to his gathered force. “If you find Caellia, call me immediately. Do not engage any of the guards that may be with her until I get there.” He looked at the assorted ranks of dark elves and orcs that were gathered. “Goryn will most likely be sending an escort party to receive the convoy today. Do not be surprised if it shows up. Chances are it will be a small group only intended as a show of goodwill and friendship. Ignore it until you must deal with it. Our main goal is Caellia. Now go.” He stood up and watched his troops swiftly gear up and head down from the mountains. He looked down at the slowly moving convoy and his lips curled in a sinister smile. Today, Einao would pay in full for the training he had received.
*****
“Incoming!” Nalia shouted. She grabbed her twin swords and stood ready. She didn’t need to look back to see the rest of the group of fighters unsheathing and readying their own weapons. She did however glare daggers at Caellia as she strung her bow and took aim. “What do you think you are doing?! Get behind us you stubborn fool!”
“No. You will need my bow, their forces are great and we need all the fighters we can get.” Caellia stood her ground and stared at her target, a dark elf with a dagger in his hand. Squinting slightly, she released the arrow and watched in satisfaction as it flew true and struck its target squarely in the chest. She knocked another arrow and released again with the same results and watched the target grasp its chest and stop running before falling to the ground.
Nalia shook her head…there was no arguing with her now. Soon she had no time to think on it anymore when the forces came face to face and all was mass of rapidly swinging swords. She watched as differing spells crashed around and into her. She could hear the incantations from the human sorcerers as they sent fireballs into the enemy. She looked through the haze of battle and saw a spell singer stuck down by towering orc. She felt a blow to her back and hastily turned to face the attacker and stood face to face with a dark elven blade dancer. She spun her swords aggressively in her hands and waited for his attack. She didn’t have to wait long.
Caellia fired her bow rapidly without stopping, the enemy force was larger than they had imagined. They wouldn’t last long against this onslaught. She abandoned her position and began to work her way towards the back of the group to help the humans. She paused next to Einao, who seemed to be in shock. “What’s wrong?! Start fighting!” She yelled. He did and said nothing. She looked in the direction he was facing and froze in horror.
Nathavin chuckled lightly; the two people he wanted to deal with personally were right in front of him, how nice. “Einao, it’s been a long while since I’ve seen you fight.”
“Not long enough.” Einao replied shakily.
“I don’t think I’ve had the honor of seeing you fight silver ranger. Perhaps we could rectify that?” He ominously brought his bow down and prepared an arrow to be fired.
Caellia gritted her teeth and whispered to Einao, “Sing, our lives depend on your songs.” She brought her own bow up and prepared her own arrow, knowing full well that this might be the last time she would fight. She wasn’t prepared for what happened next.
“Are you going to betray us Einao? Will you betray us as you did them? Do you honestly think I will let you betray us? We trained you Einao, we took you in and trained you at an accelerated pace and you owe us a debt that has yet to be repaid boy.” Nathavin watched as Einao’s face turned an unnatural shade of pale for light elves.
Caellia’s fingers on the bow began to tremble, was that why Einao had been acting strangely? Was that why he was uninjured in this battle? She whispered in disbelief, “It’s not true is it? Einao please tell me it’s not true!” She thought about all the times he had been gone and had come back stronger more quickly than anyone thought possible for his training sessions. “By Eva tell me it’s not true!”
Einao stood with his head down looking at the ground. He couldn’t bear to look at Caellia as he painfully forced his answer from his lips, “Yes, it’s true. I trained with them to advance through the ranks more quickly than my peers.”
Caellia nearly dropped her bow. She couldn’t focus through her tears as she listened to his confession. Forcefully bringing herself together she choked out her answer, “I will deal with this act of treason later.”
“Einao, have you forgotten? You haven’t repaid your debt to us.” Nathavin watched Einao closely.
“Princess Caellia is not here. This convoy was a decoy, a ruse to get you to show yourself.” Einao lied. He only hoped Goryn would show up with a decent number of troops to send Nathavin running.
“You cowardly traitor! How dare you mock the Dark Elven empire?!” Nathavin roared.
A cry cut through the battle, interrupting Nathavin. “Goryn is here!”
Ok, I've got a dilemma....I've never roleplayed ingame and have no idea how to refer to the use of soul/spirit shots without actually calling them what they are. Kind of a noob at the roleplaying stuff and my clan doesn't engage in that anyway. Besides...I like to keep all 'roleplay' in my word processor...lots more fun. ;) So any suggestions would be welcomed. I have avoided using/refering to them up to this point but I've come to a position where I would really like them to be used as a 'show of force' if you will. I humbly ask those who are more savvy with roleplaying to educate my ignorant self. :D I hope you are enjoying the story...I've never written one before and can only hope that it's doing well. :eek:
Goryn and his small honor guard ran into the fray, frantically looking for Caellia. Goryn wasted no time cutting down any enemy that crossed his path. “Find her! Find her and protect her!” He spotted Nalia and ran to her; she was just finishing her fight with a blade dancer. “Where is Caellia?” He shouted above the din of battle.
“I don’t know, she took off towards the back of the caravan.” Nalia responded, wheezing for breath. “She wouldn’t stay out of the fight Goryn.”
“Headstrong as always then, she never listens where in concerns her own well being.” Looking toward the back of the group of battling people he took off to find Caellia.
*****
Nathavin whipped his head around to see the direction the new threat was coming from. Caellia took the opportunity and grabbed Einao’s hand and sprinted away. She had to get away from Nathavin. She supposed she could’ve shot Nathavin since his back was turned but that wouldn’t have worked very well. His armor would’ve prevented him from sustaining much injury even though it would’ve been point-blank range. Half dragging Einao, she raced back toward Nalia. Einao’s treachery would have to be dealt with later, until then she intended on getting his co-operation any way she could. Even if that meant she had to drag him around with her to make sure he didn’t betray them again. She grit her teeth as he stumbled and whirled around to face him, fury and hurt blazing in her eyes. “Get up!” She didn’t wait for an answer, she just turned around and started running again.
Nathavin turned back to Einao and the ranger just as they began running. Glaring at their backs he vowed to catch up to them later. Right now, Goryn was the one he needed to deal with. He began to make his way toward the new arrival, knocking an arrow in preparation for battle.
*****
Goryn saw the dark elven archer and came to a stop. He instinctively knew who it was. He spun his polearm aggressively in a defiant challenge. “Where is Caellia?”
Nathavin looked at him with his eyebrow raised. So Caellia was here after all. He should have known not to trust that fool Einao. The question was, where was she? His eyes widened slightly, or was the question who was she? “I haven’t seen her.”
“Do not lie to me, Nathavin!” Spat Goryn. “Where is she?”
“I do not lie fool.” Nathavin narrowed his eyes at Goryn, he quickly motioned with his arm for a few of the nearby orcs and dark elves to stand with him. He watched as one of those was a healer, an elder in the studies of Shillien, he would be able to cast a spell to bind Goryn in place.
Goryn once more spun his polearm, before bellowing. “Once more I will ask the question. Where is Caellia?”
“Do you believe I would still be here if I knew where she was?”
Goryn had enough, he charged Nathavin. He ran only a few yards before he found he could run no more. He gave a mighty battle cry as he watched Nathavin raise his bow, a bright white flash twinkled around the arrow as Nathavin placed a white stone from a special sack on his hip on the arrow to increase its deadliness.
Grinning maliciously, Nathavin took aim and fired. The arrow struck Goryn in the center of his chest, despite his attempt to block it with the polearm. With a nod from Nathavin, the magic caster again cast his spell, keeping Goryn in place as Nathavin continued to fire.
By this time, most of the Elven forces had been subdued, save for a few struggles here and there. Caellia and Einao had reached Nalia who was looking around at their battered companions. She saw and ran over to Caellia and Einao. Before they could say anything, they heard Goryn’s battle cry and they raced to find him.
The scene they found horrified them. Goryn was bound to one spot with nearly a dozen arrows in his chest. Caellia looked where the arrows were coming from and gasped. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched yet another arrow hit Goryn in the chest. Ignoring Nalia’s warnings and pleadings not to, she ran to stand between Goryn and Nathavin.
“Stop! You’ll kill him!” She put her hands in front of her, palms up in a non threatening pose.
“That’s the idea girl. Now move, or the next arrow will be for you.” Nathavin was deadly serious.
“Please stop!” She cried.
Goryn watched through half closed eyes as Caellia stood between him and death. “Caellia,” he whispered, “don’t get in the way.”
She turned back to him astounded, “He’s going to kill you!”
“Better he kill me than you. You are the only surviving child of Lord Erenor and Lady Serath. Your people need you.” He swayed slightly on his feet, the blood loss and the arrows taking their toll on his body, but the spell would not allow him to fall just yet.
“Your people need you too Goryn.” Caellia choked back a sob, “You can’t die here! Not by him!”
“Enough!” Nathavin hollered. He hoisted the bow again as Caellia turned back around. “Silver ranger, I suggest you move, or bring your own weapon up.”
Caellia watched him for a split second and then did the only thing she could think of to save Goryn. “I am the one you seek. I am Princess Caellia of the Elven Lands.” She ignored Goryn’s heart wrenching cry as she revealed her identity. She couldn’t allow him to be killed, not over her. She stood tall as she watched the expressions pass over Nathavin’s face.
Nathavin just looked at her. He couldn’t believe all this time he had been looking for a pampered Princess who was probably only a mediocre healer at best, when Caellia had actually been a seasoned warrior. He lowered his weapon before giving a full throated laugh. “So, you are the one I’ve been searching for. And to think, I was in the same room with you in Giran. You are quite brave, if a good deal foolish, my little silver ranger.” He arrogantly strode toward her, silencing the caravan onlookers with a mere look as they protested. He stopped an arm’s length from her and studied her for a moment before backing a few paces away and stating coldly. “Place your weapon on the ground before me and bow to your King.”
The dark elves and orcs nodded their approval as the defeated humans and light elves stood in shock.
Caellia’s eyes narrowed in anger. She would not bow before him, never would she bow to him! She icily refuted him, “I will not bow to you now or ever!”
His own eyes hardened as he stared her down. “You will bow to me Caellia, or I will force you to.” He brought his bow up to firing level and took aim at her knees. “Lay your weapon down and surrender.”
Einao slowly walked towards Caellia, watching Nathavin closely for any sign of attack. “Caellia, drop the weapon and do as he asks for now.” He intoned softly as he came up behind her.
“I can’t do that Einao. I can not bow to him, that goes against everything I have ever been taught!”
“Caellia, please listen to me…” Anything else he might have said was cut off by her angry voice.
“Listen to you?! You betrayed us! We always thought there was something strange in the way you progressed so quickly, but never had we dared believe you would do something such as this. You betrayed us Einao! Most of all, you betrayed me, you were my closest friend!” Caellia sobbed. She brought herself under control then said in a coldly calm voice, “But I will do my duty as I have been taught. You, Einao, Sword Singer for the Elven Lands, in Service of the Elven Lands, are hereby banished from your ancestral homelands. You may never return, you are condemned to roam the realm of Aden for the rest of your days. Should you be found in Elven Lands or Elven territories, you will be killed on sight. Your name shall be stricken from all records and historical documents and your title stripped from you. You are no longer my cousin, in blood, or in arms.” She finished sadly.
Einao was stunned into stillness. He knew he deserved no less than this, but it was still hard to accept that she had done it. His heart hardened and his resolve firmed for what he was about to do. He had been going to try to make this easier for her until she banished him, now he no longer cared. He came around behind her and pulled her up to him as his sword came up to her throat. “I would’ve been nicer about this, but you ruined it when you banished me.” He snarled at her. “I didn’t want to hurt you, never did I want to hurt you. Now, be a good girl and drop the bow.”
Caellia reluctantly dropped her bow to the ground, she had lost this battle, and it was leaving a very bitter taste in her mouth.
“Now, on your knees.” Einao roughly pushed her forward and down, watching in anger as she fell forward and caught herself on her hands.
“Very good Einao.” Nathavin muttered. “Your debt has been repaid.” An arrow found its way to Einao’s shoulder. “Don’t ever attempt to betray us or you will pay for your treachery with your life!”
Einao grasped his impaled shoulder and glared sullenly at Nathavin. “You have my allegiance.”
“Good.” Nathavin walked over to Caellia’s bow and picked it up. After inspecting it for a minute he took a small dagger from a concealed sheath and savagely cut the bowstring, rendering the weapon useless. “Stand up Caellia.” She slowly stood up and looked at Nathavin bitterly. “You will now accept me as your King or Goryn dies here.” He was certain he had found the crack in her armor. She cared for Goryn, she would not do anything to cause him harm. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for her answer.
Caellia looked over at Goryn, who had passed out from the pain and slowly looked back at Nathavin before whispering in defeat. “I accept you as my King.” But as Nathavin and his men celebrated, she silently vowed she would not suffer this indignity for long. Oh no, she meant to escape and she would kill Nathavin one way or another.
One week had passed since that last fight and Caellia was extremely fatigued. They had spent long days traveling by striders, Caellia being forced to ride with Nathavin on his, and she was less than impressed with the mode of transport. It was faster yes, but awfully bruising on the bottom. Not to mention the vile creatures simply stank. She hadn’t said spoken to Einao since that day even though he traveled with them, and he had not spoken to her.
They had crossed into country she had never dared to cross into. The molten rock was as deadly as it was beautiful, but there were far more dangers than that. The creatures here were extremely aggressive and very powerful. More than once they had to fight their way clear of the creatures, and each time Nathavin would take the opportunity to boast on his men’s hunting prowess. She was interrupted from her thoughts as the beast stumbled slightly on the uneven ground and she was thrown back into Nathavin’s chest. She stiffened and sucked her breath in with a sharp hiss as one of his arms tightened around her to keep from falling, the other keeping a firm grip on the leather reins of the beast.
Nathavin leaned closer to her and breathed softly in her delicate ear, “I won’t let you fall little one. Just relax and enjoy the ride.” He inwardly laughed as she further stiffened and attempted to pull away from him, a useless attempt as he simply tightened his hold on her. He was finding this highly amusing, it seemed that she was going to be an interesting person and not at all like he had thought. Perhaps when the ceremony was over he wouldn’t just throw her in the dungeons to rot as had been his original intention.
Caellia continued to struggle quietly in his arms until the strider stumbled once more, this time on even ground. Caellia stilled at once knowing that she had caused the beast to stumble, and she did not want to be the cause of it falling. It could easily crush her and Nathavin both under its enormous weight. Settling as best she could without having more contact than was strictly necessary with Nathavin she waited for them to reach their destination, wherever that was.
Einao watched Caellia from the back of the group. He had taken a strider whose owner had been killed in the fight. He was angry with her, but he was also worried about Nathavin’s sudden new view of her. Nathavin had always believed the Princess would be shallow and worthless, only thinking of herself with no useful skills, and Caellia was neither shallow nor worthless. He had witnessed the beast stumble and the ensuing struggle afterward that led to the second stumble. If he wasn’t mistaken, and he doubted that possibility, Nathavin had a tighter grip on her than was needed.
He rode silently watching the two for a while longer, lost in his own misery, when he noticed Nathavin pull his strider to a stop but motioned everyone else to continue. As he neared them he realized that Caellia had actually fallen asleep and was now leaning quite heavily against Nathavin’s chest. This was forcing him to adjust his position on the strider which was why he had stopped. Einao brought his beast even with Nathavin’s and watched as Nathavin skillfully shifted without waking her up. He continued to watch Caellia’s sleeping face until he felt someone staring at him, looking up he met Nathavin’s cold, steel gray eyes.
“I thought I told everyone to continue ahead of me Einao. So why are you still here?” His voice was raspy and harsh from the sulfuric fumes of the swamplands. Moreover, he was definitely angry at being disturbed.
Einao reacted swiftly, and without thinking, “Goryn loves her you know, and he will come after us.” He watched as Nathavin tensed immediately and tightened his grip on the reins. Einao knew it would not be wise to stay any longer and promptly left Nathavin alone.
Nathavin watched him leave until he felt a slight shift in his arms, glancing down he watched Caellia stretch slightly before falling back into a deep slumber. As he set the strider in motion once more, her bangs fell to one side of her face revealing the tattoo on her forehead. It captured his attention as he wondered where it had come from and what its meaning was and why it was there. He brushed his thumb over it softly, curiosity brimming over at the sight of the small crescent moon shape on her forehead. Furrowing his brows and concentrating harder he saw a faint mark encircling the half moon. It had the shape of what appeared to be an arrow in flight, yet it was wrapping around the moon. Leaning back once more he swore to himself to ask her what that mark meant.
*****
Goryn fidgeted and squirmed under the healer’s scrutiny. It had taken quite a long time for him to recover from his wounds and he was anxious to find Caellia. The High Priest Asterios had heard of the attack and had sent several more knights to aid in the recovery. Goryn didn’t know if Asterios had any knowledge of what the knights were saying but he needed to find out if what they said was true. It regarded that strange mark on her forehead, he knew that its simple meaning was to represent and prove who she was and her status. What he was hearing however was disturbing, a prophecy of a dark allegiance with the ‘house of moon’. Since the light elven race regarded themselves as a private, peaceful race, they often did not share their family names with peoples outside of their own.
The new elven knights kept whispering something about her being Kennyrmitore’, which roughly translated seemed to mean ‘sworn to the moon’. But what did that mean? It was confusing and they had refused to answer him when he questioned them about the possible meanings. They seemed frightened that a disaster was on the horizon and that there was nothing they could do to stop it. Frowning at the healer as she made a sigh of protest as he stood up, he forced himself to the library. He needed answers and he needed them now.
*****
Caellia murmured in weak protest as she was jostled out of her rather comfortable position. She was dimly aware that she was being lifted off of something before she was once again brought back into the circle of warmth she had been removed from. She settled back down readily within that warmth. Once more, she was lightly pulled from her sleep as she was placed down on something cushiony and covered with something soft and warm before she felt a weight settle somewhere behind her. She fell back into deep sleep, never noticing the strange weight shifting away, never noticing when the magic rope was placed and knotted expertly around her wrists and ankles. She did however sleepily notice that whatever the soft thing was, it wasn’t near warm enough and groggily muttered, “Cold.” The weight seemed to magically reappear behind her and cocooned her with warmth as she once more for the final time fell back into deep fatigued slumber.
Nathavin listened as Caellia’s breathing evened back out. Once he was sure she was sound asleep he silently pulled away and stood up. Glancing around the room he spotted the scroll he’d been looking for. He had mistakenly left it here the last time he’d stayed in the hut. He noiselessly walked across the near pitch black room and scooped the scroll up before heading outside to further study its contents in the brighter light of the campfire. It wasn’t long before he shot to his feet in shock, the scroll couldn’t be true! He re-read the passage in question and dropped the scroll to the side and stoked the fire to a brighter light before picking the scroll up once again to read it once more. The scroll described a significant part of history and had been hidden for ages until he had discovered it.
It spoke of light elven treason of the highest caliber. Lord Erenor and Lady Serath had been plotting with the then Lord of the dark elves, Lord Amaldrin Rilynmitore, to reunite the two races. It was a plan to have their newborn daughter and the son of the dark elven Lord’s join the lands in marriage, much the same way he was intending on doing. However, both they and the dark elven Lord’s goal was to ultimately bring the two races back together into one noble race again. The dark elves gave Caellia the last part of their surname, ‘mitore’ and the light elves kept the first part of their surname, ‘kennyr’.
Before that could happen however the two Elven Lords had been killed. Caellia’s name had not changed, but his own had. The scroll described how the young Prince of the dark elven lands had been spared and his name changed to protect his safety until he could protect himself. A friend of his fathers had taken him in and given him the name of Despana and claimed him as his own. The scroll had been written by his adoptive father and secreted away in a hidden chest. Likely his adoptive father had meant to give it to him at a later date but had not lived long enough to do so. Nathavin’s true name was not Despana, but Rilynmitore.
Caellia woke up and blinked her eyes confusedly. Why couldn’t she see? She shook her head slightly and ignored the tendrils of hair that covered her face lightly. She blinked her eyes again and then tried to raise one hand to rub them and found she couldn’t. Testing how far she could move her hands she felt the coarse fibers of the rope and was awake instantly. She became abruptly aware of the fact that she was no longer upright, but was laying down on something soft, warm, and that it was now dark. And her hands and feet were tied. Staying still for a few seconds, she tried to determine if she was alone.
The only sounds she could hear were outside, a few fires, the striders shuffling about and growling lowly. She didn’t hear anything that could be the dark elves and orcs however. She could hear some snoring from the orcs, but it sounded kind of distant and muffled, as if she was in a building. That had to be it, she was inside. The sounds were too muffled for her to be outdoors.
Shifting so that she could look around the place she was in. Sitting up she looked around the darkened room. Looking around she saw no light seeping from anywhere and assumed it must also be dark outside. She listened closely for any hint of movement anywhere, inside or out and heard nothing. Confident she was alone she began to quickly work on untying the rope around her wrist. If she could sneak out and get to a strider she might be able to escape while everyone was asleep. The striders responded to anyone and would respond to her as well she was sure.
Once her wrists were free she started on her ankles. She was glad she had learned how to manage magically enchanted ropes. This would’ve been a lot more difficult if she hadn’t learned. With a light snap, the bonds freed themselves under her fingers and she stood up and stretched to work the kinks out before setting about the room. She walked slowly so as not to bump into anything. Finding the door, she sucked in a deep breath and silently counted her heartbeats while she listened outside for any sounds nearby. She heard nothing and with a quick spell to hasten her steps and a quick breath she opened the door to the outside soundlessly.
Looking around she saw no one immediately outside the area. She did see where a fire had recently been and even more recently been extinguished by the smell of it. She listened for a beat then took off in the direction the striders seemed to be. She moved past the trees and into the bushes looking for the hulking beasts. As she spotted them and began to make her way to them she was thrown viciously into a nearby tree. Giving a sharp cry of pain she looked to see who and where her attacker was. Her head spun in all directions but she saw nothing. Looking once more at the striders she gathered her legs under her and took off in a desperate dash to reach them.
Just the same as before, she was brutally flung against a tree trunk, the bark of the tree digging into her delicate back and leaving stinging cuts. Blinking through tears of pain she shoved herself off the tree to get a good look at her surroundings. She would have to deal with this now or she would not make it to the beasts at all. She was still sore and tired from the week long journey. Nathavin had pushed everyone hard to make considerable ground and had not left her alone for any length of time. Her muscles were weak from doing nothing all week and the sudden exercise they were receiving was painful. She stilled her breath and waited for the attack she knew was coming.
She stayed like that for several minutes, almost refusing to breathe as she listened for her assailant. Deciding that she needed to get to the beasts before her spell for swift footedness wore off; she bounded from her position in a desperate bid for freedom. Four paces, six, ten…she might make it! Only twenty paces more!
She distantly heard a sound she was familiar with, the sound of a bowstring being drawn taut. Praying to Eva, her eyes flooded with tears, she barreled toward the striders. She heard the soft ‘thump’ of the arrow being released a second before the impact on her shoulder drove her to the ground. She barely brought her hands up in time to cushion the impact but the arrow had made one arm weaker and it collapsed under her, throwing her roughly into the dirt.
“Do not move.” The sound of a second arrow being drawn for fire punctuated the sentence.
Caellia involuntarily trembled. She could’ve handled anyone finding her but him. Swallowing past the hard lump in her throat she answered him, “I will not stay here and I will fight you till the last of my strength is gone Nathavin.”
“You will do no such thing Caellia. You traded your life for Goryn’s. You belong to me now.” Was his rough voiced reply, “Stand up and walk toward my voice.”
She choked back a sob, “I ‘belong’ to no one, least of all you.” She glared in his direction from under her bangs.
“You do now. Stand up and come here, I am tired of this game.”
“NO! I do not belong to you! I belong to Goryn! He is the only one I will ever belong to! I love him!” Caellia screamed, disturbing the nearby sleeping dark elves.
“You little fool!” Two arrows landed swiftly in front of her shaking form mere seconds before Nathavin did. Grasping her chin in his palm he jerked her head upwards to face him. “You will never see him again! I will take his castle by force and you will sit beside me as my queen as I destroy him and all those who side with him.”
Caellia gasped in pain as her head was wrenched sharply upwards. Her eyes glazed over in fear at the sight of his tightened features. He was extremely angry and she was in a very dangerous predicament. She had to get him to calm down, she doubted if he even knew he had pulled his dagger from its sheath and had his left hand clenched tightly around it. Gulping slightly, she whispered in terror, “I’m sorry, please, forgive me.”
He relaxed slightly then stood up, pulling her up with him. “We are going back to the hut.” His voice left no room for argument as he gripped her upper arm tightly. “I will remove the arrow from your shoulder and bandage it. This time however, I will not bind your wrists and ankles. I will stay inside with you to make sure you don’t try to escape me again.”
As they walked closer to the hut, he spied the scroll he’d put down when he’d hid from her when she got up. He gripped her arm even tighter unconsciously as he thought about its contents. One thing was certain, whether he stayed in there with her the rest of the night or not, she could not be allowed to see that scroll, no one could ever see that scroll until he had a new plan.
Einao watched as Nathavin roughly dragged Caellia back to the hut. He had seen the entire thing, from the moment Nathavin apparently heard her get up to him dragging her back to the hut. Sniffing slightly through his nose he turned back to the other dark elves. It wasn’t his problem anymore and he had no reason to go help her. She had banished him after all. He glanced at the now awakened dark elves as they noticed Nathavin and Caellia. They simply turned their backs and settled back down. None wanted to anger Nathavin further. They had served him long enough to know that he was terribly angry. A loud sound made him flinch and turn to face the hut again, Nathavin had kicked the door back and had flung Caellia in. The door slammed shut and silence filled the area.
*****
Caellia cried out in pain as she was thrown face first into the back wall of the hut. It was pitch black and she couldn’t see a thing. Her eyes scrunched shut and tears fell as he savagely knotted her hair in his left hand to hold her in place as he broke the fletching from the shaft of the arrow with his right hand. He let go of her hair and spun her around by her shoulders to face him. Crossing his left hand under his right, he held her left shoulder against the wall as his right hand yanked the arrowhead and shaft the rest of the way out of her right shoulder. He angrily broke the bloodied arrow piece in half and tossed it aside, before releasing her, “Stay there and be silent.” He hissed angrily. He needed to find the bandages and clean her up. He stalked across the room to find a candle.
She stood fearfully in the dark as she listened to his footsteps cross the room. He lit a candle to give the room a little light, but he was in front of it so she couldn’t really see anything but his shadowy silhouette. As her eyes darted back and forth around the room trying to find anything that she might be able to use as a possible means of defense, she unconsciously walked a few steps forward. A slight noise from his direction caused her to abandon the search as he shifted his weight slightly. She took an unconscious step back when he shifted his weight slightly forward. She couldn’t tell what he was doing or thinking.
After finding the bandages, Nathavin watched her as she searched the room for a weapon. He smirked openly, knowing she couldn’t see it. He had shifted his weight to gain her attention, but he hadn’t expected her to step back. Experimenting, he took a full step forward and laughed lowly as she took two full steps back. “Afraid are we? You should be silver ranger. No one has gotten me this angry and lived before you.” She hadn’t seemed to have noticed yet that her blood was soaking her light armor.
She stared at him through her lowered lashes. She felt weak, and she was loosing her focus and had to repeatedly blink her eyes to bring him back into focus. What little she could see of him.
“I could’ve killed you Caellia. It wouldn’t have been hard. A slight misfire is all it would’ve taken for that arrow to pierce a vital organ, you know this, you are an archer. You were also unarmed, your back was to me, and I was in plain sight the second time you bolted in the woods.” He shook his head mockingly, the darkened silvery gray hairs falling over one eye. “I doubt that was how you were trained.” He took one measured step forward, she took one back. “Why didn’t you see me Caellia? Was it because you were afraid?” He took another step forward, and she took another step back. “Did you become frightened, little one?” He poured on the sarcasm, “Were you waiting on Goryn to come and save you?” She was almost against the back wall of the hut, two more steps would do it, but he was only took one as his voiced turned steely with barely suppressed rage. He rushed her and flipped her around so that her back was pressed against the back “You accepted me as your King in front of Goryn, in front of my men, and in front of your people.” He stared down into her widened eyes with his own angry grey ones. “You. Belong. To. Me. Never will you accept another as you King.” Pulling her away from the wall, he pushed her toward the makeshift bed. Pushing her down on it he began to unwind the bandages and began to wrap her wounds with methodical care and skill.
Once done he shoved her fully onto the bed before growling out, “One of the casters will be here in a minute. I will be just outside this door. Any attempt at escape will bring you more harm.” With that, he snatched the door open and slammed it shut after him.
Caellia listened as he stepped away from the door slightly and was involved in a conversation she could hear nothing of. A moment later the door opened to reveal a scantily clad dark elven female. She said nothing as she looked at Caellia and softly closed the door. She took her time looking the wounds over from that distance, allowing Caellia a few moments to calm down slightly before saying, “I won’t hurt you. I’m here to help you. I know you don’t trust me and that’s alright, I’ve done nothing to gain your trust. But what I tell you is the truth I am not here to harm you.”
She slowly advanced into the room, she was half afraid Caellia would panic. The girl had every reason to be nervous. Nathavin had been brutal in his dealing with her. As she got closer she began to sing a spell ever so softly. She finished the spell as soon as she reached Caellia and was able to catch her before she fell over. She placed Caellia on the bed and ran a quick glance over the bandages, they were a little too tight, but they would be fine. She stepped back outside and saw Nathavin holding onto a strange and very old scroll and staring at it in deep thought. She cleared her throat a little to gain his attention, “She is asleep now. The spell will not last to long, but she will sleep through the rest of the night if there are no interruptions.”
“Very good Kattath, I wish to leave as soon as possible for Goddard when day breaks. Make sure the troops are ready and don’t let the orcs go hunting for food. They will take all day.” He then turned and walked into the hut, sure that his orders were going to be carried out with the utmost speed and precision he’d become accustomed to from Kattath.
Inside, he covered Caellia with the blanket from earlier and took a spare one for himself and spread it on the floor beside the door. He was taking no chances this time. If she wanted out, she would have to cross over him to get to the door.
*****
Goryn let out a frustrated sigh. He’d gone through all the scrolls in his library and had come up with more questions than he had to begin with. The scrolls he had found had confirmed that there was a special significance in the name ‘Caellia Kennyrmitore’. However, it did not specify what that significance was. It did refer to a ‘contract’, but there was no information on that. The other thing was the fact that the name ‘Rilynmitore’, kept popping up throughout the scrolls. It was obviously a part of the ‘contract’ and the two names were definitely related. The question was why.
Flinging the worthless scrolls down on his desk he stood up. The Aden library would have more information on this and it was near Goddard. He could also wait no longer to go find Caellia no matter what his healers said. He summoned his generals and began to prepare a battle plan to siege Goddard and get Caellia back. He also decided to send a trusted advisor to go see the Aden library to find all information that might pertain to his scrolls.
*****
In the end, they all had to travel to Aden. Goryn needed to request help from King Asadar to fill their ranks out properly. It had taken them several days to create a workable siege plan after that. Goddard was a huge fortress and it would be a long grueling siege.
He had also discovered some distressing news regarding the scrolls. He was shocked at what he had learned. Caellia Kennyrmitore, when translated, actually came from both the light elven tongue and the dark elven tongue. ‘Caellia’ literally translated into ‘archer mistress’, while ‘Kennyrmitore’ meant ‘sworn to the moon’. ‘Caellia’ was a pure light elven name. ‘Kennyrmitore’ was a mixture of both light and dark elven names, ‘Kennyr’ being the light half while ‘mitore’ was the dark half.
There was also mention of a dark elven family, the former Lord Amaldrin Rilynmitore. If ‘Rilynmitore’ was translated it meant ‘house of the moon’. Taken in that context, ‘Caellia Kennyrmitore’ actually meant, ‘archer mistress sworn to the moon’. Lord Amaldrin Rilynmitore was the Lord of the ‘house of the moon’. Caellia had been sworn to his house by her own parents! Her parents had arranged for her to marry the dark elven Lords’ son! Why? Where was the son? Who was he? The name had been blotted out so no one could read the dark Princes’ name.
He read on to find out how the two Lords had been assassinated and the contract was never fulfilled. But the question remained, was the dark elven Prince still alive? If he was then the contract was still valid. But what if he didn’t know about the contract? There were so many questions still and he needed to find the answers and soon. They marched to Goddard in one week. He would need to know by then. He would know by then.
King Asadar spoke quietly with his own advisors. “If Goryn marries Caellia he will in essence control the light elves. I do not wish this to happen. He will then rival my own power. We must not let him have Caellia.”
“But how are we going to stop him? Besides, right now he doesn’t have Caellia, Nathavin does.” His chief advisor mentioned. Hontas didn’t follow his King’s line of thinking. As of right now, Nathavin had Caellia not Goryn, although this too had its own disadvantages. “Sir, I respectfully suggest that we allow Goryn to bring her back, and honor our agreement.”
“No, I will not have Goryn rival me in power!” Asadar clenched his fist in fury. “He will bring Caellia back, but he won’t keep her. She will be my queen and I will control the light elves.” He scowled darkly into the night from the window in the war room, “Then I shall deal with Nathavin.”
Hontas looked at Asadar in disbelief. His King thought Goryn sought to rival his own power? That was ridiculous, everybody who wasn’t blind could see that Goryn loved Caellia and only wanted to marry her out of love. The so called ‘control’ was a mere technicality so that he could send his troops to protect her homelands. Sighing slightly he set out to set in motion the plan his King had lain out.
*****
Caellia woke up stiff and sore. She heard shuffling about the room and immediately froze. There was a knock on the door and she heard Nathavin curse lightly in his own native tongue before he answered the door. A few seconds later she heard him exit the hut. She counted her heartbeats for several long minutes before she got up and stretched her tired muscles. Looking about the room while she stretched, she spied a map scroll. Taking a furtive glance at the door, she quickly grabbed the scroll and took a glance to see where they were. Her eyes widened when she realized that if they continued to make the same speed today as the previous days they would reach Goddard before nightfall. She quickly rolled the map back up and placed it back in its place. She continued to stretch slightly for a few minutes, wincing at the pain in her right shoulder. By Eva those arrows hurt!
She jumped slightly as the door opened and Nathavin strode into the hut. “Well, looks like you’re up.” He casually handed her a small plate of some kind of cooked meat. “Eat, we leave soon for my castle.” He watched as she gingerly reached out and took the plate from him. He didn’t miss the slight twitch in her right arm as she took the plate from him. Frowning, he took the plate back from her and set it on the bed before pulling her to him to examine her shoulder. “You must not use this arm Caellia.” He allowed her to pull away from him.
“I’m fine.” Why was he acting so calm this morning? It was almost as if the events of last night had not taken place. She picked the food up and sat down on the padded mat that had served as her bed and began to eat slowly. It took almost everything she had to ignore him as he stood and watched her for a few minutes. Why isn’t he leaving, she wondered. The minutes ticked on as she became lost in her thoughts. She had faced dozens of enemies and had been placed in far worse situations than this, why was she acting this way around him.
Nathavin watched as she delicately nibbled on the meat he’d handed her. She had clearly dismissed him. Last night he would’ve been angered by her attitude, this morning he simply found it amusing. He’d been furious with her for attempting to leave. Oh he had known that she would try to leave, he expected nothing less and would have been disappointed if she hadn’t have at least tried. It was the simple fact that she had panicked and had forced him into shooting her that he’d gotten so angry about. He’d gone through a lot of trouble to find her, he wasn’t going to let her get hurt or killed. She was his means of ruining the light elves.
Caellia finished her meal and silently set the plate to the side as she contemplated standing up. She watched as he picked the plate up off the mat and passed it to someone outside the door. He walked back to where the bandages were and picked them up and started to come back to her. She sent him a frosty glare, “No. I will do it myself.”
Nathavin laughed slightly, “How? You have only one good arm Caellia, it takes two to wrap a bandage properly.”
“Then have a healer do it,” came Caellia’s retort. She wasn’t going to back off of this. She hated him. She hated him for the way he made her feel. She hated him for being stronger than she was. She hated him because he had shot her. Her blue eyes had turned an icy shade as she stared him down.
Nathavin decided to let her have this battle for now. They were too close to Goddard and he didn’t wish to be slowed down by another fight. “Kattath will be in to dress the wounds.” With that, he dropped the bandages on the mat and walked out.
Caellia let out a shaky breath. She had been sure he was going to get angry. She was thankful he hadn’t, but it only added more questions. Why was he being so calm this morning? She didn’t have time to think on it any longer as Kattath entered and began to remove the old bandages and replace them with new ones. Kattath really wasn’t a healer, but for now she would do her best.
*****
Several long hours later Caellia stared at the impressive sight of Goddard Castle. The walls were dark and tall, towering far overhead. She could not help but be awed at the sight of such an impressive fortress. It rivaled Aden in size.
Nathavin watched Caellia from the corner of his eye on his strider. Kattath had insisted Caellia ride with her on her own strider. It pleased him to know she was impressed with his castle, although it shouldn’t matter. His attention was drawn to the gates as they opened to let him and his troops pass through. They were greeted with applause and enthusiastic cries of victory as the dark elves gathered within the walls saw Caellia with them. They didn’t stop until they were well within the walls of the castle and out of the ring of onlookers and were deep within the castle. Once there, they dismounted and Nathavin ordered Kattath to keep Caellia away from everyone until given the order to do otherwise.
*****
For two days after reaching the castle, Caellia had been tended to by several healers. The spell howler had somehow become a permanent fixture in Caellia’s life. She was different than all the other dark elves and spoke to Caellia in a friendly way. She had even managed to convince Nathavin to allow Caellia to engage in target practice with a borrowed bow to build her muscle strength back up and help her wound mend.
Several times Caellia had spotted Einao on the practice fields sparring with other dark elves. Sometimes he would see her and the look he gave her was enough to set her teeth on edge. On one such occasion she had stopped her practice and just watched him. He’d always been good, but she’d never suspected him to be as good as he was showing her now. She had watched as he sang the songs that had been taught to him by the highest trained elves their race had to offer. He dodged attack after attack before being brought down and being told what he’d done wrong and what he’d done right.
After that she’d picked up her own practice again and continued to land perfect shots on the practice targets. She took out her frustrations with Einao on the targets, using all the skills she had ever learned. She would swiftly send two arrows rapidly after one another or send a flaming arrow into the target and watch multiple targets explode in bright orange flames as the arrow exploded on impact.
Kattath watched the skilled silver ranger practice. She had to think fast when Caellia asked her why no other dark elf archers ever came to practice here. She knew Caellia would not like the true answer. That this target range was used exclusively by Nathavin and that the bow she was currently using was his old one. She simply said that there was a closer, more convenient range elsewhere around the castle and Caellia had seemed happy with that response.
Kattath sighed to herself, she had spoken to Nathavin several times concerning Caellia. He’d been acting very peculiar and had been muttering about an ancient scroll. Kattath had finally been able to pry the information out of him after some rather nasty arguments. It seemed that those two had been supposed to be married from the start. She could see why he was confused and avoiding Caellia. No matter the public face he put on, he did seem to care for Caellia in some new way. It was evident in the way he had bandaged her in the hut, sure the bandages had been tight, but he had done it instead of a healer. He’d been the one to bring the food for her that day when Kattath had been prepared to do it. He’d even relented and allowed Caellia to ride with Kattath on her strider and not his.
Several times when Caellia had been practicing Kattath had seen Nathavin watching her from a window high on the castle wall. And he’d watched her for long periods of time. Then, there was the plain fact that he was letting her practice at all and in his own archery range at that, using his own weapon. That scroll had triggered something, but she didn’t know what. She was startled from her musing as Caellia set the bow down and sat next to her, breathing heavily from her exertions.
“I think I’m ready to go inside now. It feels good to hold a bow again though.” She commented wistfully. She picked the oddly designed bow up and inspected it again. She’d seen long bow’s of dark elven origin before, but had never fired one. She had been surprised when it handled amazingly well, almost as well as her own bow had.
Kattath chuckled and stood up, “It must be getting time for the evening meal to be served. Do you still want to take it in your rooms? Nathavin said that you could come down to eat and you haven’t taken him up on that yet.” She frowned at Caellia’s vehemently whispered response.
“I will never eat at the same table as him.”
“Well, think it over again as you bathe before dinner. Perhaps you’ll feel differently after you’ve bathed.” Kattath said with a light tone. Caellia gave a slight delicate derisive snort as she picked the bow up and prepared it for storage as they walked back towards the door that led inside. Kattath looked up at the window and saw a silhouetted figure staring down at them. He had watched them today too it seemed.
Nathavin watched as Kattath and Caellia walked back inside the castle. Sometime during his search for her he had come to respect the young silver rangers’ courage. He’d only seen her once before in Giran up close, but he had watched her from afar. He’d seen the incident when she’d held a dark elf caster against the arch of a doorway with the backside of her bow. He’d seen her have arguments with the temple knight on their way through the Death Pass region when they had been tailing the convoy. She always held her ground and refused to back off. Then there was that incident on the strider, why had he taken such care not to wake her up? He didn’t understand himself anymore.
Sighing, he turned back to the scrolls on his desk. The library here was useless. He needed to know what had prompted his true parents and hers to do this. There were only two other libraries that might have the information he sought, the royal library in Aden and the library hidden deep within his homelands. Aden was out of the question, he’d never get near it now seeing as his spies had told him that Goryn was there requesting Asadars’ help with his plans to siege Goddard. Einao had been right. Goryn was going to come after Caellia.
He had purposefully avoided Caellia since they had arrived at the castle. The only contact with her had been with Kattath as he instructed her that Caellia was to go nowhere without Kattath with her. Deciding that he would need to go to his homeland to retrieve the scrolls he set off to the dining hall.
*****
At the dining table Nathavin announced his plans to leave for a few days to go to the library in their homelands. He intended to leave the next day. There was no argument. He looked over to the two empty spaces at the table. It seemed that Caellia had yet again declined to sit with him. This was becoming annoying, she was going to have to get used to him if she was to be his queen. Deciding he’d have a talk with her later that night he thought no more of it the rest of the meal.
*****
Caellia had finished her bath and had eaten dinner some hours ago, but she could not sleep. She paced her room agitatedly for several minutes. She needed to release some energy, but how and where. Kattath was not here, likely she was asleep with everyone else. Caellia looked out her window and onto the moonlit archery range. It was just within sight of her room. She looked on it a little while longer before making up her mind. She remembered the way down there and knew where the bow was kept. She would have a late night practice alone. Everyone was asleep and there were no guards in that area. She frowned slightly, it was a bit odd that there were no guards down there, but perhaps since her borrowed bow was the only weapon there, and there was another range somewhere they didn’t think the range needed to be guarded. Whatever the reason was, it was to her advantage tonight. Pulling her repaired armor on, she set off on her mission to release some pent up energy.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she walked onto the range with the bow and arrows. Sneaking through the castle had been nerve wracking. She took aim and released the first arrow, concentrating to see the target in the dark. It was slightly off the mark but still acceptable. She continued to rapidly fire her arrows happily and even giggled at some of her own clumsiness in the darkened range and soon lost track of time.
Nathavin stood still in the shadows and watched her. He’d come to practice himself but had found her already on the range. The moon shone brightly casting the range into near daylight conditions for his eyesight, but apparently her sight was not as sharp as his in the dark as she missed the target several times in a row. She made a sound of annoyance and stared at the target for several long seconds before she knocked the arrow with an expression of fierce determination. She drew the dark elven bowstring back with considerable care before releasing it with a sharp wrist movement. A split second later came the unmistakable sound of the arrow finding its mark. He listened as she quietly made a comment about her lack of practice. He decided that now would be the time to make his presence known to her. Although he had intended to talk to her regarding her absence at mealtimes, he decided to force her to become accustomed to his presence, as well as humiliate her a bit at the same time.
He stepped away from the wall and raised his spiked bow to firing level and released his arrow. The arrow flew past her left ear and struck her target dead center. He watched as she whipped around to face him, her own bow brought up and ready to fire.
“Who’s there? Show yourself, now.” Caellia growled out, she was disgusted she’d let someone sneak up on her. She knew that holding a weapon against any of Nathavin’s men was asking, no, begging, for trouble. But she was not going to be defenseless in this situation either, not to mention this was a practice range after all.
He stepped into the moonlight and stared at her as she gripped the bow tighter and drew the string further back. “Caellia put the bow down.”
“You! Why can’t you leave me alone?! I will not put this bow down!”
“Put it down so I can explain how you missed that target three times in a row.”
That did it for Caellia. She was not going to have him lecture her on how to fire a bow. She pulled the string back as far as she could and let the arrow go. She watched in stunned amazement as he nimbly dodged the arrow and fired one of his own. His first arrow whizzed past her to her right as he fired a second one to her left. The third one was a special arrow. It had a blunted tip and was only used to knock the fight out of the target without injuring them. He summoned the necessary magic to enable the arrow to fly correctly with its blunted tip and fired.
Caellia couldn’t move, she couldn’t do anything but watch as Nathavin approached her and took her bow from her hands. “Now, let’s show you what you did wrong, little one,” he sarcastically droned in a bored tone. The second the shock to her muscles wore off, he flipped her around so that her back was to his chest. He gripped her left hand and placed his personal bow in her hand, he then covered her left hand with his own so that the two of them were holding the bow. “First, your grip is wrong. You hold the bow like this. Now pick up an arrow.”
Caellia couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t do much of anything. She’d never been held by anyone in such a manner and was ill prepared for it. Her arm quivered as she was forced to hold the bow with him. She jumped when he repeated his earlier request and his warm breath tickled her right ear. “Pick up an arrow Caellia.”
She complied with his request and picked up the appropriate arrow for the bow. She shuddered as his right hand wrapped around hers and guided her through the motions of knocking the arrow on the bowstring and pulling it back. “Relax and concentrate on the target. Do not snatch the string back before you release the arrow, it will only cause it to veer off course.” He smoothly pulled her hand back then removed his fingers from hers while still allowing his hand to hover over her own. “Release the arrow now.”
She did so and watched it hit the target square in the center. She quickly attempted to pull away but he wouldn’t let her. They did this for quite some time in relative silent companionship. Neither seemed to want to fight the other, and they calmly discussed her strengths and weaknesses regarding fighting at night. However this all came to an end when he abruptly pulled away from her. “Go inside Caellia, leave the bow here.”
“I want to stay out here a bit longer.” She pleaded, reluctant to go inside just yet.
“I said go inside Caellia.” He sent her a glare that had sent many of his trusted men scurrying for cover. “I will not repeat myself. I have need of the range tonight.”
Caellia huffed, “There is another range isn’t there? Perhaps one of us could go there. I only came down here to this one because I know where it is and there are no guards nearby to disturb me.”
“There is no one here because this is my personal range. That bow,” he nodded to the long bow she’d been using, “is mine and I’ve let you borrow it.” He advanced on her and picked a strand of her hair up and watched it shimmer in the moonlight before releasing it and saying harshly, “Go inside now!”
Caellia knew she had pushed to far and bolted back to her room. Once there she fell on the bed more confused than ever. He’d been nice to her and then suddenly had reverted back to being angry with her. She hadn’t done anything to anger him. By Eva, he had intruded on her and forced her to allow him to show her how to fire an arrow! She stood up and went to her window and looked down at the range and saw him rapidly firing his arrows into a target non-stop. Sighing she padded back over to the bed and laid down and fell into fitful sleep.
Nathavin viciously attacked the target. What had come over him? He’d only set out to humiliate her on her lack of ability to properly aim at night and it had turned into a full blown teaching session. He pulled the string back and watched the arrow sail across the range and slam into its intended target. Scowling at his behavior he strung the next arrow with unnecessary force and cursed when the string snapped under the pressure. Cursing in his native tongue and some of the orcish language he carefully restrung the bow and headed back to his rooms. The sooner he got away from Caellia the better. Perhaps he’d be able to think more clearly and develop a way to prevent his recent actions from repeating themselves.
Kattath watched from her concealed location as Nathavin left the target range. She had known the moment Caellia had left for the range and had followed her to keep an eye on her to prevent her from trying to escape like she had in the forest. She had remained hidden when Nathavin had entered the range, she couldn’t very well tell him to leave his own range anyhow. She smiled to herself as she remembered the way Nathavin had taught Caellia how to aim in the dark. She hoped beyond hope that whatever he found in the scrolls in the homelands would be enough to convince him to reunite the two races rather than destroy them.
*****
Goryn watched as his troops prepared for the march to Goddard. It would take two days to get there as quickly as they could. He gave the order and they began their solemn trek towards Goddard. He glanced at the arrowhead he kept with him at all times. It was the arrowhead that had been on the arrow Caellia had shot at him back when they first met. He didn’t understand why everyone had seen it and he hadn’t, but he admitted now to himself. He loved her and would do anything for her. He would slay both Antharas the land dragon and Valakas the dragon of fire for her if he had to.
Goryn’s troops left the following day and had traveled all that day and had pushed into the night for as long as possible before they stopped. They had stopped just north of the blazing swamplands on the road before they would cross between the mountain ranges. Once the passed through the valley between the mountains they would be on Nathavin’s territory and subject to attacks.
Goryn busied himself with checking on the dwarven war smiths he’d hired for the battle. They assured him that they had all they would need to build their monstrous machines should the need arise. He then next went to the archery units to check on them and then on to the next unit on his list, all the while thinking only of Caellia.
*****
Asadar walked into his war room, “Where is Goryn’s' troops now?” he demanded. He didn’t have to wait long for his answer.
“They are just on the outskirts of Goddard territory.” Hontas quickly answered.
“Good. Prepare our men to leave. We will intercept him on his way back to Oren at the crossroads between the forest of evil spirits and the ancient battlegrounds. We will destroy the remainder of his forces and take Caellia there.”
“But sire, it might take him a week to successfully siege Goddard.” Hontas replied uncertainly.
“No, it shouldn’t take that long. I’ve heard that Nathavin is away right now. Goddard is a castle with no Lord to oversee its defense. This won’t be easy for Goryn, but it won’t take him that long to bring Goddard to its’ knees.”
Kattath gave an exasperated sigh as Caellia once again stubbornly refused to take her meal in the dining hall. “I insist you come down to eat.” She didn’t say that Nathavin had told her he would accept nothing less than Caellia coming down to the hall to take her meal.
“I have already told you, I will not dine at the same table as that monster!” Caellia hissed violently. The events of the previous night on the archery range were still fresh in her memory. She had no intentions of being anywhere near him at all.
“Caellia, you don’t have to stay long for the meal and he’s leaving for our homelands later today to do some research.” Kattath attempted to appeal to Caellia’s rational side. “Once he’s gone we can go outside to the target range.”
“No. I will not go near him again.” Caellia shuddered uncontrollably and whispered to herself, “He frightens me.”
Kattath frowned, she had heard the first part of what Caellia had said but not the second part. Apparently last nights events were bothering Caellia. “Caellia, perhaps you should stop fighting him at every turn. You did agree to accept him as your King. However, once Goryn was safe, you have repeatedly tried to go back on your word. He has every right to be angry.” Kattath suggested.
“He forced me to accept him! He was going to kill Goryn! How could I let that happen?” Distraught, Caellia paced the room.
“Caellia,” Kattath spoke sharply, “Goryn knew what he was doing. He’s a trained warrior as well as a King himself. He knew the consequences of fighting Nathavin and took them on even though he must’ve known the odds of his defeating Nathavin were slim.” She took a breath, “You owe it to Goryn at least to keep your end of the bargain. Now, we don’t have any time to spare, you must prepare to dine this morning in the dining hall.” Kattath stressed the word ‘must’ as she thought of Nathavin’s threat if Caellia wasn’t down by a certain time.
“Kattath, you may go tell Nathavin that I will never dine with him at any meal. Nor will I stop battling him ‘at every turn’ as you say. I will continue to fight for my freedom as Goryn will continue to fight to save me.”
“Caellia, please listen to me!” Kattath began, but was cut off by Nathavin as he forcefully entered the room.
“You would go back on your word Princess?” He stalked toward her, his eyebrow raised as she stood her ground and defiantly lifted her chin slightly. “That would not be a very wise thing to do.”
“You know nothing of honor dark one!” Spat Caellia. “Do not dare speak to me of honor when it was you who threatened Goryn’s life if I didn’t accept you!"
Kattath sucked in a deep breath as she watched Nathavin’s face tighten in anger. She dared not intervene now. Caellia had pushed to far once again.
“Kattath, leave us.” Nathavin ordered and smirked slightly as he watched fear flicker across Caellia’s face for a brief second before it was replaced with tenacious ferocity. He didn’t know why he had suddenly wanted her to be at the morning meal with him in the dining hall after last night wanting to stay clear of her. However, he had decided that she would be there and he wasn’t going to relent on it now.
Caellia thought she saw Kattath give her a small look of pity before she stepped out and closed the door. Her gaze slid back to Nathavin as he took a small step back. “So I know nothing of honor do I?” Questioned Nathavin, “Then how about yourself little one? Do you know anything of honor?”
“What are you implying?”
“I am referring your escape attempt the other night, as well as your stubborn refusal to obey even simple commands, such as coming down for breakfast.” He fixed his gaze on her. “It appears to me, little one, that you know as much about honor as you have accused me of.”
Caellia ground her teeth in frustration, there it was again! That hated phrase! Little one! Deciding to ignore his statements regarding her sense of honor she focused on the main reason he was here now. “Why are you so insistent I come down for breakfast?”
He twitched slightly, why did he want her down in the dining hall with him? He decided on the easy answer, “Because I gave you a command and you must obey it.” He then turned to leave the room. He made three steps before Caellia exploded.
“I won’t obey you at all! You spawn of Antharas! Son of Valakas! I will never obey you!” Caellia screamed.
Before Caellia could react Nathavin swung around and pushed her to the corner of the room and pinned her there. “You will never raise your voice to me again!” Before he had time to think his actions through, he lowered his head and gave her a bruising kiss.
Caellia stood in dumbfounded shock as his lips crushed hers. She couldn’t breathe and she began to pound her hands against his back and chest. Finally he rose up and stared at her before silently and quickly exiting the room. She stood still breathing heavily and leaned shakily against the wall and that’s where Kattath found her when she walked in the room a few moments after Nathavin left.
Kattath looked at Caellia and covered a slight snicker with a cough. It was painfully obvious what had transpired here mere moments before. Apparently Nathavin had found a way to subdue Caellia’s sharp tongue after all. “Come on, let’s get you dressed for breakfast.”
Breakfast passed in tense silence for all who attended, including Caellia. She didn’t eat a single thing and barely sipped the water. After a while Kattath excused the both of them and led Caellia to the archery range so that she could practice. They both turned and looked when they heard the sound of the massive gates swinging open and swinging back shut. “He’s left.” Kattath quietly stated.
“May he never return,” Caellia darkly whispered.
*****
Nathavin pushed his strider to run at its top speed. He could not believe he had done that! What had possessed him to do such a thing? The strider growled loudly as its riders emotions were transmitted down the leather reins to the beast. They had left his traveling companions behind. He had taken a mixed force of twenty dark elves and orcs with him to gather a few things from their homeland and to help carry the library scrolls back. They were also there as a guard unit in case any trouble should arise on the way to his home village. After several hours of traveling, they stopped in a small clearing between areas known as the beast garden and devils pass and made camp for the night.
*****
Goryn and his troops awoke early and made the final push into Goddard lands. They reached the castle with no serious problems and began to make silent preparations. They would sleep without the benefit of campfires tonight and begin the siege at dawn the next morning when all of castle inhabitants would be asleep.
As they settled down for the night just out of the castle guards viewing range, Goryn turned and looked at the mighty fortress. Hold on Caellia, I’m coming for you, he thought. He spun around as one of the scouts, a hawk eye, ran up to him with important news. Nathavin was not in the castle! He had left early that morning and was likely already quite far away from the castle. They decided that they would hold off on the initial attack until the afternoon hours to allow him to get further away from the castle to ensure he wouldn’t notice the invasion from a distance.
*****
The following day Nathavin and his small force left early, heading for Rune Harbor. As the day progressed Nathavin began to feel uneasy. Something felt wrong. He pushed the feeling aside and they continued on. As evening came upon them, they made camp just outside of the swamp of screams. They had not covered as much ground due to the striders refusing to co-operate for the majority of the day. They seemed bothered by something and no one had been able to figure out what. For some reason the striders had seemed to want to return to the castle, another bad omen. Nathavin looked in the direction of his castle as the light faded. Tomorrow they would head back, something was terribly wrong.
*****
The light had almost faded when Goryn gave the order to attack. He watched as his massive force unleashed itself upon the castle gates. Wave upon wave of troops he sent at the gates and towers. It wasn’t long before the castle defenders swarmed out of the castles various towers and gates to defend it. He cut down many as a healer tried to stay with him. Twice the healers had perished and twice others had replaced them. As they made their way to the castle doors, they got word that the base camps were being attacked. Goryn gave the order for half the assembled force to turn back and defend their camps.
He watched as a black armored cat raced past him and slew anything in his path. Goryn pulled up short as he stood face to face with a knight of Shillien. The dark knight lifted one corner of his lips up in a foreboding half smile. The sounds of the clashing spells disappeared, so did the other sounds and smells of battle as Goryn focused on his enemy. He noticed the two glowing spheres located just above either shoulder of the elf and smiled his own deadly grin. Now the fun truly began
Caellia and Kattath were sitting in the archery range when the first sounds of an attack reached them. The cries from the dark elven watchmen were the only warnings they had of the impending attack. After that came the sounds of many spells being unleashed together on the walls and gates was heard, as were the battle cries from outside the gates.
“Goryn!” Caellia breathed in an excited half whisper. She shook with excitement. She was going to get out of here! He had finally come for her! All thoughts of the previous morning were forgotten as she began to make her way through the many orcs and dark elves that were frantically dashing to and from various points of the castle. She never realized that she still had the bow in her hand as she valiantly tried to reach Goryn on the outside.
Kattath shouted to Caellia, “Stay here! You must stay with me!” Caellia did not acknowledge her. “Caellia!” Kattath shouted again. Kattath pursed her lips in frustration, she had befriended the silver ranger, but her allegiance was to Nathavin alone. Part of her duties in that allegiance was to guard what was his, and he had claimed Caellia as his. She tried one more time to gain her attention, “Caellia stop!” She watched as this time Caellia turned to face her. The look in Caellia’s eyes said it all, for this moment, the two were enemies.
Caellia turned and stared at Kattath for a brief moment before she slowly knocked an arrow on the bowstring and slowly pulled it back. “I’m truly sorry.” Caellia whispered as she released the string and watched the arrow sail across the distance that separated the two.
Kattath stumbled backward as the arrow lodged itself in her left side. Raising her silver skulled staff she threw a rapidly spinning vortex of air at Caellia’s retreating back. She watched Caellia stumble before turning around and raising the bow high in the air and drawing the string back while summoning her own magic around the arrow. The bow crackled with a blue streaked orange aura before she let the string go. She didn’t watch to see if Kattath was still able to cast or not. She took off toward the nearest gate, dodging all who got in her path.
Kattath swore under her breath, she could not allow Caellia to escape. She sent another blast of wind gusting toward Caellia as she called for help. Caellia was too fast, she’d never catch her before she reached the gate. It was not likely that she’d make it through, but Kattath was not going to take that chance. She watched as Einao left his position to chase Caellia, her eyes stayed focused on them as she ran to catch up.
“Caellia!” Einao shouted above the clamor of combat. “Stop now!” He raced to catch up to her. He watched as she nimbly dodged an orc as it raised the alarm of the alarm of her escape attempt. He motioned to the orc hoping the tyrant would understand what he intended on doing. The orc nodded his massive head and stepped to one side out of sight and waited. Einao then ran a parallel path next to Caellia and pulled ahead of and in front of her, his song of wind giving him a slight advantage in speed.
Caellia pulled up short, skidding slightly as she faced Einao. “Move traitor!” She ground out.
“No, you will turn around and go back to you rooms now!” Einao raised his shield in readiness to deflect her arrow.
Eyes narrowed, Caellia knocked an arrow and raised the bow, “I will not repeat myself.”
Einao watched carefully before purposefully goading, “You never were able to hit me Caellia, what makes you think you can now.”
Caellia released the arrow. As she did so, she wished briefly for her magic stones to increase the arrows lethality. She fired repeatedly at him as he dodged and deflected her arrows. He closed the distance rapidly and began to swing his sword at her. She managed to dodge or use the bow itself to deflect the blows and still managed to keep firing. It was only when he suddenly pulled back that she realized her mistake in focusing on him. She never had time to move as she was suddenly lifted off the ground by massive green arms.
The orc squeezed her tightly around her chest forcing her breath out and thundered in his deep voice, “Drop the bow or I will crush you.” He squeezed tighter to emphasize his point.
Caellia screamed in excruciating pain as the orcs crossed arms bruised her ribcage and quickly dropped the bow. Once she released the bow, it was quickly taken away. The orc dropped her roughly on the ground.
By this time Kattath had caught up with a number of other elves. “We are going inside the inner castle now Caellia. These elves are your guards and will remain with you at all times.” She watched Caellia closely as she was surrounded by the five heavily armed guards and as they began the long trek into the deepest recesses of the castle.
*****
Outside the castle walls things were going well. They had protected their camps and sent the outflow of defenders back into the castle. Night had fallen hours ago and still the battle raged on. Goryn had lost count of how many he’d slain. He’d also lost count of how many of his had been slain. He took a moment to look around during the brief lull in the battle.
So many had died already, the battlefield surrounding the castle was littered with bodies. He cleaned his bloodied weapon on the armor of a nearby orc. He looked the blade over and grimaced slightly, it wasn’t much cleaner than it had been before he’d wiped it off. As a matter of fact, if he looked closely it looked even dirtier now than before. Shaking his head, he glanced back at the fortress. Somewhere in that castle Caellia was waiting for him. He would not let her down. He strode back to the farthest base camp away from the castle the camp that housed the dwarves. He wasn’t going to hang around here and let his men die in a needlessly slow battle. He was going to take the gates down and storm the castle. With Nathavin gone this was going far easier than expected. It would take the dwarves all night to create their wonders, but it would be worth it.
*****
A beautiful dawn broke on the horizon in bold colors of purple, red, yellow, and streaked throughout with gold. It went unnoticed and uncared for as Nathavin ruthlessly woke the troops up and commanded them to break camp. He looked in the direction of his castle, and watched as smoke marred the early morning sky. Muttering a curse, he leaped onto the back of his strider and tore back down the road.
Caellia sat inside the castles farthest inner recess with her guards and Kattath. She paced about the small room she was in, trying not to get too close to her guards. There were five of them and Kattath made six. They were all heavily armored dark elves. One of them, the head guard Caellia assumed, wore a deep red and black set of heavy looking armor. He also had a red and black shield and a heavy looking grey sword with swirling designs running down the length of the double edged blade. Several others wore a dark green set of heavy armor with a golden cross design on the breastplate with varying weapons that ranged from a nasty looking set of deeply serrated duel swords that smoothed out to a deadly sharp edge midway down the blades, to a longer, more slender sword with golden cross guards.
She continued her pacing even though she had not slept the entire night. She had stayed awake even though the guards took turns sleeping so that they stayed battle ready. A slight frown from the red armored elf caught her attention. He seemed to be facing one wall and concentrating hard. She stopped pacing and looked at the wall, was it her eyes playing tricks on her, or was it shaking slightly? She carefully watched the elf as he began to swiftly wake those that were sleeping and spoke to them in their own tongue, a very rare thing for anyone outside the dark elven race to hear, for they were highly secretive of their own language and while most races now taught their children to be able to speak multiple languages the dark elves had not shared their language with outsiders. All talk stopped however when a loud sound reverberated throughout the castle and all of the walls began to shudder violently.
*****
Goryn watched the massive constructs before him pound the walls and gates of the castle relentlessly as each was skillfully controlled by a dwarf. The dwarves called these machines ‘siege golems’, and insisted they could bring the walls of any castle down within mere hours. The risk to the dwarves was extremely high however as they had to be near the golems to control them, putting them in dangers way. Goryn had to pull a significant amount of his attack forces and healers off the main attack units to help guard the dwarven war smiths.
He both watched and defended the war smiths for several long hours as the machines did their work before he heard the sound of the wooden gates splintering before falling away altogether. They battled their way past the archers just inside the gates of the fortress and soon entered the main courtyard. A volley of magical spells crashed into his troops with considerable force and all was a mass of confusion. Twice he’d almost been caught in friendly fire as the archers tried to determine ally from enemy. His neck hairs stood on end as a human sorcerer cast a whirling blaze of fire into a dark elven archer a scant few feet from him.
To his right, a furious battle was being waged between a light elven temple knight and an orc. The dust of the magic stones placed in the sword blades to make them stronger, swirled around and lightly covered him with white and pink dust as they exploded on impact in a blindingly colorful display. Just ahead of him two archers were locked in combat together against a dark elven caster, their bows flashing brilliantly as the magic stones were swiftly applied to the arrows. The silver ranger went down as he was overcome by the devastating wind attacks of the spell howler. The hawk eye retaliated with deadly precision and brought down the caster. Immediately to his rear he could hear the sounds of a spell singer summoning a water column to send splashing at a nearby orc. Goryn took all of this information in as he ran swiftly into the interior of the castle followed closely by a paladin and a dark avenger with his battle cat. The fight to find Caellia was now in full swing as they raged through the castle. They were soon joined by several light elven fighters, plains walkers they called themselves. They quickly slew anything in their path, their daggers flashing dangerously.
*****
Caellia watched as her guards became even tenser than before. Several hours had passed since the wall shuddering pounding had begun and ended. The sounds of battle were beginning to wane and the castle was becoming silent. They stood in silence for long minutes until an axe splintered the wooden door. Her guards stood ready as again and again the axe fell on the door. Caellia could hold back no longer, “Goryn!” she cried.
“Caellia!” He called back in relief. He redoubled his efforts to break the door down as the others joined in. With a loud earsplitting crash the door finally gave way.
Caellia could do nothing but stay out of the way as Goryn’s men and the dark elven guards battled one another. The battle did not last long however and the guards were quickly dispatched leaving only herself and Kattath. Goryn’s eyes slid over to the dark elven female, “Do you yield servant of Shillien?”
Kattath weighed her options before replying quietly, “I yield.” She swore softly to herself, she would find out who had bungled the defense of the castle and they would pay dearly. Her features tightened as she thought darkly to herself as one suspect popped into her head, Naldorl.
Goryn dropped his weapon as Caellia rushed to him sobbing in relief. “Goryn! Thank Eva you’re alive!” She allowed him to pull her into his arms and comfort her as the rest of the rescue party gave them some privacy.
After a few minutes, a dark avenger spoke in a heavy baritone voice “Goryn we’ve found the sword singer Einao.”
“Bring that traitorous filth here.” Goryn growled lowly. He then looked at Caellia and said softly, “What will you have me do with him?” Although he’d love nothing better than to run the traitorous elf through with a sword, he would ask her first. He stood motionless as he watched her eyes flicker with emotional pain and distress.
She shuddered in his arms as she thought back to Einao’s treachery. He had been banished, but was that enough? She was tired and confused and looked to Goryn, “I don’t know, what should I do?” she pleaded with him to help her find the right answer.
Goryn looked down at her, she was still so young. She was trying desperately to do the right things for the right reasons. He knew she had been taught to lead her people, but there were no clear cut answers for any leader and she was just beginning to learn the harsh realities of leadership. Leading was not something one could simply be taught. Plainly put, she had been thrust into a position and was now stumbling under the immense pressures that position came with. He sighed, “Caellia, I can’t tell you what to do with him. I can give you suggestions, but ultimately the choice must be yours and yours alone.”
“I don’t want to make that choice. I’ve never had to make that choice! Goryn I’m not ready for this!” Caellia broke down in sobs, the stress and weariness taking over. For the first time Kattath spoke up quietly.
“King Goryn, “she began as she knelt before him, “I believe that Caellia needs to rest. She has had no sleep over the past day and a half.” She stayed in her position with her head bowed low and waited for his response.
Goryn stared at the woman for brief moment before looking at Caellia, “Do you wish to rest before facing Einao?”
Caellia calmed herself and thought long and hard before responding, “No, I must learn to do this on my own.” She gently pulled away from Goryn as her sensitive ears caught the sounds of a person being forcefully dragged toward her location. She pulled herself to her full height and stood proudly, ready to prove, if only to herself, that she could do this.
Goryn looked at her with pride and love in his heart, as she took a few steps away from him and stared in the direction of the door. She had once again resumed the aura of a strong willed warrior, ready to face any challenge. He knew that she was hurting on the inside, but she had taken the first step in truly learning how to lead. She had put aside her own hurt and was thinking of her people first. She would make a good queen for both their peoples. He looked to the dark elven woman who was still kneeling on the floor, “Get up and stay silent.” He watched as she did as she was told, at least the woman had sense. If she kept that sense he’d spare her life. He swung back to face the door as Einao was shoved through.
Einao grunted in pain as he landed painfully on his right side on the stone floor of the room. He started to pick himself up but stopped as the rumbling growl from the black armored feline warned him that it would be in his best interest to stay down. He looked through his short, dirty hair at a pair of slender green boots a few steps in front of him. The cat growled ominously again before it was called back to its master as Caellia began to speak.
“Stand up Einao.” Caellia struggled to keep her face and eyes emotionless as he stood up and faced her. “You have committed an act of treason and you were banished for that. However, your lust for power drove you to commit an even worse act against your own people.” She paused and remembered all of the lessons Asterios had taught her about the laws of their lands. She then carefully chose her next words. “You committed an act of war when you assisted in the capture of a member of the royal family. Our law on this matter is quite strict. The punishment for an act of war is the most severe our people have ever carried out.” Her voice began to break and she willed herself to continue. “I hereby sentence you to death. The sentence is to be carried out immediately.” As she finished her speech her voice cracked completely and tears streamed down her face.
Goryn stepped beside her and allowed her to lean against him slightly as two light elves roughly seized Einao’s arms. The head silver ranger of the elite archery unit stepped up to Caellia, “Is there an archery range nearby?” He softly asked her. Caellia closed her eyes and thought to herself quietly for a moment. Nathavin’s private range would be the only one she knew the location of. She silently nodded and they slowly made their way to the range.
Once outside Caellia was surprised to see that it was nearing dusk. They finally reached the range and all were silent as Einao was placed at the far end of the range. One archer, the most skilled of all those assembled, took his place at the opposite end of the target range. Once there, he slowly knocked an arrow, raised his soft white bone bow, drew the string back and held it there. Caellia watched through her tears as her once longtime and best friend stared sullenly at the arrow that was to end his life. She took in a breath, prepared to ask him a question when she felt Goryn place his hand on her arm. She turned to look at him.
“Don’t ask him. I know you want to, but it will make no difference in how you will feel and what has to be done.” He cautioned her.
A temple knight quietly added his own wisdom to Goryn’s “You do not have to watch this if you do not wish to. It is not required that you witness this. The choice is yours Princess Caellia.”
“I will not shy away from my duties any longer. I have run from them for too long already.” She then raised her voice to carry across the range to the waiting archer, her eyes never having strayed from Einao throughout the entire conversation, “Carry out the sentence.”
The archer released his arrow with deadly accuracy and watched with a heavy heart as his arrow pierced Einao in the heart and killed him instantly. He slowly lowered his bow as he heard Caellia crying softly into Goryn’s chest. “Einao you fool. Why couldn’t you have been happy with your own strength?” He sadly questioned into the softly blowing wind.
*****
Nathavin cursed loudly as his strider stumbled again in the dark. He was infuriated that the beast couldn’t see in the dark. They had ridden all day and well into the night but it looked as if they were going to have to stop and at the very least allow the beasts to rest for a few hours. Bringing the group to a stop he dismounted and tossed the reins of the beast to the nearest person and stared fixedly in the direction of his castle. He heard the soft steps of the Shillien elder approaching him.
“My Lord, I respectfully suggest that you get some rest. The following day will be long and hard.” She waited with baited breath for Nathavins’ answer.
“No, I will not rest until I have ascertained the status of the castle and Caellia’s whereabouts.”
Einao’s execution had been performed some hours ago and yet Caellia had only recently been able to calm down enough for sleep to take over. Goryn watched her sleep fitfully for a few minutes before calling for an elven elder and requesting that the elf spell her into a deep restful sleep. He watched as the elf deftly cast the spell and Caellia’s fitful tossing calmed immediately. He nodded gratefully at the elf who simply smiled lightly and left the tent, Caellia had absolutely refused to sleep within the castle. Goryn watched Caellia for a few minutes more before stepping outside and sending a female prophet inside to watch over her. He was going to see just what Nathavin had been up to. His men had located Nathavin’s personal chambers, which amazingly included a library, and he intended to know all there was to know about his enemy.
Goryn’s impression of the first room did not entirely match his impressions of the dark elven Lord. The room would never be called extravagant, but it was tastefully arranged, albeit in a dark and foreboding way. It was also very large, easily twice the size of his own in Oren. It contained a sitting area, and a very large fire pit was located in the center of the room. The main chamber which housed the bedroom was off to the left of the fire pit in the center of the room, and although he could see slightly inside the room, he bypassed it in favor of the private library located to the right of the fire pit.
The library was also dark and mysterious looking with dark grey walls. The shelves the scrolls were stacked on were very dark grey and simply made of bare metal. There were several sections on many different types of magic, as well as a great deal many on different fighting techniques. He ignored most of these, they were simple manuals and instructions and the like. He was looking for war documents, something he could use defending his castle against Nathavin when the dark Lord came looking for Caellia.
Walking over to the desk he spied a scroll that was placed off to one side of the others, as if to keep it from becoming lost. It was extremely old by the looks of it. Goryn walked to the desk and sat down in the heavy ornate chair and took a moment to look at the layout of the scrolls on the desk. Yes, that one scroll had been singled out and kept separate. He took a quick glance at the other scrolls. They were all plans of defense or attack, the defense of Goddard and the attack of Oren. Spying the date at the top of the scroll penned in Nathavin’s own handwriting; Goryn deciphered the odd language with some difficulty and realized that Nathavin had been well prepared when he took Caellia. Had his initial attack failed he would have brought a heavy force against Oren, complete with siege golems. Obviously the dwarves didn’t care who paid them as long as they got their adena. He quickly deposited all the pertinent scrolls in a large satchel and looked at the one scroll he hadn’t yet looked at.
The scroll was just so out of place he had to inspect it. As Goryn read the scroll his hands began to shake. The marriage contract between the daughter of Lord Erenor and Lord Amaldrin son was still valid, because Lord Amaldrins’ son was still alive! Lord Nathavin Despana was actually Lord Nathavin Rilynmitore! The question now was what did Nathavin intend on doing? He obviously knew about the contract. As a matter of fact, judging from the age of the scroll he likely had known of the contract well before Goryn had. Why had he not used it to his advantage? Goryn sighed and pocketed the scroll along with the others. If it wasn’t here, Nathavin couldn’t prove his true lineage and thus would not be able to bring the contract up before the five other castle Lords and legally take Caellia away from him. He frowned, Caellia must never know of this scrolls existence. Standing up, he headed back toward the base camp where Caellia slept. He wanted to be near her. She meant so much to him and he could not bear to be apart from her any longer than was absolutely necessary.
Caellia sighed softly in her sleep as he entered the darkened tent. He quietly knelt beside her and gently and softly ran his fingers through her long hair before settling a few short paces from her on his own makeshift bedding. Tomorrow he would send a swift footed scout to the castle with orders to prepare the castle for the marriage ceremony.
*****
Dawn broke the following day with another amazing display of deep hued colors of red, orange and gold. Caellia was watching with rapt attention, it was as if life had begun anew for her. Almost as if Eva herself was hinting to Caellia of the good fortunes to come. She deeply breathed in the early morning air and closed her blue eyes and simply took time to feel her surroundings. A light smile and a giggle burst forth as she sensed his presence behind her. “Morning Goryn.”
Goryn had been watching Caellia as the sun rose, the sight that had greeted him when he had come to see her on the small hill had taken his breath away. There before him had stood a beautiful sight. Caellia stood on the top of the hill and looked over the valley below as her newly repaired armor lightly fluttered in the early morning breeze.
After finally finding his voice Goryn replied huskily, “Good morning Caellia.” After a slightly awkward pause as he simply took in the sight of her again as she continued to face the sun he continued, “Did you sleep well?”
Caellia turned and faced him fully with a brilliant smile on her face, “I slept better than I have in ages Goryn.” She stepped closer to him, “I missed you and never gave up hope that you’d come for me.”
“Caellia I will always come for you.” They stood on the hill for several minutes in silence until a gladiator in brilliant blue armor came up the hill to inform Goryn that the encampments had been broken and they were ready to make their way back to Oren.
*****
Nathavin did not allow them to rest the striders long and was pushing them back towards Goddard well before daybreak. They rode without stopping for several long hours and finally reached the castle a little after the sun had reached its highest point.
The castle had been damaged badly. The most damage seemed to be concentrated on the main gates and the walls immediately surrounding them. Nathavin’s face contorted into a fearsome scowl as he stormed through the castle looking for his brother. He met both Naldorl and Kattath in the hallway leading to his personal chambers. The look Kattath sent him did not improve his mood at all. His worthless brother immediately knelt before him in shame. Nathavin silenced Kattath with a warning look before asking his brother in a snarling tone, “What happened here?”
“I have no excuse brother.” Naldorl shook slightly under his older brothers’ fierce gaze even though he could not see his face. He knew that his only chance of survival was to tell the truth and hope Nathavin didn’t decide to kill him. “I was not prepared for the force Goryn would bring. I had no idea he would engage the help of the dwarves to bring the walls down so quickly.”
Nathavin was about to reply when Kattath gained his attention. “My Lord, a more urgent matter needs your attention.” She wasted no time in explaining, “Goryn inspected the library and took several scrolls, including the ancient one regarding your parents.”
“Get me a fresh strider and assemble the remaining forces! We will follow Goryn and attack him on the road.” Nathavin thundered to Naldorl. Before Naldorl had traveled ten paces away Nathavin’s icy voice stopped him cold, “If you fail me again, brother, it will be the last time.”
Kattath watched Naldorl twitch at the deadly threat in Nathavin’s words before he disappeared to do as he had been bid. Turning back around, she followed Nathavin into the library as he searched for any sign of the scroll. She watched in silence as he finally gave up and acknowledged her presence with a look. “What are your intentions regarding Caellia?” She bluntly asked. The way he’d been treating the young silver ranger shouldn’t have bothered Kattath but it did. She had spent the most time with the young elf and had come to like her. She also knew that deep down Nathavin felt something for the ranger as well. She had seen it in his eyes before he left. The way it bothered him when Caellia had refused to come to the dining hall, although Nathavin himself thought no one knew.
There was also another reason that Kattath knew he had feelings for the girl, she had the rare gift of ‘sight’, the ability to ‘see’ what others felt. It was an extremely rare gift and there was no way to train it. There were those who simply had the gift and couldn’t control it, and those who could. Kattath was one of the few who could control it. She knew that she had no hope of convincing him that he was falling in love with Caellia, but she might be able to use logic to get him to ease up a little on the girl that would give him some additional time to see for himself that he loved her.
Nathavin watched Kattath as she faced him without flinching. “My intentions toward the Princess are my own.”
“Your current intentions toward the Princess are going to put us in a war on two fronts Nathavin. How long do you think we can last against both the humans and the light elves?”
“We can and will last until we destroy them. Goryn has limited resources.” Nathavin rumbled back.
“That’s right, Goryn has limited resources. What if he pools those resources with the other Kings?” Kattath pointed out with devastating accuracy. She leaned closer to the desk, “Nathavin, why do you wish to destroy the light elves so much? The scroll Goryn now has shows that they were willing to create peace between us once before. Why can’t we do that now?”
“That was in the past and under my fathers rule! They have not shown any semblance of allowing peace to spread between our people since, and neither will I.” He was cut off as she angrily rounded on him.
“That is because the truth has been hidden from them! Caellia obviously has no idea what happened in the past and you are continuing to hide the facts from her just as her own people have done! We don’t even have all the facts regarding what prompted that peace treaty to begin with! All we have is one scroll that speaks of the assassination of two Lords. There own Lord was killed as well as our own. Someone obviously did not want our two races to reunite Nathavin and they have succeeded thus far. The question is why.” Kattath met his angry gaze fully, “You owe this to your father Nathavin. Find out why he made that treaty before you destroy Caellia and her people. You still haven’t given me one solid reason as to why it is that you wish to destroy them.”
Nathavin stood up behind his desk and glowered at her. Time for a history lesson he thought to himself. “Many ages ago, at the time when the elven race as a whole first fell to the humans, our ancestors insisted that we fight to regain our supremacy that we had lost to the humans, even if this meant our learning dark magic. The light elves, tree elves they called themselves at the time, shunned this idea. When they discovered that a few of our ancestors had learned the black magic, they feared we would attack them using the new power we had attained and cursed our ancestors. Our lands are rotten and constantly decaying because of that curse, while their lands remain pristine and pure. They betrayed us Kattath. Our own brethren betrayed us and destroyed our lands. This knowledge is no longer taught to our young ones, but it was taught to me by my father’s friend who took me in. I have hated the light elves ever since I heard the story.” He looked on her face, searching for some sign of understanding from her.
Kattath quietly looked at him before stating calmly, “But according to the scroll, they were the one’s who initiated the peace talks. Again, why?” They both stared silently at one another as the sounds of the rest of Goddard’s forces could be heard gathering in the courtyard in preparation for battle once more
Asadar read the ancient scroll again as they patiently waited at the crossroads for Goryn’s troops. Goryn’s research into several old scrolls had prompted him to take another look at a set of old hidden documents. Within the confines of the royal library in Aden had lain long forgotten plans to utterly destroy both elven races. Asadar quietly looked into the fire as he debated the scrolls. The scrolls detailed a very simple plan.
Asadars' ancestors who had first come to rule Aden castle had been very strict rulers and reveled in their power. They ruled with an iron fist, allowing for no competition for power. As the ages went by, they had grown complacent, allowing for other races to advance in secret. It was King Radmund who had discovered that the elves were growing too powerful. It was he who designed a plan to destroy the light elves and the dark elven homelands with the help of the dwarves. He commissioned the dwarves to build many of their impressive golems. He also encouraged them to fight alongside his own armies, offering many trade incentives aimed at lowering prices for items bought by the dwarves, and paying higher prices for the items he purchased from them. However, before his plan could be finished and acted upon, both elven races heard of his ruthless plan. A lone dwarf who did not agree with the decisions made by the Lord of Elmore, smuggled the information out and distributed it to both Lords of the elven races.
The dark elves began to prepare for battle immediately, increasing their own impressive armies tenfold, using the dark magic they had learned to help them. They were convinced that they would emerge the victors even though it would be a long battle. They also had more time to build their armies because their lands were further from King Radmund.
Their lighter cousins however discovered that they would be at a severe disadvantage. Their lands were nestled next to lands owned by the King of Aden. They also had not spent years further developing and strengthening their own armies, unlike their darker brethren. In a desperate act to save his lands, Lord Erenor had traveled to the home village of the dark elves to request the reunification of both elven races.
Lord Amaldrin had not been pleased however and had nearly thrown Lord Erenor off his homelands. It took many days of discussions and heated debates before Erenor convinced Amaldrin to listen to him. Lord Amaldrin wanted the curse placed on his lands removed immediately upon signing the contract. Lord Erenor explained that the curse could not be lifted until the two races had been successfully reunified, meaning that a child must be borne out of both races before the curse could be lifted. It was then that Lady Serath bore Caellia in their homelands.
Lord Amaldrin thought the proposition over for several days. He then decided that he would agree to the contract and the terms of eradicating the curse on his lands, but only if Lord Erenor promised his most treasured possession to the dark elves, Lord Erenors' only daughter. Erenor refused immediately, he could not promise Caellia to them! He couldn’t!
Erenor spent many days trying to budge Amaldrin, but he would not be swayed. Amaldrin insisted that his son, Nathavin, would marry Caellia and a child borne. The reunification would be complete and the curse to the dark elven lands released. As time passed, Erenor received word that King Redmond’s army was nearly ready to march on the elven homelands. Erenor then conceded to Amaldrins proposal without further debate and returned home.
King Radmund heard of the treaty and sent assassins to kill the two Lords and their families. The assassins succeeded killing the Lords but not the children, they even destroyed all known scrolls telling of the treaty, those they didn’t destroy they brought back to be held in Aden. King Radmund died of old age before his plans could be completed.
The threat to the elven races was over, and they soon resumed their warring ways with one another. However, Caellia had already had her future marked in magic dye upon her forehead.
Caellia and Goryn traveled slightly separate from the rest of Goryn’s troops. Goryn listened with barely restrained anger as Caellia detailed what had happened after she had left with Nathavin. His anger intensified as he heard about the incident in the hut, and he insisted that Caellia let him take a look at her shoulder. Once he was satisfied that her shoulder was well he let her continue.
Caellia felt all the emotions coming back as she spoke with Goryn. The fear she had felt in the hut after her escape attempt. She even told Goryn what happened on the archery range, she never noticed Goryn’s low growl of jealous anger. She began to relate to him the events of the following morning, “After I refused to come down for breakfast, he ordered Kattath to leave. We started yelling at each other and then….” she stopped suddenly. Just how was she supposed to tell Goryn that she’d been kissed by Nathavin, and even worse, had liked it? Unknowingly, she had come to a halt in the middle of the road with Goryn staring at her as her fingers unconsciously brushed against her lips.
Goryn watched her for a brief moment before prompting her, “And then what Caellia?” He was afraid he already knew the answer as he watched her fingers on her lips. “Caellia,” he put his hands on her shoulders, breaking her trancelike state, “did Nathavin kiss you?”
Her blue eyes couldn’t meet his, she was so confused. She didn’t understand her feelings for Nathavin. How could she hate him so much and then enjoy his kiss? She had finally admitted to herself that she had liked it, but why? She looked at Goryn, her answer in her eyes as he pulled her to him.
“Caellia I’m so sorry I couldn’t get there in time. I swear I’ll never let him touch you again.” He hugged her tightly, breathing in her soft scent and cursing himself for not being there for her, completely unaware of her true thoughts. He pulled away a short time later and they continued walking down the path, each lost in their own thoughts regarding the dark Lord.
*****
Goryn stared into the fire. Night had fallen sometime ago and Caellia had already retired for the night. Yet, he could not sleep. He held the hated scroll in his hand and idly turned it over continuously as he thought of its contents. In one sense, Caellia had a right to know the contents within the scroll. However, he couldn’t ignore the fact that her knowledge might do more harm than good. Before he could think much more on it, he was called away to settle an argument that had broke out between a couple of his men. Sighing, he put the scroll back in the sack and went to break up the fight.
Caellia awoke to find herself alone in the tent. After looking around she decided to go find Goryn. She’d had a nightmare and wanted his company in the tent. She left the tent and sleepily walked over to where she knew their campfire was. She didn’t see Goryn, but she did see the sack he’d been carrying around from Goddard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered that Goryn had said that these were all various battle plans and such. Curious, she picked up a random scroll from within the sack. It was very old and tattered and the ink was smudged, as if it had been read many times. Turning slightly more to the light, Caellia began to read the scroll. It wasn’t long before a shrill scream shattered the nighttime air.
Goryn came to abrupt stop in the middle of his angry tirade at his two underlings. Caellia! He turned and sprinted back to the camp, a dozen men closely following him. He pulled up short when he saw Caellia sitting next to the fire, her ivory skin turned bone white as she held a scroll up to her unseeing eyes. He cursed to himself in all the languages he knew as he realized just what she had found. “Caellia, come here.” He softly called to her. She didn’t respond and he tried again as he edged closer to her, trying not to scare her too much. “Caellia, please listen to me. I’m not going to let him take you from me. I will destroy the scroll at the castle and he will never find it.”
Caellia dazedly looked at Goryn before snapping back to her senses and leaping into his arms and shuddered uncontrollably. Her nightmare was beginning to look like it might come true. She buried her face in Goryn’s’ neck and breathed deeply as she remembered her dream. The dark elf woman, Kattath had been in it and so had Nathavin. In her dream they were both telling her that she was destined to marry Nathavin and not Goryn. She shuddered again as she saw Nathavin’s’ face in her minds eye as his lips claimed hers, however, she shuddered for an entirely different reason than before and she was afraid of her reaction.
*****
Asadar and his men watched the road anxiously. Goryn would be approaching them shortly. Morning had dawned bleak and bleary as they had prepared for their ambush. Asadar had come to a conclusion; he wanted to be the one to complete his ancestors plan. After he had acquired Caellia, he would enslave the light elves instead of destroy them. After he successfully enslaved them, he would destroy Nathavin and the dark elves. They were too powerful to enslave and would have to be destroyed rather than enslaved. His weather lined face broke into a sinister smile as he imagined the looks on Goryn’s and Caellia’s faces as he ran Goryn through with his blade. Goryn would pay for daring to challenge Asadar’s power.
Goryn’s troops had made very good time and he was looking forward to coming home to his castle. He watched as Caellia playfully bantered with a few of her brethren. The pain of the recent events still had not left her eyes however and they retained a haunted quality to them. As they walked further down the road and approached the crossroads at the ancient battleground and the forest of outlaw they were met by an impressive force.
Caellia stopped her banter and stared quietly, those were Aden’s banners the warriors were carrying and they were in an aggressive formation. She moved quickly to Goryn’s side, “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure. They were not supposed to meet us here.” Goryn didn’t like this. He slowly walked forward, quickly estimating the size of the Aden forces and not liking the numbers. His forces had been depleted keeping the dwarves alive; they could not combat Asadars' force. He came to a stop as a number of the men parted, making way for King Asadar to step through. Goryn’s eyes narrowed as he watched the older King swagger forward slightly.
“Goryn,” Asadar began in an amiable voice, “it’s good to see you’ve made it.” He walked forward cautiously. He could not afford to give his men the signal to attack at the wrong time due to a misunderstood signal. He had to have Caellia safe before they attacked. He looked around for Caellia and finally spotted her as she shrugged off the restraining hands of her guards. “Caellia.” He gave a low bow in greeting to her as she daintily approached them.
Caellia watched the human for a moment as he knelt before her, something wasn’t right. His mannerisms were too stiff and stilted. He was hiding something, she was sure of it. “Rise,” she paused a beat as she recalled his name, “Asadar. You have no need to bow to me.”
Asadar gave a slow smile and said softly, “How perceptive of you.” He watched as Caellia’s eyes glittered with ill hidden annoyance at his arrogance. “Goryn, might I have a word with your,” he paused, “intended?”
Goryn could find no legitimate reason to deny the request. “Of course King Asadar.” He ground his teeth in frustration.
“Caellia, would you follow me please? I have something I would like to show you.” Asadar almost laughed, this was too easy. Goryn couldn’t deny the simple request for risk of seeming irrational, not that it would matter anyway. Goryn would die this day. Asadar had made sure his most trusted troops understood that.
“Of course.” Caellia responded warily. She glanced back at Goryn trying to find some clue as to what she should do. He gave a nearly imperceptible nod, reassuring her that no matter what happened, he would come for her.
“Excellent!” Asadar continued to babble incessantly as he led her farther away from the battlefield. When they had reached the back of his forces he turned and gave her a smirking smile. “Ah Caellia, you truly are a beautiful woman.” He gestured to the casters around him and they immediately placed spells on Caellia to hold her in place. “Goryn would never be able to fully appreciate you.” Asadar sidled closer to her magically bound form. He correctly interpreted her questioning glare and answered her, “I do this because I will allow neither Goryn, nor the light elves to threaten my power. “ His face became one of lunacy as he gave the orders to attack Goryn’s men.
Caellia watched in horror as Goryn’s troops fell under attack. They couldn’t survive this! She struggled futilely against the magic binding her. Her blue eyes snapped to Asadar as she heard him chuckle at the sight of his men attacking Goryn’s ill prepared troops. Tears streamed down her cheeks in anger as she heard the sounds of battle being waged and her not able to help.
Asadar turned to her as he heard her strain against the spells and laughed outright at the sight of the enraged elf. He reached his hand out and lightly ran it through her hair while stating, “Don’t worry; Goryn’s death will be swift.” He then laughed again and turned back to watch the slaughter.
Caellia turned her head as far as it would go to try to catch sight of Goryn. The casters recast the spell of rooting when they noticed she was beginning to break free of the spell. Caellia then turned her cold, ice blue eyes on the casters with a look of pure fury and summoned her own magic shield, a spirit barrier. She watched in smug satisfaction as the casters attempted to place the rooting spell on her again and failed as she broke free of the one already in place. She swiftly pulled her dagger out of its hidden sheath and killed them both quickly before turning to Asadar himself.
Asadar heard Caellia break free of his prophets spells and turned to face her as she charged him. He brought his arm up in time to block the daggers deadly arc, but too late realized that she had feigned the blow so that she could dodge around to his right side and speed past him.
Caellia passed many of Asadars’ troops, dodging swords, shields, daggers, and spells. She was looking for any archers, she needed a weapon she could really use, and she wasn’t picky who she took it from. She stumbled and hit the ground hard just as a raging inferno blasted its way past her toward one of her brethren. She watched as the spell singer cast his own spell, causing a column of water to collide with the fireball. She watched for a few seconds more as it became painfully apparent that his magic just simply wasn’t strong enough and succumbed to the powerful sorcerers magic. Caellia closed her eyes briefly before she stood up and began her search for a bow anew.
Goryn was locked in combat with two gladiators and a dark avenger. His pole arm swung mightily, but he was taking too many injuries. With a final blow from his pole arm one gladiator fell to his death, however, the second gladiator and the dark avenger remained. He scowled at them for a second, considering his options.
Caellia hoisted the large, heavy bone bow and prepared to fire. She had never used this type of bow before and was unfamiliar with the large triangular shaped grip and had been extremely hesitant to use it, but she had not seen any other archers around to find a different bow. She had used all her skill and cunning to get close and land several blows with her dagger before the hawk eye had fallen. It was then she had spotted Goryn and all doubts left. She took aim at the second gladiator and fired two shots in rapid succession before stopping to look him dead in the eye as he turned to face her before she strung the bow again, “Your opponent is me.”
The gladiator turned to face her, swinging his swords in consideration. He was not supposed to kill her, but how was he supposed to stop her without killing her? He ignored the pain the two arrows she’d shot at him were causing as he weighed his options. Rushing her would give him no real advantage, at least not at first. He decided on his plan and focused his energy on his swords before releasing it in a powerful blast of sound.
Caellia released her arrow at the same time the gladiator released his sonic blast and dodged swiftly to the side, her delicate ears ringing from the sound as it rocketed past. She didn’t have time to check on Goryn until several long minutes later and saw that he had just finished killing the black cat and was searching for her.
“Caellia,” Goryn called, “you have to leave now!” He overrode her protestations, “I will come for you! I promise you!” He did not tell her that he’d been fatally wounded by the cat and that it was taking all of his strength to stand upright.
“NO! I won’t leave you! Not again Goryn!” Caellia felt tears sting her eyes as she looked upon Goryn’s pain filled face.
“Caellia you have to leave!” He struggled to stay on his feet. He allowed the tears to fall freely as he pulled her chin up and gazed into her face for what would be the last time. “Caellia, I love you more than my own life. Please, go!”
“Where will I go Goryn? I have nowhere to go!” Caellia didn’t like the way he was speaking. It was as if he’d never see her again and he knew it. “You can’t leave me here!”
Goryn pushed her away from him roughly and picking her hands up, brought the bow into her line of sight. “You have everywhere to go Caellia, use this and use it well. Run to the old bandit stronghold and hide. I will send help for you.” He shoved her further away from him. “GO!”
Caellia fell backwards a few paces before catching herself. She tried to go back to Goryn but he swung his pole arm at her to keep her at bay. “Goryn, I love you! Please come back for me! Please!” With one last look, she raced away through the trees, her tears the only trail she left behind.
Nathavin silently watched from his hidden position behind a large tree. Goryn, King of Oren, was being mercilessly tortured by Asadar, the King of Aden. Judging from the injuries that were visible on Goryn he shouldn’t be alive. Nathavin could only surmise that the potions the mages were forcing down his throat were sustaining his life, but just barely. It was obvious that Goryn’s forces had come under attack from Asadar, but why? Shaking his head in frustration, he slipped quietly closer in an attempt to hear more of what was being said.
Goryn spat blood as Asadars’ fist connected once more with his cheek. “Where is Caellia?!” Asadar roared at Goryn. Goryn turned his head back to Asadar and glared stonily at the demented King, remembering the scroll that Asadar had read concerning the odd alliance between the elven races from long ago. He never knew that Asadar had become so paranoid over his power. He thought back to Caellia, who should be at or near the stronghold by now. He’d have to break his promise to her and that hurt the most. His head snapped backwards as the mage forced more of the dreadful potion down his throat at Asadars’ request.
Asadar stared speculatively at Goryn before deciding on a new measure of attack. “Do you know why I seek Caellia Goryn? Would you like to know why?” He whispered, “It’s all about power. The light elven race is powerful Goryn. Oh not as powerful as the dark elves, it’s simply not possible for them to become quite that powerful. But, if I gain control of the light elves and enslave them to my rule, I can become the most powerful King in this realm. The dwarves, orcs, and dark elves will have no choice but to bow to my power.” He laughed maniacally at his perceived cleverness as Goryn watched him silently.
“Asadar, you are a fool. How do you intend to destroy the dark elves?”
“That is not important to one who is going to die. But know this, Caellia will be my queen, and she will watch her people go to war for me and she will wither as her spirit dies with her people.”
Nathavin had heard enough, Asadar intended on killing his people. He motioned his troops to get in position, strung his bow, and fired. As soon as the arrow imbedded itself into Asadars chest, the healers began to cast their spells of protection and healing as warriors blocked him from further attack. Nathavin cursed soundly to himself, he would not allow that human to live! How dare he threaten the dark elven race? He killed any that dared approach with an icy detachment as he set his fury to the side.
Goryn was still bound to one spot as the rooting spell still had effect when he saw the mithril arrow suddenly protrude from Asadars chest. At first he had thought it was Caellia until the sudden rush of dark elves and orcs crashing through the trees proved otherwise. He turned his face to the left as he heard the rough language of a dark spell being cast near him. A spell howler was rapidly casting a powerful rush of air in a blinding tempest, severely injuring anyone in her way. He watched closely as she cast yet another spell, this time on the sorcerers who were making their way to her. She grinned evilly as they suddenly grasped their throats as they realized no sound was coming forth.
Kattath turned to Goryn; she pondered him for a moment then casually picked her way across the bodies to him. “Where is the scroll Goryn?” She held his gaze without flinching as the sounds of battle crashed all around them. She sighed when he did not answer her, “You will not want Nathavin to ask you. You destroyed a large part of his castle and he is not pleased. Tell me, where is the scroll?” She was taken aback by Goryn’s reply.
“Bring Nathavin here, I wish to speak with him.” He grimaced as a fierce pain lanced through his body. “Quickly, the life potions are wearing off.”
Kattath nodded mutely, her sense of ‘sight’ telling her what it was Goryn intended and immediately left to summon Nathavin.
Goryn fell to his knees as the binding spell released itself. His heart wrenched as he prepared himself to ask the one thing he had never believed he would ever ask. His fingers fumbled in his armor as he withdrew the ancient scroll. The crunching of boots on rough soil gained his attention. Looking upward, he found himself staring into Nathavin’s cold, infuriated gaze.
Nathavin furiously looked down upon the fallen King before quickly looking at the remains of the battle. Asadars men had turned tail and run quickly. Disgusting, he thought to himself. His eyes shifted back to Goryn when he began to speak.
“Lord Nathavin,” Goryn began, “I…” Goryn trailed off, he had no right to ask Nathavin to do him a personal favor, but that was what he was doing.
Nathavin’s eyes hardened, “You what, human?” He waited as the minutes ticked by and still Goryn said nothing. His eyes narrowed in anger, “You waste my time!”
Goryn looked up and finally managed to speak his thoughts, “Nathavin, I know you search for Caellia. I will tell you where to find her but only if you swear on your honor that you will protect her.” He stopped to gauge Nathavin’s reaction before he continued. “I know of the contents of the scroll that was in your castle. I also know what prompted that alliance to begin with.” He waited with baited breath as Nathavin looked at him incredulously. He had thought right, Nathavin had no idea why the alliance was supposed to have taken place.
“Tell me what you know Goryn!” Nathavin was so incensed that he had uncrossed his arms and was holding his bow in front of him in anger.
Goryn quickly recited the scroll that Asadar had read for him immediately after his capture. In finishing, “He fully intends to destroy the two races. You must ally with the light elves if both races are to survive.”
Nathavin muttered angrily, “How do I know you speak the truth?”
Goryn passed Nathavin’s scroll to Kattath before reaching out and plucking the scroll he’d stolen from Asadar during the brief fight after Caellia left and painfully tossed it to the elf. “This is the scroll Asadar had in his possession.” A spearing pain tore through his body and he could no longer hold himself up as he cried out and fell the rest of the way to the ground. “Nathavin,” he whispered on his drying lips, “Caellia was supposed to marry you long before I was born. Your history was hidden from you both.” Nathavin had to kneel down to hear the rest of Goryn’s speech, as it was extremely soft as his final moments drew near.
Goryn reached for the piece of leather that was hung around his neck and underneath his armor and pulled it out. A shiny silver arrowhead dangled from the end as he placed it in Nathavin’s hand. “Take this to Caellia; she is in the old bandit stronghold just northwest of here.”
“Why do you tell me this human?” Nathavin purposefully kept his voice controlled.
“I do this because you are the only one she will learn to trust.” He continued, “She never admitted it, but I believe you had an impact on her Nathavin.”
“She will not trust me human.” Nathavin began, irritated.
“She will if you give her that arrowhead.” Goryn’s voice slipped softer, “Take care of her for me Nathavin, from one King to another, please take care of her.” With those words, Goryn passed to the next world.
Nathavin looked upon the silent King in grudging respect, “I will honor your last request, Goryn, King of Oren.”
Caellia ran for several hours through the dense forest, keeping away from the road at all costs. Several times she had to stop and fight the many creatures that sought to keep her from her destination. The unfamiliar bow was heavy and unwieldy as she struggled to pull the string back quickly. She finally saw the outline of the large building and breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly killed the last of the mahum witch doctors. Tears filled her eyes as she was forced to remember her first meeting with Goryn so many years ago in this very forest. Shaking her head, she quickly sprinted the rest of the way to the building and cautiously stepped inside.
Caellia did not think there would be anyone in the building, but was not going to brazenly walk in without knowing for certain if there was or wasn’t anyone in there. She held her bow at the ready incase anyone attacked her. When she had fully scouted the entire building she finally dropped to her knees and wept openly. “Eva, I pray that you keep Goryn safe. Please Eva I beg of you, keep him safe.” She brokenly repeated her short prayer until sleep overcame her.
*****
Nathavin had silently overseen the burial of the once proud human king. He didn’t fully understand why he had agreed to honor Goryn’s last request, but he would do so. Perhaps it was because the human had been betrayed by his own race, or maybe it was because the foolish King had dared to lay siege to Goddard. In the end, Nathavin had gained a small bit of respect for the human King. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of someone approaching softly and he turned to face them.
“You must go find her now Nathavin. Dark approaches and she will not be fit to guard herself tonight.” Kattath spoke somberly.
A second person, an Elder in the studies of Shillien, also approached. “I could travel with you to aid you. No doubt the Princess will be extremely upset, and will be prone to lash out at anyone. And I suspect she will see you as a person to strike at first, given the recent events.”
Nathavin watched the two of them closely. Having the elder with him would be beneficial, but would do nothing to help gain Caellia’s trust. Goryn had said that she would learn to trust him and that the two races must work together to survive. He was willing, at least for now, to humor the dead King’s wishes. Not to mention that gaining Caellia’s trust would be extremely helpful if he truly wished to take over the light elven lands. There was also the issue of the old alliance, even though the original agreement had been long in the past, the agreement still existed. The scrolls he now had in his possession proved the agreement still existed. All other records had been destroyed but the humans had erred when they had done that. If all the records were destroyed then that meant that they had destroyed the dissolution agreement as well. Whether the two Lords had been alive or not, a dissolution agreement would have to have been written up and signed by the Lords’ top advisors. His thoughts were interrupted as the elder prompted him for a decision.
“Nathavin,” he began cautiously, “would you like one of us to go with you?”
“No, I will go alone. It will be easier to catch her unawares.” Nathavin replied finally.
“Then I insist you take these potions with you. These are the new greater haste potions we have created” The elder passed several vials of a greenish elixir to Nathavin as he continued. “They will speed your steps in the absence of my spell.”
Nathavin nodded as the elder left without another word. His grey eyes swung to Kattath as she stood quietly watching him.
“Remember Nathavin, you will not gain her trust by frightening her.” She concentrated hard on his aura as it swirled with colors only her gift of sight allowed her to see. The normal shading of his calm, confident blue color was being overtaken by a darker grey shade, the color of confusion. “Caellia will be in grave danger if she is frightened to the point of running blindly.” There were spikes of reddish orange when Caellia’s name was brought up, the colors of attraction. She grinned slowly to herself, he was still confused yes, but the reds and oranges had nearly taken over the grey, if only he’d admit it to himself. “Best be on your way Nathavin, night draws near.”
Nathavin nodded mutely before turning and setting off in the direction of the hut. He chose to leave his strider behind. It would only slow him down as it couldn’t see well in the dark, and he didn’t want to risk Caellia hearing it. As he traveled, he called upon all his skill to see the nearly imperceptible trail she had unknowingly left behind, a small footprint here, the slight bending of a limb there. He took the first vial of potion and instantly felt the effects as his pace quickened considerably.
It wasn’t long before he ran into the pathetic mahum tribe and quickly killed those that dared challenge his passage. He continued for an hour more before he saw the outline of the building in the full moonlight. He stealthily approached the door and swung it inwards. Pausing for a moment, he allowed his excellent night vision to become used to the darker surroundings. There was no one in the immediate room; however he could hear faint breathing coming from overhead. Looking to his right, he saw a set of stairs that led to up to a second floor and a railing that guarded the open edge of that floor. Looking through the slats of the railing he could just make out Caellia’s sleeping form. His lips tugged upward in a faint half smile as she shifted and her silvery moonlit hair spilled down the balcony. He made his way over to the stairs and began to climb upwards. He was halfway up when a board under his booted foot gave a loud snap.
Caellia was instantly awake and on her feet with her bow drawn. She didn’t know where the intruder was, but she was certain they were in the building. Her ears quivered with the strain of trying to hear the location of the unknown being. She finally found her voice, “Goryn?”
A twinge of annoyance shot through Nathavin, “No, I am not Goryn.”
Caellia felt a frisson of terror slide up her back, “Nathavin?”
“Yes, it is me.” He watched as she swung the bow in the direction of his voice, but it was still off target and her arms were shaking with the strain of holding the arrow back. “How long do you think you can hold that bow string Caellia?” His experienced eyes could see that she was struggling with the oversized bow.
She responded by releasing the arrow quickly and replacing it with another as she listened to the first hit a wall. “What are you doing here?”
He scoffed at the question, “I would think that’s obvious. I’m here to reclaim what is mine.”
“I do not belong to you Nathavin.” Her voice gained a slight edge to it as she remembered the scroll. “I will never belong to you.” She felt his eyes on her as he stayed silent. “Goryn,” She began, but he overrode her.
“Goryn is dead Caellia.” He watched her even more closely as her body shook.
“NO! You lie! Goryn can’t be dead!” Her fingers began to slip on the bows grip. “He can’t be!” The bow tilted downward slightly as she struggled with the news.
Nathavin saw his opportunity and dashed up the rest of the stairs swiftly and wrenched the bow from her hands. “I speak the truth Caellia, he is gone.” He watched her for a moment before quietly withdrawing the arrowhead pendant and handing it out to her, “He asked me to give you this.”
Caellia’s eyes caught and held the glittering silver arrowhead as it swung lazily in Nathavin’s grip in the moonlight. “No,no, NO!” She snatched the arrowhead from him and backed away. “Why did you kill him?”
Again, Nathavin felt his temper rise before successfully squashing it down, “I did not kill him Caellia, Asadar did.”
“He could’ve beaten Asadar, I know he could’ve. He wouldn’t leave me out here alone!”
“Caellia! Goryn was dying when my men reached the crossroads. If not for me he would’ve died sooner. As it was, he lived just long enough to request that I give you the pendant,” he paused before continuing softly, “and protect you.”
Now it was Caellia’s turn to scoff, “Protect me? He’d never ask that of you.” She edged closer to the railing. “Why should I believe you? You show up here with a pendant that belongs to Goryn.”
“Belonged.” Nathavin cut in.
“You have kidnapped me before Nathavin, you have beaten me, you have forced me to…” She broke off, she couldn’t even say it.
Nathavin glared at her through narrowed eyes. “I forced you to what, Caellia?” He knew very well what she had been going to say, he hadn’t forgotten that morning either.
“I will not believe you Nathavin, Goryn is not gone. You are attempting to trick me and it will not work.” She put her hand on the rail, preparing to launch herself to the bottom floor.
In the blink of an eye Nathavin closed the distance between them and pushed her away from the railing. “Do not dare think you can escape me again Princess,” his temper was reaching its limits, “I made a vow to a dying King and I intend to keep it, and you.” His voice had dropped to a near whisper as he finished.
Caellia hissed in pain as she landed on the rough wooden floor. “You may be able to keep me imprisoned and bound by your side,” she conceded, “but you will never have my own or my people’s loyalty. Only Goryn will ever claim that right.”
His temper boiled over, “Who ever said I wanted your people’s loyalty?” He sneered at her as he continued. “I can crush your people and gain their obedience without a care for their loyalty.” He stalked toward her, emotions running high. “Goryn asked me to protect you from Asadar, this I will do. But who is going to protect you from me Caellia?”
His soft voiced threat terrified Caellia as she realized she had provoked him too far. She scrambled backward while her hands began searching for the cursed bow.
“You do remember the day you gave your life for his as he faced my bow do you not?” He stalked ever closer. “That agreement still holds, and if that isn’t enough for you,” he pulled the two scrolls from within his armor, “I have here a contract written by both our parents. You were given to me by your own parents in exchange for an alliance with the dark elves.” He listened as Caellia gasped in horror, “This contract can be brought before the five other Kings of the land if need be.” He replaced them back in his armor and watched as Caellia stood upright. He wasn’t prepared for her reaction as she walked up to him and landed a full force, open palmed slap to his face.
“I will never abide by that agreement spawn of Antharas.” She now knew Goryn was truly gone, he’d never allow those scrolls to be in Nathavin’s possession. Her eyes glittered dangerously as she stared into Nathavin’s enraged smoke grey eyes. Sensing he was about to attack she swiftly withdrew her dagger and attempted to strike him.
Nathavin retreated out of the daggers range before he cast a swift spell, causing Caellia’s strength to fail her as she attacked. He waited, staying out of the dagger’s range, until he saw his chance. She over reached and he snatched her wrist with his right hand and pulled her forward and off balance. As she fell forward, his left hand pushed her in the area between her shoulder blades as he turned to complete the move, forcing her to loose her balance and stumble several steps forward.
Caellia was brought up short as she collided with a closed door and her dagger had slipped from her hand when he had tightly gripped her wrist. She attempted to turn to face him and managed to turn half way around before he shoved her to face the door.
He brought his body flush against hers. He used his weight to crush her to the wall as he started the spell he knew she wouldn’t be able to fight. His hands dug themselves into her hair as he breathed softly, his voice completely at odds with the emotions charging through him, “You will relax, your body will yield to my strength.” Caellia fought valiantly to no avail as his voice spelled her. “Sleep Caellia.”
He lay her down gently on the floor as Kattaths' words came back to him. Did he truly want her trust? Staring down on her he thought of his reaction when she mentioned Goryn. Yes, he wanted her to trust him, as much as she had Goryn. No, he wanted her to trust him more than she had Goryn. Looking down at the beautiful Princess he asked her unhearing ears, “What have you done to me?"
Kattath waited outside the dilapidated building for Nathavin. She had come to the building to see how things were progressing. There were no sounds of fighting or arguing, that was a good sign. The only sound she could detect was the sound of someone sleeping, but her ears only detected one person. She opened her senses and found the whitish pink aura that was Caellia. Kattath stretched her senses further, but could find no hint of Nathavin. Sighing, she prepared to wait for him.
*****
Asadar slammed his hands down on the war table in absolute fury. How dare Nathavin interfere? The cursed dark elf was nothing but trouble! He reached out and threw a bowl of fruit to the ground in blind anger. He would have Caellia! He calmed himself as he attempted to think rationally. Caellia was a light elf. She had no knowledge of the history he knew. Light elves and dark elves were bitter enemies. She would run from Nathavin as surely as she had run from him. All he had to do, was find a way to force her hand to come back to him for protection, but how? He called for his top advisors, never noticing the discontented looks they shot his way.
*****
Nathavin emerged from the forest to see Kattath standing next to a tree trunk and casually picking off the remaining members of the pitiful mahum tribe. She noticed him and made her way over. “Kattath, why are you here?”
Kattath sucked in a shaky breath; he was not pleased to see her. She opened her gift of sight to him. His aura was a furious purple shot through with gold streamers. No he wasn’t pleased at all. Gathering her courage she prepared herself for the worst should it come, “I’ve come to tell you that our forces tracked Asadar back to his castle.” She paused cautiously as his eyes narrowed dangerously. “When did you intend on rejoining our forces and heading back to Goddard?” Her eyes widened impossibly as she heard the bowstring being released seconds before seeing the arrow graze past Nathavin’s shoulder. Her eyes swung in the direction the arrow had come from and was met with Caellia’s ice blue eyes. She began to chant a spell aimed at Caellia when her hands were knocked down to her side by Nathavin.
“No! I will deal with this on my own. Gather our troops and head back to the castle.” His voice dropped to a deadly low level, “I will deal with her.”
“As you wish, my Lord.” Kattath dropped back to the formal way of addressing him in deference to his anger. She watched his aura as it rapidly shifted colors, ranging from dangerous anger to confused attraction. Her gaze was drawn to Caellia as she began to speak. Caellia’s aura was all one color, a brilliant blazing white, the color of protection and purity. And she was absolutely livid. Kattath shifted her gaze from one to the other, whatever was going to happen wasn’t going to be good and she backed away from them. However, she still stayed where she could watch the two unnoticed.
Caellia glared icily at Nathavin, she had used several different defensive magic abilities on herself before challenging him so she would stand a better chance against him. The bow was still uncomfortable in her hand, but it was becoming easier to use since she had killed so many of the mahum tribe the day before and had gotten some good practice with it although she was still not perfect with it. “You will not take me prisoner again Nathavin. Never will you hold another light elf against their will.” Her voice shook with the strength of her conviction.
Nathavin looked her over, she was angry yet calm. She was not allowing her emotions to fight for her, that was good for a warrior. He stepped forward, testing her limits. He paused mid step as he watched a shimmering twinkle of white light with golden streamers swirl around the arrowhead as a white magic stone was placed on the arrow. He hadn’t known she had grabbed the fallen hawk eyes magic stones. This made the situation a bit different. “Do you really want to fight me Caellia?” His voice was hard as he prepared his own bow.
“I want to be set free so I can see to my people’s defense. I will fight you if I must to gain that freedom.” She softened her voice slightly as she tried to reason with him, “Nathavin surely you can see that Goryn only meant for you to run Asadar off so that I could escape back to my homeland. You’ve done that. Your vow to him has been fullfulled. I’m sure that if he were still here he’d release you from it.” She was proud that her voice didn’t crack. She missed Goryn terribly.
“My vow Princess was to protect you from Asadar. It did not include stipulations. Since I am the one he asked, it is my interpretation of the vow that matters.” He brought his bow up to firing level. “Drop the bow or I will force you to.”
“Why won’t you listen to reason?” Caellia all but screamed. She released the arrow and watched as it exploded in a brilliant display of gold streamers and white dust on Nathavin’s chest.
“That just cost you any chance at freedom Caellia. Not that I would’ve set you free anyhow.” He growled out as he fired his own arrow.
The two continued to fire rapidly at one another, neither backing down as Kattath watched. At irregular intervals one of them would fire two arrows in rapid succession as golden arcs of power surrounded them as they increased their firing speed to accommodate for two arrows. Even though Nathavin took care to only graze her so as not to injure her severely, it soon became painfully obvious that Caellia was losing badly. She couldn’t aim properly with the unfamiliar bow and she simply did not have the ability hold the large, heavy bow up for long periods of time. She fell to the ground with a distraught cry as her arm gave way under the massive bow.
Nathavin lowered his bow and stalked over to her. “Get up Caellia.”
Caellia looked up at him, she hated him! She stood up and gave him a frosty look, breathing hard from her exertions. She hissed when he snatched the bow from her nearly numb hands and casually tossed it to Kattath. Her blood froze at his next words.
“Go inside Caellia. This isn’t over.” His face gave away no emotions as he stared into her blue eyes. “Kattath, take the bow and head back, send someone here with my strider, they are to leave it here then head back to camp. Once that is done, gather our forces and head back to Goddard.”
Kattath emerged from her hidden position and picked the bow up, “Will you be traveling with us to Goddard?”
“No, we will head back alone.” His eyes never left Caellia’s, taking note of her slight shiver when he’d announced that the two of them would be traveling back alone.
“I will not travel alone with you Nathavin!”
“I said go inside! My patience wears thin girl!” He gripped her upper left arm with bruising force and turned her around to face the doorway of the building and gave her a sharp shove inside the door.
“Nathavin,” Kattath quietly spoke, “remember my words. She will not trust you if you continue to harm her.”
Nathavin strode to Kattath, “Then what do you suggest I do?”
She frowned at his scathing question. “Treat her with a little more respect for starters.”
He thought of his attempts at that the previous night, she had wanted none of it. “She deserves none. She is a light elf. She is only a means to an end and I will not lower myself to treat her as an equal.” Nathavin forced himself to remember his original goal.
Kattath sighed to herself, back to this again. She tried another approach, “It will be less stressful if you at least give the appearance of it. She may lower her guard a bit and be more docile.”
“That elf will never be docile.” He muttered darkly.
Kattath couldn’t resist and grinned mischievously at him, “Then teach her how to be. Tame her Nathavin.” She laughed at the look she received.
“Why would I wish to do that?”
Kattath smirked at him, “Exactly.” She gave another laugh before becoming serious again, “I will do as you have requested. We will leave for Goddard no later than midday.” Nathavin merely nodded and turned back to the building, his mind already on other matters. Kattath watched him for a moment then turned and headed off to the camp.
Caellia paced the length of the building as she waited for Nathavin. She unconsciously rubbed the arrowhead pendant between her nervous fingers. Why did you have to leave me Goryn? She looked toward the heavens and blinked back unshed tears. Now was not the time to indulge in grieving. Her head whipped toward the door as Nathavin entered.
“You will never attack me again Caellia.” He began ominously, “I will not tolerate any further attempts at it. You have managed to fight well against me up to now because I have chosen to humor you. That stops now, I will no longer allow you to believe that you can stand against me and dare hope to defeat me. I will treat you as though you were my equal on the battlefield and I will show no mercy, nor remorse.” He glowered at her as he watched her tremble slightly. “You have no bow with which to fight me and I relieved you of your dagger last night.” He pulled her dagger out of the sheath strapped to his leg. “This will stay with me.”
Caellia sucked in a breath, she was defenseless! She backed away from him. There was a door at the back of the building. She could reach it before he could catch up to her. She knew she could. Her spell for swiftness hadn’t released yet, if she could get ahead of him, stay there and avoid drawing to much attention from the surrounding mahum tribe she might be able to escape.
Nathavin watched her closely. He knew of the back door and was curious if she’d attempt it. He grinned to himself as she turned and sprinted to the back of the building. Her spell would wear off eventually and she would have to stop to recast it. He pulled the green magic potions out; he however only had to drink these while running to keep his pace, no stopping to cast a spell. His grin grew wider, he could also slow her down, he had said that he would treat her the same as he would an equal on the battlefield. He downed a vial of potion and raced to catch her.
Caellia pushed her way through a dense briar patch, ignoring the stinging pain the thorns caused her as they scratched her face and arms. She had been running from Nathavin for several hours without any success at losing him. Turning to check where he was, she decided on a new course, back toward the place Asadar had ambushed them. Caellia quickly recast her spell for swiftness and taking one last glance back at Nathavin, who was rapidly catching up, she took off again.
Nathavin did not rush to catch up to her. He was allowing her to tire herself out. He simply stayed with her as she ran. He fell back a considerable distance when he saw her take the direction that would lead them back to the road. She was headed for Goryn’s burial place. He debated on whether or not to stop her before she got there and decided not to. She at least deserved to see where he lay and pay her own respects.
Caellia noticed that she was no longer being followed and turned to see where he was. Not seeing him she figured she’d lost him, breathing a small sigh of relief she once more began running. She’d only gone a few hundred paces before she came to a shaky stop. There was a grave in front of her, with Goryn’s pole arm resting against the gravestone. She walked slowly up to it, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Her right hand covered her mouth as she fell to her knees beside the grave. “No,” she cried through her hand, “Goryn. I’m so sorry I caused you so much trouble.” Her head bent forward and both hands covered her face as she wept, Nathavin completely forgotten.
She stayed like that for a few minutes before lifting her head to the gravestone and taking a moment to read the inscription upon it. There were two inscriptions, one she recognized as the human burial rites. The other she recognized as the dark elven burial rites. So Nathavin had Goryn buried, but why did he bury him with two separate burial rites? She blinked her tears back as she looked closer at the inscriptions. The human language she could read, it gave honor to a fallen King and spoke of his triumphs. The dark elven language she could not read but had seen several gravestones with similar symbols on them. The same symbols adorned the graves of fallen dark elven Lords. Goryn had been given the same burial ceremony as a fallen dark Lord. Why?
Nathavin watched her closely from a slight distance. She hadn’t noticed him approach her. He knew she was wondering about the two burial rites. He didn’t know himself why he had ordered that Goryn be buried with the same honor as one of their own. It felt wrong though to only give him the human burial rite.
The sound of a bird suddenly taking flight caused Caellia to turn swiftly in his direction. The two stared mutely at one another for several long seconds before Caellia broke the silence, “Why?”
“He was a worthy opponent. He was killed by his own people.” Nathavin stepped closer to the grave, and her. He purposefully avoided explaining why he’d given Goryn dark elven burial rites.
Caellia watched him through tired eyes as he came closer to her. A few more steps and he’d be within arms reach of her. She looked back at the grave and reverently reached out and let her hand slide along Goryn’s’ pole arm. She closed her eyes and prayed silently to Eva to allow Goryn to show her the way one last time.
Nathavin watched her curiously as she lightly rested her hands on the weapon. Her eyes were closed and although no sound was coming out, her mouth was moving slightly. A warm wind began to blow about her, fluttering her hair and armored skirt. Caellia’s eyes opened revealing irises so pale a blue they were almost white as the wind picked up. His gaze was drawn from her however when a form began to take shape next to her. He didn’t know how she’d done it, but she had called to Goryn and he’d come back for one last time.
“Goryn,” whispered Caellia, “please, help me one last time. I’m lost without you to help guide me!” Tears fell down her face as she looked upon his ghostly one. He looked at her closely then slowly swung his gaze over to Nathavin, letting it rest there for a second before facing her again. “Goryn, surely you can’t,” she was cut off as a ghostly finger was brought to her lips.
Her eyes opened wide as his head lowered to her own and the wind picked up once more as it carried his voice faintly within it. “Eva sent me to you this final time to help you. Trust him Caellia.” The winds began to blow harder, sending dust and leaves scattering across the small clearing, when it settled Goryn was gone. Caellia stood still; her eyes were back to their normal cerulean blue as she thought about what Goryn had said. Trust Nathavin he’d said, how could she though? She turned to face Nathavin and regarded him silently for a few minutes.
Nathavin had watched the entire episode in slight shock. Caellia had actually called one of the dead back into this realm for a few brief moments. That feat was almost impossible to achieve, even the most skilled magicians had trouble with it. Yet she had done it with ease. He was curious what Goryn had spoken to her, it was obvious he had communicated with her, but Nathavin had not been close enough to hear the soft words on the wind. Whatever had been said had been about him he was sure. Why else would Caellia be studying him so hard? He was further shocked when Caellia suddenly turned her eyes to the side and dropped her head down slightly. “Caellia?” He began to question.
“I,” her voice trembled as she fought past her pride, “I will no longer run from you.” Goryns’ spirit had said to trust Nathavin; she would do so for now.
Nathavin’s eyes narrowed, that was unexpected. “You will no longer run from me?” He stepped closer to her. He was now within arms reach of her. “You are to be my queen Caellia, are you sure you don’t wish to run?” He took another step closer, now invading her personal space. She trembled but did not bolt, although it was easy to see she wanted to badly.
“I will not run from you.” She dared not meet his eyes. She didn’t want to know what she’d find in them.
He stared down at the top of her head before turning swiftly around, “We must leave quickly then. Dark is approaching and we must reach the stronghold before night falls.” He listened as Caellia dutifully fell in step behind him. “Keep up Caellia, the mahum tribe can be quite nasty at night.”
“Don’t worry about my ‘keeping up’ Nathavin.” She spat violently. “Just make sure you don’t slow me down.” She then cast her spell for swiftness and purposefully tread on the back of his heel for emphasis. She moved swiftly out of the way as he turned suddenly to face her. She met his gaze head on and held it.
She had done that on purpose. He glared hard at her and was relieved when she returned the glare evenly. Wondering to himself once again why he should feel relief at all when it concerned her, he quickly downed a potion and once more began to head back to the stronghold. This time at a pace more suited to her.
As they ran Caellia thought to herself. Goryn’s spirit had said she should trust Nathavin, but how far? Nathavin’s ultimate goal was the destruction of her people. Asadars’ goal was the same. Why then should she trust one over the other? They were both just as bad. She shook her head to herself. No, she doubted that Nathavin would ambush one of his own over a disagreement on power. He’d confront them openly about it. He wouldn’t have the need to be so underhanded. She sighed to herself, why did she get caught up in this? She fell back slightly and watched as he killed any of the mahum tribe that dared to attack them. As she watched, she paid attention to how quick the bowstring was pulled back then released, the near perfect aim, the way his muscles moved under the armor. She halted running so fast she nearly fell down. Where in Aden did those thoughts come from?
Nathavin turned to face her when he heard her nearly fall down. She was standing still with a shocked expression. Curious, he approached her, only to stop when she snapped her gaze up to him. Would she run?
Caellia immediately stomped on those traitorous thoughts. Never would she think those again. Never. She turned her gaze on Nathavin as he approached her and whispered darkly, “I’m fine, lets’ continue.” Never would he know what she had thought, not ever.
He watched her several seconds longer before turning to continue. Something was not right with her. She was upset over something and he had the strangest feeling that she was upset with herself.
I'm loving this story, and I've seen her writing style improve alot to!
I gave you a 5 star rating, I think you deserve it!
Your story has hooked me, and I'm glad to, it's very well writen, and should be put to book; seriously.
I'd totally agree with dendro, you've done a great story, and I can't wait to see more of it. I liked how she was forced to kill einao, but I wish she canted and didn't.
I feel a bit ackword that Dion lord hasn't been mentioned(since they should be passing tho his land), and that asakon lived from Nathath's arrow.
Also I'd like for you to imcorperate the Necros into your story. Hell I'd love to collaberate with you and write some to.
Thank You! Thank You for all of your support for the story. I have also felt that it reads like a paperback book and honestly had no idea that it would turn out to be this long. But the more I write the more I feel needs to happen and be explained for it to truly become a well rounded and balanced story with meaning and a decent, believable, and workable plot. It's become a bit more of a romance yes, but I want it to be able to be read by those who don't normally like romances as well as those who do.
I'd had no real intentions of it becoming a romance actually at first and then decided to go ahead and make it one since Caellia and Nathavin seemed to fit pretty well together. I debated long and hard about killing Einao, he was such a good character but in order to build Caellia's character more I felt that I had to have her do something she really did not want to do.
My husband has also suggested that I submit it to be published. Don't know about that one though. ::shudders at the image of dealing with attorneys and publishing companies::
I was going to mention Dion, but felt that I really needed to get her to Giran first seeing as on my server at least Giran is where things always seem to be happening. The Dion Lord will be mentioned, just a little later when both her and Nathavin pass through there.
I'll definitely work on incorporating the Necro's/Cat's into the story. :cool:
Once again, thank you for the support and the 5 star rating! Suggestions and comments are always welcome! :D
Dammit! I saw that there was a page 5 and thought you'd written more!!! I'm going nuts waiting!!! :mad: :D
I love how he talks down to her calling her "Little One" and even by her class "Silver Ranger," but you know in his head they're practically terms of endearment at this point. I was very sad that Einao died, but he had too. She'd be just another princess if she forgave him. If she's going to be ANYONE's queen...even just to the LEs, she has to be strong enough to make the tough decisions.
Great story!! Keep it up! Call that publisher!! :p
Caellia stared quietly into the campfire Nathavin had started, trying to ignore the smell of the strider nearby. Nathavin had not spoken to her since they had left Goryn’s burial place. That suited her just fine. She didn’t feel inclined to talk to him either. A cool breeze sent a shiver down her spine as she drew her arms closer to her chest. She jumped as a bolt of lightening zipped across the sky followed closely by a clap of thunder. Caellia glanced at the strider as it growled it’s displeasure at the coming rainstorm.
“We will have to sleep indoors.” Nathavin quietly mentioned as he began to douse the fire.
Caellia just nodded mutely, she did not like the idea of being back in the stronghold building with him, but what else could she do? As she stood up and began to make her way to the door the heavens opened up and the downpour began. Large, fat drops of rain splattered to the ground, soaking everything they touched. Caellia gave a slight startled shriek and quickly ran the rest of the way to the building. The rain was so hard that it still soaked her even though she had not been far from the door of the building.
Nathavin rushed inside a few steps after Caellia and watched as she began to wring the moisture out of her hair. Her armor was wet and she was beginning to shiver slightly from the cold air in the building. He deftly avoided the spray of water as she flung her hair over her left shoulder and began to wring it out again. His lips twisted into a wry smile as he caught the faint curses she was muttering not quite under her breath. Apparently she hated getting wet in a rainstorm.
Caellia turned back to face Nathavin and caught him staring at her. “What are you looking at dark one?” She asked irritably as she fought to keep from shivering in the chilly air.
“You.” Nathavin answered with one eyebrow raised amusedly. He continued to watch as she struggled with her hair and top armor. He swore lightly to himself as he noticed that her armor now resembled a second skin and the short silver plated skirt clung to her legs as water dripped down from it and made shiny paths down her legs.
So he found this funny, wretched male. “Well instead of watching me, go make yourself useful and use your ‘superior’ eyesight to find a blanket.” Caellia venomously spat as she turned away from him and continued to finger comb through her hair.
“Watch your tone Princess.” His eyes narrowed in anger as he watched her turn away from him, dismissing him, and yet at the same time providing him a moment to view her unobserved.
“Well your eyesight is better than mine isn’t it?” She sarcastically asked him. “And there is nothing wrong with my tone.” She huffed angrily as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to get warm since there was no fire and no place to build one inside the building.
“Why are you deliberately trying to anger me, Princess?” Nathavin asked, fighting to keep his temper reined in. “I have no desire to argue with you tonight.” He was loath to admit just what his desires were and forced himself to turn away from her.
“I’m not deliberately trying to anger you.” Liar, Caellia thought to herself, you are trying to anger him. Caellia turned back to face him but found him turned away from her. Much better, she thought to herself. His close scrutiny of her had made her nervous.
“Do not lie to me, little one. You are a pitiful liar.” Nathavin turned back around and faced her. He struggled to keep his eyes from wandering as she stood there unaware of his problem, perhaps she had the right idea after all and he should go find some blankets.
Caellia grit her teeth and closed her eyes in frustration, “Do not call me ‘little one’ Nathavin. Or is it you who’s trying to anger me?” She opened her eyes and watched him curiously when he didn’t immediately answer her. What was wrong with him? He seemed to be grappling with an inner conflict of some kind and had not paid her the least bit of attention.
She tried to understand what was going through his head. However she found she could not fathom what might be wrong with him. She had no experiences to draw on to find the solution to the current situation. Although she strongly suspected that she had somehow caused him to react this way, she had no idea why.
Goryn was the first male she’d had any real involvement with. But she had never seen him react to her in this way, if he had he’d never let her know about it. He’d always been the perfect gentlemen. As the minutes slowly crept by and still no response from Nathavin, she began to feel uncomfortable and started to edge backwards.
Nathavin was brought back to his senses as she took a step away from him. Frowning, he watched as she took another step away.
“Nathavin, are you alright?” She hesitantly asked, not really wanting to set his temper off. Her brows were furrowed in light concern as he frowned at her. Her heart was pounding with both fear and excitement. The fear she understood, but why was she excited? She nervously shifted away from him as he took a step to her.
He watched her as she took another step back and pondered her question. Could she really be that innocent? Were the light elves so rigid in their standards that they did not discuss certain things? If so that was extremely dangerous. She began to take several steps away from him, “Don’t move.” If she ran now, his dark blood would insist he catch her.
He cursed Shillien for his bloods weakness. Dark elven males were driven by powerful instincts to chase down and dominate females that the dark blood claimed was theirs. A dark elven female would know this and not run from him, she would instead wait out the episode if she did not wish to be with him. Caellia did not know this and there was a high probability that she would run from him.
Caellia watched as his muscles tightened even more under his wet armor. She took a brief moment to actually look at his armor. It had to be extremely uncomfortable when wet. Her eyes continued to rather innocently study the armor as she figured she would most likely be the one to go find blankets. His rather sharp intake of breath drew her attention back to his eyes and she froze. Whatever she had done was pushing him over some unseen edge. “Nathavin?”, she began.
“Don’t speak, and don’t run.” He growled lowly, her innocent inspection of him had nearly shattered his control. “Just stay there and turn your eyes away from me.” His voice was shaking slightly with the effort he was putting forth to stay away from her. He began to concentrate on how uncomfortable his wet armor was in a desperate bid to take his mind off of her.
Caellia didn’t argue and turned her face away from him. He was frightening her and she knew that now was not the time to argue with him. Whatever inner struggle he was battling against, he was close to losing. She stood silently before him for a moment or two with her head turned to the side. Desperate to diffuse the situation, she slowly knelt down before him. Perhaps that would appease him and end this situation.
He watched as she slowly knelt down, keeping her eyes averted from him. He watched her in silence while his dark blood slowly came under control. After several long minutes he finally spoke. “Go upstairs and do not come back down. I will find something for you to cover up with and will toss it up to the balcony. You are not to come back down tonight at all and I will not go up there. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” she hesitated before continuing, “my Lord.” Her pride revolted at calling him her Lord, but she somehow knew that for tonight at least, she needed to watch her step around him.
“Get up and go, now.” He quickly turned away from her and walked into the dark recesses of the building as she scurried up to the balcony. It wasn’t long before he came upon several thread bare blankets and tossed two up to the balcony. “Dry off with one and rest with one.” He grimaced slightly at the mental image his next words caused him, “Your armor should be dry enough to wear by morning.” He laughed to himself as he heard her freeze upon hearing his words.
Caellia stood rooted in place as she realized she would have to remove her armor for the night or risk getting sick. She couldn’t do that! Not with him in the same building! “No, I won’t remove my armor with you here.” She didn’t even realize she had whispered out loud and was startled when he answered her.
“I will not allow you to make yourself sick Caellia. You will remove that wet armor and let it dry overnight. Or do you wish me to remove it for you.”
Caellia stared at the floor aghast, he was serious! She quickly made sure he wasn’t watching her and stripped down, leaving only the essentials in place and dried off. She then covered herself with the dry blanket before balling up the wet one and flinging it as hard as she could over the railing. She gave a satisfied smirk as she heard it strike its intended target and settled down in a corner as she heard him grunt slightly before returning to his own tasks.
I don't need to reread anything and you should learn some manners. I took your first post lightly, but this last one is rude. Maybe you just don't understand the tension that was building between the two of them...then you'd understand why I wanted her to run, no matter what she promised. I won't get into a ridiculous debate with you over this b/c you don't seem to understand what I mean, so feel free to keep posting, but my posts will remain on-topic. TY
Also, before you harp on someone else to pay attention, get the character's name right once, will you? It's NATHAVIN .
I deeply apologize for being so late with this. I've been rather busy of late with various clan and real life issues. I've brought cookies for everyone! ::passes out dish of cookies::
On to the story!
**********
Asadar glared mercilessly at his top advisor Hontas. He wanted Caellia and he wanted her now! It had been weeks since their defeat by Nathavin’s forces at the crossroads. “You will send messengers to the following people requesting their help in capturing Goddard. King Therus of Giran, King Rayiss of Innadril, Queen Aldana of Dion, and King Tonan of Gludio. If they do not want their taxes increased ten fold they will help us capture Goddard and rid the land of that filth Nathavin and the entire elven race.”
“What of Oren sire?” Hontas nervously asked.
“I have placed my second in control over Oren. He has established himself very well since he has been placed there and reports that no one is the wiser over Goryn’s death.”
“But sire what of the light elves? They have pulled their forces from Aden and have denounced you of being worthy of leadership. There are rumors that they have even requested the help of those Kings and Queen for your removal.” Hontas scrambled backward as Asadar rounded on him.
“They will never remove me!” Asadar strode angrily toward Hontas and lifted the poor bishop by his brilliant blue robes and violently tossed him to the ground. “The other Kings would be fools to help the light elves! I rule this land! Everything in it belongs to me!”
Hontas could only look at Asadar dazedly as the crazed King continued to rant maniacally. He very much prayed that Caellia remain with Nathavin, she didn’t deserve to be bound to Asadar. He flinched as Asadar once again picked him up by his robes and cried out in pain as he was shoved into the wall with his feet dangling two hands width off the floor as Asadar held him up.
“You will find out what the light elves are planning! You will report back to me and only me what you find out.” Asadar leaned in closer, “Don’t fail me Hontas. It would be most…unfortunate.” He sneered at Hontas before dropping him roughly to the ground and storming off.
Hontas stayed still on the floor for some time as he pondered his sanity for staying with Asadar. If only he wasn’t so afraid. He would have left Asadar long ago if he could have only worked up the nerve. He openly admitted to himself, and had for quite some time, that he only served Asadar out of fear for his life.
*****
Caellia sighed and stared into the distance wistfully. How she longed to roam the lands freely once more. Ever since she and Nathavin had returned to Goddard she hadn’t been left alone at all. Their trip back had been uneventful and she wondered why he felt the need to have her under constant guard. She had kept her word and had never attempted to flee the castle, so why was he keeping her so closely guarded? Her birthday had come and gone with only herself and Kattath to celebrate it, and the ever present guards of course.
She turned to face the castle and watched as many orcs and dark elves prepared striders for the trip to Rune Harbor. She faintly wrinkled her nose as she remembered Kattath informing her that she would be traveling with Nathavin to Rune to catch a boat that would take them near his homelands. Caellia really wasn’t concerned with traveling with Nathavin as much as she was riding the striders. Nathavin had been being fairly civil toward her of late, when he was around the castle at all.
The rumor about the castle was that he attempting to increase his strength by going on a grueling and highly dangerous quest. The only information she had been able to find out about this quest was that only a very few of the dark elven archers had ever completed it. If Nathavin completed it he would then join the ranks of elite dark elven archers, ghost sentinels they called themselves. He stayed in contact with the castle by magical means with Kattath, but was rarely at the castle.
Caellia twitched slightly and turned to face the Shillien knight as he stepped closer to her than she would have liked. “It is time to go Caellia,” he ordered in a rough voice.
“Go where?” Caellia questioned. She looked back to the striders, they still weren’t ready yet and she had not been informed of anywhere she needed to be tonight before they left the castle.
“You will find out when we get there. For now, follow me.” The guard then turned around and walked brusquely away.
Caellia sighed irritably and followed him, glaring stonily at his dark green armored back. They walked through the castle and into a small space off to the side of the main throne room. Kattath, along with a few other females were already in the room and waiting patiently. As Caellia passed through the doorway the guard stepped back outside and closed the door. “What is going on?” Caellia asked nervously as Kattath began to pull white fabric out of a box.
“We must begin to make preparations for the wedding ceremony.” Kattath began.
Another dark elven female continued, “Lord Nathavin wishes for the two of you to be wed when you come back from our homelands.”
Caellia ground her teeth in frustration. “Where is he?”
Kattath looked at Caellia. A pure white aura was building around her, not a good sign. She would need to interrupt this before it got too far. Nathavin had related to her what had almost happened in the stronghold building weeks before. It was one of the reasons why he rarely stayed at the castle while Caellia was there. “Caellia,” Kattath said in a warning voice, “it will do you no good and quite possibly a great deal of harm to challenge him on this matter.” She needed to get Caellia to back off. The girl had no concept of what her continual challenges and her inevitable fleeing from him, to Nathavin’s authority were doing to him. Things had been peaceful at the castle recently because Nathavin had been gone more often than he stayed. He’d taken great pains to do and say nothing that would potentially anger Caellia, although he’d done that at Kattath’s request since Caellia had no idea how her challenges affected him.
“Where is he?” repeated Caellia angrily. How dare he do this? How dare he not discuss this with her? She might’ve agreed not to run from him, she may even have agreed to trade her life for Goryn’s, but she had never agreed for him to decide for her when she would marry him!
“Caellia!” Kattath commanded, “You will not interrupt Nathavin at this time.” She hated this; she did not wish to give Caellia an order like she would a common prisoner. The girl had become a friend to Kattath, but she had to learn that one did not interrupt Nathavin and expect to walk away unscathed. This went double for Caellia all things considered. She grabbed Caellia’s arm and pulled her to the fitting stool and practically pushed her on it as the other women surrounded her and began the process of fitting her for her wedding dress. “Besides, this will be far more fun!” she said with a mischievous gleam in her eye.
Caellia watched Kattath as she said this and became instantly worried. Far more fun for whom she wondered? Her anger with Nathavin was forgotten as she concentrated on making sure Kattath and the other women kept the dress appropriate and not revealing.
*****
“Caellia is being fitted for her dress now, my Lord.” Caellia’s guard spoke respectfully.
“Good. See to it that when she is done that she gets to the striders on time.” Nathavin absently replied as he continued reading the report in his hand. He had requested that his top advisors discover how Caellia had managed to summon Goryn’s spirit back to the realm of the living so easily. Their findings were inconclusive. A few of them suggested that she was simply far more powerful than first believed, two more thought that she had said an incantation that was unknown to them. Only one had suggested that it was simply a matter of the strength of her faith in Eva that had allowed her to call upon Goryn. None of them though could guarantee that any of those were the correct conclusion. He set the scroll back down and walked to the window and looked out over the courtyard.
Caellia had been occupying his thoughts more of late. Even when he’d been gone on his self imposed quest she was never far from his thoughts. She was the only person who had ever dared to openly defy him aside from rival kings and lords. He wished to know how she had so easily conjured Goryn back to this realm. He wished to know why she harbored such a hatred for the dark elven race. Yes, he knew the dark elves had helped her people to harbor that hatred, but what of Caellia herself?
He didn’t understand her at all. The few times that they’d met in the castle when he’d return they had been overly cautious around one another, dancing delicately around one another at Kattath’s bidding. He both looked forward to, and yet despised, the trip to his homelands. It meant constant contact with Caellia. This was both good and bad. Good because he could study her longer, bad because he wasn’t sure if his control would be strong enough if she challenged him and ran again.
Wow.. such an awesome story. You are great storyteller.. heads down! And i must say the same as rest of us - more more more :) *found another thread to fallow*
<3<3<3<3
Caellia breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way back to her rooms. She’d fought a mighty battle against Kattath and the other females to keep the wedding dress decent. In the end she had won and the dress was appropriate, but it was a hard won battle and she was eager to get some rest in private. She took a quick look at the guard behind her, if only she could escape him for a few hours. Caellia shook her head slightly, no she couldn’t do that. Nathavin would most likely see that as an attempt to escape the castle rather than just an attempt to get some privacy.
As she rounded the last corner on the way to her rooms she came to an abrupt halt. Nathavin was standing by a locked door near hers. She’d never seen anyone go near that door. Curious, she watched as he withdrew a key, unlocked the door and disappeared inside.
Her guard watched her with a highly amused expression. Apparently she had never realized her rooms were adjacent to Nathavin’s. In truth there was a door that connected the two sets of rooms together. It was kept locked on Nathavin’s side so that unless he unlocked it she couldn’t open it. It would simply appear to be a locked closet door from her side. He wondered if she would come up with the correct answer for the locked door if he gave her a hint. Smirking, he leaned closer to her and whispered darkly, “Nathavin’s preparing for the trip.” He laughed softly when she tensed.
“Those are Nathavin’s rooms?” Caellia’s voice was nearly a squeak. She took the slight laugh as confirmation and began to shake slightly. She’d had no idea his rooms were so close to hers.
She jumped when her guard said, quite loudly, “Come Caellia, you must prepare for the journey to Rune.”
Caellia snapped around to face him. He was just looking at her with an eyebrow arched. He had done that on purpose to announce her presence to Nathavin, she knew it! She raised her own eyebrow at him and defiantly lifted her chin. She would play his little game for now. Before she could say anything, Nathavin emerged from his room.
“Caellia.” He greeted her. Nathavin turned his grey eyes on the guard questioningly, why had the guard so obviously alerted him that Caellia was near? He frowned as the guard simply stood there with a slight smirk on his face. His attention was drawn back to Caellia as she began to speak.
“Nathavin,” Caellia began, “surely you don’t allow your guards to so blatantly disrupt the peaceful rest of others by obviously alerting everyone when a guest is about to enter their rooms?” She heard the guard shift uncomfortably behind her as Nathavin’s gaze swung from her to him.
So, the guard had decided to purposely irk her a bit Nathavin concluded. He held back a chuckle and said in a mockingly stern voice, “I most certainly do not. That would earn said guard extra guard duty.” He made sure the guard understood he was not truly angry as he walked up to the guard and behind Caellia’s view and smiled slightly before continuing. “It is in the poorest form for a guard to give a needless alert.” He smirked slightly, “You will be given extra duty…” He paused for the guard to supply his name before continuing.
“Faeraonar,” replied the guard.
“Faeraonar, you will be given double shifts guarding Caellia beginning tomorrow. You are dismissed. I will take over from here.” He ignored Caellia’s startled gasp as he awaited Faeraonar’s response.
Caellia stared at Nathavin in shock. Surely he couldn’t mean to watch her tonight! She wanted some peace tonight before the journey to Rune! She was so stunned she barely heard the guard’s, Faeroanar’s reply.
“As you command my Lord.” Faeraonar bowed lowly to Nathavin before rising and taking his leave. He took one last look at Caellia and fought back a laugh, this was not what the young princess had envisioned taking place.
Caellia watched as the guard disappeared down the hallway. She wished she were going with him. Caellia briefly wondered how far she could get down that hallway before Nathavin caught her. Her musing’s were cut short as he gained her attention, almost as if he’d been reading her mind.
“Don’t bother to attempt to outrun me, little one. This is my home and there is nowhere you can run or hide that I don’t know about.”
“Why did you take over guarding me tonight? I thought you would need time to prepare and rest for the journey?” Caellia asked nervously.
Nathavin grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall as he leaned in close to her. “Are you concerned about me Caellia? Surely Shillien must be smiling down upon me if I have earned your concern.”
Caellia struggled futilely in his grasp, “Why would I concern myself with your well being dark one?”
Nathavin leaned in further, so that his breath tickled her sensitive ears, “I am your Lord. I hold your fate, and the fate of your people, in my hand. Should something happen to me, I could not guarantee your or your people’s safety.” He pulled away and looked down upon her shocked face.
“You callous monster! You wouldn’t dare harm me or my people!” Caellia hissed angrily.
“Who said I would harm you? Have you forgotten Asadar that easily?” Nathavin questioned. “I swore I would protect you Caellia. I do not take that vow lightly.” He leaned in once again and rested his forehead on hers.
“I do not want, nor require your protection Nathavin.” Caellia began as she tried to ignore the strange feelings his nearness to her was causing. “Goryn may have asked you to protect me while he was still alive,” her voice caught slightly as she continued, “but he is gone now and you may release yourself of that vow.”
Nathavin fisted his right hand in her hair as he pulled back slightly to better look at her. Curse her for bringing Goryn’s name into this! “I could release myself from that vow true enough. But what if I don’t want to Caellia?” His smoldering eyes bore into hers. “What if I desire to have you by my side and never let another living soul possess you? Because that’s what I want!”
Caellia stammered slightly under the force of his gaze and his words, “Wh..Why? Why Nathavin?” She could hardly think, she felt weak and was afraid she’d no longer be able to stand before long. What was wrong with her?! She could no longer meet Nathavin’s eyes and turned her head slightly to one side to avoid his gaze. However she was forced to turn back to him as he insistently tugged at her hair and forced her to look at him. “Why do you wish that? You have more than made your intentions clear toward me and my people. Why shouldn’t I believe that your goals are no better than Asadars?”
Kattath watched the two silently from the opposite hallway. Caellia had gone right to the heart of the matter. Nathavin had yet to prove to her why she should believe and trust in him. Kattath wondered, what will you tell her Nathavin? She continued to watch as a lone tear made its way down Caellia’s cheek as she continued.
“You’ve promised to bring my people to their knees just like Asadar plans! Why should I believe anything you vow?” Caellia put her hands on Nathavin’s chest and pushed against him with all her strength. “Goryn’s spirit said to trust you. He didn’t say how far or for how long!”
Kattath watched the two closely and opened her senses to see their respective auras. Nathavin’s was shot through with conflicting emotions. Red and pink for passion and love, but also a greenish yellow for anger, jealousy and discord. Caellia’s aura was similar to his. She also had red and pink swirling in her aura, but she also had black mixed in. Black represented sadness and confusion.
Nathavin clenched his jaw as she pushed him away from her slightly. He couldn’t answer her questions and looked away from her. Nathavin didn’t know the answers to them himself. He just knew that the mere thought of her leaving made him uncomfortable. If he released himself from Goryn’s vow she would be free to leave him. Even though he could force her to stay with him by reminding her that she had traded her life for Goryn’s on the battlefield, he no longer wanted to force her to stay, but the thought of her leaving was more painful than he would dare to admit, even to himself.
Tell her Nathavin, Kattath silently urged him. She needs to hear it even if she doesn’t believe it at first. She continued to watch the two unobserved.
“Caellia,” Nathavin turned to face her again, “Asadar will not touch you.” His face turned into a fierce scowl as he continued. “You will be my queen! Even if I released myself from the vow I made to Goryn as he died you would still belong to me! You pledged yourself to me on the battlefield outside Oren. I intend to hold you to that agreement!” His chest constricted painfully at the look on her face.
Caellia watched him with tear filled eyes. He was right. She would always belong to him. She always had belonged to him she thought as she remembered the cursed scrolls. Her long hair covered her face as her head bowed in defeat.
Kattath sighed in frustration. She was going to personally twist Nathavin’s ears soon if he didn’t stop denying what he already knew to be true. She made her presence known but was shocked at the look of pure fury Nathavin shot her way. His aura had gone to a pure, dark purple with gold and silver streamers sparkling throughout. She stood as still as possible, not daring to breathe as she looked into his eyes. They had gone solid black with the intensity of his fury. She had not realized that the dark blood had taken hold of him and had made him more prone to being angry at being disturbed.
“Leave us!” It was not a request, and it was far more than a simple commanding order.
Caellia jumped at his voice. She followed his gaze and saw Kattath standing in the center of the hallway. She had never seen that look on the dark elven females’ face. Kattath was terrified. She looked back at Nathavin and stared in shock. He was furious, no, he was beyond furious. What had caused him to become so angry so quickly? She began to edge away from him, hugging the wall and sliding to his left.
Kattath tried to warn Caellia to be still, “Caellia,” she called softly “be still.” That was too much for Nathavin however.
“Be silent!” He knew he was over reacting. But Kattath’s eavesdropping had pushed him over the edge. She knew better than to listen in on his conversations. He turned his infuriated gaze on Caellia and growled out. “Stay still, I will deal with you momentarily.” He then walked forcefully over to Kattath, “You will never eavesdrop on me again! Is that understood?” His voice had dropped to a deadly whisper.
“Yes, my Lord. As you command.” Kattath dropped into a low, humble bow and stayed there until he dismissed her. As she quickly rose and turned to leave she sent a silent prayer to Shillien to protect Caellia from his wrath, and while she didn’t much care for the Goddess Eva, she sent a quick prayer to her as well.
Caellia watched as Kattath made her hasty exit and wished she could go with her. As she leaned back she realized that she was standing in front of her door. She took a quick glance at Nathavin’s back and made her decision. She grasped the door handle, pushed the door inwards and disappeared inside. Once inside she slammed the bolt home and listened in terror as Nathavin paced slowly toward the door.
“Caellia, open the door now.” Nathavin warned. He waited a beat before continuing, “Open it now!”
Caellia found her voice and shakily managed a reply, “No! Leave me be Nathavin!” She frantically tried to think of an excuse to keep him out. “I must prepare for the journey to Rune.”
“That can wait until we have settled this matter. Unlock this door immediately!”
“No!” Caellia began to look for anything to use as a weapon.
“You little fool! Do you think you can keep me out of a room in my own castle?!” He stormed away to his rooms.
Caellia heard him leave her door and panicked, where was he going? The castle was silent as she waited with baited breath. She knew he hadn’t gone away for long and quickly resumed her search for a makeshift weapon. Caellia was unaware of the slight noise as a door within her room was unlocked. Nor did she hear the near silent footfalls as Nathavin approached her from behind.
“What are you searching for Caellia?” Nathavin silkily asked her.
Caellia jumped up from searching the bottom drawers of a vanity and looked in the mirror to see him standing directly behind her. She had a flashback of him in the small hut, backlit by the lone candle, and shivered in fear. And something else she couldn’t name. “How did you get in here?” she nervously asked.
“I can get into any room in this castle Caellia. There is nowhere within this castle you can hide from me.” He continued to watch her in the mirror for a few seconds more before turning her around to face him. “I gave you a direct order, little one. You were told to stay still, and yet you ran. Why did you defy me?” He fought to regain some semblance of control. He didn’t wish to harm or scare her anymore than he had already.
Caellia couldn’t answer him she was so frightened. As she stood staring at him she was shocked to hear his next words.
“Caellia, I don’t wish to hurt you, but I must know, why did you defy me?” He was in pain, physical pain from defying the pull of the dark blood. His face was contorted with it and his voice couldn’t hide it. He was all but pleading with her to answer his question.
“I…I was afraid.” Caellia stammered quietly. What was wrong with him? He seemed to be in a great deal of pain. “Nathavin,” she began hesitantly, “what’s going on? Why are you in pain?”
“It’s nothing to worry yourself over Caellia. Just do not defy me again. Ever.” He shuddered slightly as he continued to fight the dark bloods pull. “Do not fear me. I have no desire to see you harmed.” He looked into her eyes and for once in his long life allowed another to see his weakness, “Caellia, trust me.”
Caellia sat silently on her strider and reflected on her conversation with Nathavin. ‘Trust me’ he had said. Why had he looked to be in pain? Also, was that worry she had seen in his eyes? She lifted her head slightly and looked ahead and across to her left at Nathavin’s back as their striders ate up the distance to Rune. Sighing, she shook her head. She would never understand dark elves. Caellia gave a speculative glance behind her at Kattath. The woman knew something about Nathavin that she wasn’t telling, and Caellia vowed to learn what she knew. Twice now Kattath had tried to warn Caellia when she pushed too far. Yes, the dark elven female definitely knew something she wasn’t divulging.
Kattath felt a pair of eyes on her and looked toward to Caellia and found the princess watching her. She opened her senses to read Caellia’s aura. Caellia’s aura was light blue and yellow, the colors of sharpened perception, understanding and confidence. The princess was on the verge of understanding, or had already come to understand a significant problem.
Caellia narrowed her eyes at Kattath and gave her a pointed glare, intent on getting the message across that the two of them needed to speak. Kattath nodded her head slightly, the message was received. They would speak tonight when they stopped to rest.
Nathavin cursed as the strider stumbled from its lack of night vision. They would have to stop for the rest of the night. Nathavin looked back to Caellia, only to find that she had already dismounted her strider and was heading straight to Kattath with a very determined look upon her face. He glanced upward at the stars and quickly judged the distance they had put between them and the castle. All things considered, they had put considerable distance between themselves and Goddard. A sharp shout brought his attention back to Kattath and Caellia. They were fussing with a knight over something. Frowning, he approached them.
“I just want to speak with Kattath in private! You do not have to guard me every single moment when I’m with her! Now leave us!” Caellia turned furious eyes to Nathavin. “I will not tolerate this guard following my every step any longer! I have not attempted to escape since I made my vow! Why must my every step be watched?” Her chest heaved with her angry breathing and her eyes flashed dangerously in the moonlight. She had her limits and she’d reached them. Kattath was as good a guard as any one of the knights or blade dancers Nathavin could summon to guard her.
Nathavin looked at the knight, “Your shift doesn’t start until morning. Why are you following the two of them?”
“My Lord, I only wished to ensure that Caellia,” his voice turned bitter as he said her name, “did not attempt to escape again.”
“You do not trust that I can handle one silver ranger alone?” Kattath arched an eyebrow haughtily at the knight.
“You couldn’t handle her when our castle was besieged by Goryn. Why should the situation be any different now?” The knight challenged.
“Enough! Kattath can handle the princess on her own.” Nathavin ignored Caellia’s annoyed huff at being talked about as if she weren’t there. “If she can not, then there is nowhere Caellia can run off to as she is not yet skilled enough to survive this close to the Varka Silenos outpost alone.” Nathavin watched the knight closely, something was out of place. He had ordered that all of the guards being considered to watch Caellia have no deep rooted will to kill light elves. They had to be above that and fiercely loyal to him and him alone to watch her. Nathavin’s eyes narrowed, he would watch this knight closely.
“As you command my Lord.” The knight muttered contemptuously. He caught and held Nathavin’s gaze for a brief moment before he stalked away. Curse Caellia for causing Nathavin to intervene! If only the foolish girl had stayed silent! He seethed silently to himself, he would succeed next time.
Caellia turned to Nathavin, “Do not speak as if I am not present Nathavin. My name is not ‘the princess’.” She glared fiercely at him and was further annoyed when he completely overlooked her again and addressed Kattath instead.
“You will accompany Caellia a bow’s shot length away from the camp, no further.” Nathavin turned to address Caellia, “You have precious little time to discuss whatever it is you wish to speak with Kattath about. I will come to collect the both of you when camp has been properly set.”
“Nathavin, I warn you, do not disregard my presence.” Caellia drew in a deep breath ready to continue but was stopped cold as it became apparent that he had not finished.
“Caellia, I was not disregarding your presence. Indeed, I could never disregard your presence. Nor have I forgotten my discussion with Faeraonar from earlier tonight. I will be watching you the remainder of the night.” Nathavin watched her closely as whatever she had been about to say died on her lips and she stood speechless for a moment.
“Nathavin I really do not require a guard, I will not attempt to run away.”
Kattath watched them quietly, she had been forgotten it seemed. Her heightened senses could tell that Caellia was truthful and sincere in her pledge to not attempt an escape, her aura was white and blue. Would Nathavin allow her to be without a guard?
Nathavin turned to face Caellia and studied her mutely before responding, “Make your discussion quick. The camp is almost set.” He then turned and set off to tend to other, more pressing matters. The strange encounter with the knight was foremost on his mind.
Caellia cursed inwardly and dutifully walked the requested length away from camp and halted. By Antharas he could be infuriating! She huffed angrily and turned to face Kattath and said without preamble. “I know you are withholding information from me regarding Nathavin’s mood of late.”
Ah, so she’s discovered that there’s a reason for his mood swings towards her, Kattath thought to herself. Now, how to explain this? Or, should I explain this? She pouted in concentration as she fought with herself. She made her decision and faced Caellia. “Nathavin is more than he appears to be Caellia. What do you know about our peoples’ histories?”
“I know enough to understand that our parents bound me to him and that there are two scrolls that will confirm that fact.” Caellia watched Kattath closely. The older woman was not comfortable with this discussion.
“I assume you found out about the arrangement recently yes?” Kattath continued at Caellia’s affirmative nod. “Do you remember how surprised you were? How upset and confused you were? You’d been taught all your life to distrust us, to fear us even. Then you find out that you were legally bound in a marriage contract with your most hated nemesis, and by your own parents’ decision no less.” Kattath watched the emotions pass across Caellia’s face. “Nathavin was just as surprised and shocked as you no doubt were. Possibly even more so, until recently he had no idea that he was the rightful heir to the Lordship. He had to fight for it. He’s gotten as far as he has on his own, fighting every step of the way.”
“What has this got to do with his current baffling mood shifts?” Caellia stared hard at Kattath.
“Caellia, I’m saying that he is confused. He is no longer sure his goals and plans are correct, or if they ever were. He is for once uncertain on how to proceed.” That was true enough, he had confided in her that he was no longer sure on how to handle the light elven situation. “His plans have been cast into doubt because of those scrolls. They detail that the alliance forged between our people was to protect both races. Your betrothal to him sealed that arrangement. He now has to make a choice between the two goals…” Kattath frowned as Caellia’s eyes brightened in an apparent revelation. What had she said to cause that?
“That’s it! That’s it!” Caellia clapped her hands excitedly. If he could bring those scrolls before the other Kings of the land to force her to marry him as he had once threatened, then she could also bring those scrolls to their attention and force him to leave her people alone!
Caellia jumped at Nathavin’s voice, “What are you so excited about Caellia?” He’d made arrangements with two of his most trusted guards to watch the strange knight and had completed his inspection of the camp. All that had been left to do was to collect Caellia and Kattath. He hadn’t seen Caellia so enthused over anything and wondered what had caused her reaction. The brilliant, breath taking smile she flashed at him did not ease his mind at all. As a matter of fact, it worried him.
Caellia couldn’t help it; she just couldn’t stop the smile from coming. “It’s nothing really.” Let him wonder for a while, she thought to herself. It’s his turn to be unsure for a change, Caellia thought impishly. Now, how would she deliver the news of her little discovery?
“It’s nothing?” Nathavin repeated skeptically. “If it really is nothing, I’m sure you won’t mind telling me then.” He stood silently watching as Caellia merely gave a delicate snicker and shook her head no. Nathavin watched her for a moment or two longer and finally decided that he’d let it pass for tonight. It was late and they needed to rest. “Follow me Caellia. Our resting place is over this way.”
Kattath nearly chuckled at Caellia’s crestfallen look as she was instantly brought down from her moment of a yet to be known victory. Oh yes, Kattath knew Caellia had discovered something that would aid her in achieving a victory over Nathavin in some way. The girls’ aura hid nothing. She cast a look Nathavin’s way and read his aura. Brown and muted blue, exhaustion. Kattath frowned at him and received a dark glare in return. She sighed silently and looked away, he was still angry with her from earlier it appeared and any suggestions she gave would not be welcomed.
“Nathavin I really do not believe that your watching me is necessary. I can rest near Kattath if you really feel I must be watched.” Caellia was desperate now to put a stop to this nonsense. “There is no reason for you to,” she paused as she thought of her phrasing before she picked back up on the sentence, “trouble yourself with watching over me. I’m sure you have other, more important, matters to tend to.” She watched him hopefully as he stayed silent.
“You won’t be troubling me Caellia, you can be sure of that. Kattath, I believe you need your rest as well.” Nathavin gave Kattath a hard look, while his words indicated a suggestion. His body language implied a direct order. Kattath was to leave immediately.
Caellia frantically turned to face Kattath only to find the woman had already murmured her reply, bowed and was now leaving. She made a soft sound of protest before Nathavin grasped her hand and began to lead her to the resting place in silence.
Caellia watched him closely under lowered lashes. He was leading them away from the other elves and orcs. She had always known he valued his privacy, but had no idea he took it to this extreme. They had already passed the outskirts of the encampment and he still kept walking. “Um, Nathavin,” she began cautiously, “why are we so far from the others?” They had traveled quite a distance from the rest of the camp and Caellia was feeling uneasy about how far away they were from the others.
“I had thought to give us a little more privacy since you are so reluctant to rest near me.” Nathavin couldn’t entirely keep the slight tinge of regret out of his voice.
Now Caellia felt bad. He had gone out of his way for her sake and she had argued like a child with him in front of Kattath. “Thank you,” she softly whispered. She almost thought he hadn’t heard her until he responded equally as soft.
“Your welcome.”
They walked in silence a bit longer until they reached a clearing. Caellia’s breath caught. The clearing was almost perfectly round like the full moon. A stream of water bubbled gently as it created one fourth of the circular border, while tall trees created the rest of the borders. The branches of the trees were full with leaves, yet did not hamper the view of the nighttime sky, full of stars and the full, brightly glowing moon. In the center of the clearing, a warm fire crackled invitingly at her. There were two sets of blankets laid down on opposite sides of the fire. Neither of which she recognized as her own, frowning she asked, “Which one…” she got no further.
“Yours is the one to the right of the fire. The one you had from earlier was not warm enough.” A half truth, he had personally not liked the idea of her sleeping on a blanket that his common soldiers slept on and had ordered this one made.
Caellia glanced again at the blankets and slowly made her way over to them as he set about banking the fire in preparation to sleep. She knelt down and ran her hand over them. They were exceptionally soft and would no doubt be very comfortable. Upon further inspection she saw a pale, fluffy feather poke its way through one of the seams. Kookaburra down? Surely not, that was expensive, far too expensive to make a mere camping blanket out of. She picked the feather up and inspected it closely and gasped softly, it was Kookaburra down. What in Aden is going on, she thought wildly.
Nathavin watched her from the corner of his eye. She had discovered the down and judging from her expression had not expected the blanket to be made from such an expensive material. He continued to surreptitiously watch her as she lay down and was pleased when she quite obviously found the blankets to be comfortable as she heaved a rather deep sigh and fell asleep almost immediately.
After waiting a few minutes, he knelt down by her and softly moved her hair away from her face and just looked at her. Her face was relaxed and peaceful in sleep. There was no outward hint of the strength the young princess held. No outward sign that indicated the sorrows she had recently suffered, both by his hands and Asadars. His plans shifted for the last time. He would protect her and her people, the scrolls be forever cursed. Nathavin would prove himself worthy of her love.
His hand traced lightly over the moon tattoo on her forehead. He’d yet to ask her about it. It seemed to have changed slightly again. He looked closer at it. Yes, it had changed again. The moon was encircling more than half of the flying arrow now. What did it mean?
He didn’t know when he’d fallen in love with her. Perhaps he’d been in love with her from the first moment they met in Giran in the molding and nasty storage building. Or perhaps it was when she had defiantly attacked him in the abandoned stronghold building after learning of Goryn’s death. What he did know, was now that he had her, he was never going to let her go.
“You belong to me Caellia.” He silently told the sleeping princess, she shook her head quietly in her sleep, almost as if she’d heard and had responded in the negative. “Yes you do Caellia. You will never be allowed to leave my side, I shall make certain of that.” Nathavin vowed to the still sleeping princess. His eyes glittered with fierce determination as he stood up and placed a spell around the camp to alert him to any intrusions into the camp or exits from the camp. He then made his way over to his own blankets and lay down for the night.
Caellia awoke the next morning with the sun shining brightly on her face. She blinked sleepily, rose up and looked around the camp. The fire had mostly died, leaving just a few smoldering embers. Resting neatly off to one side to stay warm was a plate of food. She glanced swiftly around the camp as she made her way to the plate. Where was Nathavin?
Sighing softly, she began to eat as she continued to look around the site. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she focused on the spot they had entered the camp from last night. Once finished with her food, she stretched lightly and gauged the position of the sun. It was already midmorning; they would need to hurry to make it to Rune Harbor on time. Caellia chanted her spell for swiftness and walked to the ‘entrance’ of the clearing, and came to an abrupt and wholly unexpected halt as she crashed into the protective barrier Nathavin had cast the night before.
She ran her hands lightly in front of her to feel out the barriers location since she couldn’t see it. Caellia traced it all the way around the camp, her anger rising with every step. He was forcing her to stay here!? Caellia forced her anger to the side and tried to think calmly as she contemplated how she could get out of the barrier.
“How did you rest last night?” Nathavin stepped into the clearing followed closely by Kattath. They had both witnessed Caellia attempting to leave the barrier. He stood quietly waiting for Caellia’s response as Kattath busied herself around the camp.
Kattath watched both auras flare at the sudden meeting. Caellia’s however caught her attention. The girl was hurt, confused, and distraught. Why would she feel that way? Nathavin had only put the barrier up to protect her. The barrier, that had to be it. Kattath stayed silent for now however, she had no intentions of angering Nathavin again. She would mention it to him later.
Caellia looked at Nathavin for long moments before replying tersely. “I slept fine.” She had been going to thank him for the Kookaburra blankets, but she was just too angry at him for setting a barrier to keep her here to do that now. “Why did you force me to stay here?” She asked curtly, trying with all her might to keep her anger under control. Caellia had seen what he could do when angered or provoked and had no wish to be on the receiving end of his temper. She fully understood now that she had not yet been the recipient of his full fury and had no intentions of ever being the recipient of it.
Kattath could see that Caellia was reining in her temper. The young princess was learning to gauge her battles with Nathavin. Caellia was testing his temper before she launched her verbal assault. This was a good skill to learn since she was going to be bound to him and would need to be able to judge his moods accurately. It would also help her to judge other moods as well, not just when he was going to be easily angered.
He released the barrier and watched as it flashed out of existence. It had been there for her protection but she obviously had come to the wrong conclusion. “The barrier was meant to protect you nothing more.” At her disbelieving look he explained further. “The barrier prevented anyone and anything from entering it unless I wished them to. It also prevented you from leaving when I was not within its confines as well. The purpose was not to trap you Caellia, but to protect you.”
Caellia did not know what to think. She shook her head confusedly, “Do not trouble yourself with protecting me Nathavin. I don’t need it.”
His irritation began to rise swiftly with her constant refusals of not needing protection. “Kattath, see to it that everyone is prepared to leave soon.” He watched as Kattath nodded at him silently and made her way out of the camp, taking their blankets with her. “Caellia, when will you accept the truth? You do need my protection. Even now Asadar plans on taking you from me. His spies are everywhere and I will not lose you to him.”
“Asadar will not be able to capture me Nathavin, not like he did last time. I can slip through Oren territory unobserved and be back in my homeland within a week if I travel alone with no one to slow me down.” Caellia didn’t like the way Nathavin twitched slightly at the last part of her sentence. Perhaps she shouldn’t have mentioned being slowed down.
“Caellia you will have my protection whether you want or not.” He crossed his arms over his chest and dared her to defy him.
The words flew from her mouth before she could stop them, “Goryn didn’t mean for you to…” Caellia got no further as she found herself shoved roughly against a tree.
“Goryn has nothing to do with this! Goryn is dead Caellia!” Why did she continue to bring him up?! “You belonged to me well before you met Goryn Caellia, remember that.”
Caellia’s own temper rose several notches at both his words and the harsh, almost growling way he said them. How dare he say Goryn had nothing to do with this? Her hands came up to his chest and pushed violently. “Goryn may be dead Nathavin but his spirit is still with me! I may technically belong to you Nathavin but make no mistake, I will always love Goryn!” Caellia’s breath hitched in her throat as Nathavin’s eyes went coal black. Curse her temper! Fear flooded her veins as they stared at one another in silent challenge.
Kattath’s words came back to haunt her. ‘It will do you no good and quite possibly a great deal of harm to challenge him.’ She remembered how she had calmed him down before by turning her head to the side slightly. Caellia swallowed nervously and tilted her head to the side. As she began to lower herself into a bow she was stopped by his low, growling voice.
“Run.”
“Why?” Caellia whispered in terror. “Nathavin…”
“I said run girl! I told you to never defy me again! Now you will understand why!” His dagger flashed in his hand and became embedded in the tree to the left side of her head. “You will run, and I will catch you!” He whispered darkly into her left ear.
Caellia wasted no time and bolted away from him, fear coursing through her veins. Eva help her, what had she done?!
High Priest Asterios looked upon the peaceful village the light elves called home and sighed. How could things have gone so wrong? Goryn had gotten Caellia back from the dark elves but had died due to Asadars' treachery. Once again, Caellia was in Nathavin’s possession. He had already sent out a rescue party for her. However, he was uncertain as to whether they would be successful or not. Nathavin’s forces were powerful, far more powerful than their own. Asterios had sacrificed the village’s safety sending so many of their army to the dark elven homelands, but it was a necessary risk that had to be taken. Caellia had reached her 610th year she was no longer their princess, but their Queen now.
Asterios thought back to his younger days, the days before he had served Lord Erenor. The days when the decision was made to destroy the dark elven lands with the curse. He had believed that there was no other way then, he had only been 200 years old and had readily accepted his mission. He had crossed into the dark elven lands with a small force of fighters and together they had unleashed the curse upon the lands. A single tear fell from his eye as he remembered watching the once green, lush landscape turn brown and deadened almost immediately as the curse spread.
They had then fled back to their homeland and were touted as heroes for many years as war raged between the races. Gradually, their fame faded as one by one his comrades on that fateful mission fell beneath the blades of dark elves. Asterios, in fear for his life, shed his armor and disappeared for many years. When he returned he gained favor of Lord Erenor and became his top advisor. He had foolishly believed that there would be no mention again of the curse placed upon the dark elven lands. That was when the threat to both races rose up and Lord Erenor went to the dark elves to establish an alliance.
Asterios’ head hung in shame. His actions from so long ago had hurt so many, his arrogance, indeed the arrogance of his own race at the time had condemned Caellia to be hunted by Nathavin. Asterios had been aware of Nathavin’s existence, he had even known of the existence of the lost scrolls and yet, he had refused to inform Caellia. She was so young when her parents died. Asterios, when he finally told her how and why her parents died, had thought the young princess would never recover from the blow. He had been afraid to tell her about the scrolls, and Nathavin.
Throughout the years of her training Asterios had held off on mentioning anything to her regarding her situation. Even when he received news of Nathavin gaining almost immeasurable power in the northern lands, still Asterios had kept silent. Then there were the frequent raids from roaming bandits that necessitated the marriage between Caellia and Goryn. How had it all gone so horribly wrong?
He glanced towards the sky as a strong wind blew across the guarded balcony overlooking the center of the small village, rustling the leaves of the sacred Mother Tree as it passed. If he had told Caellia just how much danger she had been in, he was sure she would have been far more cautious. He had failed her. They had all failed her, but most of all he had failed her. He had been entrusted to rule in her place until she reached her 610th year. They had lost her mere days before her birthday and to a dark elf no less, their most hated enemy.
“High Priest, Queen Aldana of Dion and King Therus of Giran are here to see you. There is also a human named Hontas here as well although he would not say where he is from.” Sentinel Alberius finished with an air of supreme irritation. The skinny human bishop was annoying, refusing to answer the most basic of questions. He had simply repeated his name and that he must speak with the High Priest immediately.
“Send in Queen Aldana and King Therus immediately, Hontas will have to wait.” Asterios commanded. He turned away from Alberius and collected his thoughts, what he was about to ask was not going to be easy. He walked back inside the temple and took his place at the head and dismissed the trainers for the day. As they filed out of the temple, Queen Aldana and King Therus entered. He waited a beat before beginning, “Welcome to our humble village King Therus of Giran, and Queen Aldana of Dion. I thank you for coming on such short notice and regret that our meeting is due to such dire circumstances.”
“Please, let us dispense with formalities Asterios. I for one do not care for them in my own court and would feel more comfortable if you would just call me Aldana.” The Queen of Dion spoke decisively as her hand punctuated her speech. She shook her short blonde hair as she adjusted her form fitting black armor. “It serves no purpose and clutters matters with irrelevant speech.”
“I agree, let us discuss these ‘dire circumstances’ you mention.” King Therus rumbled. “I did not come all this way to engage in meaningless word play. I have a very busy township to oversee and would prefer to return as soon as possible.”
“As you wish,” Asterios bowed politely to them both. “I have called upon the two of you to request your aid in retrieving Queen Caellia from Lord Nathavin of the dark elves,” he paused slightly and stared at both of them as he delivered the final part of his sentence, “I also request your aid in defending this village from King Asadar of Aden.”
Aldana was the first to regain her voice, “You wish us help you with two battles?”
Therus shook his head, “We can help with one or the other, but not both. Why do you believe you need protection from King Asadar?”
Asterios sighed and began to fill them in on the treachery committed by Asadar.
There is also a human named Hontas here as well although he would not say where he is from.” Sentinel Alberius finished with an air of supreme irritation. The skinny human bishop was annoying, refusing to answer the most basic of questions. He had simply repeated his name and that he must speak with the High Priest immediately.
he mite be a bishop, but a necro in discise.
A ninja never says they are a ninja till after your dieing.
Caellia swung around the nearest tree and flattened herself against its sturdy trunk and took a good look at her surroundings. There was nothing but trees in every direction, and although she knew that she was roughly paralleling its path, she had lost track of the road long ago. She steadied her breathing and concentrated as she focused her sensitive hearing, listening for her pursuer.
Twice she had thought she had lost him only to be surprised when he turned up behind her. She had figured out that he would parallel her own course for a time before getting ahead of her and waiting before striking. She had since begun doubling back on her own trail, always mindful to stay headed in the same direction as the road. Caellia had no idea if Kattath and the others knew what was happening or not, or if they had even continued on to Rune. Since Nathavin had told her to run she had not seen anyone at all. Nor had she seen any of the local creatures in the area, which suggested that someone knew of the situation and was creating a ‘safe’ zone for the chase. Her thoughts scattered as an arrow pierced a nearby leaf before landing with a solid thunk on the tree opposite of the one she was currently leaning on.
“You have no time to spare resting Caellia. I told you to run, and I will tell you when to stop!” Nathavin strung another arrow and took aim again as Caellia shot from her resting spot. “Too slow!” Nathavin roared at her as he released the arrow and watched it graze her calf as she ran. “The next one will bring you down if you aren’t quicker than that!” He downed a vial of green potion before setting off at very quick run, he intended on running her to the ground this day. She would not defy him ever again. He hadn’t wanted to take this method with her, but it seemed he had little choice in the matter. He only hoped his control would hold when he finally caught her.
Caellia cursed in every language she knew as she felt the arrow graze her right calf. She continued to dash through the trees, the leaves whipping her face as she passed. Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut when it came to him? Caellia ignored the pain shooting through her leg and continued to run. Her only hope now was to outrun him and hide until she could find a weapon of her own.
*****
“Look at all th' loot! We picked a fine one thet time!” The rowdy human, a treasure hunter by trade, yelled to his companions. He continued to paw through the satchel the unfortunate orc had dropped upon his death. “He even dropped a blood to'nado edge fo' us!” He looked up in surprise as a short, fat dwarf snatched the satchel away from him, “Whut? Hey!” he called out in irritated confusion.
“I got 'im ter drop that so it's mine!” The short but stout little dwarf huffed at the human while brandishing his bloodied axe threateningly.
“Enough of that, we will divide the loot evenly once we reach Rune as we agreed.” The third member of the group stood up and grasped her bow. The female human stalked over to the human male, “I will dispose of him now, be patient,” she whispered in his ear. She then next turned to the dwarf and in an amazing transformation, sauntered towards him, her hips swaying rhythmically. She gave a twisted smirk, the dwarven male could only stare in fascination as she slowly made her way to him. She bent down low and leaned in close to him. “Come with me, we will leave him here to die. He thinks that I’m going to kill you now, but it is he who will die.”
The dwarf raised his eyes from her attributes and gave a sly bearded grin. “Oh yor a clever one after me own 'eart. I knew there were a reason why I kept yer 'round.”
The archer chuckled, “I thought you kept me around for an entirely different reason.”
“Well that too me dear, that too,” he conceded with a lustful look at her. They headed away together to a safer area, content with leaving their companion to die alone when the comrades of the fallen orc tracked him down.
*****
Kattath listened to the report of the fallen orc they had sent out as part of a trio to help keep Caellia safe. The crooks had no idea what they had just done. “You are certain there are only three of them correct?”
“Yes, we have ascertained their position and we can eliminate them with a minimal force. Five would be enough.” The large orc, the captain of his squad replied evenly.
“Go quickly and take care of this problem. Then resume your duties in regards to Caellia.” Kattath continued, “Remember, Nathavin does not know we are clearing the way for both him and Caellia through this forest of death. The dark blood has most likely taken hold and he will not distinguish friend from foe should you happen across him and Caellia.”
The large orc nodded his head in acknowledgement before setting off to gather his four companions.
*****
King Therus could not believe his ears. Asadar had killed Goryn? It did make a certain kind of sense; Goryn had been growing more powerful recently but not enough to label him as a threat. Goryn had always been a staunch supporter of Asadar. He could not believe that Asadar had dismissed that so easily. He glanced at Queen Aldana, wondering what her reaction was as he began to speak lowly, “I can pledge one third of my forces to protect this village. However, we must decide who it needs to be protected from the most. I cannot provide enough assistance to protect from both Asadar and Nathavin.”
Queen Aldana looked speculatively at Asterios before responding, “I will provide enough forces to help you with Asadar. You must deal with Nathavin alone. It was your irresponsible decisions that provided him with the opportunities he’s had to take Caellia. This is clearly a conflict between your two peoples and must be dealt with alone. Asadar broke an alliance with Goryn that was intended to free Caellia from Nathavin. That is a critical violation of peace treaties and must not be tolerated.”
Asterios could only agree with her. It had been his poor decisions that led to this situation. If only he’d informed Caellia, he shook his head there was no sense in thinking on that now. “Then we shall deal with the dark elves on our own, I thank you for your insight Aldana.” He gave a low bow to her and then turned to Therus as he began to talk.
“We need to make a battle plan. Asadar will not wait forever to make a move. I do not think he has a hope of taking Goddard and I believe he knows this as well. Nathavin has most likely reinforced it and moved more troops to guard it since Goryn’s siege on it.” Therus rumbled. They continued discussions well into the night, determined to protect the small village.
*****
The orc and his four comrades looked scathingly down upon the human female archer. She had killed her two companions and had dared to think of trying to kill them. The captain of the squad backhanded her across the face, “Do you know who you are dealing with wench!?”
“Why should it matter orc? I do as I please!” The woman looked around for a way out, ignoring the blood trickling from the cut on her lip and shuddered when she realized that there was none. Perhaps she should’ve waited to kill the lecherous dwarf and stupid human upon their return to Rune she thought ruefully. Her head snapped up as the gargantuan orc picked her up by her shoulders and held her above his head. She was going to die. She closed her eyes and waited for death, and waited. She dared to take a look and noticed that all the orcs were concentrating in one direction. The grip on her tightened as she began to struggle and she instantly stopped. It tightened again quite painfully and as she began to struggle she noticed a harried and quite frightened looking light elven female launch herself into the clearing and come to a skittering halt.
Caellia took in her surroundings quickly, her tangled hair swirled around her face and she swept it back quickly paying no mind to the twigs and leaves that had become entangled in it. The five orcs she recognized as part of Nathavin’s group she’d left for Rune with. The human female she hadn’t seen before and it didn’t look as if she was friendly anyhow. The captain of the group drew her attention.
“Are you alright Princess?” He looked around warily, Nathavin had to be nearby. He motioned for his squad to be ready to retreat.
“Please help me! Please! Take me back to Kattath! He’s going to kill me!” Caellia begged frantically. She ignored the human struggling in the Captains grip and focused solely on him.
“He will not kill you Caellia. However, he might kill me and my squad should we interfere.”
Caellia felt tears sting her eyes and fought them back, “Please! You must help me get back to Kattath! I beg you!”
The Captain felt a strange sensation and looked at the spot Caellia had emerged from and froze. A slight flickering light reflected from the sun was the only signal that an arrow was pointed directly at him. He began to ease away from Caellia as slowly as possible and motioned his squad to do the same. “Caellia, I must not interfere. You he will not kill, I am not so fortunate.”
The human archer saw her break and took it. A swift kick to his chin and she was down. She whirled around grabbed Caellia’s hair and yanked backwards painfully, “You will help me get away!” She looked towards the spot the orc had been looking at seconds before, “Come out now if you wish to keep her alive!”
The orc Captain looked on in stunned amazement. His head snapped to Nathavin as he slowly made his way out of the bramble he’d been concealed in.
“Let. Her. Go.” Nathavin spoke forebodingly, each word a thinly veiled warning. The bow was creaking under the stress of having not been released. “You will not be told twice.”
“I will let her go when I get to Rune!” The human began to drag Caellia backward to the woods.
The bow creaked ever louder as Nathavin drew the string further back. The tip of the arrow flashed as a magic stone, concealed in his right hand, was added to the arrow.
Caellia’s eyes met Nathavin’s and an understanding passed between them. Caellia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then allowed herself to fall heavily to the ground. She heard the release of the arrow and felt the human fall backwards behind her. As she looked up she saw Nathavin stalking toward her.
“Leave.” His comment was directed at the orcs, but his eyes were on Caellia. The pull of the dark blood was strong, her actions over the next few minutes would determine if his strength held or not. If she bolted…he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back.
“Nathavin, please, I’m tired.” She had moved into a kneeling position with her head lowered.
“Do you understand now why you will receive my protection? Will you continue to fight me?” He paused, waiting for her reply.
“Yes, I understand that I’m not strong enough to protect myself. No, I will not continue to fight you.” Caellia’s throat burned as she choked back her tears. She had never felt so humiliated before. She was thankful her long hair hid her face from view.
“Do you understand that your place is with me and I will accept nothing less than this?” His words became harsh as he fought a rapidly losing battle against the dark blood, “You are mine! I told you once before that I would protect you from Asadar, and you have seen that no one will protect you from me!”
Caellia shuddered as she felt the impact of his words. “I understand that my place is wi…” She broke off and a startled yelp escaped her lips as she was violently wrenched to her feet. Caellia felt a hand on her lower back and another bunched in her hair as she was forced to look up into Nathavin’s grey eyes.
“Look at me when you say that Caellia! I want you to realize who you are speaking to! You will not see Goryn before your closed eyes as you say that!”
“No,” she began weakly, then stronger, “No! It’s too painful! I can’t!”
“You can’t what, Caellia?” He growled at her, “Can’t admit to me where you belong with your eyes open? Is seeing me instead of Goryn that detestable to you?” He tossed her away from him. “By Shillien, I’ll make you forget Goryn!”
Caellia stood up from where he’d tossed her and stared at him before saying calmly, “You can’t make me forget someone Nathavin. You’ll never be able to do that.” Why was he so bent on her forgetting about Goryn? Why was Goryn such a sore topic with him anyway? She was going to find out. Caellia calmly evaded his grasp as he lunged for her and deftly moved to the other side of the small clearing.
“You will forget him Caellia!” Nathavin lunged again for her and was further infuriated when she nimbly avoided him for a second time.
“Why are you so keen on me forgetting him Nathavin?” Caellia swiftly avoided his grasp while reaching out and plucking a single arrow out of his quiver. She began to twirl the arrow between her fingers, relishing the fact that she had managed to swipe it from him. “Temper, temper, Nathavin. You are letting your anger cloud your judgment.” Her eyes remained fixed on him as he straightened up and glared daggers at her. “Answer my question Nathavin. Why are you so adamant I forget Goryn?” Her voice had gone icy cold.
“That does not matter, all that matters is that you will forget him.” He paused before saying ominously, “You should’ve grabbed my dagger. You will not get another chance to arm yourself.”
Caellia readied herself as he charged her again, this time however, there was no dodging him.
Yea, sorry for the wait. Real life became a pain in the hindquarters and I had to beat it back down. I made the last installment especially long to make up for it! :D
I intend to write most, if not all day tomorrow and the next. But, I forewarn, I can be quite the procrastinator. :o
Caellia took the full brunt of his charge and neatly turned herself to the left so that she wouldn’t fall directly beneath him, allowing herself to be thrown into the bushes nearby. She decidedly ignored the various scratches that the limbs of the bush were causing and focused entirely on Nathavin, and his dagger. She had every intention of disarming him of that regardless of what happened. Wriggling out of his tight grasp, she gained her footing first.
“Nathavin, I will never forget Goryn. Never.” The words were chillingly whispered as she deftly slid the dagger from its concealed sheath. Caellia backed away a few steps and allowed him to stand fully. “I have taken your dagger when you said I couldn’t. I’m not going to allow you to continue to frighten me indefinitely.” Caellia held back a shiver. Bold words she’d spoken, but could she back them up with a mere dagger? She held his gaze unflinchingly and waited with baited breath for his reaction.
“You become much quicker the calmer you are Caellia. I will not forget this. I admit I should never have underestimated you. But,” he stooped over to pick up the discarded arrow she’d snatched earlier, “that does not mean you can defeat me.” He knocked the arrow in place and held the bow downwards. “You will look me in the eye and repeat my words this day Caellia. Make no mistake, you will not think of Goryn again.”
The dagger flashed as Caellia spun it defiantly, “I don’t have to defeat you Nathavin. I just need to stop you from chasing me.” Her head tilted to one side in thought, “Truly defeating you is something I agree that I can’t do. Merely stopping you for a short time however, should be something that is within my abilities.”
“Do you really believe you can stop me Caellia?” His voice dropped low, barely above a whisper as he pulled the bowstring taut. “Put the dagger down now.”
Caellia weighed her options, if she relented and released the dagger she would be giving in to him. She knew that despite her brave words, she most likely couldn’t stop him without help, which would not be forthcoming. Forgetting Goryn was not something she could, or would, do however. He had died to protect her! How could she simply forget him?!
Distracted, she saw too late Nathavin’s sudden rush at her. Before she could bring the dagger up to defend herself, she was pinned to the tree behind her. Caellia dropped the dagger to bring her hands up to the push at the spiked bow holding her against the tree. She was confused when Nathavin easily let go of the bow to pick up the fallen dagger and moved calmly a few paces away from her, yet the bow stayed at her throat, continuing to pin her to the tree.
“The spines of my bow have been imbedded into the tree as deep as your throat will allow Caellia. You can not and will not move from there until I remove the bow.” He watched dispassionately as she futilely clawed at the bow, trying ineffectually to remove it. “You will stay there until you can acknowledge that your place is with me. Pinned as you are, you can not look away from me. It is up to you when I will release you.”
“You aren’t giving me a choice Nathavin!” Caellia screamed. She clawed desperately at the bow, trying to dislodge it to no avail. Caellia gave a frustrated howl as she fought her tears once again. “You can’t do this to me! You can’t!”
“I have…” Her screaming interrupted him, “Continue to scream like that and I will find a way to quiet you down.” He watched in perverse satisfaction as she instantly fell silent. Likely she still remembered how he’d silenced her the last time she’d gotten too loud. “As I was saying, I have given you a choice Caellia. Whether or not you like the options doesn’t truly matter. A choice is still a choice. You can choose to not acknowledge me and remain stuck to that tree indefinitely, or you can choose to acknowledge me and be removed from that tree. Those are the choices I have given you.”
Caellia closed her eyes and fell limp against the tree, using only her legs to leverage her weight on to lessen the pressure at her throat. He’d caught her yet again. What had she done to displease Eva so much to deserve this?
She did not know how long she stayed like that. When she next opened her eyes the sunlight was fading, quickly. It would be dark soon. She risked a peek in Nathavin’s direction. He was still there, resting against a tree across from her and silently observing her. Tears began to build in her eyes as she slumped down and allowed them to fall freely down her face. A warm wind stirred her hair and caused her to relax briefly. Her tears gradually dried as the wind continued to soothe her gently.
She glanced again at Nathavin as he stood up and approached her and shivered involuntarily. Again, the warm wind surrounded her. Caellia knew what she had to do and steeled her frayed nerves before raising her eyes to his and softly whispering, “My place is beside you, I understand and,” she nearly didn’t finish the sentence, but the wind continued to blow around her and she continued, “I understand that as my Lord, you will accept nothing less.”
Suddenly, the wind that was blowing so calmly before, flared violently around the two elves. Faster and faster it blew, whipping around the two. A strange hum filled the air as magic built within the whirling vortex of air. Caellia stared at Nathavin for some clue that he might know what was happening. It soon became apparent that he did not, but he did not seem concerned with the situation. As they stood within the rapidly spinning air mass, a strange light appeared between the two of them. It was faintly pulsing, and was colored a light hued green. The winds, while retaining their speed, took on calming effect once more. The light drifted toward Nathavin and paused, then gave a slight dip and then approached Caellia.
The light brushed against Caellia’s face, sending a calming warmth through her before it floated to the tattoo on her forehead and lingered there before a ghostly voice was heard. “My daughter, you have accepted your fate willingly and of your own free will. None shall harm you. Your words these past few minutes have irrevocably bound you to Nathavin. The chains of fate can not be severed. I have been, and will be, watching over you my child.” The light flashed brilliantly then faded, the winds died and all was silent.
Caellia was stunned. The glowing orb had been her father’s spirit? She limply fell into Nathavin’s chest as he pulled the bow away from her. What had he meant by ‘chains of fate’? Caellia began to shake violently and did not notice that Nathavin’s arms had firmly, yet gently, tightened around her. It was a long time before she realized that he was not restraining her, but was attempting to calm her down.
Nathavin looked down upon the small elf as his hand brushed through the tendrils of hair running down her back. The pull of the dark blood had been thoroughly broken with the appearance of the spirit orb. He had succeeded in his goal. He had run Caellia to the ground and gotten his promise. Nathavin understood that the wind had been caused by the spirit orb and that had calmed Caellia enough to make the promise. However, he instinctively knew that even had the winds not calmed her, she would’ve still made her vow.
Caellia slowly began to calm down and became aware of the fact that she was leaning heavily on Nathavin and that his arms were wrapped around her. She stayed that way a moment longer then tried to pull away, only to find he would not let her. After unsuccessfully attempting to pull away she looked curiously up at him. Her eyes met his and locked for long seconds before she could no longer hold his gaze.
“Rune is close. We should make it within a few hours.” He spoke softly, determined not to cause her undue stress. “We will head back to the road and meet up with Kattath and the others.”
Caellia could only nod tiredly as she felt him guide her in the correct direction. She felt numb, partially because of her ordeal with Nathavin himself, and partly because of the spirit orb.
She stumbled on a tree root and latched onto Nathavin for support as she righted herself. Her fingers dug into his white, mithril lined armor as a red hot pain lanced its way up her left leg. Crying out, she tumbled to the ground as the excruciating pain took its toll.
Nathavin barely had time to slow her fall before she hit the ground. He took a look at her pain filled face before gingerly lifting her left ankle. Wincing inwardly at her hiss as he unlaced the slender green and silver boot, he felt the muscles already beginning to tighten in her ankle. Carefully, he removed the boot itself and laid his bare hand on the ankle and felt the intense heat already present in the joint and surrounding muscle. She had sprained it badly.
While a considerable fall, the trip over the tree root shouldn’t have inflicted that serious an injury. She’d likely injured it sometime during their fight and hadn’t noticed. The muscles couldn’t handle the added stress of the trip and that had resulted in the more serious sprain. As he continued his exam he noticed that it was already beginning to swell and he would not be able to slide her boot back on her foot. He took another look at the boot and made his decision. Tossing the boot to the ground, he shifted his position and removed her other boot and tossed it as well. “Caellia, your ankle is severely sprained. You must not walk on it.”
“I’ll be alright.” Caellia grimaced at the pain as she attempted to move.
“No, you won’t. I will carry you the rest of the way.”
Caellia looked at him incredulously. Oh no, she wasn’t going to be carried anywhere by him. “I’ll be fine Nathavin. Just let me lean against you and I’ll be alright. Please return my boots to me.”
An irritated sigh escaped him, “You were leaning on me when you tripped. You should not walk anymore tonight, or tomorrow.”
“Nathavin I will be alright.” Caellia started to say more but was cut off by Nathavin’s sharp voice.
“Caellia, you accepted that you needed my protection!” His voice changed suddenly to a deceptively soft tone, belying the anger hidden just beneath the surface. “Or was that a lie?” She was not allowing him to protect her! His vow did not extend to just mortal enemies!
Caellia hung her head, “No, it was not a lie.” She looked at the ground in shame before she looked to him again. “I will not go back on my word again.” He seemed to instantly calm and she continued brokenly, “I’m sorry for,” she hiccupped, “not being able,” another hiccup, “to…”
“Enough.” Nathavin pulled her closer and gently held her. “You’ve been through enough. Allow me to help you.” He pulled away a few inches to look at her. “Caellia, I will ask you something. When you were being held by that human, why did you fall to the ground, hmm? There was no reason for you to do so. You could’ve went along with her and gotten to Rune. There was no reason to think I wouldn’t shoot you and not her, I’d overheard your conversation with the Captain of the orc squad present. But you chose to fall anyway. Why?”
Caellia looked at him in confusion and shook her head. “I don’t understand, I just…”
He interrupted her, “I believe that on a deep level you trusted me Caellia.” His hand found its way to her delicate jaw and ran lightly down to her collarbone. “Trust me again Caellia. I understand it’s asking a lot right now, but trust me.”
“But what about the vows I made earlier?” Caellia was completely confused. First he’d been absolutely abominable to her and now his mood had rapidly shifted once again.
“The vows you made still stand Caellia, I will not allow you to go back on those.” His tone brooked no argument. “However, I will trust you to remember those vows on your own. I will have to trust you, as you will have to trust me. Your guards will be dismissed, except for Kattath.”
Softly, Caellia whispered, “Thank you.”
“Put your hands around my neck and hold on tight.” He waited as Caellia did as he asked her then scooped her up and cradled her against his chest. He waited patiently as she shifted to a comfortable position before setting off in the direction of the road.
He silently walked toward their destination with sure footed precision that only dark elves were capable of at night. Ever so often he would take a small look at her. While Nathavin could only guess at the thoughts racing through her mind, he thought he had a pretty good idea on what those thoughts were. The girl really could not hide her emotions well at all.
Caellia noticed him taking furtive looks at her and hid her face with her hair. She couldn’t relax, his nearness was to her was overwhelming. His very scent, an enticingly woodsy and spicy smell, was sending her nerves into a flurry. What was happening to her? Why did she feel this way? She unconsciously buried her face into his chest, only to recoil as his spicy scent flooded her nose.
Nathavin felt her recoil away from his chest and a wicked grin crossed his features. Stopping briefly he readjusted her in his arms so that she was pressed closer to his chest. She was almost completely facing him now as she lay in his arms and her ear was pressed snugly against his heart.
Caellia stiffened as she was forced to breathe in his scent. She was also pressed closely to his chest. She began to struggle weakly when she realized he didn’t plan on moving her soon. Whatever was going on was weakening her. She could feel it. Her mind was becoming cloudy and she was incredibly weak.
Nathavin couldn’t resist and a low laugh escaped him. “Relax Caellia. I’m not doing anything to you. You are simply tired and falling asleep.” His grip tightened marginally so he wouldn’t drop her and pressed her ear closer to his heart. “Listen to it, allow yourself to fall asleep.”
Caellia fought for a few more minutes before falling still, breathing hard from her struggles. She began to relax as he continued to walk tirelessly through the trees. Her sensitive hearing picked up the steady beating of his heart unwillingly. Its steady rhythm lulled her to relax further. Her delicate nose was forced to inhale his unique scent. As her mind fought against all the sensory input, it was slowly overridden as her body relaxed. Within minutes, Caellia was asleep.
@@@@@@@@
I fixed a minor continuity flaw where she tripped, and added a few missed words. Other than that...no changes.
i'm still here....i just can't get the next part of the story to come out in quite the way i want it to. i'm suffering from a bout of 'perfectionism'....it will be continued have no fear. :cool:
k, this is short but i wanted people to know that i havent forgotten the story and it is still being worked on. I have written and re-written the next installment (this is just some of it) and can't get it to come out the way i want.
*****
Nalia let loose a frustrated sigh as yet another dark elven sentry crossed the path she intended on traveling to their abyssal caverns. She, along with five other elven fighters, had been sent to rescue Caellia from Nathavin once they reached the dark elf homeland. She had decided to split them up to better their chances of sneaking in unobserved. However this was looking like a bad decision on her part. She had not counted on so many sentries to be patrolling the barren lands.
The lands themselves were a problem too. They were so depleted and dead there was hardly anything to hide behind. The few places there was to hide were scattered few and far between with long stretches of open plain filled with sentries. A highly dangerous situation for any attacking force and she had ordered her group to split up, placing them in even more danger. Nalia shook her head. She mustn’t dwell on that now. Her goal was to get inside the dark elven cavern and hide until Caellia reached them. Then she would rescue her Queen and friend.
*****
“You wished to see me Hontas?” Inquired Asterios politely. Asterios looked the human over curiously, puzzled at his nervous disposition. Hontas was nervously wringing his royal blue robes between his hands.
“Y-y-yes,” stammered Hontas, “I would like to speak with you regarding the present situation.”
“Present situation?” Asterios questioned with raised eyebrows. “What makes you believe there is a ‘situation’ to be discussed?” He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the human became even more nervous and began to shift his weight from foot to foot.
“I-I have heard of the plight your Princess is in…and…and I would like to offer my help.” Hontas swallowed nervously. He did not want to do this, the elves had been nothing but kind to him since his arrival several days ago. However, if he did not do this Asadar would have him killed.
“I thank you for your kind offer Hontas, but we have already made arrangements for assistance.” Asterios shrewdly watched Hontas for his reaction to that statement.
“I-I see. Perhaps I could still be useful however to you? I am a bishop and quite skilled in my trade. I studied under the finest masters…” He broke off as Asterios politely interrupted him.
“I’m sure you are quite skilled Hontas, but we have no need of your services. Perhaps…”
“Please sir! Allow me to stay!” Hontas licked his lips in fear. He could not go back to Asadar without information! He would surely be killed if he did so!
Asterios looked on in slight shock. Why was the human so insistent upon staying at the village? “Alright Hontas, you may stay.”
“Thank you sir! Thank you!” Hontas bowed lowly to Asterios, “You won’t regret it!” Hontas’ grateful smile faded somewhat with Asterios’ following words.
“See to it that I don’t.”
*****
Asadar strode quickly to his personal armory and snatched his sword and shield from their place of distinction on the rack of weapons and turned to face his ‘adversary’. “Let us begin.”
“As you wish.” Came the gruff reply.
Asadar dodged the massive sword as it swung past his head and countered with a blow to his opponent with his shield. The blow caused his attacker to stumble backwards slightly and he took advantage of this and swung his own sword in a mighty arc. The sound of steel meeting steel filled the air as his opponent brought his sword up in time to block his attack. “Do we know where Nathavin has taken Caellia?” Asadar questioned as he brought his shield up for another block. He shuddered under the force of the impact of the massive sword.
“He plans on taking her to his homelands. After which he will return to Goddard to perform the ceremony.” The massive orc brought his two handed sword down upon Asadars shield again.
“How long till he reaches his ancestral homelands?” Asadar stepped back several paces and watched the orc carefully, planning his next attack. Seeing an opening, he charged the orc and swung his shield powerfully, knocking the orc senseless for several long moments. Asadar continued to attack him with his long, slender sword before the orc could regain his senses.
“He should reach his homelands within the week according to my informant.” The orc waited patiently as Asadars sword pelted him with numerous slashing blows. He knew that Asadar was only drawing his attention. The real attack would come from behind.
Asadar watched the orc and drove him to the dark recesses of the training hall. He understood he was being ‘allowed’ to drive the orc back but that was alright. If the orc wished to allow himself to be driven into a corner, Asadar would oblige him.
*****
Caellia watched the water stream past the boats hull in silence. She ignored the crew as they set about their nightly duties. Kattath was silently watching the crew to her right. Nathavin had made good on his promise of that night. All of her guards, except Kattath, had been dismissed. Caellia could remember very little of that night. What she could remember, she desperately wished she’d forget. She’d taken great pains to avoid him ever since that night. '
Kattath sighed despondently as she tried to piece together why Caellia was avoiding Nathavin. Nathavin had been nothing but considerate to her since that fateful day. In fact Kattath had been shocked that he’d dismissed the guards that had been watching Caellia. Caellia herself had been less obstinate when it came to him. There was no mystery to that however, likely she’d finally discovered that she could not fight him and emerge the victor. But that was not the reason she was avoiding Nathavin. She would not even look him in the eye anymore. That was not the fiery Princess Kattath knew. Something was different and the girls’ aura gave no hint of what it might be.
Kattath spied movement to the aft of the ship and spotted Nathavin near the wheel. She looked back to Caellia, whatever had changed between the two it was up to Nathavin to correct. Caellia would not open up to her.
Nathavin watched Kattath and Caellia from underneath his silvery locks. Caellia had taken to going to the fore of the ship and standing near the prow. They’d had an argument the first time she’d gone up there. She’d actually climbed across the bowsprit to the narrow landing overlooking the bow of the ship. He’d been extremely angry with her out of fear. If she’d fallen she would have been dragged underneath the ship. He’d angrily had her locked in her cabin and had actually forbidden her to come out during the rest of the trip.
Caellia had stubbornly resisted before remembering her vow. Once she remembered her vow she had promised him that she would not put herself in danger like that again. Nathavin had relented despite his earlier intentions and allowed her to explore the ship again. True to her word, Caellia had not made any attempt at further foolish antics, always asking either himself or the crew of the ship for permission before undertaking risky explorations.
He sighed, he felt as if they had taken a step backward even though he’d thought they’d make progress the night she’d hurt her ankle.
Ok, here is what's been giving me such a hard time. I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but I'll let you guys be the judge of it. I'm notoriously over critical of my own work. :eek:
*****
Caellia turned to ask Kattath if she knew how much longer the trip would last and fell silent as she noticed Nathavin coming toward them. She looked away from him as she worked to quell her nervousness. She was confused, had been ever since that night she’d hurt her ankle and he’d had to carry her. Her feelings toward him were changing and she was frightened of the changes she was noticing.
Kattath greeted Nathavin first as he drew closer to them. A quick glance to her right confirmed that Caellia was once again avoiding looking at Nathavin. She seemed to find the sails immensely interesting all of a sudden. “Caellia, weren’t you about to ask me a question a moment ago?” Queried Kattath.
“Hm? Oh, I forgot what I was going to ask you. It wasn’t important anyway.” Caellia nervously answered taking fleeting looks at Kattath while studiously avoiding looking at Nathavin. She turned back to face the water and drew her arms close together as she leaned over the rail of the ship.
Kattath cast a doubtful look in the girls direction before turning to face Nathavin again, “How much longer do you think it will be before we reach the harbor?”
“We aren’t going to Gludin Harbor.” Nathavin replied absently, focused on Caellia.
“We aren’t? Then where are we going?” Kattath asked disbelievingly.
“The ship is going to anchor offshore at the beach near our homeland. We will avoid detection best that way. We will be in our lands and will not have to worry about spies or ambushes this way.” Explained Nathavin. His eyes narrowed, why wouldn’t Caellia look at him? “We should arrive there within the next day. The ships crew is already making preparations and has turned the ship toward the shoreline.”
“It will be good to see our homeland again.” Kattath cheerfully replied. “I haven’t been back in ages.” She turned to Caellia, “I will show you where some of my favorite places were, especially the ones I used to hide out at.” She frowned when Caellia only nodded mutely and looked questioningly at Nathavin.
Nathavin turned to Kattath and motioned with his hand vaguely in the direction of the stern. He knew Kattath would understand and was not disappointed as she made an excuse and began to make her way to the back of the ship. Caellia, having noticed Kattath’s imminent departure began to follow her. Nathavin turned to face the sea. “The sea is beautiful don’t you think Caellia?”
Caellia turned to face Nathavin curiously. As a light elf, a follower of Eva, she thought that this was a rather strange question. “It is.” Came her simple answer before she again turned to follow Kattath.
“It’s so peaceful out here. The realities of being Lord don’t seem so harsh.” He continued to look out to sea, “Being a Lord is no easy task. You are constantly under enormous pressure; every mistake is analyzed for possible weakness.”
Caellia didn’t know why he was discussing this now, or with her. “I’m sure it isn’t an easy task.” She haltingly answered as she took another glance in Kattath’s direction while trying to think of a reason to follow her.
“It’s also very lonely work, being a Lord.” He glanced at her to see her reaction to his apparent babbling. His plan was working, she was not leaving and she was too distracted by having to listen to him to formulate a reasonable excuse to leave with Kattath.
Caellia turned to face him briefly saying, “I can’t imagine that it would ever be easy.” She then turned in Kattath’s direction, “Kattath appears to need some help.” As Caellia was starting to walk away, she felt Nathavin grasp her wrist and pull her back towards him slightly.
“Why are you avoiding me Caellia?”
“I…I’m not.” Caellia stammered nervously.
“Yes you are. You won’t even look at me.” Nathavin turned to face her, noting that although he had her right hand in his and had partially turned her to face him, she still had her head turned to Kattath. “Even now you refuse to look at me. What has caused this?” Nathavin however was forming a suspicion, and if it was right, he’d far exceeded his goal of making her forget Goryn. If he was right, he had replaced Goryn in her thoughts.
Sucking in a breath, Caellia debated on what to tell him. How could she tell him that simply being near him caused her insides to quiver? She didn’t even know why she was reacting this way. If she couldn’t understand her own actions and feelings, how was she to make him understand? The only one she would’ve felt comfortable confiding in was back in her homelands. Even then, she doubted Nalia would understand how she felt.
“Caellia? What has happened?” Nathavin prompted impatiently.
“Nothing has happened Nathavin.” Huffed Caellia. How dare he get impatient with her? “I’m fine, just uncomfortable being on this ship for so long.” She hoped he would believe her fib.
“Are you sure?” Nathavin questioned her. He knew she was lying, her actions the previous minutes proved it. And if she simply was uncomfortable with being on the ship why would she have been so reluctant to say so? He frowned as she snatched her hand out of his. “In our village you will not be allowed to show such disrespect Caellia. Nor will you continue to avoid me as you have done on this ship.”
She turned to face him fully and arched her right eyebrow in disdain. “I’m not a child Nathavin. I will not be lectured to by you.” Turning on her heel, she stormed away from him.
Nathavin grinned openly at her retreating back. In his eyes, a challenge had been issued, and he was more than willing to take it up. Before he could chase after her however, the ships captain, a strange man of mixed heritage, probably human and dwarf, approached him with intentions of discussing the safest location to anchor the ship. As Nathavin began discussing the details of the ships position he felt that he was being watched. Turning quickly, his dark eyes met with Caellia’s sky blue.
Caellia had been watching him for only a moment before he’d noticed and had turned to face her. His eyes locked with hers and she felt unable to turn away, caught in his gaze. As they continued to stare one another down Caellia began to feel trapped. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing came faster and shallower. Time seemed to slow down and stop altogether as she grew more panicked. Finally, she could stand it no longer and wrenched her eyes away from his, blinking rapidly before darting below deck.
Nathavin let a low chuckle escape. Caellia had been unable to hold his gaze for more than mere seconds before she had run. Although he couldn’t be entirely sure, it seemed his suspicion was correct. His attention was sharply drawn by the ships captain as the man gave a high pitched whistle that was painful to his highly receptive ears. Scowling, he fixed the captain with a chilling glare, “Do not do that again if you value your life.”
The captain grinned widely, “If I could have gotten your attention by another means I would have you can be sure. However, you seemed rather…ah…absorbed with the young lady and did not respond to several of my attempts at regaining your attention.”
“You have it now. What is it you wish to discuss?” Nathavin was irritated and fought to keep from massaging his still ringing ears. He mentally envisioned several arrows landing in various parts of the captains’ anatomy while listening to the man prattle about the ships location, water currents, and wind direction. After several minutes Nathavin growled, “When are we expected to arrive at our destination? That is all I am concerned about.”
“Are you sure that’s all you’re concerned about? Looked to me like you are concerned with a bit more than that.” The captain guffawed loudly, “My private cabin is as safe as any castle. You have plenty of time before we reach…. ” Before he could finish the rest of his crude statement, he was thrown roughly against the railing of the ship with Nathavin’s dagger pressed painfully into his throat.
“You will not finish that comment!” Snarled Nathavin, incensed with the captains audacity. “You will not speak of matters that do not concern you and of which you know nothing!” Nathavin continued to put pressure on the mans throat even as he noticed Kattath’s presence appear beside them. “Do you know who that lady is?” His eyes narrowed to mere slits as the captain struggled for air. “She is the Princess of the light elves, and my future Queen. You will show more respect for her!”
The captain felt the jagged edge of the dagger bite into the flesh of his neck as a trail of liquid warmth trickled down the sides of his throat. “My-my apologies!” He gasped for air and his face scrunched in pain as he felt the dagger slice further into his throat. “I…I had no idea who she was! Had I known I would never have said that!”
Nathavin dropped his face closer to the captains, his nostrils taking in the coppery scent of blood, “See that you never make that mistake again! Or it will cost you your life!” He jerked the dagger away from the captain, dragging the dagger further through the mans flesh as he did so, leaving the mans throat in tatters. As he stepped away to allow the captain to rise, Nathavin calmly wiped his blade clean on the nearest cloth he could find as he stormed away.
The ships bosun said nothing as his sash was ripped from him to clean the dark elven lord’s blade.
Kattath watched Nathavin closely, his dark blood had been sparked by the captains’ irreverent and reprehensible remarks toward Caellia. Likely the captain had no idea just how closely he’d come to losing his life. Although his words were crude, they held a certain truth to them. She needed to try to hurry this trip along and get them all back to Goddard for the ceremony as soon as was possible. Nathavin would snap eventually and lose to his dark blood.
“Captain,” she began, “how much longer before we reach the coast?”
“Three hours, perhaps two if the wind holds.” The captain shakily croaked through his torn throat. The ships doctor was busy applying emergency bandages to the wound to stop the bleeding. “I meant no harm to the lady.” He muttered.
“Nathavin is not one to be trifled with captain. Anyone who threatens what is his will pay. Even we are not exempt from that. You are lucky, he’s killed many more over less.” Kattath quietly informed the man before walking below deck.
*****
Caellia lurched to the left side of the small boat as a wave caught it and unexpectedly sent it skipping atop the waves. She tried to concentrate on the bottom of the boat to avoid becoming seasick. After several long, stomach churning minutes, she felt the bottom of the small craft scrape against the sandy bottom of the shallower water. The ships crewman leapt from the boat and noisily splashed through the water, dragging the boat onto the beach.
Caellia followed Nathavin and Kattath as they exited the boat and stood on the small, silent beach. There were cliffs as far as she could see to both the right and left. As she looked closer, she could see a steep, winding trail leading up one of the cliffs. She jumped slightly as Kattath came up beside her.
“Have you ever seen our homeland Caellia?” Questioned Kattath.
“Once. Many years ago I was requested by one of elders to speak with a dark elven witch to obtain some stardust to help save the mother tree in our homelands.”
Kattath watched her and wondered what the princess would think of their lands after she had seen them.
They both jumped in startled surprise when Nathavin seemingly appeared from nowhere behind them, “We must hurry the light is beginning to fade.”
Caellia sighed and fell instep behind him as they began their trek up the steep slopes of the cliff.
*****
Nalia quietly slipped into the cavern as the sentries chased the young dark elven child she’d paid to distract them. As she raced quickly down the long winding tunnel she could feel the air growing cooler and damper. She soon came to the main cavern and sucked in a deep breath at its sheer size. The place was massive. She quickly scurried to the nearest corner and knelt down as a pair of knights marched past her, their spirit orbs glowing brightly over their shoulders.
She waited patiently for them to pass and once they were out of range she ran swiftly behind a shop before stopping to check her location. Nalia needed to find as central a location as she could to hide to ensure that she would see Caellia when she arrived. Carefully easing her head from behind the dark steel wall, she surveyed her choices. There weren’t many and she mentally ticked them off in her head almost as soon as she spotted them.
There was a small area near the temple that would be a good place to hide. But with so many people going to and leaving from the temple, the risk that she’d be spotted was simply too high. She looked around and deftly crossed the wide walkway and hid behind what appeared to be a weapons shop. As she glanced around she saw an old building that looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. Taking a deep breath she cautiously entered the building. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light filtering through the doorway she realized the building was unoccupied. She closed the door until there was only a small opening then peered through it. Nalia almost shook with excitement. She had a nearly perfect view of the center of the village and could perfectly see the hand of Shillien rising from the abyss and the crackling blue energy surrounding it. She settled down and began her wait, wondering what had become of her comrades.
*****
Tazair and Baelthal glanced at one another and came to the same conclusion. There was no possible way for them to get into the dark elven cavern. The sword singer, Tazair, whispered quietly to the elder, “We will wait near the path we came from for Nalia. When she comes back with Caellia we will use your magic to get us safely out of here.”
Baelthal nodded in agreement. They’d had two close calls and luckily Tazair had been able to defeat the sentries, but only just. Baelthal had found his abilities taxed nearly to the breaking point very quickly with those battles and had demanded that they stop and allow him to rest a bit before they continued. It frightened him to think that his abilities as a healer might not be sufficient for this mission. It also disturbed him that they had not heard from Feratahl, the plainswalker or Tradul the silver ranger in quite some time.
*****
The two dark elves stared somberly down at the trespassing light elves, their cold eyes taking in the blood seeping into the ground as the invaders died slowly from their wounds. Vornlochar snatched the silver ranger up by her hair and pressed the bloody dagger at her throat, “Why did you come here?”
Tradul spat blood and glared hard at the dark elf without replying. She could not reveal the nature of their mission. She gurgled helplessly as the dagger bit into her throat and felt his blood spilling faster from his body. Her vision was growing dark at the edges, she would soon see Eva and took comfort in this fact.
“Why did you come here?!” Yelled the dark elf, but it was too late, the ranger had passed into the next world and Vornlochar removed his dagger from the elf’s throat. He then turned to his partner, Imarkah the female phantom ranger, “The other one is yours, it appears they will not talk with me,” he said with a slightly amused, and deadly, look on his face.
“You are too hasty to bloody your beautiful dagger my love. You should allow your victims time to see the beautiful orchid design on the blade before you kill them. Let them relax before you land the final death stroke. You will get more answers that way I’m sure.” The phantom ranger enjoyed teasing her lover, he was quite skilled as an assassin and she knew it, however she still enjoyed teasing him. She was not disappointed when he replied back to her.
“And you enjoy playing with your victims far too much. I would rather face my own form of interrogation than yours.” He stepped back and watched as his lady merely laughed and turned her attention to the remaining elf and began to question him in her low, sultry voice. Vornlochar could only marvel as he watched Imarkah use all her skill and cunning, not to mention the endowments bestowed upon her by Shillien, to gain the information they sought.
*****
Caellia looked at the landscape before her in horror. The deadened trees and grasses were heartbreaking to witness. How had she missed this on her previous travel to these lands all those years ago? A nearby treant caught her attention with its sickly yellow toned leaves. Caellia broke away from the group, unaware of the calls for her to rejoin them, as she slowly approached the sickened creature.
Nathavin, his attention drawn by the calls of Kattath and several others turned to see what Caellia was doing. He watched as she approached the dying treant and hesitantly put her hand upon its withered bark and looked up as it shook itself, trying to rid itself of the many parasites within taking advantage of its weakened condition. Nathavin looked to the others and silently waved them to continue on as he approached Caellia quietly.
“What caused this?” Caellia painfully whispered.
Nathavin remained silent as he studied her. What would she say if he told her?
Caellia took a shuddering breath as the treant once again shook itself in obvious pain. She turned to look around and could only stare in disbelief at the condition the land was in. Caellia turned to face Nathavin and repeated her question. “What caused this?!” She locked gazes with him and refused to look away.
Nathavin carefully gauged her reaction, she seemed genuinely interested in what had happened and decided to risk telling her the truth. “Your ancestors placed a curse upon this land many ages ago as punishment for us learning dark magic, which they had deemed to dangerous to learn.”
“No! That can not be! This curse is the result of dark magic!” Caellia cried in saddened outrage.
“I know this.” Nathavin replied evenly.
“We don’t practice dark magic! This curse could not have been placed by my ancestors!” Caellia could not believe her ancestors had done this. This was beyond cruel!
“You have been lied to Caellia. There were those of your kind that practiced it many years ago and they deemed it to dangerous because they could not properly control it. Before long the practice was completely abolished, however there were still those who knew enough of it to cast this curse upon our lands when it was discovered that we were able to control the dark power with near perfection.”
Caellia shook her head as she looked back at the treant, almost unwilling to believe Nathavin. However she could not shake the feeling that he was telling her the truth. Caellia didn’t know how long they stayed quietly observing the treant before she was startled by Nathavin as he stepped closer to her.
“Caellia, what are you thinking?” He had to know, it was important to him that he know. Nathavin wanted her to believe him however unlikely he knew that to be. He knew he could show her the scroll that Goryn had snatched from Asadar and had later given to him, but he wanted her to believe him without that scroll. She turned to face him fully and stepped closer to him. Nathavin worked hard at not showing his surprise at how close she was willingly standing to him. “Caellia?”
She slowly raised her eyes to his and softly asked him, “Are you certain my ancestors did this? Can you truthfully tell me that they are the ones to blame for this?” Her voice cracked slightly as she continued, “Swear to me Nathavin that you speak the truth!” She did not want to believe that her ancestors had caused this, but Goryn’s words as he bid her to trust Nathavin were ringing through her head.
“Caellia I would not lie about this. I swear to you on my honor and on my title that what I have told you is the truth.”
She studied him closely as she struggled to make a decision. If her ancestors had truly done this despicable deed, she, as the current Queen, had an obligation to correct it. There was no justifiable reason for her ancestors to have cursed these lands, no matter the provocation.
Nathavin watched as she slowly closed her eyes in obvious thought. What was she thinking? He clenched his fists at his sides as he repressed the urge to question her again. Nathavin would trust her to tell him on her own time, he was not to be disappointed.
“Nathavin,” she began slowly as she opened her eyes to look at him, “if what you have told me is the truth, I will do whatever I can to help you remove this curse from your lands.”
She could not have just said that, could she? If she didn’t know the curse had been placed there she most certainly couldn’t know of the requirements for removing it. He had read those requirements and had scarcely believed them himself. He had to give her a chance to reconsider, it would not be right for him to do otherwise. “Perhaps you should hear what the requirements are for lifting the curse before you make that pledge Caellia.” Before he could continue and inform her of the exact way the curse could be lifted she shook her head and talked over him.
“No Nathavin, I will not shirk my responsibility. Whatever must be done will be. I will not allow the wrongs of my ancestors to continue to plague your lands.”
“Caellia, I’m offering you a chance to know what it is you are committing yourself to. I urge you to hear me out. If you refuse to hear me out now I will not offer you another chance, nor will I allow you to renege on your pledge. Any attempt of that will be met with severe consequences.” He had to make her understand the seriousness of the situation. If she allowed him to explain and decided against it he would be disappointed. But if he did not give her this chance, he would not be able to forgive himself later when she did find out about the unusual requirements.
“Nathavin, I’m prepared to do whatever is necessary to correct this.” Caellia looked questioningly at him, she had thought he would be enthused about her willingness to help him, not trying to dissuade her from it.
“Last chance Caellia, will you listen?”
“What is there to listen to Nathavin?” Now she was getting irritated. This was ridiculous, “There is nothing to listen to. I have sworn to aide you in ridding this curse and I will, no matter the circumstances.”
“Then I will accept your pledge Caellia, Princess of the light elves. Know that you have forfeited any chance of being allowed to discontinue your pledge for any reason. It will not be allowed.”
Caellia began to wonder just what she’d done as he continued. She’d never seen him take such a formal stance regarding her vows. If she remembered her lessons correctly, he was reciting a formal alliance pledge.
“Any attempt to disavow your pledge will be treated as an act of war against the dark elves.” Harsh, but he was not going to allow her to leave him now. She had made her pledge heedless of what was needed to bring her promise to fruition. He had tried to warn her. There would be no turning back for her, he continued, “Any such attempt will be dealt with swiftly with harsh consequences.” He withdrew his dagger. His eyes never left hers as he purposely gave himself two cuts, one in his right palm, the other a shallow wound on the left side of his neck as he continued with the ritual. “I, Lord Nathavin Rilynmitore, command that this alliance be deemed legal and binding by blood.” He then handed her the blade.
Caellia swallowed as she took the dagger from his hand, it seemed unnaturally heavy. She’d heard this dagger often referred to as a ‘soul separator’ and right now she believed that it really could separate ones soul from their body as she gave herself matching cuts before returning the blade to him.
“Let this alliance be bound by our blood.” Nathavin concluded the alliance ritual as he placed his bleeding right palm over the bleeding wound on her neck. He then waited for her to do the same.
Caellia breathed shakily before she recited the final lines as she placed her wounded hand on his neck, “I pledge myself and my people to this alliance.” She faltered slightly as the reality of what she was doing, and what she hadn’t done, particularly the fact that she had allowed him to set all the terms, became clear to her. “I…I agree to the terms set forth and will abide by them accordingly.”
“It is now official, the alliance has been established.” Nathavin said as he lowered his hand to his side as she did the same. They stood silently regarding one another for a while longer, each contemplating what they had just done before Nathavin broke the silence. “We should be going, night will be upon us soon.” He motioned for Caellia to precede him as he pointed her in the direction of the cavern. As he fell instep behind her a satisfied smirk crossed his features as he thought over the events of the past few minutes. You have pledged yourself to me in more ways than you thought Caellia, and by your own lips have you pledged yourself to me! You are mine!
Wow.. awesome. Totally sucked me into this story - imagining all the characters, how they talk, react. You writting is amazing. Really, cant wait for more. <3
Yea, that feeling that it's 'missing something' is what's been taking me so long to get this installment out. But like you I can't figure out what it's missing exactly. It reads good, but I can't help but feel that I've left something out somehow.
Hontas looked on in amazement at the amassed light elves in neat orderly groups as they sparred with one another. The elves were putting up a considerable force to deal with Asadar and Nathavin. They had every intention of preventing either one from reaching their goals. However, he did not believe they had a large enough force to effectively fend off either one, let alone both of them. He had been with the elves for nearly two weeks and had watched them prepare endlessly. Their tireless spirit and dedication to their goals were admirable, however unrealistic they were. A shout from the southwest drew his attention to that side of the village. As he made his way to that gate from the northern most entrance, he saw Asterios coming down the steps from the temple to greet the newcomers.
Hontas pushed and shoved his way to the front of the gathering crowd and gaped slack jawed at the scene before him. There was hundreds of human standing on the bridge requesting entrance to the village. These were not just any humans; they were warriors from the towns of Giran and Gludio. They were here to aid the elves! But against whom, he wondered. He tried to mentally place this army and Asadars side by side and found, disappointingly, that Asadar still would have the larger army.
Hontas shook his head as he turned away from the scene. There was still no way the elves could defeat Asadar, he was sure of it. Even with the help of the two armies from Giran and Gludio, the elves were simply out numbered, and outclassed. Asadars armies were well seasoned veterans who were highly skilled. Many of them were almost as irrational as Asadar himself, and many more looked for any chance to fight, even amongst themselves. Soon he would have to return to Aden to give his report to Asadar. He only hoped that somehow, the elves would be able to assemble a larger force. He did not want to think of the consequences if they did not.
*****
Caellia stood looking at the entrance to the dark elven village. The large gaping mouth of the caverns was intimidating and she nervously swallowed as she fidgeted quietly while Nathavin spoke with the sentries on duty. A cool wind seemed to perpetually blow outward from the cave, causing her to float gently around her shoulders in a soft halo as the tresses danced in the air currents. Tentatively, Caellia stepped forward toward the entrance. She could hear the barely audible whisperings of Nathavin and the sentry.
Although she could’ve stepped closer to listen in to the conversation, she did not think it would be wise. It seemed to regard some intruders that they’d had recently, but she could not summon up the courage to step closer. She could not be sure how he would react if he were to find out that she had eavesdropped and did not want to chance him taking action against her. She continued to walk cautiously into the cavern, however when she noticed that the tunnel wound sharply downwards and out of sight of Nathavin and the sentry she halted.
A sharp exclamation from Nathavin in his native language drew her attention. He looked to be annoyed with the sentry. Caellia watched with slight amusement as the hapless sentry quivered underneath Nathavin’s forceful glare. Turning back to the dark and shadowed tunnel she waited patiently for their conversation to end.
Nathavin cursed soundly at the sentry, their lands had been infiltrated by at least two light elves, no doubt looking for Caellia. But those two elves had managed to get away after killing two of his sentries and no one had been able to find them since. No one knew if there were more and if so where they were. He could not allow them to find Caellia, not yet. Having enough of the sentries nervous blathering, he rudely cut him off with a mere hand gesture before side stepping him and going to Caellia’s side.
Nathavin saw her spin back around toward him when she heard his footsteps come closer. He didn’t miss the look she sent the sentry, nor the slight upward tilt of her lips before it was quickly banished as the sentry released an audible breath of relief at having to no longer contend with his Lord. As he passed her he spoke firmly, “Come along.” They continued down the dark tunnel, his eyes not bothered by the dimness, as they progressed further away from the sentry he continued, “You found that amusing?”
Caellia answered him around a small smile. “Somewhat.” A small part of her had been slightly thrilled to watch him level his intimidating glare at someone other than herself.
“Hmm.” Nathavin smirked in the darkness. He turned serious again however as he questioned her, “Do you realize that some of your countrymen were sent here to attempt a rescue?”
Caellia stumbled slightly and put one hand out to steady herself on the wall of the tunnel. “I had considered the possibility that they would do something like that yes. It is only to be expected.”
Nathavin nodded in silent agreement, forgetting that she could not see it in the darkness. “I realize that your countrymen are not aware of our newly established alliance and will therefore order my troops to not kill any of your people they find on our lands.”
Caellia gave a small nod, “I thank you for that.” They rounded a final bend and she scrunched her eyes painfully shut at the sudden brightness. After a few seconds she slowly reopened them, blinking several times through the tears as she looked in wonder at tall pillars holding blue white orbs of light. The entire space was filled with the glow from the magic light of the orbs. She looked down and saw a massive hand, rising up out of the depths of darkness, powerful magic sparked and snapped dangerously around it.
Caellia was unaware of Nathavin as he observed her closely. It was obvious that she had not expected there to be light in the cavern. “From here on Caellia, you must do as I say without question. There are those here who will not like the fact that you are here and will not hesitate to make their feelings known to you. It will be safer for you to merely be seen with me and allow me to speak for you unless I tell you otherwise. Many of those who reside here are our highest trained masters who taught even me and they will think nothing of harming you.”
“But Nathavin, I thought you ruled your people. Not the other way around.” Caellia archly quipped back at him before becoming serious herself. “I understand, I do not like it but I understand it. However,” she paused as she turned to face him, “I will not be treated like a common prisoner. We are allied now and I expect to be treated as such by you and them. I will stay silent as you wish for now because they are also not aware of the alliance.” She stepped closer to him, her eyes glittering dangerously, “However, I expect you to inform them of our alliance. And I expect to be able to speak to them myself. I will tolerate no less, and I will not…hesitate…to make my own feelings known to them.”
They stood silently contemplating one another’s positions for many long tense seconds. Nathavin then merely turned away from her before saying coldly as he stalked away, “You are still in no position to make threats Caellia. I proposed the alliance…and I can dissolve it. I set the terms of the alliance and your,” he paused to consider his words, “warning, just now is in violation of the agreement as it is a direct threat against those under my protection.” He stopped two bow’s length away from her and spun back toward her, watching her face closely, “If I dissolve this alliance you will once again be my prisoner and I will not show you any compassion.”
Caellia’s face drained of color. He was once again cold and dangerous. She realized just how thoroughly she had botched the alliance agreement as his words sunk in. Nathavin still had the upper hand even though they were supposed to be working together. If she did something he did not approve of he could simply claim she was in violation of the agreement and dissolve it!
“Now come along Caellia. We’ve much to do and little time to work with.” He turned back around and strode angrily towards the temple. How dare she presume to think she could make such demands of him? He still held her fate in his hands! He had been far too lenient with her. He had allowed her to become to bold over the past few weeks on the ship and the situation would have to be rectified. Nathavin admitted to himself that he loved her and wanted her love in return, but she would obey him as well. He would not tolerate her impertinence. She would have to accept that he would lead, and she was expected to follow!
Caellia limply trailed behind him, disgusted with herself for her mishandling of the agreement. She should have seen through it. Instead, she had focused solely on the poor condition of his lands, and in a fit of righteous outrage, had made a blind and uninformed vow, careless of the cost.
She paid little attention as they marched past the giant, stone hand and made their way up the steps to the dark temple. As they entered the edifice she cast a quick glance around and became acutely aware that she was the center of attention. She heard Nathavin as he greeted their Tetrarch, an older elf with an ornate robe and a wizened face. She later learned that his name was Thifiell. Caellia noted that all the other master trainers were glaring at her frostily. She turned back to face Thifiell and found his keen eyes trained upon her as he stroked his long grayed beard in contemplation before he nodded curtly to Nathavin. Once again Nathavin began to speak to Thifiell in their coarse an uneven language. Her gaze began to roam the room as she took note of the many shelves of old worn manuscripts.
It was not long before she noticed that Nathavin and Thifiell were no longer talking, but were rather looking pointedly in the direction behind her and the left. Caellia followed their gazes and her eyes locked with the turbulent gaze of one of the masters. His bare chest heaved as his nostrils flared in obvious hostility.
“Why are you here?” He bit out through tightly clenched teeth. “You do not belong here!” The muscles in his arms flexed as he withdrew a dagger from its place of concealment within his simple leather pants. “Your kind is not welcome here!”
Caellia narrowed her gaze at the aggressive elf as she readied to defend herself. As she began to take a challenging step forward, Nathavin’s cold, chilling voice stopped her midstep.
“Master Harant, lower your weapon immediately.”
“Lord Nathavin, why do you lower yourself to travel with this filth? Let me remove her from your esteemed presence my Lord.”
“No.” Came Nathavin’s simple answer. He moved to stand in front of Caellia, effectively blocking her from Harants view. “She is here by my authority and you will not interfere with my business.”
Harant looked at Nathavin in disbelief. “You would tarnish your reputation, and our ancestral home, by bringing that swamp spawn into our temple?”
“Swamp spawn?!” Caellia indignantly cried, offended. “I’ll have you know that I’m…”
“SILENCE CAELLIA!” Nathavin bellowed at her as he whipped around to face her, both cutting off and drowning out her protestations.
Caellia flinched and shrank away from his wrath. She chanced a look at face and caught him still glaring hotly at her. There was a tense moment of silence in the temple as she looked downward at the floor. She heard Thifiell order Harant back to his duties and the resulting snort and the slight whisper of the dagger as it was placed back in its sheath as Harant stalked away. “Natha…”
“Not one word Caellia.” Nathavin snarled. He turned to Thifiell, “We will continue this discussion later.”
“As you wish Lord Nathavin, I will be at your service whenever it is convenient for you.” Thifiell replied, watching calmly as Nathavin gripped Caellia’s arm ruthlessly and began to drag her out of the temple and down the steps.
Caellia winced as his fingernails bit into her flesh as he half dragged, half pushed her down the steps and to the left. As they reached the bottom of the stairs he flung her towards a black wrought iron rail. Caellia threw her hands up and caught herself on the railing, catching a good look at what was on the other side of rail. Or more accurately, what wasn’t on the other side. Her eyes widened in fear as his hands gripped hers on the railing tightly and his low voiced growl at her right caused her blood to freeze in her veins.
Tazair gave the two sentries at the entrance of the dark elven caverns a final look before casting Baelthal a skeptical glance. They had made their way back to the caverns at Baelthal’s urging. He had pleaded with Tazair to give him another chance, a chance to redeem himself and to help save Caellia. “Baelthal, are you absolutely certain you can make that sentry fall asleep with your spell on the first try? And keep him asleep long enough for me to kill the second one before the first wakes back up?” He hated to doubt the younger elf, however if this didn’t work they would both end up dead.
Baelthal snorted irritably, “I’ve already told you that I can. If not, I can cast another spell to keep him in place until I can get him to sleep while you handle the archer.”
“I know that, but if you’re busy trying to get him to sleep who’s going to keep me alive while I fight the archer?” Tazair retorted.
“I can do both!” Baelthal heatedly responded. “Nalia chose me because I’m the best qualified for this mission! It was poor planning that the first two sentries nearly killed us. If I’d been paying more attention I would have seen the second sentry appear from the forest and could have stalled him. As it was, I kept a constant heal spell on you the whole time. Which worked out pretty well don’t you think?
Tazair looked into Baelthal’s face, gauging the fierce determination in his eyes. The younger elf seemed to have recovered his self confidence and was eager to give it another try. He sighed in resignation, “Let’s get in close range. The closer we can get, the less time that archer will have to take his first shot at me.” Baelthal nodded in silent agreement as the two moved closer to the sentries.
*****
Nalia was abruptly woken from her unintentional nap by the sound of shuffling feet. She hastily scrubbed her eyes as she forced herself into full wakefulness and looked outside the door. The orcs that she had seen earlier were back and they were carrying quite a few boxes. Some of the boxes had words on them in the dark elven language and some simply had drawings on them. Presumably those drawings represented what was inside the boxes. As she watched she became aware that they were getting ready to organize them. One of the orcs began gesturing to a building to her left. As the other orcs were beginning to heft the boxes and take them to that building, a dark elven female in a gleaming set of red armor halted them. She spoke rapidly and angrily at the orcs. It was an obvious argument and a quick one as the orcs finally gave in to her and changed direction. They were now heading towards Nalia!
Nalia frantically scrambled away from the door as she drew in a sharp hiss. She prepared to come face to face with the orcs and drew her swords from their sheaths. Nalia decided she would not go down without a fight and she would take a few of them with her!
So focused on her imminent discovery, Nalia did not noticed the door behind her. As she leaned against it, the door swung open outward and deposited her on the ground. Nalia bit her lip to keep from crying out and alerting the orcs to her presence. Picking herself up off the ground she made a mad dash across the vast corridor and swung around the nearest building out of sight.
Taking a look around as she attempted to catch her breath she froze. A white armored clad dark elven male was standing near a slender black railing. Judging from the way he was standing, Nalia knew he was holding someone against it. Nalia continued to watch for a moment as she caught her breath, he was obviously angry with whoever he was threatening and she did not think he would notice her for a few brief seconds as she rested.
While Nalia told herself that, she still kept a close watch on them just in case he proved her wrong and did notice her. As the seconds crept by, she looked for another doorway and spied one. Taking one final glance in the males’ direction, she stealthily made her way to the door and disappeared inside.
Once she was sure she was alone in her new hiding place she peeked back outside the door to check on the arguing pair next to the railing. The man was pulled back slightly, no longer in a threatening pose. She could almost see who he was standing with. As the minutes passed, she began to grow bored watching the two. As she was getting ready to turn her back to them, the hidden person stepped into view and Nalia sank to her knees. Caellia!
*****
Tazair swung mightily at the sentry, his sword glancing off the massive shield the knight was carrying. The archer had gone down quickly. Tazair’s first blow had landed on the bow, nearly snapping it in half. The second and third blows had torn the bowstring loose. Tazair had finished the archer with a fatal strike from behind. It had looked to be an easy fight as he had then turned his attention to the knight. How wrong he had been, Baelthal could not possibly have known that the sentries were going to be having a shift change at the moment they decided to attack them. As soon as Tazair had finished the archer, two more sentries arrived on the scene and had captured Baelthal, silencing him to prevent him from helping Tazair.
Sweat beaded on Tazairs’ brow as he fought the dark elven knight. The knight had insisted he be allowed to fight Tazair on his own to avenge his friends death and his companions had allowed him. They now stood silently to the side watching the fight.
The knights’ blade rose swiftly upwards before crashing down on Tazairs armor, causing the sword singer to stumble. Letting out a bestial roar, he advanced on Tazair forcing the lighter elf into a corner. “Shillien curse you to the darkest depths of the underworld!” The knight cried as he viciously swung his sword in the direction of his opponents’ neck.
Tazair raised his shield in the nick of time, blocking the blow. His eyes widened in horror as he heard his shield emit a sickening groan as it began to give way under the relentless beating. The dark elf was still pounding against it with his blade, hacking at the beautiful forest green shield with its ivory edges. Tazair pushed his way off the ground and staggered to his feet between blows. Shaking his head to clear his vision he stared at his nemesis, breathing hard.
He couldn’t take much more of this and his eyes strayed to Baelthal who was still struggling in the grips of two more sentries. He was still trying to cast spells, Tazair could see the words forming on his lips but no sound was coming forth. Turning back to the powerful sentry, he flipped his slender sword in indecision, feeling its comforting weight in his hand. The dark elf laughed, it was a harsh and grating sound that filled Tazair with dread as he looked upon the sentry.
“You insignificant fool.” The sentry laughed again, “Have you no concept of who you are dealing with? I am the Commander of the Sentry unit. I was hand picked by Lord Nathavin himself.” His eyes turned hard as stone, “And you have killed my brother!” With a mighty lunge the sentry kicked the shield out of Tazairs’ hand, splintering it, and held the heavy blade at his throat. “Be grateful my Lord has ordered that your lives be spared!” He savagely whispered, “Or you would have been dead long ago!” He addressed the other sentries, “We must take these prisoners to the dungeons. As soon as that’s done I will inform Lord Nathavin of their capture.” He shoved Tazair in front of him and placed the blade at his back, “After you.” He said mockingly as they filed into the tunnel and down into the caverns.
*****
Caellia shuddered as she felt Nathavin press her firmly against the railing, causing it to groan slightly. “Nathavin…I’m sorry…I…” She was cut off by Nathavins angry voice.
“I specifically told you to keep quiet Caellia. Why didn’t you obey me?”
“Nathavin I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…” Once again Caellia fell silent as he refused to let her finish.
“I did not tell you that for nothing Caellia! These elves have little tolerance for your kind!” Nathavin barked at her. “Why must you continue to challenge me?”
“I was not challenging you Nathavin! I wasn’t challenging anyone!” Caellia tried to turn to face him but abandoned that idea when he leaned further into her, preventing her from being able to turn to him. “That arrogant elf made a direct slur against me and I defended myself! Or would have if you hadn’t of…”
“They do not understand that you are here to help, and there will still be those who will insist that we should crush your people, not ally ourselves with them even when I do inform them of the alliance.” Nathavin gripped her hands even tighter. “Do you not understand that I’m being placed in a difficult position too?”
His voice softened somewhat, “Caellia there are people who will try to use this alliance against me. They will try to wrest control of my people from me if I do not have some measure of control over you, and by extension the alliance.”
Caellia lowered her head, shielding her face from his view with her hair, as her face burned from the reaction his words had caused her. Why had that one comment caused a flurry of excitement? “Nathavin I can’t let you control me. I will not let you control me!” She shakily replied.
“In here you must obey me Caellia.” His anger had abated and his tone was firm, “They do not and will not trust you until you do something to earn their trust. Harant has proven that.”
“But how can I earn their trust if you won’t let me speak to any of them?!” Caellia asked.
“I will think of something. In the meantime, do as I tell you without question.” He leaned his head down to her neck. Nathavin noticed how tightly he was holding her hands to the rail and instantly lessened his grip on them. Caellia began to flex her fingers to return the blood flow.
Without fully realizing it, his hands gripped hers again and turned the palms upward. His face contorted slightly with guilt as he witnessed the extent of his anger. The insides of her palms were red and he could clearly see the impression of the wrought iron rail. The pads of his fingers began to lightly trace the lines in hers, massaging the abused flesh tenderly. Nathavin relaxed as he continued his ministrations to her hands, oblivious to the turmoil building within Caellia.
Caellia could only watch as he continued to rub her hands. He had done it again, he’d become violently angry with her only to become supremely gentle. Like that time in the forest after he’d chased her all day; only to insist that he be allowed to carry her after she’d hurt her ankle. A blush stained her cheeks. She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep in his arms. A strange feeling of calm and exhilaration rushed through her as she replayed the scene in her mind. The blush deepened, he had smelled nice too. Caellia jerked away from him slightly as she mentally chided herself, what was she thinking?! Tensing, she looked down to see his hands still massaging hers. She attempted to free her hands and couldn’t.
“Caellia, what is it?” Nathavin gripped her hands tighter as she attempted to pull away. He was confused. He had thought that she’d realized he was no longer angry with her. She had relaxed into him for a few scant minutes and then had suddenly pulled back. Nathavin tugged her back toward him, wanting to regain the closeness they’d just had. Tugging a little harder, he succeeded in pulling her to him again. “Relax, I’m not angry with you anymore.” He sighed deeply and lowered his chin, resting it on top of her head.
What was he to do with her? How could he make her see that he cared for her and that was the reason he’d asked her to obey him here. The masters represented the biggest threat to her, they were the oldest and most skilled out of everyone he knew. If they were not handled carefully they could cause him a lot of trouble.
“Nathavin,” Caellia hesitantly began, “why…” She stopped, unsure how to ask the question she wanted to ask him. “How…” A frustrated sound escaped her lips as she frowned slightly.
A slight smile graced his features, “You want to know why I get so angry with you so quickly, and then can be so calm so soon afterward?” He felt her head bob up and down against his chin, answering yes. “For the same reason you can be so relaxed against me after I’ve been so angry.” His eyes closed in self loathing. He could face down countless enemies with no fear. Yet he was terrified of what her response would be if he told her the truth, and she didn’t return his feelings. He still could not tell her the truth.
Caellia frowned at the non answer, trying to make sense of it. The answer spun around in her head as she sought to interpret the many different meanings of it. The problem was she didn’t know why she could relax so easily with him even after a fight. Her musings were interrupted as he pulled away from her and started to pull her away from the rail.
“We must go, it’s getting late. I will show you where you will be staying while you are here.” Caellia only nodded and stepped to his side, preparing to follow him.
Neither of them had ever noticed Nalia’s presence.
Nalia watched with mixed feelings of relief and disbelief as Caellia walked away with Nathavin. She was relieved her friend was still alive, yet she couldn’t believe that Caellia was allowing herself to be intimidated into meekly following behind Nathavin like some tamed wolf. What had happened to Caellia? Nalia shook her head to herself. Nothing had happened to Caellia, she’d been fighting with Nathavin. That much had been obvious from the way they had been initially standing at the railing. He had obviously won that battle and Caellia had gone along with him because he’d given her no other choice. Caellia would’ve fought him had she been able to do so. Nalia’s hands tightened reflexively on the grips of her swords in anger towards Nathavin. She sat back to think of a plan to rescue Caellia.
*****
Tazair worked painstakingly at the shackles on his wrists. They’d spent the entire night in the dungeons. He’d spent the entire night working on the wretched shackles with little success. A weary sigh caught his attention and he looked up from his attempts to break the binds on his wrists to glance at Baelthal.
“Hurry up Tazair, Caellia needs us.” Baelthal let his head fall backwards to land with a small thud against the cold stone wall.
“Do you think I’m just sitting on my laurels and counting baby cougars?” Tazair asked, incensed that Baelthal could think that he was doing nothing. “I’ve been working on these chains all night! What have you been doing to get us out of here?” He waited only the briefest of moments, “Oh that’s right, you’ve been doing nothing!”
Baelthal winced from Tazairs' venomous reply before standing and stating quietly while casting a healing spell, slowed by his lack of a staff. “I’m a healer. I’m not able to help you in this situation other than heal the cuts on your hands.”
“Baelthal, I’m sorry.” Tazair lowered his head to his hands and rubbed his face bitterly. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” He lifted his head and looked at the shackles on his wrists in frustration. “I just want to get Caellia back and go home. We didn’t ask for this.” He punched the floor in anger, “He had no right to take her! No right at all! What’d we ever do to him? What’d she ever do to him?” He finished sadly, barely above a whisper.
Baelthal cast a sympathetic look to his comrade. He understood Tazairs’ feelings well. But, as young as he was, he knew that Nathavin didn’t necessarily have to have any reason for abducting Caellia. Tazair, although a warrior, was naturally peaceful and generally hated fighting for any reason. He could sense that Tazair was working himself up and stood up and walked as close to his friend as the chains would allow him. Speaking in a low, soothing tone he cast a spell on his unsuspecting friend. At the end of the spell he muttered quietly to Tazairs’ slumbering form, “Sleep well, perhaps Eva will guide you to a solution to our problem in your dreams.” He wearily rubbed his eyes and sat back down in his original spot and silently wished he could spell himself to sleep.
*****
** Asadar looked over the lavishly spread table. There were all sorts of exotic fruits and meats from all over the world. There were Desert Codrans from Gludio, Blue Cobols from Oren and Sea Codrans from Innadril. There were also exotic meats from Rune’s beast farms and he’d paid a hefty price to have several types of fish brought in from Innadrils' plentiful fishing grounds.
He stalked past the nervous chefs, not seeing them scurry for cover, fearful of his wrath should he not find the set up acceptable. Asadar had too many things on his mind. He would be meeting with the Kings of Gludio and Innadril to discuss their possible roles in recapturing Caellia. He also wanted their help in overthrowing Queen Aldana and King Therus. While he had no proof that they were conspiring against him with the light elves, they had not responded to any of his attempts at correspondence with them. It was enough to make him doubt their loyalty to him and more than enough to make him angry.
*****
Nalia allowed a pleased grin to grace her lips as she cleverly slipped past the guards in the dungeons. Eva had smiled upon her today. She had learned that Tazair and Baelthal were being held in the lower dungeons from a guard that had been too drunk on Red Codran wine to be careful of what he said while propositioning to a would be lady friend. She patted the keys she had lifted from him through her armor as she mentally replayed her actions. They had been pretty clever, although highly distasteful.
The fool guard had grabbed the young dark elven woman and had been rather forward with his….affections. She’d had to brace herself against a wall with her hands to keep herself from falling over, not that the drunken male had noticed. All Nalia had done was sneak up behind him and move her hands in the motions of a lovers caress while skillfully taking his keys from their secured place at the back of his hip. He had drunkenly assumed that his lady friend had been the one caressing him rather than bracing herself against the wall. As Nalia rounded a curve she heard the clinking of chains before she saw Baelthal and Tazair.
“Nalia!” Exclaimed Baelthal in an excited whisper, “Where have you been?”
“Everywhere.” Nalia replied evasively as she quickly unlocked the shackles from both Baelthal and Tazair. “I’ve seen Caellia. She’s here with Nathavin.”
“Where and when was this?” Tazair growled lowly, his anger sparked again.
“Last night in the center of the caverns.”
“How was she? Was she ok? He didn’t hurt her did he?” Baelthal bombarded Nalia.
Nalia thought back to the way Caellia had been pressed against the railing and shook her slowly, “I don’t think he’s hurt her, but…” She trailed off, uncertain as to exactly what Nathavin had been doing to Caellia at that time. “She seemed ok to me, she didn’t seem injured in any way.” She finally finished.
“You’re not telling us something.” Tazair looked at her sharply. “Has something happened?”
“Nothing has happened.” Nalia gave him a cool stare. From his expression she could tell that Tazair was not convinced but he said nothing more. “We must get out of here. The guards will come by soon to check on you.” She then led them back to her hiding spot from the night before.
*****
Caellia looked around the enormous cavern and shivered next to Kattath. The dank caverns were chilly. She gave a sideways glance at Kattath’s indecent clothing, how could the woman not be freezing? She shivered again and looked around, tying to ignore the other elves as they looked at her with hate filled eyes as they stalked past going about their daily activities.
“Caellia, Kattath.” Nathavin greeted them each as he approached them. He turned to face Caellia fully, “How did you sleep last night?”
Caellia shivered once more before answering him, “Well I suppose.” She was not going to tell him that she’d slept better than she had on the ship. Neither was she going to complain that the room had been cold and drafty.
“Nathavin,” Kattath broke in, “perhaps a fire grate could be brought in for us tonight.” Kattath had noticed that Caellia had been intensely cold in their shared room. She knew Nathavin had them share a room so that she could watch over Caellia while they were here. “It was quite cold last night.”
Caellia cast a grateful look in Kattath’s direction and made a mental note to thank her later.
Nathavin simply gazed at Kattath for a moment, she’d never complained of being cold before. A fire grate was an unusual request from her. It took another moment before he realized that she was asking on Caellia’s behalf. He nodded while saying, “Of course, I will send someone to do that later today.” As he pulled Kattath a short distance away from Caellia to speak with her about other matters a sharp shout could be heard from the direction of the temple.
Caellia looked in amazement as three light elves fought off a few of Nathavin’s guards before they stopped at the opposite edge of the steps with a young dark elf firmly in Tazairs' grip. Nalia and Caellia locked gazes, Caellia frantically shaking her head no and trying to get Nalia to stand down.
“Release Caellia to us Nathavin!” Nalia demanded. They had watched Caellia, Kattath and Nathavin throughout their conversation and had been waiting for this opportunity. Nalia raised her swords in agitation as she watched Nathavin swing around to fully face her.
“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Nathavin asked menacingly, ignoring her demand.
“How I got in is of no importance! I’m here now and I want Caellia back with us!”
Tazair brought his blade up to the young dark elven boy’s throat, “I will let him go if you give us Caellia.” Just at the edges of his vision he thought he saw Caellia furiously shake her head back and forth.
Nathavin’s eyes turned black, “You would dare to threaten one of mine in these caverns? Kill him, and you will not get three paces before you join him!”
Caellia looked back and forth between her friends and Nathavin before reaching a decision. She cautiously approached Nathavin and tentatively placed her hand on his arm, feeling the bunched, tense muscles under the armor “Let me speak with them. They don’t know about the alliance. Let me explain to them.”
“No.” Nathavin said simply.
“Nathavin please!”
“Nathavin,” Kattath interjected, “if Caellia can get them to stand down, it might be enough to garner some trust for her in our people’s eyes.”
Nalia narrowed her eyes in confused anger, why was Caellia holding Nathavin’s arm? “Let me speak with Caellia!”
Nathavin sent her an anger filled look before turning to Caellia. “Do you think you can get them to stand down?”
“I’ve known Nalia for years. She was my personal guard on many occasions; I should be able to convince her to go home.”
“Very well.” Nathavin muttered darkly. “I will allow you to handle this situation.” His voice took on a foreboding tone, “However, if they attempt to escape with you I will take over and their lives will be forfeit.”
Caellia nodded at him and faced Nalia, “Nalia, release the boy. I’m coming over there to talk; there have been some changes since we last spoke.”
Nalia dropped her swords slightly and nodded. While Caellia crossed the distance she whispered to Tazair and Baelthal, “Let the boy go. When I give the signal Baelthal I want you to take us all home.”
Caellia watched the boy run away from Tazair as fast as he could. As she neared Nalia she slowed down and stopped a few steps from her. “Nalia it’s great to see you again.”
Nalia nodded, “We’ve missed you Caellia. How have you been treated?” Her eyes swept over Caellia’s form, looking for injuries.
“Well.” Caellia then began to explain the past events, leaving out several key details regarding Nathavin.
Nalia listened quietly until Caellia mentioned the alliance. “What?! Caellia why?”
Nathavin and Kattath looked on in tense silence as the two light elven females began to argue with one another. Nathavin tried to hear what was being said but he was too far away and could hear nothing except a word or two here and there.
Nalia looked at Caellia sadly. “I’m sorry Caellia.” She hated having to do this, but Caellia couldn’t see what was happening. She had made a poor choice in allying them with the dark elves. She drew in a deep breath, “You don’t see what’s happened. He has tricked you into this. Nathavin has misled you and you have fallen for his deception.” Nalia lowered her voice so that only Caellia could hear her, “And you are falling for him. You are not able to make reasonable decisions right now.”
Caellia’s eyes narrowed in anger, “How dare you question my authority? I have made a decision and you will obey it!” Nalia turned to Baelthal and nodded her head. Caellia recognized the spell he chanted and the all too familiar blue white streamers of light that began to quickly envelope her. Her scream echoed throughout the dark caverns even after she and the others had disappeared, “NO!”
Nathavin stared at the space Caellia had been in rapidly rising anger. His enraged gaze swept to Kattath, “Gather our forces, we are taking her BACK!”
Kattath bowed low as she closed her gift of sight to him. His aura was a pure black with gold and silver streamers and there seemed to be little explosions of dark angry purple scattered throughout his aura. She had never seen him so angry, his aura seemed to stretch and fill the cavern. She quickly began to run and gather all of their forces residing in the caverns while Nathavin went to the temple. She didn’t envy the Tetrarch or the other masters. As enraged as Nathavin was, she’d bet they’d be more worried of him.
*****
Caellia blinked at the bright sunlight that filtered down through the massive branches of the Mother Tree. She was home, but she barely registered that fact as she whirled around to face Baelthal, “What have you done?!” She asked accusingly.
Baelthal glared right back at her in silence before Nalia stepped between them. “He’s done what I asked him to do.”
“Why?! Why did you do this Nalia?” Caellia trembled in rage at her friend. “How could you do this? I told you I was fine!”
“You are not fine Caellia! That elf has twisted your mind! He’s stolen you away from your own people, and I won’t tolerate it!” Nalia got within inches of Caellia, “A few months ago you wouldn’t be arguing with me over this, you’d be thanking me. Whatever happened to the Caellia I knew?”
“She grew up and opened her eyes.” Caellia retorted bitterly, “Now I must speak with High Priest Asterios. I’m sure you’ll…excuse me, while I confer with him.” Caellia scathingly bit out as she stepped aside Nalia. She had to inform Asterios of the alliance and Nathavin, and the trouble there would be if they attempted to fight him.
*****
Nathavin glared at Tetrarch Thifiell as he explained the situation regarding Caellia’s disappearance and the alliance. It was near the end of his explanation that he produced the scrolls he’d received from Goryn. The one that had been penned by his adoptive father which Goryn had taken from Goddard when he’d sieged it and the one Goryn had stolen from Asadar.
“Caellia is the one?” Magister Harne asked incredulously. “She is Lord Erenor’s daughter?”
“It would appear so.” Thifiell replied slowly, giving Nathavin a calculating look. “Very well Nathavin, I will trust your judgment. If you say she is to be trustworthy, I will believe you.” He held out a warning hand, “However, if she is found to be untrustworthy,” his voice turned hard and deadly, “you will find yourself without a throne.”
Nathavin nodded curtly, it was as he’d expected. He just hoped Caellia hadn’t changed her mind. He didn’t think she had, she’d seemed quite surprised by the other females trick. His face stretched into a scowl, that elf would regret her decision. He’d make sure of it!
*****
Caellia glared at Asterios, why wouldn’t he understand?! What did the elder elf fear? He’d taken the same stance Nalia had! Caellia swore softly to herself as she paced the balcony outside the temple. The moment she’d told him she’d allied them with the dark elves to remove the curse Asterios had become extremely agitated and downright hostile towards her. Something wasn’t right and Caellia knew he was hiding something from her. She firmed her resolve and stormed back inside.
Asterios looked up from his discussion with Nalia and fixed Caellia with a frosty stare. “How did you allow yourself to fall from grace Caellia?”
Caellia was unprepared for such a question and her confusion showed in her voice. “Fall from grace?” She paused before continuing, “I have not fallen from grace. I am attempting to make right a wrong our people caused. That is not a ‘fall from grace’.”
Asterios walked over to her, “Caellia, Nathavin has abducted you. Not once, but twice. He has held you hostage for quite some time.” He paused, silently regarding her, “He has threatened you, placed your life in immediate danger. Why should we light elves align ourselves with him and his kind?”
“It is the right thing to do! We caused his people’s lands to be the way they are!”
“How do you know this Caellia?” Asterios knew it was the truth, but he would not allow them to be allied with the dark elves for any reason. He had to convince Caellia that Nathavin had lied to her. “Did he prove it to you? Can he prove it to you?”
Caellia’s face fell; he hadn’t proved it to her. She had blindly believed him based on his emotions when he’d told her that.
“I see that he didn’t prove it to you.”
Caellia looked at Asterios, “He doesn’t have to. I choose to believe him.”
Nalia shook her head in anger, “How could you do this Caellia?! Right now we need you! We need our Queen so that we may focus on the threat Asadar poses! He is building an army to attack us and you have gone and fallen for one of our oldest enemies!”
Caellia stalked toward Nalia, “For the last time Nalia, I have not fallen for him!”
“Then why do you defend him so passionately?” Inquired Asterios.
“I’m not defending him. I’m defending myself from the two of you.” Caellia responded hotly.
Asterios regarded her for a moment. “Caellia, do you remember the clause in the law of our land regarding the possible scenarios that would require my intervention on the King or Queens behalf?”
Caellia answered hesitantly, a nagging suspicion at the back of her mind, “Yes.”
“Do you remember what those conditions are?”
Caellia nervously looked between him and Nalia as she answered, “Yes, the King or Queen would need to have abandoned their duties, be disabled or found to be unfit to carry out the responsibilities of their station.”
“And who would decide if the King or Queen is unfit for such an important station?” Asterios fixed Caellia with an inscrutable stare.
“You…” Caellia trailed off as a look of horror crossed her features as she realized what Asterios was setting her up for. “NO! You can not take my birthright from me!”
“Can’t I?”
“No! I am perfectly capable of leading our people! You have to believe me!”
“Then abolish this alliance so that we may deal with Asadar!” Asterios began to grow incensed. “We can not afford to waste precious time and energy fighting Nathavin right now!”
“We don’t have to! Listen, Nathavin said that Goryn made him promise to protect me. He’s done exactly that ever since, whether I wanted his protection or not!”
Asterios cut her off, “Of course he’s protecting you, if you die he has no way to force the light elves to obey him!”
“You’re wrong Asterios! I’ve seen his armies! He could crush all of our people without thinking twice.” Caellia swung to Nalia, “Nathavin trusted me to try to send you home. He could’ve had any number of guards attack you and the others, especially when you were holding that young boy hostage, but he didn’t.”
Nalia didn’t know how to respond to that and stayed silent.
Caellia pleaded with her, “You must’ve known you wouldn’t be able to get me out of there if he truly wanted to harm our people! He would’ve killed you and the others immediately!”
Asterios calmly watched Caellia. “Caellia, you are treading upon dangerous ground here. Discontinue this nonsense before you dishonor us all, and before you force my hand.”
Caellia gaped at him, “You can’t be serious!”
“I am.” Asterios deadpanned.
Caellia looked at Nalia for help but the look she found on Nalia’s face told her that help would not be forthcoming from her. She asked with a shuddering breath, “What would you have me do?”
“That’s more reasonable.” Asterios said with a smile. “I assume that Nathavin will come looking for you. When he does, you will tell him that the alliance is over. That you’ve seen through his lies and that you will not allow him to control our people through you.”
Caellia stared aghast at Asterios, not quite believing what she was hearing. However if she wanted to keep her standing she would have to do as he said, or face being declared unfit to rule. She bowed her head and stated with great sorrow, “I understand.”
Asterios merely nodded and turned away from her, dismissing her. As the two women filed out he passed a hand over his face. What could I have done, he thought to himself. He strolled over to a chest, unlocked it, and reached inside to withdraw a single scroll. The cursed scroll detailed every facet of his prior involvement with the dark elves, his knowledge of Caellia’s fate, and how he planned on betraying Caellia in order to protect the light elves. He sighed and put the scroll back within the confines of the chest and locked it up again.
*****
Nathavin and his forces gathered at a small clearing just before the bridge at the edge of the neutral zone that bordered elven lands and the lands of Gludio. Once they crossed this bridge they’d be in light elven territory, his eyes narrowed in frustration. He should not have allowed Caellia to get so close to them. He should’ve expected some kind of deception from that temple knight. Nathavin unconsciously gripped his bow tighter in anger, paying no heed to the resulting groans the weapon emitted under the stress. He didn’t reply when Kattath came forward and declared that they were ready to move into the light elven lands. He simply strode across the bridge and waited for the two light elven sentinels to challenge his entrance.
The two sentinels exchanged glances with one another at the sight of Nathavin. The braver of the two, Trionell, held his hand up to stop Nathavin’s progress. “Halt! No dark elf is allowed on these lands by order of High Priest Asterios.” He quickly lowered his hand before anyone noticed that it was trembling.
Nathavin casually glanced at him then replied flatly, “As a courtesy to Caellia I will give you the opportunity to step aside.” His voice turned deadly cold, “Before I kill you!”
Sentinel Eriel’s eyes narrowed, “Do not speak of our Queen in such a familiar manner.” He was angered that Nathavin spoke of Caellia as if he were her close friend or even worse, a lover.
This surprised Nathavin, “Since when has she been your Queen? I was under the impression that she would be a Princess until she was wed.”
“She became our Queen the day she turned 610.” Eriel bit out before Trionell could stop him.
“Really?” Nathavin feigned indifference, focusing on Eriel. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to ensure that I get her back.” He stood toe to toe with Eriel, towering over the sentinel by a good margin.
Eriel gulped as he suddenly found himself looking up at the dark elven lord. When had Nathavin moved to stand in front of him? His startled gaze took in the massive bow with the sharp spines as it was held tightly against Nathavin’s chest. Even if he tried to raise his sword he doubted he’d be able to get a swing in before the bow’s spines were buried in his chest.
“You will let us pass.” Nathavin spoke softly, his very tone promising dire consequences if the sentinels refused him.
“Absolutely not! We will not allow you to cross our borders!” Trionell called out defiantly as he prepared to charge Nathavin. As he started his charge, a tight and rapidly spinning disc of air knocked him off his feet. Shaking his head he looked to see where it had come from and gawked at the sheer number of dark elves that had crested the top of the bridge. He knew it would be suicide to try to fight Nathavin now, the gathered forces would never allow their Lord to fall to him. Trionell would be killed if he managed to harm Nathavin. He looked to Eriel, Nathavin was standing too close to him for Eriel to even attempt to flee to warn the village.
Nathavin laughed contemptuously at Trionell. “What are you going to do? You can’t fight us all and your friend will be dead before he turns around.” He smirked evilly, “Perhaps you think you can outrun my arrow?”
“Nathavin” Kattath began as she sidled up to him, “they didn’t do any harm to Caellia. They weren’t the ones who took her away.” His dark blood was almost in full control, and what was frightening was that he wasn’t fighting it. He was deliberately toying with these two sentinels.
“Fine, I’ll let them live, for now.” Nathavin sneered as he backed away from Eriel. “Go!! Warn your village that I’m coming to reclaim what’s mine!” Nathavin viciously snarled.
Eriel gave Nathavin a hard look before adding a final parting shot, “She will never be yours!”
“We shall see about that!” Nathavin told Eriels retreating back.
Note: I have started to collaborate with Nolerahl regarding this story. I asked him about two to three months ago to become my beta reader. Someone to help me correct grammar mistakes before final posting and help prevent continuity flaws from occuring as much as is possible. This story has grown far larger, longer and more in depth than I could have imagined and it became overwhelming. He has helped me in more ways than I could have imagined and has made some very good suggestions to the story and I consider him more of a co-author than an actual beta reader. :cool:
Now...on to the story. ;)
*****
Caellia stared through unshed tears out over the village from the terrace overlooking the gentle fountain that allowed water to flow around the Mother tree. How could they have done this to her? Why had they done this to her? A small sob threatened to escape when a small cough to her left alerted her to the fact that she was not alone. She did not turn to face the owner of the cough. Instead, she chose to try to ignore the person in hopes that they would go away.
“Queen Caellia?” inquired a hesitant voice. Caellia sighed to herself before answering; however, without turning around to face the owner of the voice, “Yes?”
“I’m Ariel, Nalia sent me to show you your new armor.” She watched Caellia closely; it was painfully obvious that Caellia did not want company. She regretted having to intrude on Caellia but the matter of new armor could not wait any longer. The armor set Caellia was wearing was almost in tatters and she could see many places were it had been patched up.
Caellia sighed and closed her eyes, willing the tears away. “I’m not in the mood to try on new armor right now.”
“But Queen Caellia, Nalia insists that you be given the armor now.”
Caellia bit back a sharp retort. It was not Ariel’s fault that she was in a foul mood. She simply turned to face her and nodded her head in acceptance and followed Ariel to the back of the armor shop. Once there, they passed through a set of hidden doors to a special room.
“Nalia had this specially freighted to us from the finest craftsmen in Rune. The dwarves there have been making superb armors and weapons recently, as it has become a hub for travelers and traders now that they have added the docks for shipping.” She explained to Caellia. She walked to a crate that was at the back of the room and broke the seal and began to pull its contents out as she explained. “The main breast plate is made from hand worked metal, and has been bleached by the sun with an enhancement spell to a magnificent white. There is reinforced gold mithril under the breast and around the side of the hips that adds strength to the armor. The shoulder pads run from the collar down to the lower bicep to give added protection to the arms.” Ariel then said, pointing at the solid mithril breast guards, “These will help to protect your vital spots.” She moved on to the next pieces of the armor, all the while explaining what they were made from and their various purposes, unaware of how still Caellia had become.
Caellia looked at the armor in a state of shock. She’d seen armor with these qualities before, on Nathavin. This armor was of the same manufacture as his, except this particular set had been tailored for her. She allowed Ariel to help her into the delicate looking armor. The armor fit snuggly to her form; from the extra muscle that Caellia had put on over the last few weeks. After a few minutes, Ariel led her to a mirror so that she could view herself in the new armor. The armor seemed to have transformed her, and she saw it wasn’t as delicate as it had appeared. She no longer looked like a frightened young Queen. However looks could be deceiving, Caellia was very much afraid.
She jumped slightly as Ariel suddenly opened a long, slender crate laying on its side, and carefully pulled the straw and hay packing away from a massive bow. The bow had two sets of stems, one set larger than the other. It appeared to be made from bone and had reddish looking horns on the hand guard with small bone spikes coming off the underside. The hand guard seemed to be made of reinforced metal plates. Over all, the bow had a slightly demonic appearance. Intrigued, Caellia strode confidently over to Ariel and pulled the bow from the other elf’s hands as Ariel began her explanation.
“This bow is very special, not only is it more powerful than most known bows, but it has a special ability that enhances your own talent to focus on your target. This allows your shots to be far more deadly than before. It is known as the Bow of Shyid, and only the most skilled warsmiths are capable of crafting it.” Ariel finished with a flourish and an air of pride. “I had this crafted for you using my own personal funds.”
The bow was immaculate. She could hardly believe how powerful it was. Caellia slowly hefted the bow into firing position, relishing the feel of its comforting weight and pulled the string back and let it go smoothly. The bow gave a satisfying t******* sound as the string was released. A faint smile curved Caellia’s lips upward for a moment before reality crashed into her as Nalia stepped into the room.
“Trionell and Eriel have come from the border of the neutral zone. Nathavin has crossed our borders and is in our lands. He is expected to be here shortly. Our forces have been moved to the westernmost gate.” She stared hard at Caellia, “Asterios would like to have a word with you.”
Caellia looked to the floor and sadly nodded.
Turning back to Ariel she took the supply of arrows, and strapped them to her back. Then grabbed a Greater pouch full of magic stones from Ariel’s outstretched hand; tying the pouch to her belt around her tiny waist. At that point she made to follow Nalia when Ariel caught her arm. Turning, Caellia looked curiously at Ariel as Nalia walked a few feet ahead, unaware that Ariel had stopped Caellia.
“I don’t know what happened between you and Asterios, my Queen. But do not think that we have all turned against you. There are some of us who believe that Asterios has become too comfortable with his authority in your absence. Do not allow him to take your place.” Ariel gazed into Caellia’s troubled eyes, “You have always done what you believe is right for us, I’m not so sure he does the same.” Caellia looked at Ariel and knew the elf knew more than she was admitting to. She simply nodded to Ariel before turning to follow Nalia.
*****
Hontas watched the elves gather their forces to the western gate while the assorted human troops moved themselves to the northern gate, and out of sight. They were keeping to their word about not interfering with the battle between the two elven races. He saw Caellia in her new armor and bow, and made to intercept her. Catching up to her, he spoke, “Queen Caellia, it is an honor to meet you.” Hontas finished with a polite bow.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t recall your name.” Caellia answered.
Hontas laughed nervously for a second, uncomfortable with having to deceive the young elf. “You’ve never met me, but I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Hontas.” He grimaced mentally to himself, wishing he’d never met Asadar. Hontas really did not want to cause the young Queen any more grief than she was suffering already. “I only wanted to wish you the best of luck. If you require my services, I would be most willing to provide them.” By services he meant the battle planning against Asadar. Asterios had not yet allowed him inside while they were planning their strategies and time was running out. He would need to report back to Asadar soon.
“I’ll remember that Hontas. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some rather pressing matters to attend to.” Caellia brushed past him as politely as possible, ignoring the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.
As she entered the temple Asterios glanced at her before returning to his conversation with Nalia, who had already reached the temple while Caellia had been delayed speaking with Hontas. She ground her teeth in frustration and gripped the bow at her side tighter. The action was faintly reminiscent of Nathavin when he was agitated, although Caellia did not realize this. “You wished to see me?” She asked, fighting to keep her tone even.
“Yes. We expect Nathavin to be here shortly. Trionell said that he had a massive force assembled.”
Caellia didn’t doubt this; although she refrained from pointing out that she had warned them that Nathavin was not one to trifle with. Instead, she simply stared at Asterios for several long seconds before he spoke again.
“If his forces try to gain entrance into the village they will be restricted by the bridge.” Asterios glared at Caellia, “Do not attempt to salvage this…alliance.” He spat the word out as if it was a nasty bit of Codran. “If you do, I will not hesitate to declare you unfit. When the time comes, you will fight Lord Nathavin with every bit of skill you possess.”
Caellia nodded mutely, she understood. She also understood that Asterios had just handed her a death sentence if he expected her to fight against Nathavin. However she did not mention that. If Asterios expected her to die for her people, she would. She was slightly surprised to hear Nalia’s concerned voice.
“Asterios, perhaps Caellia should not fight Lord Nathavin. He is quite skilled, far more skilled than Caellia.”
“No, Caellia must fight him. She must convince him that this ridiculous alliance is well and truly over.”
Nalia simply nodded and said nothing further, however she was now very concerned for her friends safety.
*****
Nathavin eyed the village from a short distance away. It was deceptively peaceful looking. The only noise in the surrounding forest was that of the local creatures, and even they seemed to be avoiding making too much noise. He struggled to regain control over his dark blood. While he’d knowingly allowed it to surge unchecked earlier, he would need to control it while he dealt with Caellia.
Kattath approached him cautiously “We are ready Lord Nathavin. Give the word and we shall strike.” She opened her gift to him and mentally recoiled, his aura was still overwhelming to her.
Nathavin merely nodded before saying resolutely “Then we go now.” He didn’t wait for Kattath to relay the message to their forces. Instead, he simply began to run to the village swiftly. The sound of his troops falling into step behind him reassured him that Kattath was doing her job and doing it well. As he neared the bridge leading to the gate of the village he slowed to a walk and finally halted at the edge of the bridge. He listened as the elves behind him stopped and waited for his decision. Nathavin then slowly began to advance up the narrow bridge, the gathered forces behind him following him up the narrow bridge. His nostrils flared in anger, they were bottlenecked on this bridge and his temper raged at the disadvantage as he struggled to contain it.
Sentinels Rayen and Starden watched him warily as he approached. Starden hefted his bow and drew back on the string while Rayen stepped forward and in front of the light elven forces. It was Rayen who addressed Nathavin. “Turn back and leave these lands at once!”
Nathavin’s eyes narrowed even more, obviously Caellia either had not informed anyone of the alliance or they had not approved of it. Or had she turned her back on it? “No! Not until I have what I’ve come for! Where is Caellia?”
“There is nothing here for you, Turn back now!” Rayen yelled back.
Nathavin openly sneered “I already gave you my answer!” He could feel the dark blood rising in his veins and struggled to keep it at bay. “Now tell me, where is Caellia?!” He raised his bow, targeting Rayen.
Starden sent a prayer to Eva, and waited for the signal to release his arrow. As Rayen gave the signal to attack, Starden released his arrow right as a darkened red bone splintered into his chest. He continued to fire his bow despite several spells of healing being unleashed upon him. It was all in vain, he never hit Nathavin and he was still firing at Nathavin when a dark elf with a beautiful blood red dagger struck him in his side. The blade slipped through a slit in his armor before it impaled his heart, instantly killing him.
Rayen had charged Nathavin only to be driven to his knees from the sheer force of the arrows. He struggled upright again and continued his charge. As he drew closer to Nathavin, he could have sworn he’d heard the dark elf curse at him and tell him to stay down before he felt another arrow drive into his chest, knocking him backward. As he lay there looking up at the sky, he could hear the sounds of the vicious battle being waged. He tried to gain his feet again but found that he couldn’t. Cool water rained upon him from a spell singer as she quickly cast her spells, bringing enormous walls of water and ice to life and propelling them at her targets. Although he couldn’t see her, Rayen could hear her casting her spells as quickly as she could.
A female blade dancer swung her swords above her head unleashing her magic as she looked around for a target. Her sharp eyes spied a heavily armored knight in a greenish black set of armor adorned with a cross on the breast plate, which looked as if it would be better suited on a dark elf male. She made her way to him, and thrust both her blades in an upward arching thrust at the light elf, missing him by only a few scant inches.
Her opponent, a temple knight, looked at the female dual user and raised his shield. He raked his gaze appreciatively down her form and back up to her face, “Are you as good a fighter as you look?” He watched as her face bunched in anger, his verbal barb had hit the mark. He felt the reassuring presence of his spirit orb as it floated above his shoulder. Raising his sword and shield, he nodded his head at the woman and accepted her challenge.
Caellia watched in horror from the stairs of the temple as the two forces clashed with one another. Even this early in the battle it was obvious her kin were simply no match for Nathavin’s forces. Her people had not trained as hard or as fiercely as his own and it showed. She watched in fascinated alarm as his army began to push the light elves back, and advanced slowly into the village. A muffled curse caused her to swing around to face Asterios, the corner of her mouth tilted upward in a bitter grin. She had told them that they should not take Nathavin lightly. The grin however fell from her face as she remembered her duty. Sighing, she looked once more over the battle, searching for Nathavin.
Asterios hissed as the battle progressed, he’d really thought they’d hold out better than this. He chanced a look at Caellia. She was watching the battle almost as if she’d known how it would turn out. Of course she would though, she’d spent time with Nathavin, grown close to him, had blindly fallen in love with him and didn’t even realize it. The foolish girl! His hand curled into a fist, how dare the little tramp fall in love with a dark elf after all he’d done to protect them from those traitorous heathens! After all he’d sacrificed! She was just like her father! He’d hoped she would be different from Lord Erenor, but she wasn’t. In the end, his blood flowed through her veins and she was weak like him. Unlike with Lord Erenor however, Asterios could control her somewhat being as young as she was. He nudged her slightly, “Go find Nathavin and inform him of the dissolution of this abominable alliance.”
Caellia faced Asterios squarely, “And if he chooses to fight?”
Asterios gazed blandly upon her face before stating in an unconcerned voice, “Then you will die.”
Caellia flinched at his uncaring tone before turning away without a word and brushed past Nalia, knocking the woman out of her way. She further ignored Nalia as she heard the elf call out to her.
As she approached the ongoing battle she listened to the startled exclamations of her kinsmen as they realized she was in their midst. She steadfastly ignored their warning cries and pleas for her to go back to the temple. How could she tell them she’d been ordered to go into the fray or risk losing her position? Holding her head high, she bravely came to the gates and stepped onto the bridge.
Time seemed to slow and come to a standstill. The various combatants seemed to sense the slight shift in the atmosphere as their two leaders silently regarded one another from opposite ends of the bridge. Slowly the spells ceased and the swords fell still as their wielders looked on in quiet contemplation as Caellia and Nathavin faced one another.
Caellia watched nervously as Nathavin slowly lowered his bow and brought it up to rest against his chest. He took an almost casual stance with his left leg canted slightly outward, while he rested his weight mostly on the right leg. She knew that no matter how he stood, he was far more dangerous than he appeared. Caellia noted how still he was. Except for the almost imperceptible clenching and unclenching of his hand around the bow, an indication of his anger. She refused to meet his eyes. If she did she’d lose what little resolve she had.
Nathavin stared at Caellia, what would she do? She’d obviously come prepared to fight. There were plenty of arrows at her back and the large pouch of magic stones at her waist proved that theory, but would she actually attack him? He’d told her the consequences of that action. Nathavin watched her rock nervously back and forth, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. In the back of his mind he noted that she was wearing new armor, made from the same materials his was. She also carried a new bow. He’d never seen a bow like that before. Its design was like none he’d ever seen. Even though the bow was held loosely at her side as she contemplated him it was still impressive.
Caellia blew air from between thinned lips and steeled her nerves before raising her voice and saying with a bravado she didn’t feel, “Nathavin I hereby abolish the allia…”
His eyes narrowed to mere slits as he raised his bow and fired two consecutive arrows at her, cutting her off mid-sentence as they sliced the air on either side of her face. “Think before you finish that sentence Caellia.” He warned her. Even as he threatened her, something didn’t sit well with him.
Caellia felt the fletching of the arrows graze her cheeks as they passed. She was not bleeding, but he’d made his point very effectively. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes before she blinked them away. Caellia readied herself as she withdrew a magic stone from the pouch at her hip and smoothly palmed it into the groove in the arrow that was designed for the stones as she withdrew the arrow from the quiver at her back before nocking it. Taking a shaky breath she raised her bow to firing level and worked to steady her quivering voice. “I am abolishing this alliance Nathavin.”
Nathavin set his jaw. “No you aren’t, I won’t let you!” His soft, yet vehemently spoken statement, carried across the distance that separated them and was just as powerful as if he’d shouted it. “I won’t allow it!”
“Nathavin please! Leave us be! Don’t do this!” Caellia begged him as she drew the bowstring further back, the bow creaking ominously. She began to choke on muffled sobs and her throat began to burn as if she were swallowing fire.
“I will not let you go Caellia!” Nathavin hissed angrily.
Caellia cried out in anguish as she released the arrow and watched it sail past Nathavin as he nimbly dodged it. She quickly repeated her earlier actions and sent another arrow at him, dodging one of his own in the process.
The assembled forces watched in respectful silence as the two archers fought with one another. None interfered with the fight, they all knew that the two combatants would not welcome the intrusion and would very likely turn on whoever interfered. However, it was obvious that Caellia was under skilled. Even the other light elves could see that she was no match for Nathavin.
Nathavin closed the distance between himself and Caellia, flinging his bow to the ground he reached for his dagger. It was more precise and there was less chance of him accidentally killing her with it than the bow. It also simply gave him an excuse to be closer to her.
Caellia sidestepped Nathavin and tried to put more distance between herself and him. There wasn’t much room on the narrow bridge and she dared not go back within the confines of the village. She knew if she did he’d just close the gap and the dark elves behind him would follow and they’d steadily work their way into the village by slowly backing her up. Caellia raised the bow high in the air, risking a blow to her unprotected stomach, as she cast magic to summon a ball of flame to surround the tip of her arrow just before she released it.
The flames licked at Nathavin as he brought his arm up to shield his face. He smirked behind his raised arm, she was getting desperate. That shot, while impressive, was less harmful to him than her previous attacks. She was also getting tired from constantly drawing the string. He retreated back a few feet and studied her. She wouldn’t last much longer. Their fight had already lasted several minutes and she was reaching her limit. Soon she would make a mistake, and he’d be ready for it.
Caellia pulled the bowstring back again, ignoring her abused muscles as they burned relentlessly. Her vision blurred slightly and she shook her head weakly to clear it. She cursed loudly as the string snapped from her fingers before she was ready to release it and watched the arrow fly wildly into the crowd. Fumbling, she tried to nock another arrow as she backed away from Nathavin who was slowly advancing on her.
“Give it up Caellia!” He was tired of this foolishness. She was going to get herself hurt if she continued to attack him. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she was perilously close to forcing him to in order to protect himself. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Nathavin murmured softly as he continued to close the gap that separated them. He watched as she shook her head back and forth. “Look at yourself Caellia. You can’t even nock the arrow on the string. Give up.”
“No, I can’t.” Choked out Caellia between gulps of air. “I must…fight…I can’t…give up.”
“Why not? You can’t possibly win this fight. Even your own people can see that.” He advanced ever closer, he was just over an arm’s length away from her.
Caellia looked at him helplessly, unable to answer. How far could she trust him? She swung her gaze to the temple, where Asterios was watching them out of sight, before turning back to face Nathavin. Did she trust him enough to tell him?
Nathavin followed her gaze to the temple before returning his gaze to her face. She had turned back to him and the expression on her face perplexed him. Caellia looked afraid, but why would she be afraid? She was in her home. Caellia should have felt more comfortable here. Instead, she seemed more afraid now than when she had merely been his captive.
Deep humiliation and fear coursed throughout her. Caellia hated having to ask him for help. But she could see no other way. There was no where and no one else she could turn to. Asterios was holding her title above her head if she didn’t do as he said. He also believed that they alone could defeat Asadar with only a fraction of the armies of the dissatisfied and rebellious King of Giran and the Queen of Dion. Asadar had killed Goryn and intended on destroying her people. Nathavin himself had kidnapped her and had intended on merely using her to gain control over her people with the ultimate goal of destroying them.
But, after Goryn’s death, he’d changed. He’d begun to protect her. Even when she’d refused him, he’d helped her. Nathavin had begun to treat her with a measure of respect. Of course, he’d still been irritable and easily provoked to anger, but he’d never actually hurt her on purpose. She’d known many times he could have easily hurt her and hadn’t. Looking into his dark eyes, turned a smoky grey from his turbulent emotions during the recent fight, she studied him.
Squelching down her pride, Caellia breathed deeply and began to speak in a low voice, “Nathavin…I…” She broke off with a sob and a curse. Caellia hissed in frustration as tears momentarily blinded her and a lump rose in her throat, making it impossible to speak. She couldn’t do it! The dark elves had been her enemy for so long! How could she ask them for help?! She’d agreed to the alliance because it would right a wrong done to them so many years ago, but could she, or even should she, ask them for help?
“What is it Caellia?” Nathavin stepped up to her, completely closing the distance between them. He hated seeing her this way. Even when he’d been the cause of her frustration and sadness, she’d never looked like this. He was stunned by the look of such pure sorrow in her blue eyes as she turned her face up to his. The look in her eyes brought him physical pain, as if he’d been run through with the jagged blade of a Damascus sword. It made him angry that anyone could cause her such emotional pain. He wanted to hold her. Bring her close to him and tell her he would make everything all right, that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He wanted to offer her his help, but he couldn’t, not here and now. Instead, he simply stood in front of her, wishing he could find a way to make things right. Wishing he could make her pain go away.
Caellia looked up to see Nathavin far closer than he had been previously and took a skittish step back to regain the lost distance between them and looked away from him. She flinched as he followed her. She took another, larger step back, uncomfortable with his close proximity to her. To her amazement he didn’t follow this time. Instead, he took an equal size step to hers backwards and away, doubling the amount of distance she had placed between them.
“I will wait here until you decide to tell me whatever it is you need to tell me Caellia.” Nathavin worked to keep the disappointment out of his voice. If she needed space, he’d give it to her. Anything he could do to help alleviate her fright and fear he would do. He kept as still as he could, only moving to sheath his dagger.
The gathered fighters watched them in a strained quiet. They knew something had transpired between Nathavin and Caellia. It was obvious that Nathavin was allowing Caellia to come to some sort of decision since he had adopted a pose of wait-and-see. The assembled factions watched each other warily, each waiting for the other to strike, each half expecting and half wanting the other to strike.
Asterios looked on in outrage. Caellia was not fighting Nathavin! She was standing there with her bow held limply at her side and her head down in apparent defeat! His grip tightened on his staff, what was the little fool thinking? He couldn’t declare her unfit yet, she’d done nothing so far yet that he could do it safely. If he declared her now, the other elves would not follow him. He leaned back and watched, letting his anger dissipate slowly. He would have her crown yet, he just had to wait for her to make a mistake.
Time passed painfully slowly as the two stood on the bridge. Hontas watched each in turn. He had watched the entire fight out of view and out of the way, hidden in a small space between a magic shop and the rail that surrounded the village. Nathavin was clearly not going to back down, although he had given Caellia some personal space that was the only concession he’d made. Asadar was a fool. Nathavin was never going to let him take Caellia. It was obvious to anyone who wasn’t blinded by petty prejudices that Nathavin loved Caellia. And Hontas believed deep down that Asadars’ time in this realm was growing short.
Caellia fidgeted under the suns hot rays. The crickets chirped loudly in the background. She had calmed down somewhat, but only barely. Chancing a look at Nathavin she shut her eyes and looked away when she met his calm grey ones. Caellia realized that he had no intentions of moving, and there was no hope of him letting her off the bridge without explaining why she had started to speak and then stopped herself.
She took another look at him, this time struggling not to tear her eyes away from his. He had allowed her to take her time with this, shown her respect by taking the step back and doubling the distance the between them, instead of following her. Caellia took a deep breath and took a solitary, albeit uneasy, step forward.
Nathavin stayed still, he wanted her to close the distance between them. Only then would he know that she fully trusted him. He watched Caellia through narrowed eyes. Schooling his face into an unreadable mask, he watched as she shifted apprehensively, bouncing from one foot to the other. Still he said nothing, determined to make her do this.
Caellia watched him, distressed that he wasn’t coming toward her. Had he changed his mind? Had she been wrong? There was only one way to know for sure. Gathering her rapidly shrinking courage, she took the final step that brought them within inches of each other.
Caellia had never noticed before just how much taller he was than her. She had to tilt her head back quite a bit to look at him properly. The effect was…unsettling…and yet caused her heart to race excitedly in her chest. It was not a wholly uncomfortable feeling, just one she didn’t understand why she was having. Caellia took a brief moment to quell her nerves before speaking in hushed tones, so that only Nathavin could hear her. “I…I need…“ She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. “I need your help. Asterios will declare me unfit to rule if I continue with our alliance.” She said in a quick and hushed tone.
Her voice broke, and quivered as she reopened her eyes to look at Nathavin. “I have no one else to turn to.” Tears began to fall down her cheeks, leaving wet trails in their passing. “Please, please help me. Don’t let him do this to me.” Her shoulders shook, “You once said…you once said you would always protect me, whether I wanted it or not.” Caellia nearly broke down in sobs as she continued her heartfelt plea, “If ever there was a time I needed your protection it’s now!” Unable to control her hysteria any longer, Caellia broke down. Lowering her head in shame, she cried brokenly, waiting for his response.
Nathavin stood motionless for several long seconds. He was elated that she had closed the distance on her own and had confided in him and had asked for his help. It filled him with a happiness and contentment the likes of which he’d never known. The thought that someone, someone she had trusted, was threatening to take her position away from her because she chose to ally with him, angered him beyond measure. Uncaring of how it looked, he gathered her in his arms in a fierce embrace. Her hair tickled his nose as he gently nuzzled it against her ear, the sweet smell almost causing him to forget where they were.
The dark elven forces stood in momentary shock at the sight of Nathavin embracing the light elven Queen. It was against everything they had ever been taught. But this was their Lord, and if there was one thing that they had learned above all else, it was never question their Lord. To do so meant death.
Kattath nearly let loose a victory cry when she saw Nathavin embrace Caellia. She contained herself, but only just. She noticed that some of the light elven forces were preparing to come closer to Nathavin and Caellia and motioned their own forces to step forward slightly in unmistakable warning. The light elves could not be permitted to interrupt Nathavin and Caellia.
The light elves could not believe what they were seeing. Why was Caellia crying? Why wasn’t she fighting back? Surely she couldn’t want this. Surely she couldn’t want Nathavin to embrace her. Could she? A few of them took several steps forward to try to check on her to make sure she was alright and pull her out of Nathavin’s grip but halted when the dark elven forces, led by Kattath, took their own warning steps forward.
Nathavin pulled away from Caellia just long enough to look at her even though she still wasn’t looking at him, before he crushed her to his chest, once again burying his face in her sweet hair. He growled out his answer next to her ear, “They will not harm you! I will not allow it!” His voice took on a ferocious, almost animalistic quality, “No one threatens what is mine!”
Caellia cried tears of relief against his chest as the bow fell from her limp fingers. He understood and was going to protect her! She kept her face angled down when he pulled away to look at her. She didn’t want to be let go and stepped closer to him, causing him to pull her against him again. Caellia shivered at his fierce voice as he promised to protect her and unconsciously she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his neck, hugging him back and never wanting to be let go.
I'm so glad they finally showed how they feel about eachother. I'm only an EE so.........does Clarity work for archers, I havn't had a chance to try it on one yet. If nothing else I can stand behind and heal them both.
I'm so glad they finally showed how they feel about eachother. I'm only an EE so.........does Clarity work for archers, I havn't had a chance to try it on one yet. If nothing else I can stand behind and heal them both.
Clarity only work on skills, like stun shot and double shot, not normal shots. Wrong place for this anyways :p
Caellia cried tears of relief against his chest as the bow fell from her limp fingers. He understood and was going to protect her! She kept her face angled down when he pulled away to look at her. She didn’t want to be let go and stepped closer to him, causing him to pull her against him again. Caellia shivered at his fierce voice as he promised to protect her and unconsciously she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his neck, hugging him back and never wanting to be let go.
From somewhere in the back of the elf village a shout is heard, "RAID BOSS PARTY LF SE and BD!!!!"
Caellia cried tears of relief against his chest as the bow fell from her limp fingers. He understood and was going to protect her! She kept her face angled down when he pulled away to look at her. She didn’t want to be let go and stepped closer to him, causing him to pull her against him again. Caellia shivered at his fierce voice as he promised to protect her and unconsciously she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his neck, hugging him back and never wanting to be let go.
From somewhere in the back of the elf village a shout is heard, "RAID BOSS PARTY LF SE and BD!!!!"
:) :) :) that gave me a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig smile of the day
I have every intention of writing more. The story has had to take a turn on the backburner due to real life issues at the moment. But it will be completed. I intend (crosses fingers) on picking back up writing this week if things settle down in rl.
I appreciate everyone who has read the story and am glad that people find it entertaining. :) I and my co-author work very hard on it and try to keep it entertaining and fun. I'm not sure when the next installment will be out, but I hope to have it out soon. ;)
Asterios gave a smug smile to himself. Now he had her. She had made her mistake, embracing the dark elf would be her downfall! He strode arrogantly down the temple steps with barely restrained anticipation, shoving the gathered light elves out of his way as he approached the western gates. Once there, he fixed Caellia with a stern glare and his voice rang through the air, “What is the meaning of this?!”
Caellia flinched in Nathavin’s arms and tried to pull away from him, only to find she couldn’t. She tilted her face upwards to look questioningly at him and was surprised at his gentle, yet firm voice as he began to whisper quietly to her.
“You must face him. Pull yourself together and do not let him frighten you. You are the rightful ruler of the light elves, not him. Never forget that.” While his voice was whispered and gentle to her it was also full of intense emotion. She had to understand that she could not allow her fear of Asterios to show at this moment. Nathavin looked down into her eyes as his hands captured the sides of her face and held her still as his eyes drilled into her own with the strength of his conviction. “Never forget who you are and what you must do. You are the Queen of your people, and right now you have a duty to them. Face him, as you faced me on so many occasions.”
Caellia nodded mutely and allowed him to pull her back into his embrace briefly, content for the moment to ignore Asterios as she removed all traces of her earlier, tearful, breakdown.
Nathavin held her wordlessly as she swiped the tears from her eyes. She really was quite brave. It had taken a fair amount of courage for her to turn to him for help. He was well aware of how much that had hurt her pride. Nathavin heard Asterios’ voice break through the momentary silence and although he turned to glare at Asterios, he was aware of Caellia as she looked up at him. He didn’t turn to look at her, hoping she’d take his cue that it was time to address Asterios.
Asterios shook with rage. “How dare you ignore me? How dare you show such insolence to your elders?” He hissed through gritted teeth. “What sort of treachery are you attempting Caellia?!"
Caellia looked once more to Nathavin before reluctantly pulling away from him. Turning to face Asterios head on, she bravely confronted him. “How dare I? How dare you?! The treachery you have committed is far worse than any you would accuse me of!”
The light elven forces gathered shot one another confused looks. What were they talking about? What treachery?
“Bold words coming from one clinging so wantonly against the Lord of our sworn enemy, the same enemy I might add, that would stop at nothing to ensure the destruction of our race.”
A spell singer stepped cautiously forward and asked lowly, “What is going on?” He looked to Caellia, who was standing close to Lord Nathavin and directed his next question at her, “Caellia, my Queen, why are you siding with them?” He nodded at the dark elves to emphasize his question. “What has happened that has pushed you to ally us with our dark cousins?”
Caellia felt a rush of heat flood her cheeks at the insinuation in Asterios’ words and stepped further away from Nathavin as she decided to ignore the barb about her clinging to his side, and answered the spell singer. “The threat posed by the dark elves is nothing compared to the threat our race faces from within.” Her eyes burned brightly with righteous anger. “There are those,” she glared pointedly at Asterios, “in our own homelands that seek to usurp me from my throne. That kind of threat is more damaging than any threat posed by outsiders. It is more insidious, more devastating and far more deadly than any threat that could ever be posed by those from without.”
Asterios looked at her calculatingly, “And who do you suggest would be trying to unseat you?”
Nathavin inhaled sharply. The dragon spawn was attempting to draw her into a trap!
Caellia heard Nathavin’s sharply indrawn breath and knew that Asterios was attempting to bait her into naming him before she was ready to do so. Before she had a chance to reply to Asterios however, he continued as he began to steadily walk forward towards the pair.
“Tell us, Queen Caellia. Who do you believe is trying to usurp you?” Asterios fairly purred as he walked closer to the pair.
Nathavin sent a murderous glare at Asterios. If the elven priest thought he was going to simply walk right up to them unchallenged he was sorely mistaken. Nathavin had no intention of letting him get that close to them. He subtly withdrew his dagger and made eye contact with Asterios, issuing a silent challenge to come within striking distance.
The quick glance that Asterios had thrown at Nathavin proved the dark elven Lord was seething with fury and he halted shakily a bit farther from the duo than he had originally intended. He kept a wary eye on the withdrawn dagger as it glinted evilly in the afternoon sunlight.. Perhaps Caellia had been right after all, Nathavin was not one to underestimate.
Caellia swept Asterios with her own cold gaze, unaware of the unspoken challenge between Nathavin and Asterios. She wasn’t so foolish as to fall for his little trick. She trembled slightly, in both fear of the reprisals she knew Asterios could set upon her, and in satisfaction that Nathavin would support her. With Nathavin standing behind her, giving her his support, she felt stronger. Almost as strong as she had when Goryn had been alive. No, she felt stronger than she had even when Goryn had been alive and with her, and she reveled in the feeling. Shaking her head slightly, Caellia firmly pushed those thoughts away, realizing this was not the time to examine why she felt that way just yet. Instead, she focused on her anger toward Asterios. “Nalia, come here.” Caellia commanded.
Nathavin stiffened in anger as he recognized the elven female that cautiously approached them. He had not forgotten her and he would not allow her misdeeds in his lands to go unpunished. But for now, he would have to overlook that and so he settled for simply giving the woman a deadly look.
“What has High Priest Asterios threatened me with?” Caellia asked. Her words were clipped and dripped with scathing sarcasm as she spoke his full title. Caellia’s anger was mounting by the minute. All her emotions were threatening to overwhelm her.
Nalia looked at Caellia in a state of shock as she stopped a respectable distance from Caellia and Nathavin; she was still ahead of Asterios however. She’d never seen Caellia so angry and hesitated over her answer. She was taken aback when Caellia stomped toward her and stopped mere inches from her.
Caellia whispered vengefully at her old friend, “I am still your Queen Nalia! You will answer my question!” Then in a voice everyone could hear, she repeated her earlier question. “What has High Priest Asterios threatened me with?!” Nalia nervously twitched her sword arm, unconsciously raising the blade to a more threatening position.
Nathavin’s reaction was swift and immediate. He rushed forward and pushed Caellia behind him and held his dagger in front of him in a purely defensive move. His black eyes bored into Nalia’s. “You would dare think to attack Caellia? Your Queen? It wasn’t enough for you to have disobeyed her in my homeland?” His voice was as cold as hardened steel. Nathavin couldn’t resist taunting her, “Give me yet another reason to kill you where you stand.” When Nalia did nothing he snapped out, “Drop your sword elf.”
Nalia swallowed convulsively and did as she was bid, while spluttering out, “My humblest apologies, it was not my intention to threaten her.” She could see that Nathavin was prepared and quite willing to kill her, both for her apparent threat here and her earlier trickery in his homelands. She doubted anyone else had even heard him voice his threat. The very tone of his voice, a low, soft and tightly controlled sound, let her know that he had every intention of killing her if she further threatened Caellia. She was amazed he had not killed her yet. One look into his eyes clearly told her he wanted her dead at that very moment but for some reason was holding back. Nathavin’s angry voice broke into her thoughts.
“Answer your Queen.” Nathavin ordered Nalia loud enough so that the onlookers could hear him. The dagger in his hand stayed steady, never wavering in the slightest as he held it pointed at her, ready to defend Caellia if Nalia decided to attack.
Caellia looked on from her position off to the side where Nathavin had pushed her. It disturbed her to see Nalia in that position, but she held her tongue in check. She had to trust that Nathavin had acted in her best interest and so she let him handle Nalia as he saw fit, although she was curious as to just what he was telling Nalia.
Asterios glared hard at all of them in turn. “Nalia, do not answer Caellia. She has clearly become ensnared in Lord Nathavin’s wretched scheme.” He raised his voice so as to be heard by all the light elves, “Queen Caellia has demonstrated an inability to carry out her duties as our reigning leader.”
Caellia began to rage at him but stopped as Nathavin turned to look at her slightly and shook his head no. Caellia looked to him in disbelief, yet she refrained from interrupting Asterios. That did not however stop her from trembling in anger as Asterios continued his act of removing her as their Queen.
“She has demonstrated a shameful and harmful lack of judgment. She thinks to ally us with our sworn enemies! Indeed, our very nemesis!” He looked over the crowd of light elven warriors, judging their reactions. They were following him so far, but he needed to solidify it. To do that, he would have to ensure that some of the blame landed squarely on Nathavin himself. “She has been blinded! Lord Nathavin has blinded her! He has corrupted her! That has been his intent from the start!” Asterios fixed his gaze on Nathavin, “He abducted her many cycles ago, intent on using her to destroy our race!”
Nathavin merely watched Asterios, keeping a tight rein on his mounting fury. The time would come when he would bury many arrows in that fools heart. And he would savor that time when it came. His ears picked up on Kattath quietly comforting and calming Caellia and handing her the bow that had fallen to the ground earlier. He knew that Kattath had picked up his own bow from where he’d flung it and was now waiting to hand it back to him. However, he still stayed where he was with his dagger poised ready to rend Nalia’s soul from her body should the elven woman attempt to pick her sword back up.
“He has long planned to turn her against her own people and he has succeeded!” Asterios loudly proclaimed as he continued his rant. “You saw the way she embraced him! Look as she hides behind him and his kind even now! Fearful of our wrath!”
Caellia watched morosely as Asterios continued his barrage against her. She almost didn’t hear Kattath’s soothing words and nearly dropped the bow again; causing Kattath to firmly grip her hands and force the bow into them. As Kattath pushed the bow into her hands, Caellia was aware the woman was speaking to her again, this time with more determination.
“Caellia, you must listen to me. There is a good chance we will have to fight them. You must have your bow with you now.” Kattath looked at the girl and put herself directly in Caellia’s line of sight, forcing the young Queen to acknowledge her. “There is no turning back now. You must trust Nathavin and work with him. In doing so, it is imperative that you obey him in all that he asks of you. You must not show a divided front.” Kattath looked at Caellia’s aura; it was filled with uncertainty and anger, but overall showed that the girl was putting her trust in Nathavin. “I know you don’t wish to fight your own people, but this may be the only way.” Kattath felt saddened for Caellia. The young elf had really done nothing to deserve any of this.
Nathavin matched Asterios glare for glare before saying disparagingly, “Have you quite finished?” He casually strolled over to Caellia and Kattath and grasped his bow from the spell howler, leaving Nalia to pick up her sword, before he nonchalantly walked a few steps ahead of the women before coming to a halt. His air of nonchalance hid his true feelings of anger and hatred as he continued haughtily, “That was a marvelous display. Truly something to behold. One might even call it compelling.” Arrogant disdain dripped from every word. Nathavin’s voice had never risen above that of normal speaking volume, but nevertheless, it was heard clearly by all that was gathered.
Calm, far too calm, Asterios thought to himself worriedly. Truly the dark elf could pull off amazing shifts of emotion. Murderously violent one moment, deceptively calm the next. For the first time Asterios began to have serious doubts regarding the intelligence of his plan and just how far he had underestimated the dark elf. However, he had come too far to back down now. “I am declaring her unfit to rule based on the reasons I have just listed. I will be taking her place as the ruler of our people.” It was then that Nathavin did something so terrifying it had Asterios taking several steps back. He smiled, but it never reached his eyes.
“I see. You realize that you have just placed yourself in the unenviable position of becoming my prey?” Nathavin questioned slowly, a vicious smile gracing his lips.
Kattath gave Caellia a not so gentle nudge in Nathavin’s direction, urging her to stand behind Nathavin. Caellia really did not need to be there but Kattath wanted Asterios to be absolutely sure of what line he had crossed and how dire the circumstances were.
Caellia caught herself before she could stumble and made her way to Nathavin, curious of Kattath’s reasoning. She moved to stand behind him but was surprised when he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her tightly to his side. As he pulled her to him, she reached out with one hand to steady herself. She released a slight gasp as it came into contact with his chest and she felt the rest of her body gently come to rest against his at a slight angle, her chest brushing lightly against his side as his arm came around her shoulders and pressed her firmly against him. Her face burned with embarrassment, there wasn’t enough room between them for a blade of grass.
Nathavin never took his eyes off of Asterios as he pulled Caellia tightly to his side. “You were right on one point, Priest,” Nathavin placed heavy sarcasm on the title, “I had every intention of using Caellia for the destruction of your race.” Nathavin’s voice took on a more thoughtful tone as he continued, “But Caellia fought against me at every turn. Even at the risk of her own life, she still found the courage to challenge me.” He turned to look at Caellia briefly, “Caellia showed me that her true worth was not that of a mere captive, but that of a Queen, a young and powerful Queen that would only become more powerful given time and the proper training. A Queen who deserves the loyalty of her brethren.” He passed a hard look over the assembled light elven forces.
“However,” his voice turned frosty and smothered in disdain as he turned back to Asterios, “your deception is far worse than any plan I could have conceived of. You seek to gain power from your own. You would weaken your own kind by robbing them of their rightful leader and throwing them into a chaos that would leave them weaker than any plan I might’ve conceived.” His eyes hardened and his voice steeled over, “Disgraceful. You are no better than the common, lowly Balor orcs, as they scrabble over whatever scraps they can find, stealing from one another.”
Caellia watched Asterios as his body tensed in angry frustration. “You are in no position to judge me Lord Nathavin!”
Nathavin merely nodded his head in apparent acceptance of that statement before, “But Caellia is.”
Asterios laughed openly, “Correction, she ‘was’ in a position to judge me. She’s been removed and no longer has any authority over me.”
“Your laws would allow you to remove your leader so quickly and easily? That’s absurd.” A sly look came over Nathavin’s face as he continued, “What prevents someone from just declaring the Queen or King unfit to rule for their own selfish reasons?”
The light elves looked to one another in contemplation as they began to talk amongst themselves. Nathavin had made a very valid point. The spell singer that had spoken up looked to his right and saw a sword singer in black and silver armor with wide and upraised shoulder guards, he unconsciously recognized it as an apella type of armor, as she nervously chewed her bottom lip as the tip of her slender sword made small, steady circles in the ground at her feet. “Who should we trust?” He asked her.
The sword singer flipped her long braid off her left shoulder and looked to the spell singer and whispered back, “I’m not sure.” She looked at the spell singer and noticed the rather large rip in the left leg of his dark green and white robes before she continued, “Caellia seems to trust Nathavin. Considering everything that has been said, it doesn’t appear that Nathavin is holding her against her will, nor does it look as if she’s been placed under a spell.” The sword singer looked back to Caellia and Nathavin, “I believe we should at least hear her side and find out what really happened while she was gone.”
Asterios rounded on the chattering elves before turning back to Nathavin, “Silence!” Turning to Nathavin he hissed angrily, “Do not dare attempt to interpret our laws!”
Caellia stepped forward, eager to put some much needed space between herself and Nathavin, and looked squarely at Asterios, “I would like to see our ancient texts regarding this matter.”
Now Asterios was in a very uncomfortable position. He risked looking guilty if he did not allow her to view the scrolls, but if he allowed her to see them there was a very good chance she’d discover the scroll that detailed his part in the destruction of the dark elven lands so long ago, and he could not risk that. “No, you may not see the scrolls.” He said with finality.
Caellia’s gaze hardened further as she took a step forward, clearly challenging Asterios. “I demand to see those scrolls Priest!”
“I will not allow a traitor to see such valuable scrolls!” Asterios fumed at her.
Caellia’s own fury began to climb upward swiftly, “You can not prevent me from seeing those scrolls Asterios.” Caellia’s voice took on a deadly tone that rivaled even Nathavin’s.
Nathavin snarled angrily and motioned to Kattath and his troops to prepare for battle once more. “Enough of this nonsense!” He leaned down slightly to Caellia, “Where are the scrolls kept?”
“They are kept in the temple, locked in a special chest that only he and I have access to.” Caellia answered immediately.
Nathavin merely nodded his head then his voice took on an official quality as he began to speak again, loud enough for all to hear him. “I, Lord Nathavin Rilynmitore, Lord of the Dark Elves, Lord of Goddard Castle and its surrounding territory, hereby refuse to acknowledge High Priest Asterios as the ruler of the Light Elven race. Queen Caellia, does our alliance still stand?”
Never taking her eyes off of Asterios Caellia snapped out, “Yes.”
“Then as we agreed, the dark elven forces will be ready to assist you should you ever request it.”
This time it was Caellia who gave a slow, cruel smile as she watched a muscle in Asterios’ cheek begin to twitch. “Lord Nathavin,” she began in her own official tone, “I must then inform you that I have need of your assistance.”
Kattath nodded her head in delighted approval as she watched the two of them work together. She heard the elders in the studies of Shillien begin casting their spells of strength, health, and rage and felt each spell as it was cast upon her.
Asterios felt a cold dread settle in the pit of his stomach at the frosty quality of Caellia’s voice as she stood next to Nathavin and allowed herself to be blessed with the dark magic from the Shillien elders.
Completely unaware of how much like Nathavin she sounded Caellia spoke. Her voice icy cold and full of deadly promise, as she gave a Nathavin-like smirk to Asterios, “I will reclaim my throne, Asterios. You were a fool to have ever tried to take it from me.”
Simply an amazing story, I have been reading it from work and have fallen in love with it - a simple materpeice of Fantasy using the L2 characters as its foundation. I'd be interested to see what a person that knows little of L2 would interrpet this story as but it is defintily a brilliant work of imagination... keep up the good work and thank you for sharing your skill with us...
I just discovered this story and...wow. I can't believe you've been working on this story for over a year now, and it seems like it has a long way to go. I look forward to your next submissions!
Well said Sylvannah, This story deserves a to be Featured on the front page. TBH I'm not sure why it isn't already. Patiently awaiting more installments. :)
Well said Sylvannah, This story deserves a to be Featured on the front page. TBH I'm not sure why it isn't already. Patiently awaiting more installments. :)
next installment is on my desktop...reviewing now as we speak (well sort of, you know what I mean).
Well said Sylvannah, This story deserves a to be Featured on the front page. TBH I'm not sure why it isn't already. Patiently awaiting more installments. :)
next installment is on my desktop...reviewing now as we speak (well sort of, you know what I mean).
you'd like it.
You're such a tease. Alright already get your butt movin ;)
nabiscocookie , you are such a talented writer, I really enjoyed reading all of these, keep up the good work. Everytime I am bored or tired due to work I just come over to continue reading this story...excellent job, God bless you ^ ^
Thank you so much for all the praise! But I really can't take all the credit. D34dly does his fair share beta reading and co-writing it. It wouldn't be half this good without his help. :)
Ok, back to writing. The next post from me will be the next installment. :)
well all the best for you cookie and your co writers. If this story can be filmed in a big screen I will surely watch it .....maybe it could be like a trilogy or something like that ^ ^ ....looking forward for the next installment :)
hey nabiscocookie, are you still around? I hope you wil stilll continue to write more about this story .....I am keen to see the next installment :)
Sorry I had to make a new board name. (d34dly)
I have the next two installments, sorry I've been really bessy with school I have finals next week so I've been trying to catch up on missed work. So I've not had much time to work on them, I've been trying the last few days.
Don't worry we haven't abandoned the story. You'll get more of it in the next few weeks trust me. Sorry about the delay....it can't be helped!
PS: it's one writer: Nabisco, and 1 Co writer: me. I'm the master behind the scene's!
Yeah I know you d34dly, ....glad to hear from you again...hope everything is going well with you and nabisco then, take your time and whenever you're ready please feel free to post the story, you both are great writers ^ ^
Caellia basked in the shimmering light of the nearest Shillien Elders magic and sensed Nathavin’s presence as he took up a position beside her on her immediate right. Her eyes carefully scanned over her brethren as she raised her voice to them, trying one last time, imploring them not to listen to Asterios’ lies. “Is this truly what you feel? Do you truly believe his lies?” Silence greeted her questions. As the shillien elder turned his attention to Nathavin, Caellia took the opportunity to take two steps ahead of him and face one of her fellow ranger’s, one she had trained with many years ago. She asked him, “Will you really force me to shoot you?” She turned to the nearest temple knight; a captain in the royal guard. “Please, look at the numbers; you must realize this battle is already lost.” Caellia had known her attempts to convince them would be in vain but she had to try one last time anyway.
Nathavin closely watched those surrounding Caellia for any sudden movement that would signal an attack on her. She was standing far to close to the enemy for his liking, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her to back away from them.
All he could do was tensely watch her and those around her while the Shillien Elder cast his spells. Nathavin swept the opposing Elven forces with a quick and coldly calculating glance before returning his attention to Caellia. His sharp ears picked up her last sentence and he noted the silence that fell like a death knell afterwards. “Fools.” He snorted lightly under his breath. If they wouldn’t listen to her and they couldn’t see for themselves that his forces were vastly superior to their own, then they deserved to die with Asterios! A barely audible sigh of relief slipped past his lips as Caellia backed away from the other elves and came to rest at his side again.
Caellia released a growl of frustration as she faced her kinsmen from beside Nathavin. “Yes they are.”
With one eyebrow raised he turned to look at her. “What?”
“They are fools.” Caellia didn’t turn to look at him but continued to stare straight ahead, satisfied at last that she had done everything in her power to avoid this.
Nathavin had been unaware that he’d spoken his comment aloud, let alone loud enough for her to have heard it. Before he could say anything to her Kattath approached them.
“My Lord, all is prepared.”
Nathavin caught Caellia’s eyes with his own as she turned to look at him, silently asking her if she was ready.
Understanding Nathavin’s unvoiced question, Caellia simply nodded as she reached for an arrow in her quiver and resolutely secured it against her bowstring, drawing it slightly taut.
Grinning ever so slightly, Nathavin nocked an arrow of his own against his bowstring and took aim at Asterios. He caught the look of panic in the High Priests’ eyes as he sighted down the shaft of the arrow and a low predatory laugh filled the air.
Nalia who had remained silent suddenly sprung forward and placed herself between the two archers and Asterios. “No!”
Caellia’s eyes narrowed, “Move Nalia!”
“No! I can not allow this!”
Caellia’s eyes hardened. “You can not allow what? You can’t allow me to take back my throne?! Is that what you can’t allow?!”
“No!” At Caellia’s furious gaze Nalia lowered her voice. “I mean…” Nalia shook her head in frustration. “I can’t let you fight your own people. You are right Queen Caellia. They deserve to know the truth.”
Asterios raised his voice in warning. “Nalia, do not let yourself be swayed! Caellia has turned her back on her heritage!”
Turning to face Asterios, Nalia challenged him. “When did she do that? When did you allow her the freedom to do that? You have ruled in her stead until recently when she first came of age to rule! But then she was abducted by Nathavin and you still ruled in her stead! She is my friend, and she is my Queen!”
Asterios’ face reddened in anger as he sensed a tell tale shift in the atmosphere. Nalia was undoing everything he had worked for! How dare she question his authority?!
Looking over at the gathered light elves Nalia began to speak to them. “High Priest Asterios has played us against our rightful Queen. He is the one that has been corrupted, not Caellia. He has grown too accustomed to wielding a power that is not his.” Nalia turned to face Asterios, “He has long planned to take Caellia’s birthright from her. If it hadn’t been this incident he would have found another one.” She turned once more to the light elven forces. “I, Nalia, High Commander of the Queens’ Royal Guard, order you to stand down. You are not to attack Queen Caellia, nor are you to attack Lord Nathavin.”
The light elves looked back and forth to one another in a moment of confusion before lowering their weapons and stepping back.
Nalia looked back at Caellia and began to take a step forward, however, a warning sound from Nathavin made her stop. Nalia carefully considered her position and options. It was quite clear that even though she wanted to speak to Caellia she would have to ask Nathavin if she could. He was the one who, despite Caellia’s vehement protestations to the contrary, was in control. And whether Caellia realized it or not, she was treating Nathavin as if he was her Lord, and not just a mere allied Lord. Nalia looked upon Nathavin and gathered her courage, “Lord Nathavin, I humbly request to speak with Caellia, with your permission of course.” Nalia then gave a low curtsy and held her position.
Nathavin looked down upon the woman and then looked back at the light elves, ignoring Asterios’ nonsensical attempts to regain control over them. As he kept his bow steady he considered what he should do. Looking back at Nalia he raised his eyebrow at her, silently asking without words if she would accept him as her Lord and would thus obey him.
Caellia lowered her bow and stared at Nalia and softly whispered “What are you doing?”
Never raising herself from her curtsy Nalia answered “I am asking Lord Nathavin for permission to speak with you.”
Confused about what’s being asked. Caellia asked “Why?”
“Because, my Queen, if I wish to speak with you I must get permission from him first.” Nalia answered, as she glared up at him from her curtsey. Her eyes conveying the message that she understood his unspoken question and that she would indeed accept him as her own Lord and follow his orders
Eyebrows furrowed in complete confusion, Caellia again asked “Why?”
“I’m afraid I can not answer that. Lord Nathavin has not given me proper permission to speak with you.” Nalia tilted her head back down, signaling that she was done speaking with Caellia until she had proper permission to do so.
By this time Nathavin had lowered his bow and had settled into his usual relaxed stance. “Nalia, I will grant you permission to speak with Caellia, providing you do so in front of me, with no other person present.” He had to give Nalia credit; she had realized his role in Caellia’s life even if Caellia herself hadn’t just yet. “You may speak to her when the current situation has been properly seen to.”
Nalia raised herself up and gave another sweeping curtsy as she answered him with her most humble and respectful voice “Of course, my Lord, as you wish.”
Caellia’s eyes widened and she couldn’t stop herself from staring at Nalia in a state of shock. She had never known Nalia to be that respectful to anyone, herself included! To see her act this way toward Nathavin was puzzling. And why had she used the deferential, my Lord? Nathavin wasn’t the Lord of the light elves, therefore Nalia should not have used the deferential term.
Nathavin wasn’t finished with Nalia yet. “Do you command these forces?” He asked, nodding to the light elves.
“I do.” Said Nalia.
“Remove them from the village entrance so that we may enter, also” he looked to where Asterios stood. “Bring the High Priest to me.”
“As you wish.” Nalia then turned smartly around and began giving orders to the light elves.
Caellia jumped at Nathavin’s voice. “It appears that you are about to be reinstated Queen Caellia.”
“So it does.” Caellia replied distractedly. She was keenly curious as to what had just happened to Nalia.
High Priest Asterios watched nervously as Nalia approached him, flanked by two sword singers and two silver rangers. “Nalia, I demand that you cease this heinous act immediately! The consequences of your actions will affect all of us!”
“No. Caellia is the rightful ruler. She will not be used as a puppet for your own personal gain.”
Asterios turned his attention to the sword singers and archers. “Why do you listen to her, to them? They are aligning us with the dark elves! We have been warred with them for years! They have killed countless numbers of our people! Would you betray our fallen brothers, and sisters memories so easily?!”
“It is not our place to decide how Queen Caellia rules or who she sees fit to ally us with, as long as it’s for the best of our people.” Nalia answered. She gave a nod and the two sword singers grabbed Asterios and began to pull him towards Caellia and Nathavin. Nalia and the archers watched from behind to make sure he would not be able to get away if he managed to shake loose of the two sword singers.
Caellia’s anger returned as she watched the High Priest being dragged toward her and by the time he was unceremoniously shoved to the ground at her feet her anger had nearly reached its zenith.
As much as Nathavin wanted to kill the High Priest, he restrained himself. This was solely a matter between the light elves and he could not interfere any more than he had already. He had been prepared to storm the village in Caellia’s aid if the light elves had decided to make a fight of it, but instead Nalia had turned the tide. Now the problem was once again squarely in Caellia’s hands. He took two measured paces back, visually signaling to the light elves that he would not have any say in just how Caellia decided to handle the situation. But he stayed close enough to serve as a warning that should she need his help again, he would provide it without pause.
Nalia watched both Caellia and Nathavin closely, if Caellia noticed Lord Nathavin’s small retreat, she didn’t show it.
Caellia took a steadying breath before she began to speak, “I trusted you. I trusted you as a friend, a mentor. You were as close to me as a father. How could you?” Her voice trembled, “How could you do this to me?” Anger filled her voice, “You threatened me, attempted to take my birthright from me and all for what? Power? Greed?”
Asterios looked up at her from his position on his knees and said nothing for a long tense minute until finally, “I did what I believed I had to do to keep our race from falling into anarchy. I would do it all again if given the chance.” Hatred filled his voice, “I raised you as I would my own child! You had the best scholars and trainers! The best our people had to offer! I taught you that the dark elves were never to be trusted! Never!”
Asterios’ gaze slithered over to Lord Nathavin before returning to Caellia. “When I found out that he was making plans to attack us, I contacted King Goryn and arranged for the two of you to be married. Even though you denied it at first I knew you loved him, and would not be overly distraught at the arranged marriage.” He snorted derisively. “I had not counted on King Asadar to betray Goryn.”
At the mention of Goryn Caellia’s eyes misted slightly before she blinked the unshed tears away.
“Neither did I count on you being as weak willed as your father!” Asterios spat bitterly. “I thought I had raised you better!”
Caellia snatched an arrow out of her quiver and placed its tip directly under Asterios’ chin and spoke in a deadly undertone, “My father was a great leader! You will not speak of him with such disrespect!”
Gulping painfully as the arrows sharp tip cut into the soft flesh under his chin Asterios spat out venomously, “Your father was a fool! And you are just as foolish! It would have been better if Asadar had killed you as well as Goryn!” Asterios screamed at Caellia.
The light elf forces stood in shocked silence, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Caellia smirked victoriously, another of Nathavin’s traits that she had picked up, and said in a nearly sing song voice. “Thank you, you have just saved me the trouble of having to convince our people that you are the true traitor.”
She then turned to the gathered light elves. “I am reclaiming my throne. If anyone here disagrees, come forth and state your reasons.” Silence filled the air for two long and intense minutes.
“I will assume that since no one has come forward, that none have issue with my reclaiming the throne. You are to disperse and allow Lord Nathavin’s forces into the village without incident.” After she was certain that her orders were being followed she turned her attention back to Asterios, aware that Nathavin had come back to her side.
“Nalia, take him to the temple. I will meet you there.” A cough from Nathavin had Caellia quickly revising her statement. “We will meet you there.”
Nalia nodded and watched as the sword singers once again hefted Asterios up and dragged him toward the temple. As she reached the topmost steps she turned to face the bridge. The dark elves were making their way into the village unimpeded as Caellia had ordered. One of them, a female spell howler began making her way up the temple steps. Nalia watched the exaggerated sway of the dark elven woman’s hips rather enviously a few seconds, before turning her attention to Caellia and Nathavin. She only looked at Kattath again when the woman stopped in front of her. They eyed one another warily before Kattath turned back to look at Caellia and Nathavin.
“You do realize he loves her?” Kattath asked the lighter elf without looking at her.
“No, I didn’t.” Nalia turned to look in the direction Kattath was facing and saw Caellia standing far closer to Nathavin than she had been previously. The two were having a quiet conversation.
“They are comfortable around each other.” Kattath continued after a slight pause. “Almost, as if they were 'destined' for each other.”
Nalia turned sharply to face the dark elf. “What are you implying?”
Kattath merely laughed and gestured behind Nalia. “Your subordinates require your attention.”
Nalia turned to see that her subordinates did indeed require her attention in handling Asterios. Heaving an irritable sigh, she marched up the remaining steps and into the temple.
Kattath stayed put and waited for Nathavin and Caellia. When they finally made it up the steps to her, she greeted both before asking Caellia. “May I have a word with you?” At Nathavin’s curious glance she elaborated, “In private!”
“Of course.” Caellia answered as she led Kattath to a quiet corner of the balcony adjoining the stairs. “What is it?”
Kattath opened her gift of sight, the gift that allowed her to see other people’s emotional auras. Doing so would better aid her in what to say next, at the right time. “I see the way you look at him Caellia.” She broke Caellia off when she would have interrupted her. “And even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t take long to figure out that you care for him. What I can’t fathom is why you won’t admit it!”
“At who?” asked Caellia.
“Lord Nathavin, Do you love him?”
“I…I…” Caellia trailed off, not knowing how to respond. She had not expected this.
A frustrated snort escaped Kattath as she admonished Caellia. “If you can’t admit it to me then at least admit it to yourself Caellia.”
“But I don’t know how I feel about him!”
“Yes you do! Stop denying it!” Kattath rounded on her angrily. “And he loves you!” Kattath angrily watched as Caellia shook her head no. “Everything he’s done is because he loves you Caellia! He is risking everything for you!”
“No. He can’t!” Whispered Caellia as she stubbornly refused to believe it; having been forced to hear this, to confront it now, was too frightening! She wanted to stop talking about this, now!
“What are you afraid of?!” Kattath whispered harshly.
“I’m not afraid!” But Caellia knew that was a lie. She was afraid. She didn’t know why she was afraid, but she was. It was almost an instinctual fear and just as primal.
Kattath grasped Caellia’s’ hands in hers and glared at the younger elf. “Do not lie to me! And do not lie to yourself! For too long I have sat by and said, and done nothing!”
“Kattath I…”
“Do you love him?”
Caellia stared at Kattath. What had provoked her into starting this conversation? “Kattath, I’m just not ready to answer that!”
“Why, what are you so terrified of?!” The two elves stared hotly at one another until Nathavin approached them and broke the tense strain between them.
“Caellia, they are awaiting your presence inside. Kattath, if you will excuse us.”
Kattath merely nodded at him and turned to leave, but not without giving Caellia a parting shot. “This conversation is not over.”
Caellia’s face tightened in anger as she looked away from Kattath. How dare the dark elf insinuate that she loved Nathavin?! The current subject of her thoughts interrupted her angry musings and she forcefully put her argument with Kattath to the side.
“What were you two fighting about?” Nathavin calmly asked. He didn’t miss Caellia’s slight twitch.
Mentally cursing, Caellia airily answered vaguely, “We weren’t fighting. We were having an…intense discussion.”
Not one to be dissuaded so easily Nathavin repeated his question, adding. “Kattath doesn’t usually get that angry unless she truly believes in something. So, what was it?”
Caellia fidgeted uncomfortably, “It was simply a debate.”
Nathavin turned her to face him. “You expect me to believe that?” When Caellia didn’t answer him he spoke again. “Whether I find out what this ‘debate’ was about from you or from her, I will find out what it was about. You can’t keep secrets from me Caellia.” He then turned away from her and walked back inside the temple, leaving her to follow in his wake.
As Caellia stared back at him in silence she couldn’t help wondering, just what were her feelings regarding the dark elven Lord? And why did her stomach feel as if there were butterflies in it every time she thought of him? The more Caellia thought about it the more frightened she became. Shuddering suddenly, she resolved to no longer dwell on the matter and sincerely hoped it never came up again.
I seriously think you should consider publishing this, as others have suggested. With the way things are going, this seems like it's going to be a very intense story!
I was this -->| |<-- close to declaring KoS on you two for making me wait too long. I'm happy now.
Suggestion: Work an invulverable DA into the storyline somewhere. Like someone who doesn't give a [censored] and kills anyone for the right price and is impossible to kill. Yeah that would be cool. :cool:
Suggestion: Work an invulverable DA into the storyline somewhere. Like someone who doesn't give a [censored] and kills anyone for the right price and is impossible to kill. Yeah that would be cool.
Rightttt, I'll remember that. *rolls eyes* a DA that can kill people hahahaha so funny, maybe had you said a TH or AW or something like that.
Well the next post is a doosy, really long....it was so long that even I had to stop reading it after a while!!
It's about time!!!! Whee another fresh update. LOL at elves and dark elves fighting. Too bad both starter elf and dark elf villages got owned by the dorfs!!!! GO ASFHGJJEL and ASGHNEGOP and ....
Oh yeah, great story as always. Keep up the good work.
As Caellia walked into the temple and locked eyes with Nathavin she knew nothing would ever be the same again. The look he gave her was almost predatory. She felt the urge to run again. Her heartbeat sped up and her breath hitched in her throat. She had always felt like this whenever he looked at her, or whenever they had a confrontation. Now it was more pronounced and Caellia was afraid of it! She was afraid of him and the feelings he evoked in her! Taking a moment to calm down, she averted her gaze and turned to Asterios, who was staring coldly at her from his position on the floor.
“You have fallen Caellia.” He intoned with a deep hatred. “What you have done this day will be our downfall. Everything we have achieved will lie in ruins at your feet!” Asterios shut his mouth as Caellia sent him a frosty glare and made her way to the chest that housed all the sensitive scrolls. Sweat beaded on his forehead as she opened the chest and began to rummage around inside. He hoped that while she was looking for the scroll regarding the policies surrounding the removal of the King or Queen and the subsequent policies needed to reinstate them, she would not find the scroll outlining his part in the destruction of the dark elven lands.
Nathavin stood by quietly and watched as a tense silence filled the room after Asterios’ comments. The silence stretched out as Caellia continued to rummage about in the old chest without answering Asterios and he began to wonder if Caellia had any intention of answering Asterios at all. She seemed to find one scroll in particular of interest. A look of dismay and horror crossed her face and her hands began to shake as she read it. Intensely curious, Nathavin was about to question her on it when she began to speak to Asterios. Her voice was so soft at first that he had to work to hear it.
“How…How can this be? How could you have done such a despicable thing? Everything you ever taught me has been a lie. Everything!” Caellia shouted in an angry and hurt voice at Asterios, ignoring everyone’s flinch when she suddenly raised her voice.
“I did what I felt I had to do to preserve our race, to ensure its survival!” Asterios cast a poisonous glance at Nathavin. “However, it didn’t work the way it should have.”
Caellia was astonished, “Did your hatred really run so deep that you were willing to sacrifice what set us apart from them by resorting to the very thing you condemned them for?” Caellia glanced down at the scroll in her hands before looking back at Asterios. “I don’t understand. The practice was shunned when the most skilled magicians of the time couldn’t master it. Why did you attempt to use so complex a spell of that nature? Surely you, along with your followers, understood that there would be a high risk of failure?”
“It was deemed an acceptable risk under the Lord of the time. Your father would have done well to be more like him!”
“Our Lord, my grandfather, knew of this and approved it?” Caellia asked in a hurt voice.
“Oh he more than approved it Caellia. He ordered it!” Asterios bit out through tightly clenched teeth. “I am the only one who survived the battles that ensued and that age has not taken. I would not sit idly by and watch all the work I and others had done be torn down by anyone! Including you and your father!”
Caellia heaved an exasperated and remorseful sigh, “You were wrong. You were all wrong. This should never have been done.” She looked down upon Asterios, disapproval clear in her eyes. “But more importantly, because of this, you have purposely deceived me. You have gone to great lengths to steal my throne from me to continue in your task. A task handed down to you by a long dead Lord, a task that should never have been given at all!” She paused and carefully rolled the scroll back up and fastened it securely before looking back at him. “This scroll condemns you in the eyes of our people. It outlines every detail of your plot to steal my throne. With this I no longer need the ancient texts regarding the laws of our land to justify my reinstatement.”
Caellia began taking slow, measured paces to Asterios, stopping when she was a foot away from him. Leaning down she whispered to him, her eyes flashing angrily. “You hate them so much. And you taught me that hate. My mistake was in believing you without seeing the facts for myself. Your mistake was in keeping this scroll here.”
Caellia looked Asterios in the eye, seeing the comprehension register as he began to understand what she was going to do. “Our policy regarding traitors such as you is immediate execution. The fact that you are a wanted war criminal to the dark elves, who are our new ally, poses no great problem.” Her voice became glacial, “Handing you over to Nathavin will ensure that I fulfill my duties to both our people, and this alliance, as I highly doubt he’ll let you live.”
Caellia brought herself to her full height and stated frostily. “High Priest Asterios, you are charged with treason for attempting to take over the throne for personal gain and a personal vendetta against the dark elves. You are stripped of your rank and title and are now in exile. However, as you are a known criminal to those we are now allied with, you will be imprisoned until such time as our allies can take you into their own custody.” Caellia then turned and walked back to Nathavin.
Nathavin, who’d been listening with rapt attention, had begun to understand what Caellia was talking about as the conversation progressed. By the time she was finished he already knew what was going on. His hand had begun to clench and unclench around his bow, unwittingly showing his agitation. His eyes focused on Asterios, he did not see Caellia as she quietly came to his side.
Caellia looked up at Nathavin, noting that his eyes had changed from their normal soft calm grey back to a dark and angry black. “Would you like to discuss this in private Lord Nathavin?” Caellia wanted to allow him every consideration in this matter.
“No.” His eyes remained locked with Asterios’. “We are allies now. We keep nothing from each other, or our people.” Nathavin turned his gaze to her and even though he already knew the answer asked, “What have you discovered?”
Caellia took a deep breath and handed Nathavin the scroll. “High Priest Asterios was directly involved in the destruction of the dark elven homelands.”
Nathavin took the scroll from her hands and quietly opened it. The tension in the air grew thick as the minutes passed. Finally Nathavin looked up from the scroll and looked to Caellia. “His sentence is death. Are you quite sure you wish to release him into our custody?”
“His sentence will be the same if he remains in our custody.” Caellia replied solemnly. “But his crimes have affected your lands and people for many years. It is only right that I hand him over to you.”
“His actions have affected you and your own people for a great many years also Caellia.” He spoke in hushed tones so that only she could hear him. “Are you absolutely certain you wish to do this? I will be willing to allow you to have him executed for his crimes against you and your people rather than my own.”
Caellia looked into Nathavin’s eyes and understood that he was trying to be considerate toward her and her people, just as she was trying to be considerate to him. Shaking her head no she replied in an equally hushed voice. “He may have committed crimes against us, but those crimes were directly related to the crimes he committed against your people and your homelands. This entire situation stems from what transpired centuries ago.” Caellia looked at Nathavin intently and her sincerity showed in her voice. “By all rights Asterios should be released into your custody.”
Nathavin studied her for a moment in silence, giving her one final chance to change her mind. When he was certain that this was truly what she wished, he stalked forward toward Asterios and stood towering before him. Looking to the swordsingers he muttered a curt, “Release him.” He looked down at Asterios as the light elves moved away and snarled, “Get up.”
As the two lighter elves moved away, two heavily armored shillien knights, who had silently entered the room unnoticed along with Kattath, moved forward to stand behind Asterios.
“Queen Caellia, I will be taking Asterios into our custody now.” Nathavin bit out as the shillien knights roughly grabbed Asterios by the arms.
“As you wish, Lord Nathavin.” Caellia intoned almost indifferently; glad to finally be done with Asterios.
In a voice twisted and nearly unrecognizable in his rage Asterios snarled while glaring heatedly at Nathavin. “May Eva see fit to cleanse you and your kind from this world in the future!”
Nathavin’s hand shot forward and gripped Asterios by the throat and squeezed hard while shoving the lighter elf against the wall. Putting all his considerable strength into squeezing Asterios’ neck, he leaned in close to snarl angrily in the High Priest’s ears. “Eva will not help you now or ever!” He hissed scornfully. “You are a war criminal of the dark elves. The evidence I have in my hand convicts you and your sentence is death.”
“You may kill me Lord Nathavin, but your lands will forever be cursed! There is only one way to break the curse and it will never happen!” Asterios croaked out his reply hoarsely, managing despite the crushing hold on his neck to slur Nathavin’s title with heavy sarcasm and hatred.
Making sure that only Asterios heard him Nathavin whispered smugly, his eyes gleaming with triumph. “You think I don’t know the only way the curse can be broken? I do. And it will happen! Caellia has all but pledged herself to me!” Nathavin listened to Asterios struggle for air for a moment before he continued. “She already sees me as her protector, you’ve seen that! How much longer do you think it will be before she sees me as more than that?” Nathavin waited the span of a heartbeat before answering his own question confidently. “It will not be long, rest assured!” He took a step back and released Asterios’ neck and watched with ill hidden contempt as the other elf gasped air into his lungs and massaged his throat.
Asterios continued rubbing his sore throat as he gasped in precious lungs full of air. His eyes flickered to Caellia. Rage contorted his face into an ugly scowl, “This is entirely your fault! Eva take you, you contemptible little harpy!” Spittle dripped from his mouth as he screamed his insults.
Excruciating pain bloomed in his right temple and fireworks exploded behind his eyes as Nathavin’s gloved fist connected with the right side of his head in a backhanded blow. His head snapped to the left, and blood trickled down his face from a cut left by one of the knuckle guards on the snowy white gauntlet.
Nathavin’s voice was almost unrecognizable as he grated out between tightly clenched teeth just inches from Asterios’ nose, “You will never to speak that way to her again! Never!”
Nalia moved to stand beside Caellia in a show of support. Kattath also moved to stand beside Caellia and the two flanked her on either side. Caellia stared at her former mentor and said with a heavy heart. “May Eva forgive you and cleanse your darkened soul.”
“Forgive me? I’m not the one who needs to be forgiven!” In an incredible display of power, Asterios brought forth an enormous crackling energy field around him from the ground, pushing back the two knights and Nathavin. Next, two great walls of water surrounded him before he sent them gushing at Nalia and Kattath. Asterios then ran forward, intent on ending Caellia’s life with his bare hands.
Nathavin recovered quickly and pulled an arrow from his quiver and set it against the bowstring and let go, cursing in every language he knew as he watched it sail toward the deranged elf.
Caellia let out a surprised shriek as she was doused in the spray of water as the powerful jets knocked Nalia and Kattath over. She felt Nalia accidentally knock the bow out of her hand as the temple knight tried to keep from falling over. Caellia looked up just in time to see Asterios lunge for her and behind him she could see Nathavin preparing to fire. Backpedaling swiftly she just managed to stay out of Asterios’ grasp. As she did so she saw the depth of his demented hatred. She’d never seen such hate before and could scarcely believe that hate could run so deep.
Asterios felt the arrow as it lodged itself in his back and the force of its impact sent him forward slightly as it broke through his chest. Blood dripped from the exposed tip of the arrow onto the floor. He determinedly reached out to Caellia before another arrow buried itself into his shoulder.
Caellia watched Asterios’ body shudder from the force of the arrows as they hit and she could clearly hear the grisly sound of them tearing into his flesh and imbedding in bone. Still she backpedaled away rapidly as his outstretched fingers continued to claw at the air for her.
Another arrow slammed into his back and blood began to dribble down his chin as he wheezed for air. His fingers continued to reach for her and Caellia came to a sudden and unexpected stop as she backed up against the wall. Fear lined her face as Asterios’ hand began to glow and spark with an unknown power. Caellia turned her face to the side, not wanting to see her end.
Nathavin’s harsh angry yell ripped through the temple, "You will not touch her!" He called forth his own magic and great golden arcs of blazing power began to encircle him as he crouched low to the ground. As he drew the bowstring back he infused the bow with powerful magic before letting the first arrow go. The instant the arrow left the bowstring and was on its way Nathavin drew out the magic he’d infused in the bow. This time when he pulled the bowstring back again, an arrow appeared without him having ever drawn one from his quiver. He released it too and watched both arrows speed toward their target. The loud percussive sound as the arrows tore through the air, propelled not only by the bow but also by the magic Nathavin had infused them with, was an ominous indication of how powerful they were. They met their target with deadly accuracy.
Asterios’ body convulsed twice as each arrow slammed into his back with brutal force before slumping lifelessly to the ground. Silence filled the room for several long seconds as everyone took a moment to register what had happened. The silence was broken only by the occasional sniffle from Caellia as she looked down at the fallen body. She jumped at the sound of Nathavin’s boots as he began to stride quietly toward her.
Nathavin saw her slight jump and softly ordered the knights and sword singers, “Remove the body and dispose of it.” To everyone else he simply said. “Leave us.”
The shillien knights and sword singers carefully went and picked up the fallen body of Asterios, paying careful attention not to further upset Caellia. The shillien knight nearest to her noticed that she had begun to slide down the wall as her legs gave out on her and quickly moved to ease her down gently. He prayed that Lord Nathavin would not take offense. The knight knew that Nathavin’s dark blood would be roiling just beneath the surface and anything that could be perceived as another threat to Caellia would trigger it.
Nalia scrunched her face up at Nathavin, insulted at being ordered out. “No, she needs to be surrounded by her friends!”
Nathavin glared stonily at her. “You will leave us.”
Nalia didn’t back down and angrily replied back, daring to take two aggressive steps forward. “I will not leave my friend in her time of need!”
Face tightening in anger, Nathavin’s voice rumbled lowly in warning, “Do not try my patience Nalia. You will regret it. I wish to be alone with Caellia. It is my right to be alone with her. ”
"Queen Caellia!" Nalia snapped back, correcting him as the stress of the past events overrode her judgment. “And just what gives you that ‘right’?”
Kattath began to quickly gather everyone and hurry them out of the temple, knowing trouble was brewing.
Nathavin took three swift strides to her and his face came within inches of her own. “I will address Caellia as I wish!” He half whispered and half snarled harshly at Nalia, still trying to avoid upsetting Caellia anymore than was necessary. “You’re still alive only because of your last minute decision to help return Caellia to the throne and prevent a needless battle! I have not forgotten about your actions in my homelands that brought about this entire skirmish and you shall still pay for those actions! Remember your place and do not anger me further!” He leaned back in satisfaction as horror flickered across Nalia’s face as she realized her error.
Swiftly dropping into a low curtsy she muttered apologetically. “I…Please accept my apology, Lord Nathavin. It was not my…I meant no disrespect…” Realizing that her words were only serving to make him angrier, she shut up and endured his furious gaze mutely.
After a moment he was satisfied that Nalia had groveled enough and said with an angry and aggravated snort. “Get up.” Looking over his shoulder at everyone who hadn’t made it out of the temple yet Nathavin ordered, “Leave us, now.” He watched with a hardened gaze as everyone quickly filed out of the temple. Once they were gone he closed the doors. Once the doors were closed his anger dissipated rapidly and he turned to face Caellia who was still sitting on the floor shaking in horrified terror.
He walked over to Caellia and knelt down beside her. “Caellia look at me.” He felt badly for her. A pang of sorrow shot through his heart as she raised her pain filled ice blue eyes dejectedly to him. The day had been stressful on her and had clearly taken a heavy toll. Risking her rejection, he reached out and softly gathered her to his chest. “It’s over now. He will never harm you again. No one will ever harm you again.” His fingers began combing through her long blonde hair.
Caellia shuddered as she sobbed quietly into his chest. His soothing words acted as a balm on her badly frayed nerves and eventually her breathing slowly evened out and her muscles began to unwind as he continued the calming motion. Gradually Caellia leaned into him further, enjoying the feel of his fingers running through her hair as her delicate nose picked up on his unique scent. All of this served to relax her and she shifted slightly, bringing her even closer to him, unconsciously pressing her nose closer to his chest to more deeply breathe in his slightly spicy smell. Her eyes slowly drifted closed and she fell into a deep sleep.
Nathavin listened to her breathing and smiled to himself when he felt her go limp in his arms as her breathing evened out. They stayed that way for an indeterminable amount of time and his thoughts turned toward Asterios. He shuddered as he remembered how close he had come to losing Caellia. A soft sigh had him looking down at Caellia as she shifted slightly. An amused expression crossed his face as she breathed his name unevenly in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. He pulled her tighter to him and whispered fiercely to her before his lips brushed hers in a tender kiss. “I love you Caellia Kennyrmitore.”
What Nathavin did not and could not know was that Caellia had woken up the moment he had pulled her tighter to his chest. She had heard his softly whispered declaration and felt his lips as they brushed over hers but he couldn’t possibly have meant it. Could he? Caellia stayed as still as she could and felt him adjust again to a more comfortable position. Within minutes she heard his own light breathing, signaling that he’d fallen asleep. Slowly so as not to wake him, she gently rolled out of his grasp and looked at him. Really looked at him for what seemed like the first time in ages.
His face was relaxed in sleep, making him seem less threatening. She frowned slightly as she noticed the deep circles under his eyes indicating that he had not slept well in quite some time. As she continued her quiet inspection she realized that the feeling she always got when around him was still there. She still felt frightened by him but not as much. She assumed that was because he was sleeping. Nor was she frightened of him in the way she would have expected. She knew he was a powerful archer, but that wasn’t what she feared about him and she knew now that he would never hurt her intentionally. Her fear ran deeper than that. It was a fear on a more primal, basic level. But what did that mean?
Her eyes traveled to his lips as the memory of his gentle kiss flooded her mind. Caellia flushed a bright crimson and looked away, unable to look at him even while he slept. A strange tightness blossomed low in her belly and she grew slightly faint as her fingers rose to her lips as a different memory surfaced. This wasn’t the first time he’d kissed her. The first time had been back at his castle. He’d kissed her then to get her to be quiet. The kiss had been anything but gentle but it had affected her in ways she didn’t understand. She had been filled with a strange and exhilarating excitement when he’d kissed her then.
Caellia hissed softly under her breath as she realized that she felt the same way now that she did then when he’d first kissed her. That strange feeling of excitement, the odd thrill she’d felt at that moment in time, had never truly gone away. It changed slightly depending on the circumstance, but it was still there. She realized that the feeling would become more intense when Nathavin would become focused on her. The feeling would also change slightly depending on his relative mood and how he was responding to her. She looked back at Nathavin as she remembered different times he’d looked at her. There was no denying it. There were times when he’d been distinctly stalking her. Almost like a predator stalking its prey and those were the times the feeling was the most intense.
Her eyes grew slightly unfocused as she became further lost in thought. Kattath had asked her if she loved Nathavin. The only person she had ever loved before was Goryn. But she had never felt anything like this when she was around him. But Goryn had never stalked her as Nathavin did. Nor had she gotten that strange feeling in her belly. Caellia had always felt comfortable around him because he’d always been gentle with her. He had never risked pushing her outside of her comfort levels. They’d never even kissed. So what did the strange new feelings mean? And why would she be feeling them? Nathavin was a dark elf, and whatever the new feelings were she shouldn’t feel like this, should she? It was wrong. Wasn’t it?
A slight rustling sound reached her ears and she looked at Nathavin again. He’d once more shifted position. This time he leaned back against the wall, one leg stretched out slightly in front of him and the other bent at the knee, and he had let his chin fall to his chest. This caused some of his hair to fall over his left eye. Without thinking she reached up and pushed it back, her hand lingering briefly over his face. So focused on his hair she didn’t notice that he was now awake and watching her.
As she brought her hand back she stifled a startled cry when his hand wrapped around hers and tugged her back down to him. As he did so, a quick flick of his wrist had her turned neatly mid-tug so that her cheek pressed against his chest and his arms quickly encircled her while he brought his legs up behind her back, effectively trapping her in place with her half sitting and half lying against him.
Caellia began to struggle to get up and get away, embarrassed that he’d caught her staring at him. And even worse, that he’d caught her pushing his hair back from his face. Her struggles were in vain as he clamped down with a vice-like grip though he was careful not to hurt her.
“Stop,” Nathavin told her calmly. After a few seconds she quieted down although her body was still tense. Gradually he let up on the pressure and began to stroke her hair again, knowing she would eventually relax. He continued long after sleep had taken her. He’d seen the look on her face and in her eyes when she’d thought he was asleep. As he too slowly drifted back to sleep he knew that it was only a matter of time before she realized what he’d already come to know. Neither of them could change what fate Shillien had planned for them, and he didn’t want to.
Kattath and Nalia came in sometime later and woke Nathavin up and led him to one of the bed chambers hidden within the temple. Nalia informed him that it was Caellia’s and he gently laid her on the bed and left her in Nalia’s care, though not before giving Nalia a warning glance. He then followed Kattath to a separate set of chambers that had been prepared for him. As they made their way around he noticed that night had fallen and that many of the elves were asleep. His chambers were located on the opposite side of the temple from Caellia’s and he gave Kattath a grateful nod before disappearing inside.
Caellia awoke the next day with no recollection of how she’d gotten to her chambers. Looking out the nearest window she saw that it was already quite late in the day. The events from yesterday sprung vividly to her mind and she stumbled as she sleepily got out of bed. The door to the room opened and Nalia swept breezily inside.
“You’re already awake. That’s good because Lord Nathavin is waiting for you in the Northern courtyard.” Nalia whisked over to Caellia and pushed her to a changing screen and shoved her behind it as she thrust Caellia’s armor at her. “Get changed and be quick about it.”
“Why?” Caellia asked through a not quite muffled yawn.
“Lord Nathavin is getting impatient. The sun has already passed its middle point in the sky. You’ve slept nearly the entire day.”
Caellia shook her hair out and set about getting ready. Once again she noted the respectful way Nalia referred to Nathavin. This brought about the memory of her stating that she had to ask Nathavin’s permission to speak with her. Caellia remembered that she’d never gotten an answer out of Nalia. “Nalia, why did you believe you had to ask for Nathavin’s permission to speak with me yesterday? And you never did tell me what it was you wanted to speak with me about.” Poking her head around from behind the changing screen Caellia fixed Nalia with a curious look.
“It was only proper that I seek his permission to speak with you.” Nalia answered evasively.
Caellia persisted, “But why? Nalia you’ve never been that respectful to anyone let alone a dark elf.” She frowned pensively, what was going on? “You’ve even begun addressing him by his proper title. I remember a time when you said you would never address any dark elf with an honorific.” Caellia stared down her friend. “Why have you suddenly begun to treat him with so much respect when you’ve never shown an inclination to do so?”
Nalia matched Caellia’s stare, “I believe it is in my best interests to become useful to him. Why do you refer to him so,” Nalia stumbled for a moment searching for a tactful way of speaking, “informally?” She noticed the slight twitch and knew Caellia had caught the insinuation and pressed her point. “Caellia, do you realize how very close the two of you look and sound when you’re around one another?” Nalia shook her head in disbelief at Caellia’s blank stare. “You don’t, do you? Caellia let’s just say that I have a feeling Lord Nathavin will have a significant impact on my life.”
A frown marred Nalia’s features as she remembered his murderous look at her yesterday for her transgressions against Caellia and himself. “Or my death if he so chooses.” Nalia shook herself from those morbid thoughts and said quickly. “If you still don’t understand you must ask him, as I have answered all the questions I am prepared to answer. As for the conversation I wished to have with you, I still want to have it. But you heard what he said. I must speak about that with him present.”
A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Nathavin’s gruff voice came through. “Caellia we must hurry. I expect you to be out within the next few minutes.” His voice grew slightly foreboding as he added, “Or their will be consequences.” A wicked grin crossed Nathavin’s face as he heard a flurry of activity begin within the room, no doubt caused by Caellia rushing about as she remembered the last time he’d made a similar threat. Satisfied that she would be out quickly he strode smugly outside with a barely suppressed chuckle.
*****
Several days passed and they were now in the subterranean home of the dark elves and Caellia had begun to be even more nervous when around Nathavin. As she watched the dark elves and orcs in the dimly lit caverns she reflected on the past few days. It seemed like ever since that evening spent in the temple alone he’d begun to push her limits. He was constantly putting a strain on her by requiring her to spend even more time with him than he had been previously. At first she’d thought it was just her imagination, but that idea had been shattered when he’d begun to make a habit of always calling her to his side for menial things. Things he could have taken care of on his own or had one of his underlings handle.
Then there was the matter of him always finding an excuse for them to be alone. He nearly always had a reason for the two of them to have a private discussion. She would have thought that with so much that needed to be readied for the trip back to Goddard that he wouldn’t have time for her. That wasn’t the case however and despite her best attempts she could never manage to elude him.
Heaving a deep sigh Caellia wondered where Kattath was. She hadn’t seen the spell howler since the day before when she’d been ordering the human named Hontas about. That was another strange thing. Nathavin had, had some dealings with the humans and they were now following his orders. She knew a few dispatches had been sent to the King of Giran and the Queen of Dion but Caellia knew nothing else. She assumed that a treaty of sorts had been arranged. Hontas had said precious little to her when she’d inquired as to what him and Kattath had discussed. In fact, the nervous human had only issued a low unintelligible mutter and had hurried away from her.
Now that she thought about it, most people she came into contact with had recently begun to quickly leave her presence without saying much to her, if anything at all. Not even the dark elven masters were saying anything to her. They tended to stay away from her as much as possible. Her brows furrowed in consternation, what was going on? She was glad though that she no longer received death glares from most of the dark elves. Her thoughts scattered as Nathavin smoothly slipped his arms around her from behind and drew her back to his chest.
“How are you?” He asked her contentedly. He smirked lightly as he felt her tense up and attempt to pull away. “Settle down.” Nathavin was enjoying this. He knew she was confused and that she cared for him more than she admitted even to herself. “I said ‘How are you?’” He reminded her, playfully blowing a cool stream of air onto her neck.
Caellia froze as his breath tickled the hair at the nape of her neck and she could hardly breathe. “I’m…f…fine.” She stammered shakily as she attempted to lean forward and out of his grasp by pretending to be interested by something in the distance.
“That’s good.” He still didn’t release her. Instead he closed his arms even tighter around her in admonition of her attempt to get way, eliciting a short gasp to burst from her lungs and she stopped struggling almost immediately. When he felt her sag lightly against him in submission he readily eased up on his powerful hold, though he still didn’t release her.
Caellia fumbled about for something to say and finally settled on asking him. “When will we be leaving for Goddard?” While she had hoped to be able to stay with most of her brethren in her home village she had understood that she would be expected to travel back to Goddard with him.
“Soon,” he replied softly as he pulled her even closer, ignoring her soft gasp of protest at being pulled so close to him. She would have to learn to cast off her shyness and embarrassment. He loved the way she felt in his arms and had no intentions of letting that shyness keep him from holding her. Closing his eyes, Nathavin nuzzled his nose in her hair next to her right ear affectionately and breathed in deeply.
Caellia stiffened subtly as his warm breath lifted and parted her hair next to her ear. “Nathavin…” She began uncertainly but fell silent when his arms twitched around her middle. Recognizing the warning for what it was, she allowed him to continue. Her eyes closed and she hesitantly leaned fully back into his chest as her head drifted over to the left, surrendering completely to his wishes.
Nathavin suppressed a low moan of satisfaction as he felt her yield to him. When she turned her head to the side, exposing her graceful neck, all conscious thought left him. The gentle nuzzling gave way to slow kisses along the side of her neck. His left hand trailed up her side and became tangled in her hair as he coaxed her head further to the left to gain more access to her neck. He stopped briefly at the sensitive area just below her jaw and suckled lightly.
Caellia shivered as Nathavin began to kiss her neck. The kisses were light at first and then became more intense. She felt his hand move from her waist to her hair and begin to insistently tug her head to the left. When she felt his mouth just below her jaw she was rocked by the powerful sensation and she was startled when she realized that the impassioned groan she’d heard was her own.
Nathavin heard her low moan and knew if he didn’t stop now there would be no turning back. Reluctantly he stopped kissing her and drew back, taking a moment to examine the small reddish mark under her jaw with smug satisfaction. Soon she would bear more than just a mere love mark! Resting his chin atop her head, he listened to her labored breathing as she worked to calm down. He was filled with a sense of conceited male pride to know that he was the first to have caused her to react that way.
Caellia leaned heavily against him as she struggled to squelch the new sensations. What had happened?! Never in her years had she felt like this! She closed her eyes and took several long shuddering breaths and worked to bring her racing heart back under control.
After many long minutes, he was the first to break the silence, searching desperately to find any subject to distract him from his wayward thoughts. “We will be following a different path than the main group once we reach Rune. You are not yet fully trained and you must be before we face Asadar.” He let her go and spun her around to face him. “We will take a small unit and will travel to several hunting grounds along the way back to the castle.”
His voice became grim as his hands came up to either side of her face. “This will be very dangerous Caellia. I will be taking you to the very same hunting grounds I went to for my advanced training. The savages there are like none you’ve ever seen. They are extremely dangerous and highly intelligent. One mistake could cost everyone in the unit their lives.”
Caellia nodded gravely. “I understand.” Caellia was shocked to discover that she was actually afraid of training with him. It wasn’t the fact that she was afraid of the training itself, but rather she was afraid of possibly letting him down. She knew she would never be as strong as he was. It simply wasn’t possible. She looked away from him, discouraged and inexplicably saddened as she began to think that she might disappoint him. That she might not live up to his expectations of her. Caellia didn’t know why, but suddenly she found that she didn’t want to let him down. It was very important to her that she never let him down.
Nathavin sensed her sudden shift in mood. “Caellia, what’s wrong?” He asked concernedly, unable to understand her sudden troubled look. When she avoided his gaze by turning her head downward and to the side he was further distressed. He took her chin in his hand and forced her to face him. “What is it?” Had he said something wrong? “Caellia, please, what is it?”
“I, I just don’t want to disappoint you.” Before he could say anything she rushed on. “I’ll never be as strong or as skilled as you are. I just…” Her teeth rattled as he gave her a light shake.
“You will be fine Caellia. I won’t ask you to do something that isn’t within your abilities. You are already an accomplished archer. You know this. What we will be doing is more finely honing your skills.” He began to caress her cheek gently. “The only way for you to improve your skills now is to face far greater challenges. Having seen you fight, I can say from experience that you are at a point which the only challenges left to you are the challenges that can not be faced alone. Whatever happens, Caellia, you will never disappoint me.” Actually he found her concern over whether she would disappoint him or not quite charming. It showed that she cared what he thought of her. Nathavin’s voice became firmer and more assertive, “Never think that you will disappoint me.” He waited for her to nod her head in acceptance before replying in a more casual, though still a bit domineering tone. “Then consider the matter settled.”
Caellia stood quietly for a moment before stepping back from him and asking a question that had begun to dwell heavily on her mind. “And when we finally return to the castle, what then?” Her eyes grew wide and her heart rate sped up at his unexpected answer.
Reaching out and brushing her hair back from her face, his eyes clouded over in thought, Nathavin answered her huskily. “We will have our wedding.”
Hontas shuddered under Nathavin’s furious gaze. He’d been caught trying to sneak away with scrolls containing the numbers and plans of the dark Lords’ legions that he’d managed to pilfer from an unguarded desk. It was plain bad luck that he’d been caught and subsequently brought in for interrogation when Nathavin was already in a foul mood over delays that had slowed their departure for Rune by several days. He had thought that since they were busy loading the ship that he would be able to snatch the scrolls unnoticed. How very wrong he had been!
Nathavin was now positively seething. Obviously furious at having yet another delay piled on top of scores of others. Hontas cursed himself a thousand times for not waiting until the ship had left. Nathavin’s barely coherent hiss brought him back to the present and he huddled closer to the cold dank ground. He hoped that the closer to the ground he was, the less likely he’d be injured from the next kick that he felt was sure to come his way. So he was rather surprised when it didn’t.
“How long did you honestly think you could get away with this?” Nathavin’s voice was absolutely arctic. His face twisted into a cruel mask as he picked Hontas up by his neck and slammed him into the cold stone wall of the lowest level of the caves that served as the dark elven home village. “How long have you been spying on them?! On us?!” Nathavin spat venomously at Hontas. “What information have you already given Asadar?!”
Hontas felt his bones grind against each other from the force of the impact against the stone wall. “I already told you! I didn’t get a chance to give Asadar any information! The light elves would not allow me into their meetings regarding their defenses!” Hontas refrained from saying that Asterios had been too smart to allow him into the meetings. He knew that if he even mentioned the Priest’s name Nathavin would likely kill him.
“I know nothing!” Hontas pleaded desperately for his life. “I had no choice! King Asadar would have had me killed if I didn’t do as he bid me!” Alarm lined his bloodied face and he winced in pain as Nathavin increased the pressure against his neck, dangerously close to crushing his airway. As he fought to bring air into his burning lungs he caught sight of Nathavin’s eyes. They were the darkest black he’d ever seen. A cold chill shot down his spine as alarm gave way to panic. “Please! I beg you have mercy! I did not want to do this!”
“If you did not want to do this then why didn’t you simply vanish and not approach the light elves at all?! Asadar would’ve assumed you had died at their hands! Or mine!” Nathavin gave an extra squeeze to Hontas’ throat for emphasis before he released the whimpering human with a grunt of disgust, letting Hontas fall to the ground in a disheveled heap. Nathavin was beyond furious, the sniveling human had told many stories, none of which made sense, and all of them contradicted one another in some way. “For the last time, tell me what I want to know you pathetic little fool!” He’d been at this for hours and was bone weary and sick of alternately beating and threatening the detestable human.
Eyeing Hontas guardedly, Nathavin felt that something wasn’t quite right and he’d had that feeling for several hours. His finely honed battle senses were telling him that this human was not all that he appeared to be and he’d learned to trust those senses early on in life. There was something more to Hontas than met the eye. Something about the humans responses were slightly, off. He couldn’t credit any one aspect of Hontas’ responses with triggering the feeling. Nathavin’s sharp eyes and keen skills of perception simply led him to believe that Hontas was not quite telling the truth about being a simple healer. The human was simply too resilient to his constant beatings to merely be a healer. There was a certain stubbornness about him that only warriors of one form or another carried. Deciding to trust his instincts, Nathavin abruptly changed his line of questioning. “What are you?” He demanded in a guttural growl. His eyes were narrowed and his voice could have frozen the lava in the deepest pit of the Blazing Swamplands. “And no more lies.”
Taken aback by the sudden change of questioning, Hontas blinked rather stupidly at the dark Lord. “What?” What had tipped the dark Lord off? He mentally went over all his answers of the past few hours, nothing he’d said should’ve given him away.
Cursing explosively and expressively in his native language Nathavin violently gripped Hontas by his robes and bodily hurled him to the floor. Nathavin then repeated his question in an ominous growl, incensed at having to repeat himself.
“I am but a mere bishop Lord Nathavin.” Hontas meekly replied while he struggled to stand upright. A feeling of dread came over him. It was clear from Nathavin’s sinister look that the dark elf didn’t believe him.
“I don’t think you are.” Nathavin began to stalk in slow circles around Hontas. “Something about you tells me you are not just a ‘mere’ bishop. Your actions are too, staged.” He paused a moment for emphasis. “And why would Asadar send a simple bishop to spy on his enemies?” He stopped behind Hontas and stepped disturbingly close behind him. Close enough that he could see individual strands of hair stand upright on Hontas’ neck as the human quaked in fear. “A mere bishop, a healer, would not know how to tell important battle plans apart from complex practice drills. Yet you did with astonishing ease. Why?!”
Hontas began to shake as Nathavin circled him, much like a sharp talon tiger would circle its prey before it attacked. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise due to Nathavin’s close proximity behind him and he remembered the deadly dagger strapped to Nathavin’s thigh. “I told you already! I didn’t know what those scrolls were! I just grabbed a handful off the desk! I didn’t know exactly what I’d grabbed! Asadar would have had me killed if I didn’t bring him back something!” Hontas mentally begged the dark Lord to believe him.
Nathavin’s voice thundered from behind him, nearly deafening with its ferocity. “Do you really expect me to believe that little tale when the only scrolls found on you were battle plans?!” He kicked Hontas squarely behind the knees, his sharp toed boots leaving deep bleeding gashes as he did so, dropping the human to the floor. “Do not lie to me you misbegotten son of a Falibati! If you had really just grabbed whatever you could get your hands on, there almost certainly would have been other scrolls mixed in, but there weren’t! The only scrolls you had were detailed battle plans! You knew exactly what you were after! ” Nathavin snarled viciously as he slipped his dagger from the sheath strapped to his leg and placed its massive serrated edge against Hontas’ throat. His next words were spoken quietly, though no less deadly in their intent, like the soft kiss of a vipers tongue in Hontas’ ears. “If you do not value your life then by all means, continue telling me these lies!”
Swallowing convulsively around the dagger Hontas rasped out. “Alright! You’re right! I’m not just a simple bishop.” After a brief pause he continued at the not so gentle prodding of the dagger at his throat. “I have had extensive training in necromancy.”
Nathavin deliberately kept his voice even as he replied without ever letting up on the pressure on the dagger in the least. “Go on.” However his senses were now on heightened alert. If Hontas was telling the truth, and Nathavin believed he was, he would be a devastatingly formidable opponent. Nathavin had faced few people who were skilled in necromancy and did not wish to repeat those experiences anytime soon.
Sucking in a breath as best he could without slitting his own throat Hontas muttered. “I suppose you want to know why I abandoned such a powerful profession after all those years of training and became a healer?” His voice was pained and bitter. He really didn’t want to relive the experience that caused him to abandon his previous training.
Taking Nathavin’s silence for a ‘yes’, Hontas explained, his perpetual guise of the spineless bishop shedding away, revealing his’ hidden inner strength and brilliance, as an angry resentment filled him. “Asadar.” He spoke the name with much hatred and loathing, making it clear that Asadar and Asadar alone had caused him to abandon his training. Taking a deep breath he began to elaborate. “He’s a lunatic. He sees threats where there are none. He’s ruthless to his enemies and allies alike.”
Bitterness crept into his voice. “He fell in love with my sister, a powerful sorceress in her own right. But she spurned him. Maryn said that he was a vile creature, unworthy of love or even of companionship. She believed that he was far more vicious than he needed to be.” Hontas’ voice became filled with hate. “He tried to get me to force her to marry him. I refused, knowing that she was right, and he deserved no love. I said that she was free to do as she pleased. She was not royalty and any children she bore him would not become heirs to his throne, so there was no point in forcing the marriage.”
Hontas gulped painfully around the dagger. “For my recalcitrance, he disfigured her and then killed her while I was away visiting my parents.” Tears sprung to his eyes as the horrible past events replayed themselves in his mind yet his voice remained steady. “He called me to a sparring session. I had just returned from the visit to my parents’ home back on Talking Island to announce that I had finally advanced enough to undertake the final stages of my training. I had no idea that my sister was dead. To be called to spar with him was a great honor and I rushed to the practice field, too excited that he’d finally seen me as a worthy opponent to test his own skills with to bother looking for my sister. I was foolish to have ever believed he saw me that way.” Self recrimination filled his voice as he continued. “As we began fighting I realized that I could not utilize my talents to their fullest because there were no corpses nearby. He seemed to understand this when I explained how my magic worked and had a guard bring in a corpse.”
A bitter look crossed his face and his voice became full of regret and sorrow. “I realize now that he’d planned for there to be nothing for me to use and had intended on forcing me to ask for a corpse from the beginning.” A single tear slipped down his cheek for not having recognized the obvious set up at the time. “Anyhow, I had believed it to be the body of one of the many transient vagabonds that would often crowd Aden’s busy thoroughfares. One of the ones that were always attempting to scam the townsfolk out of their hard earned money and items and so I paid the corpse little attention.”
His voice grew harsh with pent up sorrow, regret and self loathing. “I cast my spell to summon the corpse into an undead, mindless being that would do my bidding. The corpse stood up and turned around to face me, as all the undead creatures I had summoned in the past did. This time however, I found myself staring into my sister’s lifeless, mangled face instead of the face of a stranger. Asadar then uttered these words to me. ‘Let this be a lesson to never go against my word and deny me anything ever again.’” Hontas took a ragged breath. “That was the last time I worked that evil magic. I swore then that I would forever after use my knowledge of magic to heal and help people, not to take their lives. Never again to take their lives.”
Silence filled the air as Nathavin released Hontas and watched dispassionately as the human’s fingernails scraped against the stone ground in anguish. “Tell me Hontas, do you know of Asadars’ plans?” His voice was cold and completely unsympathetic.
“I only know that he intends to take Caellia as his wife and he will utterly destroy the light elves through her. He also intends to destroy the dark elves.” Hontas found himself shoved roughly into the ground.
Nathavin’s tenuous grip on his patience began to snap. “I know he intends on this! What I don’t know is how he intends to accomplish it!” How long did he have to question the insufferably dimwitted fool before he got a useful answer?!
“I don’t know how he intends to do it!” Hontas’ own angered growl was muffled against the moldy dirt. “Only that he does!”
Nathavin’s lips twisted upward in a sinister smile as he swung the dagger in lazy circles in his hand as he stepped away and allowed Hontas to regain his sitting position. “Considering how much you obviously hate him I’ll make you an offer. Swear your allegiance to me and provide me with detailed information on the defenses of Aden castle, and I’ll let you live instead of killing you right here.”
Hontas looked up, surprised. “You’ll what?” He asked incredulously, not quite willing to believe what he’d heard.
Nathavin’s gaze hardened as his anger spiked upward several notches. Nathavin cursed creatively in dark elvish before biting out between tightly clenched teeth. “I will not make a habit of repeating myself!”
“My apologies, Lord Nathavin.” Hontas shuddered from the obvious insults flung his way in dark elvish. He had no idea what Nathavin had said or called him but he was sure the comments were vicious in nature judging by Nathavin’s tone and the dark callous look.
Nathavin snorted in derision before saying arrogantly. “You’ve had enough time. Make your decision.”
Hontas thought quickly, “If Asadar finds out that I’ve deceived him he will surely kill me.”
Nathavin’s lips thinned into a straight line as his patience suddenly evaporated. “If you turn down my offer I will kill you here and now! If you take my offer you will live at least a little while longer.” He sneered unpleasantly at Hontas as the dagger flashed menacingly in his hand. “It makes no difference to me if you die now or later! Make your choice fool!”
Hontas realized that he was being left with only one option. If he wanted to live to see the light of another day he would have to swear his allegiance to Nathavin. And if he were truly honest with himself, he believed that Nathavin was a far better ruler, though still a bit cruel. But to be fair, Nathavin was only being cruel to him because he considered him to be a threat. He’d seen Nathavin act with courtesy and, if not exactly kindness, fairness, towards those he considered allies. Perhaps one day Nathavin would come to see him as an ally too. “I will tell you all I can about the castles defenses.”
“Then I shall inform my chief strategist of your ‘decision’ to help us. He will be here shortly. He will also give you some information to pass along to Asadar. You will then inform us of what he makes of that information.” Nathavin intentionally did not inform Hontas that it would be false information. Honestly Nathavin did not care whether Hontas died or not at Asadars’ hands. While Hontas’ story was tragic, he harbored no sympathy for the human. In Nathavin’s mind he should have removed his sister from the castle and its town before taking his ill-fated trip to the island since he had known his King had a penchant for needless cruelty. As he turned to leave, waving the guards to stand watch, he heard Hontas’ quiet remark.
“Thank you, for your confidence…” Hontas would have said more but Nathavin cut him short.
Whirling around Nathavin retorted angrily. “Do not mistake this request for your allegiance for trust, human! You were sent here to spy on us! You were caught attempting to flee with several scrolls containing detailed military information!” He finished with a loathsome hiss. “You will never earn my trust!”
*****
Caellia nimbly ducked behind one of the many crates that were supposed to be loaded onto the ship before peeking around the corner. Sighing in relief that her pursuers weren’t in sight she relaxed briefly against the crate. Catching her breath she looked toward the ocean. She didn’t get to rest long. Before she knew it she could hear them approaching her from different directions. Looking at all possible routes of escape, she chose one and made the short sprint for the nearest open grassy area. Letting loose a shrill shriek, she ran past a couple of male spell howlers in what appeared to be dark bluish robes with a golden cross design on the front, ignoring the odd looks they gave her. Soon she could hear five sets of footsteps gaining on her. She then did the unthinkable and purposely shortened her strides and allowed them to catch up.
They had caught her and were now whooping and hollering in victory, with their assorted and decidedly worse for wear weapons trained on her. One of them, a young dark elven girl, stepped forward bravely and in her best intimidating voice said, “You are our prisoner now!”
Caellia took in the array of weaponry pointed at her, from the small blunt daggers to the rusted swords and battered leather shields to the most crooked bow with the strangest looking arrowhead she’d ever seen, and said archly. “You will not take me!” With that she turned and sprinted away again, listening to the young dark elven children as they began their chase with renewed vigor. She ran a short distance before allowing them to catch up to her again and noted that this time they surrounded her instead of standing in a single line altogether as they had before.
Nathavin observed them from his concealed location as they played. He was still ill tempered over the business with Hontas and had searched for Caellia in hopes that being close to her would help relieve him of his stress. He had not expected to find her playing with dark elven children and found the situation very entertaining and had hid himself so that he wouldn’t interrupt their play. They had evidently been playing for quite some time as all the children and Caellia herself seemed winded. He was amazed at the fact that not only was she playing with the children but how she’d even managed to find the time to play with the youths in the first place with so much that needed to be done.
He’d been watching them long enough to realize that Caellia was purposely provoking them into chasing her. He’d also realized that she was actually teaching them how to catch her. Every now and then she’d stop to point out how they could better orient themselves and work more efficiently together. While she continued with the pre-text of ‘play’, he noticed that she was accomplishing setting them up to work in a very cohesive unit. Although it was apparent the children didn’t recognize the fact that they were being taught. They were too preoccupied with simply having fun and getting the game ‘right’, and she laughed and joked back with them, all the while continuing to guide them through the proper steps of how to ‘capture’ her. Now they had her completely surrounded and he strained his ears to hear what was being said and his head tilted back in a subdued laugh at the children’s decidedly less than inventive threats.
“Don’t try to escape us again! We’ll catch you!” The dark elven boy did his best impression of his father’s intimidating voice while brandishing his sword in what he hoped was a threatening manner, though he was having a hard time keeping from laughing.
“You don’t stand a chance against us! We are part of the mighty dark elven empire!” Another girl said laughingly as she thrust her small dagger at Caellia. This was fun! They hadn’t had anyone to play with besides each other in what felt like ages! All the adults and sentries had been too busy lately.
Caellia gave them her haughtiest look, and sniffed disdainfully at them while her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do you know who you are talking to? I am the Queen of the light elves, release me at once!” She thought she was doing an admirable job at not giggling at them. They were so much like the youths at her home village! The young archer, a boy, drew her attention.
“You are Queen of the light elves?”
Caellia raked him from the top of his head to the tip of his boots and back to his eyes with a mockingly stern glare, noticing that the tip of his arrow was quivering erratically as he endeavored to hold the bow drawn taut. “Yes I am. Now release me at once!” Her lower lip trembled and she bit down on it to keep from laughing.
The little archer said in a firm, determined voice. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
Surprised by how confident and serious he sounded, Caellia took a second, closer look at him. The young archer showed promise. “And why not?” She took a step back and to the side quickly, testing him, and noticed that while his arm was shaky; his aim was already near perfect as he stayed trained on her. She moved in several different directions just as quickly, watching with an appraising eye as he stayed with her. A few minutes ago she had been sure he couldn’t have done this. Very impressive indeed, she thought to herself.
“Lord Nathavin would not be happy if you were to go away. My father says that you are to be Lord Nathavin’s bride and that he got really sad and upset when you were taken away from him.” The young child pulled the bowstring even tighter. “I will not let you leave and make Lord Nathavin sad and upset again.”
Caellia looked the child over, assessing him, he was quite serious. “Well, with so many of you against me I’ll never make it back home. You win.” She then took a seat on the dried grass and put on a great show of huffing in apparent frustration. A sidelong glance at the child showed that he wasn’t convinced and though his bow was lowered, it was still held at the ready. As she continued to put on a show for the other children’s sake, she didn’t notice Nathavin quietly approaching the little group. So it was a complete surprise when all of the children suddenly ordered her to her feet at once. She gamely went along with them, thinking they were still playing, complaining in apparent bitterness about the lack of respect towards prisoners all the while.
Nathavin watched the children as they noticed him approach and saw them order Caellia to her feet. Hiding a smirk, he kept his face as blank as possible. It was not easy with all the commotion Caellia was putting up. They had been pretending to do this as if it was a real event earlier. Why not go along with their little game and let the children hand Caellia over to him as one of his actual guard units would do? He had wanted to see Caellia anyway and this was the perfect opportunity, not to mention a good distraction from his recent problems. He almost burst out laughing when Caellia jumped at the sound of his voice. “Children, you have done a fine job of recapturing Queen Caellia for me.”
Caellia spun around so quickly she nearly lost her balance. When did he get here?! How had he snuck up on her so quietly?! She stumbled backward in an attempt to gain some distance from him. Looking more closely at him she noticed the barely visible upward tilt of his lips as he looked at the children, listening to them explain how they’d ‘caught’ her and then responding that he would take her into his ‘custody.’ He was playing with them! The very idea that he was actually taking the time to play with the children was shocking to her. She had never thought that he would actually take the time to do so. Dark elves in general had always seemed so serious and austere that she had just assumed that they never took the time to play with their young ones.
The young archer spoke up quickly. “We would not let her run away and make you sad again.” He looked down, suddenly unsure of himself. His father had said that Lord Nathavin did not want people to know that the loss of the light elven Queen had saddened him. Had he spoken out of turn?
Nathavin looked to the boy briefly, noticing the child’s sudden gloomy look, as if he’d just realized he’d overstepped some boundary. Nathavin sent the boy an approving look, silently telling him that he’d done nothing wrong and that there was no cause to be upset. “I appreciate that.” As soon as the child’s face brightened a bit he turned his attention to Caellia. His eyes locked with hers as he listened to the multiple voices of the children as they all spoke to him at once about her recent attempt to ‘escape’ and how they had managed to stop her. “Queen Caellia, why were you attempting to escape? Surely you knew that any such attempt would be met with failure.” If her expression was anything to go by, she was surprised by his willingness to join in the children’s fun. With his lips tilting upward in roguish grin and his eyes alight with mirth, he silently dared her to bring the game to a halt.
Caellia, unable to break off the play for fear of disappointing the children, had no choice but to go along with him and tossed her head in a defiant manner. “I will not be held captive by the likes of you!”
His eyebrow raised in amusement at her answer. “Is that so?” He took two threatening steps toward her, rumbling laughter escaping him as she took two uneasy steps back.
Caellia twitched nervously, perhaps that wasn’t the best statement she could’ve made. Mentally cursing herself for allowing him to see her tenseness, she stopped edging backward and held her ground. By Eva! He made her nervous even when he was only playing!
“Go on then. Run. I will give you a head start.” Nathavin laughed inwardly at her bewildered and somewhat spooked look. He further taunted her. “What’s the matter? Are you afraid?”
The children watched their Lord in awe as he dared the faster light elf to run away from him, uncertain if he would be able to keep up with her. They turned to look at her, curious as to what she would do.
Caellia looked back and forth between Nathavin and the children. On the one hand, she really didn’t want to have to run from him. She was actually quite tired from the earlier playing. Not to mention that there was a time not so very long ago when she’d been chased by him and they hadn’t been playing. It had been very real and that memory was still fresh and vivid and it frightened her to the very center of her being. On the other, she didn’t want to disappoint the children by cutting their game short as they so obviously wanted to see her try to escape him.
As she debated what to do, she inwardly questioned Eva on how such a simple game had turned so complicated so quickly. She snorted lightly in irritation as she said a quick spell that would help boost her speed and endurance. She’d been easy with the children, but if she was going to play chase with him she would have to make use of every advantage she could get. Once done casting the spell she didn’t waste any time and simply dashed away to the cheers and laughter of the children. She ignored his taunting laughter.
Nathavin let her get a good ways ahead of him before taking off after her in a sedate lope. He knew the land far better than she did and intended on using that knowledge to his advantage, and didn’t rush after her in a needless burst of speed, preferring instead to take his time and plan out his chase. Following her movements with his eyes, he cut a diagonal path across the open field, intent on cutting her off. His eyes narrowed as she suddenly changed direction, going the opposite way from where he was. Had she realized his plan and made a purposeful change of direction or was it coincidence? Putting on a sudden and short burst of speed he decided it didn’t matter as he quickly narrowed the distance between them.
Zipping past an odd boulder Caellia pivoted neatly and abruptly changed her direction again to run back past the children. This whole show was for their benefit and she didn’t want to run out of their range. This posed a unique problem though. She now had to run back past Nathavin. Lowering her chin in fierce determination she barreled toward him at full speed while readying herself to leap away when he made to reach out for her. All the while the children continued to watch them, cheering each on in turn as they engaged in a light verbal sparring match as well.
Nathavin and Caellia continued to play for quite some time to the delight of the children. Circling around the small group and making use of large boulders and an unfortunate treant, they played and slowly Nathavin’s stress melted away as he became lost in the game. He would catch up to her and lightly hold onto her before allowing her to pull away. They made sure to keep well within the viewing range of the youths. Neither Caellia nor Nathavin spoke much to each other with the exception of the occasional verbal barb that neither took seriously, both of them enjoying the chase far more than they would ever admit.
After a while Nathavin decided to bring the playtime to a close and ended the chase in a decisive victory. Snagging Caellia around the waist with one arm, he allowed her forward momentum to spin them both around in a half circle before she collapsed to the ground as she attempted to fly past him again. “That is enough for today.” He said as he courteously helped Caellia to her feet. The children groaned and began to protest but immediately hushed when he leveled a reproachful glare at them. They began to shuffle off, leaving the two alone in the fading sunlight. Nathavin waited until Caellia had caught her breath. “Are your belongings already aboard the ship?”
Nodding her head, Caellia replied. “Yes, they were put aboard earlier today. Where were you? Kattath was looking for you.” Caellia looked sharply up at him at his disgruntled snort.
Nathavin felt the massive headache start again at the reminder of his earlier unpleasant activities. “I was attending to another matter.” He sighed heavily, the cumbersome burden of responsibility crashing back down on him. “Did Kattath say what she wanted?” He asked tiredly.
Caellia shook her head no, thinking to herself that even if she’d known what the dark elven woman had wanted, she wouldn’t have told Nathavin while he was in this state. “What matter were you attending to?” At his wincing expression she said quickly. “Never mind, if you wish to discuss it later we can.” She could see that he was obviously distraught and wondered what she could do to help him. He’d helped her so much in the past week and she wanted to help him in whatever way she could. She turned to face him fully. “Nathavin, is there something wrong?”
He looked into her clear blue eyes and whispered, all his pent up anxieties and worries he’d been feeling coming through in his voice despite his attempt to keep them hidden. “I’m alright, I’m just tired.” His eyes as well gave away the frustration and turmoil that he felt. The overwhelming responsibilities of his position and his lack of adequate sleep were catching up to him. From the ceaseless activities of planning for a war to merging two unique races with a long history of hate and everything in between, Nathavin was mentally as well as physically exhausted.
Caellia studied him closely. She saw what lay hidden behind his assertions that he was okay and was simply tired. He wasn’t simply tired, he was drained and overwrought. The constant stress and worry was wearing on him and she could see it just as plainly as she could see the sun. Caellia intuitively knew he was purposely keeping things from her so that she wouldn’t worry. But he was causing himself more grief in the process. She stepped closer to him, closing the gap that separated them before shyly asking, willing her face to not turn red in embarrassment. “Nathavin, how can I help you?” She studied him for a bit longer while he remained silent. “I want to help you. Please let me help.”
Nathavin looked back toward the ship, his sharp eyes noting that there were still crates to be loaded. There was still so much left to be done. So much that needed organizing and planning. He still needed to meet with his advisors regarding the best way to handle Asadar.
Caellia noticed the direction his eyes had traveled. “Kattath is taking care of all that needs to be done with the loading of the ship. Relax and let her do her job.”
He looked down at her as her voice once again captured his attention. He needed a break. Some time to simply relax, unwind and allow himself to escape the harsh realities of being Lord. He wanted so much to take her up on her offer. They had a little time before the ship would be ready to set sail. Should he take her up on her offer?
“Come over here.” She led them over to a brownish yet somewhat soft patch grass, mentally frowning at the grim reminder of the curse upon his lands that was still to be lifted. She knelt down, tugging him down with her. She nibbled on her lip for only a moment in indecision before she firmly cast off her shyness and drew his head down to her lap. He was the one in need, she could help him, and there was no reason for her to be shy if all she was doing was attempting to ease his suffering. She began to run her fingers through his hair, mimicking the actions that he often used to soothe her when she was upset. She hated seeing him so depressed and tired. It filled her with a sense of sadness and she was determined to help him any way that she could.
Nathavin followed her down and allowed her to place his head in her lap. Feeling her fingers as they brushed gently through his silvery gray hair he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, taking in her sweet smell. He began to speak but stopped when he felt a delicate finger brush his lips and Caellia’s relaxing voice reached his ears.
“Go to sleep. I will wake you when the ship is ready to depart.”
Nathavin breathed in contentedly, relaxed and stretched his aching muscles. This was what he’d needed. A nice, quiet and peaceful moment to let his guard down and simply be himself, not Lord Nathavin, ruler of the dark elves. Nodding slowly at her in acceptance, he turned his head to a more comfortable position that allowed her to more thoroughly run her fingers through his hair and fell into what was quite possibly the deepest and most relaxing sleep he’d had in quite some time.
*sings*
Sitar, you don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night
Sitar, you don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right
Oh, wait... probably not the kind of action you were thinking of.
plz stop posting your back and forth comments that has nothing to do with the story in our space. it's annoying to see you guys flaming away in some out of place comment. take it to PM.
I'm done with my review of the next installment. it's up to "cookie" to take care of the rest. unless she wants me to review it again (which happens often).
Kattath looked at the large vessel tiredly. It had taken quite some time to load the ship without a proper dock, but Lord Nathavin had insisted that they maintain utmost secrecy and had therefore refused to go to Gludin Harbor with its proper docks, much to the disgruntlement of the ships captain and crew. Nathavin had claimed that going to the docks would raise too much suspicion and had adamantly refused to have the ship loaded there. Kattath could appreciate his reasoning; it made a certain kind of sense, but was it a truly necessary precaution? Sighing heavily she decided not to dwell on it. The ship was now loaded with everything and everyone that was going back to Goddard Castle and it was time to leave. She frowned in slight irritation, so where was Lord Nathavin and Queen Caellia? She muttered curt orders to the sentry standing closest to her to inform the ships captain that she was going to go look for Nathavin and Caellia. She didn’t wait for his acceptance of the order before she set off in her search.
After a brief investigation Kattath finally set out toward the cliff that overlooked the sea. Her sharp eyes spotted the two and she came to an abrupt halt. The scene was simply amazing. Caellia was sitting with Nathavin’s head in her lap, her hand lazily trailing through his hair as she gazed upon his face with a peaceful expression. The moons soft pale glow lent the two an almost ethereal beauty as they seemed to glow faintly in its soft light. Caellia’s hair seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. The view of the night time sea, with the stars and the full moon in the distance provided the perfect backdrop to the entire scene. It was, in a word, breathtaking. Kattath hated to disturb them and soundly cursed Asadar and his entire family line. It was entirely his and his family’s fault that she had to disturb them.
Approaching quietly, Kattath opened her gift of second sight that allowed her to see the colored auras that surrounded people. It was obvious from the light bluish aura around Nathavin that he was asleep. Caellia’s aura flickered between white and muted red and yellow, the colors of her aura indicated that she was protecting and watching over him. As Kattath came nearer she wondered if Caellia even knew she was there. The light elf had not made any motion that would signal that she was aware of Kattath’s presence. All her concentration appeared to be on Nathavin. Before Kattath could speak, Caellia’s soft voice reached her ears, proving that she had indeed known of Kattath’s approach.
“I take it the ship is ready to depart?” Caellia spoke gently so that she would not awaken Nathavin.
“Yes it is.” Kattath answered equally softly, her eyes watching Caellia’s fingers still brushing through Nathavin’s hair. There could be no doubt about it. The light elf truly loved him. Kattath knew it now just as surely as she knew her dark spells. Why couldn’t Caellia see for herself that she loved Nathavin? “Caellia,” Kattath paused briefly, trying to find the right words, “can you not see…” She trailed off when Caellia began to speak.
“Kattath, I know what you are going to ask me. I knew this conversation would arise again, though I had sincerely hoped it wouldn’t.” Caellia finally looked up from Nathavin and looked at Kattath. “I am not ready to answer your question.” She elaborated further. “I am not ready to answer your question because I am not ready to answer my own questions.” Caellia’s voice trembled, whether in fear or something else, she would never know. “I know what I say won’t make sense, but I’m scared. I’m scared of what this will mean for me.” She looked back toward Nathavin as she continued, half whispering. “He’s so different from what I’d expected.” She looked back up at Kattath. “You already know the answer to your question, you know you do, and I know you do. But knowing the answer is one thing. Speaking it aloud is another.”
Kattath nodded her head slowly. “Stating it aloud will make it all too real, won’t it? By stating it aloud, you can no longer avoid it. You’ve never felt feelings this strong have you?” At Caellia’s answering nod, it all began to make sense. Kattath cast a quick glance at Nathavin to ascertain he was still asleep, satisfied that he was she asked Caellia very gently. “Caellia, did anyone in your village ever explain the concept of ‘love’ to you?” As she listened to Caellia’s answer she realized that the light elves, or more accurately Asterios had only given her an abstract and vague idea of the concept, and even then he had gone so far as to say that anything other than a platonic love was forbidden. And Kattath suspected that Asterios told Caellia that to more firmly keep the young Queen in line as it was quite clear that the majority of light elves did not view true love as forbidden. Perhaps a closely guarded secret, but it was not forbidden, for if it were forbidden the entire race would have died out.
Kattath now knew that Caellia did not recognize the feelings she was having and was therefore afraid of them because no one had explained them to her. Caellia had never felt these emotions. While she had loved Goryn, it had been a platonic love, like one would have for a treasured friend but nothing more. What she felt for Nathavin was true love. Caellia knew she loved Nathavin but was deathly afraid of the fact, apparently believing that what she felt was wrong. Kattath instantly felt remorse for the elf. Asterios had done more mental harm to Caellia than she could have imagined. Kattath had believed that Caellia had resisted the idea of being in love with Nathavin simply because he was a dark elf and she was a light elf. But now she could see that it was much more than that.
For all her years, Caellia was still truly innocent. She had no knowledge of what it truly meant to love, and to be loved in return; in the way that was natural between a male and female. Asterios had robbed her of that knowledge and was still robbing her of that knowledge from his grave. She nodded slowly as Caellia finished her tale.
After a few moments of silence she said quietly. “I understand now why you can not admit your feelings for the time being. But, I warn you, you can not ignore them for much longer. Nathavin is being very patient with you, but his patience will not last forever. I strongly advise you to speak to one of your own people about matters of the heart.” Her voice became edgy as she warned Caellia, “However, remember that dark elves and light elves do things very differently. Nathavin will not behave the same way a light elf or even a human would for that matter, where love is concerned. Nathavin already considers you as his and he will act accordingly.”
“I know he already considers me as his, the wedding proves that.” Caellia said testily frowning a little. “I guess it would be too much to hope that this is merely a passing…infatuation, on both our parts.”
“It is no mere infatuation for either of you.” Kattath deadpanned with clear surety. “And he will never let you go. You must learn to cope with your feelings for him and his for you. It will be easier if you confront your fears and learn to cope with these feelings before the wedding.”
Caellia looked down at Nathavin and whispered sadly, “But I’m afraid. I’m afraid of these feelings I have for him, I’m afraid of the feelings he has for me.”
Kattath looked down at her and said with quiet conviction. “Then let him teach you not to be afraid of those feelings. Trust him, and more importantly, trust yourself. You know that what you feel isn’t wrong. Show him that you love him. You don’t have to tell him just yet with words, although you will need to do so in the future, and soon.” She knelt down next to Caellia. “He truly does love you Caellia. I know it, I can see it. Please let him love you, and love him in return. He needs it so much more than you can know. His life has been hard, like yours. But where you knew that you were to be the Queen of your people and everyone automatically treated with the respect you deserved, Nathavin had to fight for every bit of respect he’s ever gotten. He had no one to help guide him.” Kattath looked deeply into Caellia’s eyes as she implored the light elf to listen to her. “He needs you Caellia.”
Caellia stared into Kattath’s eyes for many long seconds as her words sunk in. “I…I don’t know what to say Kattath.” And Caellia really didn’t know what to say. She had never thought about the fact that he might need her. But as she looked down upon him it made more sense. How often in the past had he come to her when he was obviously troubled? How many times in the past had he come to her and was content to simply sit in silence with her? As she looked down at him again, the inexplicable fear reasserted itself, and it must’ve shown on her face because Kattath immediately began to speak again.
“Do not fear him and do not fear your reactions to him. Your reactions are normal and are nothing to be afraid of.” Kattath noticed Nathavin was beginning to stir and whispered softly and firmly. “Do not be afraid of him anymore Caellia! You must also learn not to be afraid of your self. He can help you; you just have to be willing to let him help you. Being afraid of him is a waste of time; he will never let you go. This is the only thing I will tell you regarding the difference in dark elven and light elven males. Once a dark elf male claims a female as his bride, nothing short of death will persuade him to change his mind.”
Caellia also noticed that Nathavin was beginning to wake up but could not contain herself. “Why can’t you help me Kattath?” Caellia asked with some concern in her voice.
Kattath merely shook her head and stated simply. “I have helped you all I can. It is not my place to help you anymore, even if I wanted to.” She nodded her head toward Nathavin. “Only he can help you now.” After a slight pause she continued. “I will leave now so that you may share a few more moments in private. You won’t get much time alone on the ship once we leave for Rune.” With that, Kattath stood up and quickly walked back into the shadows of the night where she soon disappeared, almost as if she’d never been there, leaving Caellia to think back on their conversation as Nathavin slowly woke up.
Nathavin stretched and lazily looked up at Caellia. The moonlight shone in her hair and her ivory skin reflected the pale light softly so that she seemed to glow. Slowly reaching a hand out, he brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek while murmuring quietly in a voice husky with sleep. “You’re beautiful in the moonlight.” He continued to lightly stroke her cheek even though he noticed that she had blushed profusely at his comment. He no longer felt as exhausted as he had. Nathavin knew he had slept for far longer than he’d anticipated but he did not mind. He had been able to spend time alone with her and that was all that mattered to him. After a few more minutes he finally decided that it was time for them to make their way back to the ship. “I’m sure Kattath has the ship loaded by now. I hate for this to end, but we should be getting back.”
Caellia blinked dazedly at him, she had gotten lost in the moment and forgotten all about the ship. Nodding at him, she helped him to sit up. She watched him stand up then put her hand in his when he offered to help her stand up. As they began to make their way back to the ship she wondered if she dared to take Kattath’s advice and let him teach her to not be afraid of her feelings. Her thoughts continued to stray to the conversation she’d shared with Kattath.
Nathavin was aware that Caellia was preoccupied with her own thoughts and simply let her be. He knew he was the reason for her preoccupation and was patient enough to let her try to work things through on her own. Try as he might though, he could not help but wonder what was going through Caellia’s mind when he caught her looking at him from beneath her lashes when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. As they boarded the ship and made way for the captain and crew to set sail she surprised him by shyly slipping her small hand into his as the wind caught the ships sails.
*****
Asadar glared at Hontas while absently stroking the large black panthers head. “Are you quite sure that Lord Nathavin intends to attack Aden?”
“Yes. He drew up these very plans himself.” Hontas handed the scrolls over to Asadar. “These are detailed plans of how he intends on attacking the castle.” He cringed at Asadars bark of cruel laughter. “As you can see, he believes that these two areas,” he pointed to individual sections of the castle walls, “are vulnerable to attack.”
Asadar threw his head back and laughed. “Those walls are heavily fortified! Not even the mighty golems the dwarven forces have can take those walls down!” The massive black cat growled its’ displeasure at its owner’s loud laugh and stalked away to the far corner of the room where it laid down, the ears and tail flicking back and forth in irritation. Asadar watched the cat with an amused expression for a moment. “Tell me Hontas, just how were you able to gain Lord Nathavin’s trust so easily?” He waited a beat before saying nonchalantly. “I expected him to kill you if you ever met up with him.”
Hontas stiffened in anger at Asadars words. “It was Queen Caellia who convinced him to believe me.” A lie, Queen Caellia had no idea what had happened and Hontas knew it.
Asadars’ smile was cold. “She is so trusting. So…naïve.” He laughed again. “She will make a good wife.”
Hontas shuddered before saying boldly. “You do realize that she will not submit to you easily?” Casting caution to the wind he stared in Asadars’ eyes. “She is much like my sister was. She will fight you.”
Asadars’ head cocked to the side, his red hair falling over his eye before he swept it back and said. “So! Let her fight me!” His grin widened. “The more she fights, the more interesting she will be! And the sweeter my victory shall be when I crush her race before her very eyes!”
Hontas sighed inwardly, knowing that he’d made the right decision when he’d sworn his allegiance to Nathavin. The sudden noise of a sword clearing its scabbard drew his attention back to Asadar.
“Hontas, how long has it been since we’ve had a sparing match?” Asadar asked in a lazy drawl.
Hontas’ eyes hardened with hate. “Not long enough!”
Asadar held the massive sword across his chest in a guard position and glared at Hontas from over its blade. “I think we should have another match.”
Hontas watched Asadar closely. The idea of another sparing match wasn’t a mere suggestion; it was a thinly veiled order. Likely Asadar didn’t trust him and wanted to drive the point home. Hontas however had decided he wouldn’t play Asadars’ twisted game. “I’ve retired from my old profession. You know that, and you also know I will never take up that profession again.”
Asadar glared at him. “Not even at the cost of your own life?!”
“Never.”
The tense silence in the room was almost palpable as the two glared at one another. It was Hontas who broke the silence. “Lord Nathavin intends to utterly destroy this castle. His forces are equal to your own. I suggest you prepare for him.” His eyes flashed angrily. “This will be either your greatest victory….or….your greatest defeat.” With those final words, Hontas strode out of the room.
Asadar stood in absolute silence before letting out an enraged roar and destroyed the contents of the room in his demented fury.
Caellia stared into the dark water lost in thought as images of the past few weeks replayed in her mind. The wind ruffled her hair and the sea spray coated her in a light mist. Her eyes drifted closed as she thought about the most recent weeks and the fight that had ensued at her village. How Nathavin had protected her then, how he’d always been protecting her ever since Goryn had died. Could Kattath have been right? Could the dark elven Lord really love her? And if so, what were her feelings about him? Did she love him in return?
As she thought back over the past few months she realized that she’d never truly felt alone when she was with him. Unsure at times, scared even, but never alone. She hadn’t felt alone in a very long time. He’d always been there for her whenever she needed someone.
A warm blush suffused her face and a tightness coiled low in her belly as she remembered him carrying her in the forest when she’d tripped and injured her ankle. She’d fallen asleep in his arms while he’d carried her. This time, unlike all the other times, she didn’t push the feelings the images inspired down, instead, she let them surface.
She focused on when Asterios had forced her to fight Nathavin on the Western bridge of her home village. She’d been so afraid and sad, truly the darkest day in her long life. Betrayed by the one she’d regarded as a father, she’d never felt as alone as she had in that moment. Her eyes misted over at the memory and a tear slid down her cheek. Caellia had walked onto that bridge prepared to die facing Nathavin. Instead of death however, she found someone who was willing to listen to her, willing to help her.
She recalled that she’d asked him to help her, begged him to not let Asterios take what was rightfully hers away. More tears fell as she remembered being drawn into Nathavin’s embrace in front of both the light and dark elven troops and his whispered words to her. He had vehemently vowed to kill anyone who attempted to harm her. In that moment she had given her complete trust to him. She hadn’t realized then that, that one instant would forever change her. Caellia now knew, could no longer deny it, she had given him more than her trust in that moment. She’d given him her heart without even knowing it.
She lifted her face to the heavens, the question now was, did she dare let him know it? Her throat constricted painfully. Telling him meant that she was giving him a powerful hold over her. It would leave her vulnerable to be hurt by him in the future in more ways than she could count. He would have the power to hurt her more than Asterios had ever had if she were to tell him.
Caellia lowered tear filled eyes back to the darkened sea water as she thought of the night on the cliffs when Nathavin had slept with his head resting in her lap. She had never felt more peaceful as in that moment. They had stayed like that for hours. Caellia wished that night could have lasted forever. He had trusted her with much more than simply letting him know when the ships were ready to depart. He had trusted her to keep watch over him, to protect him. He had trusted her with his life and even though there had been no immediate threats in the area it still spoke volumes. Nathavin had never let his guard down before, always choosing to watch over both of them while she rested. She knew she could trust him with her life and had already done so on several occasions. But could she trust him with her heart? Could she trust herself to trust him with her heart?
Nathavin watched Caellia as she stood motionless at the bow of the ship. She was obviously lost in thought. The moon rays caught in her hair, making the gossamer strands seem to shimmer as they danced in the sea breeze. She seemed so delicate, so fragile. Seeing her like this made him all the more determined not to lose her to that human filth Asadar. His eyes narrowed in determination as he began to approach her quietly, that human would never set his hands upon her!
So wrapped up in her own thoughts, Caellia didn’t hear Nathavin approach her from behind. She shivered from the cool ocean breeze and momentarily wished that she’d thought to bring a cloak with her. Just as she was about to wrap her arms around herself in an effort to warm up, a second set of arms wrapped themselves about her waist and pulled her back to lean against a warm chest. Caellia stiffened as she bit back a startled yelp.
“Ssshh, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Nathavin hushed her quietly. He lowered his nose to her hair and breathed in deeply as he felt her relax in his arms. They stood in silence for a bit. Feeling her shiver, he looked down at her bare arms. “Are you cold?” His voice held a trace of concern. She didn’t need to be standing out here with no protection from the cool wind.
“A little.” Caellia admitted, trying to keep her voice steady so as not to alert him to her emotional turmoil. She couldn’t help feeling as if he were scolding her though.
Nathavin huffed at her in mild irritation. “Why did you come up here without bringing a cloak with you?” He felt her stiffen and attempt to pull away. “No.” He halted her movements and turned her to face him, encircling her with his arms again. He lifted her chin to gaze into her eyes. “I want to stay up here for a few minutes longer with you alone. I was not trying to upset you.” He noticed the tear stains on her cheeks even in the moonlight, though he was careful not to show that he had seen them. Whatever she had been thinking about was causing her a great deal of distress and she was obviously not in a mood to share what was troubling her. Letting her chin drop from his fingertips, Nathavin gauged the direction the wind was blowing from the hardest and then turned them so that his back was facing that direction, protecting her from the worst of the winds fury.
Caellia stayed silent as she relaxed against him again, hoping he had not noticed that she had been crying recently. She pulled her arms up and placed her lightly fisted palms against his chest and leaned against him. Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she focused her hearing on his steady heartbeat. Ever so often a traitorous sniffle would escape her despite her best efforts to keep them silent.
Nathavin’s concern increased when he heard her quiet sniffles. “Caellia?” He tried to pull her chin up to look at him but she stubbornly refused to let him. “Caellia, look at me.” His voice was almost gruff, demanding that she look at him. He gripped her chin more firmly and forced her head upwards to stare into her eyes, trying to decipher why she was so sad.
She couldn’t bear to look at him; her recent discovery was too fresh and raw to allow it and she tried to push away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Caellia, tell me.” Nathavin insisted as he held her fast, not allowing her to pull away from him.
“No!” Caellia knew she couldn’t pull away from him and instead hid her face in his chest.
Nathavin was at a loss. Abandoning his efforts to get an answer, he squeezed her tighter, apologizing to her without words. He began to run his fingers through her hair in an effort to calm her down. Looking over the sea he wished he could speed the ships progress, they had been at sea for two weeks already and he knew that the lack of privacy was wearing on her nerves the same as it was him. There was literally no where they could go on the ship that didn’t have either the ships crew or a member of his forces nearby. She had grown increasingly melancholy the longer they stayed on the ship and had taken to spending as much time as she could alone, not bothering to speak to the ships crew or even Kattath.
He had been busy with his top commanders and generals that were onboard making plans for the fight against Asadar. This further limited their time alone together. He would often skip meals, which was their only time alone that was guaranteed not to be disturbed, as he made those plans. And although she never admitted it, the time they shared while eating alone was as prized by her as much as it was him and he knew it.
He’d missed tonight’s meal too, he thought guiltily. Nathavin wondered if this was also affecting her, causing her to be even more upset tonight. So lost in his own thoughts, he had almost missed her whispered comment, he was certain she wasn’t even aware she’d spoken. It confirmed that his missing tonight’s meal had affected her, but it wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her.
“I missed you.” Her tone was accusatory and full of hurt that she wasn’t even aware that she was conveying. Her fingers dug into the white leather of his armor, her voice trembling. “I’m so scared. I…” She trailed off, suddenly aware that she’d been speaking aloud though she hadn’t intended to do so.
“Why are you scared Caellia?” Nathavin asked her quietly. He noticed two of the ships crewmen approaching them and leveled a hard steely glare at them, warning them to stay away. Yet another example of how much privacy they lacked on the ship.
She stayed silent as she battled the whirlwind of emotions that were buffeting her. Once more she hid her face in his chest only to feel him grip both sides of her face in his hands and force her to look at him.
“Caellia, why are you scared? What are you so afraid of?” He wanted to force the answer from her. His eyes captured hers, refusing to back down and refusing to allow her to look away from him. “Whatever you are afraid of, we will face together. I will help you!”
That was nearly her undoing. “Nathavin, I…I…lo…” Her mouth snapped shut as her heart slammed into her chest at what she’d almost said. What she’d almost admitted.
“Caellia,” His voice was harsh, barely above a whisper as he battled the call of the dark blood, “tell me!” He knew what it was she wanted to say, what she’d almost said! She loved him! Why wouldn’t she say it?! His grip tightened on her. “Caellia, tell me!”
Caellia shook her head vigorously and began to fight against him in a desperate bid to pull away. She hadn’t meant to say that! What had possessed her to say that?!
Nathavin sensed her mounting distress and agonizingly pulled away from her. The tense silence was unnerving. She’d clearly not meant to say that, but why? He knew that she loved him! What was holding her back?! He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. The dark blood, the embodiment of the darker, more primal nature of dark elves, had nearly taken hold of him. He couldn’t allow that to happen, but how long could he prevent it?
Kattath watched from the shadows, reading their respective auras. It was time for her to intervene. Shaking her head sadly, she wondered when Caellia would trust herself. It was now obvious that, that was where the real problem lay. As she drew nearer to the couple she made sure her footsteps were rather loud on the deck so that they would hear her approach. She most certainly did not want to startle Nathavin just now. He was so tightly wound up with the dark blood surging in his veins that he’d most likely kill her before he realized what he’d done.
She cast a saddened look at Caellia, she and the young Queen were going to have a long talk before the night was through. It was time to stop playing. Nathavin had been pushed to his limits tonight. If Caellia did not admit her feelings, and soon, Nathavin’s natural instincts as a dark elf would take over. Kattath knew that Nathavin wanted Caellia to come to him of her own free will but the dark forces that drove all dark elven males would not be denied much longer.
“Caellia, go below and wait for me in your quarters.” Kattath instructed, her voice leaving no room for argument. She watched as the light elf turned and practically fled. Turning her attention to Nathavin, she grew concerned at his expression. He was not pleased to see her, that much was crystal clear.
“Why did you interrupt us?” The almost silken quality of his voice belied the intense anger that was hidden underneath.
Kattath felt a frisson of fear slide up her spine. His aura was a deep dark black purple, and there were little explosions of gold sparks within it as his anger rose. She took a respectful step back and bowed formally. “I believed it would be prudent, Lord Nathavin.” She made sure that her body language conveyed her submissiveness and kept her tone of speech highly respectful. She’d unfortunately caused the dark blood to surge even further out of control by interrupting them. A circumstance she hadn’t counted on.
“Prudent?” Nathavin lashed out at her. “Why would it be ‘prudent’ to interrupt me from a conversation with my future Queen?!”
Kattath remained in her awkward position as she answered him. “I believed that your dark blood was in control and only wished to prevent you from inadvertently hurting Queen Caellia, my Lord.” Kattath bit her lip, realizing her error of speech too late as he stalked closer to her. She’d never before been quite this terrified of him. He was so angry at her that his aura was oppressive and she had to close her gift off to him.
Nathavin growled at her, not even attempting to rein in his anger at Kattath. “Caellia is quite safe with me!” The very idea that Kattath believed he would hurt Caellia sent his anger to new heights. “In the future, you are not to interfere with us again!” He stalked closer to her. “Is that understood?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Kattath answered him. She didn’t rise up, waiting for him to signal that she could. Once she received his permission to rise and leave she wasted no time and hurriedly left him.
Nathavin turned back to the railing and swiftly buried his dagger deep into the wood, cursing violently, angry at having been interrupted and distraught by Caellia’s unwillingness to admit her feelings to him.
*****
Asadar listened to his generals as they discussed the war plans brought to them by Hontas. He didn’t know why he kept them around. Honestly he didn’t. They were fools.
“King Asadar,” the first general began, “these plans are highly suspicious.”
“Lord Nathavin intends to attack us!” Asadar thundered, irritated. “That is why we must strike Goddard and crush him there!”
“But, an assault on that castle would be suicide.” The same general protested.
A second general spoke up as he rearranged his heavy multi-hued armor. “Is it possible that this is what he wants you to do?” He stood up and approached the table, indicating the mark that represented Goddard Castle. “This castle is a fortress built into the side of a mountain. Attacking it would not be wise, even though it’s been weakened by the previous siege King Goryn laid to it. Nathavin has likely fortified it since then, sealing up any weak spots and placing more guards around those he can’t.” He looked into the disturbing depths of Asadars’ eyes, seeing only demented madness staring back at him. “It could take weeks to siege Goddard effectively. It would deplete our manpower and resources too much.”
Asadar laughed openly in the general’s face. “Goryn, inept fool that he was, laid a successful siege to it in the past! He brought it down in just a few days!” He stood up and glowered at the general over the table as his red hair fell across one eye. “Surely you’re not insinuating that I can’t do the same?”
“Goryn had a contingent of dwarves Asadar.” The general bit out acidly. “If you haven’t noticed, Lord Nathavin has opened up his vaults to them, paying them to construct weapons and armors for his forces. The dwarves have already made it clear who they will side with.”
Asadar gave the general a wrathful glare. “You have already earned my dislike once by speaking out against me in the past. Do you wish to give me further reason to dislike you?”
The general matched Asadar glare for glare before saying in a cold sure voice. “Goryn had someone he wished to protect locked inside that castle. Goryn was willing to trade his life for Caellia’s. Goryn, in the end, did trade his life for hers!” His nostrils flared in anger. “That was Goryns’ motivation for getting inside that castle! He did not lay siege to that castle for his own selfish reasons! His stunningly successful siege of Goddard was because of his undying love for Caellia! He would have died trying to claw his way past the gates to try to save her! His love for her gave him the strength of courage and conviction needed to lay siege to Goddard!” As his anger finally got the better of him he yelled rhetorically at Asadar, knowing already the King wouldn’t answer him. “What do you have to protect? What selfless, noble reason do you have to lay siege to Goddard?!”
The tension that filled the air was thick. Asadars’ jaw began to tick in anger as his face flushed a bright red. The large black cat that had been lying quietly at Asadars side stood up and growled angrily, sensing its owner’s rage.
The general never gave Asadar a chance to answer, instead choosing to answer for him. “You don’t have a good enough reason to siege Goddard, and you never will. You are a lunatic.” He finished with quiet conviction. “Lay siege to Goddard and you will fail miserably. You don’t have the strength it will take to lay a successful siege upon it because you do not siege it for the right reasons.” The general didn’t try to explain further, knowing that his explanation would fall on deaf ears.
He turned and walked out of the room and was already planning his next move. He knew that he needed to leave quickly while Asadar was still caught up in his blinding rage. It would only be a few minutes before Asadar calmed enough to send a squad to arrest him and he had no intentions of being inside the castle when that order was given. No, he intended to be outside the castle walls and well on his way to Goddard. The only chance of survival he had now was to defect. He would go to Goddard and swear his allegiance to Lord Nathavin if the dark Lord would allow it. If Lord Nathavin would not allow it, he would request Lord Nathavin to end his life quickly and with dignity.
As he moved quickly through the halls of the castle, he felt someone’s presence behind him. Turning swiftly he met the eyes of a human bishop in blue robes. The two eyed one another cautiously. He was surprised when the bishop began to cast spells upon him that would be of great benefit to him on his journey. “Who are you and why are you helping me?” The general asked, not able to hide the gratefulness in his voice.
Hontas had heard the entire argument as he hid in a room adjacent to the war room the general had just left from. He also knew intuitively that the general planned to defect, and to whom he would swear his new allegiance to. “A kindred in thought and allegiance.” He answered enigmatically before turning and disappearing quickly around the corner.
Again, another 5 star addition!! This is a great read. we all have our opinions on how we WANT it to end or how we THINK it will end, but you write the story with just enough small little twists that it could have a lot of different endings :)
Thanks for keeping this story going ^^ i'm hooked!
I'm currently writing a short inter-midden story for this one.
My story is a little racy (a lustful seen) :eek:. but it wont be too grafic. :)
I hope you all enjoy it, cause right after mines done the story will take up some interesting paths! :cool: :D
OK, im kinda a silent reader..so i havnt posted till now. But i remembered Matsumoto saying this, and when i read the new installment..i knew right away it was clearly Nabiscocookie's fantastic writing. So what happened to your installment Matsumoto? Im sure it will be fantastic when you post it, but i would also love to see where Nabisco would take the story since it is her writing that hooked us all.
wow that was great! now i have a real reason to check the forums. you started posting *Treason* on 04/20/06
I found this thread by chance and i am SOOO glad i did. There was no way i could stop reading till the end! and i agree this reads like a great novel. well done. 5 STARS!
I'm currently writing a short inter-midden story for this one.
My story is a little racy (a lustful seen) :eek:. but it wont be too grafic. :)
I hope you all enjoy it, cause right after mines done the story will take up some interesting paths! :cool: :D
OK, im kinda a silent reader..so i haven't posted till now. But i remembered Matsumoto saying this, and when i read the new installment..i knew right away it was clearly Nabiscocookie's fantastic writing. So what happened to your installment Matsumoto? I'm sure it will be fantastic when you post it, but i would also love to see where Nabisco would take the story since it is her writing that hooked us all.
I was still trying to work out some stuff.
but she got tired of waiting on me, cause I had alot going on between school and the game.
I love writing, but I can only work on the story when my mind is focused on imagination, I know it sounds weird but I'm not all ways in the right frame of mind to think how best to handle a situation!
So while I was trying to work out kinks that she thought was there, she went ahead and posted her own. I've yet to decided if I'm still post mine, kind of point less now.
that last one she posted, I didn't have a hand in. Tho I useally help with most of them.
I would like to take a brief moment to give my appreciation and regards to Matsumoto. He has been a great beta-reader/editor/collaborator for this story. Unfortunately his school and game obligations are stealing him away from me. The decision I make is not an easy one. But in order to try to keep the story flowing in a timely manner without long periods of time between updates, and allow him the freedom and dedication needed for both school and ingame obligations, I have decided to work on the story as I started out, without outside help.
I hope that this decision does not confuse or upset any of my readers. And once again, I am grateful for the help I have received from Matsumoto.
But in order to try to keep the story flowing in a timely manner without long periods of time between updates, and allow him the freedom and dedication needed for both school and ingame obligations, I have decided to work on the story as I started out, without outside help.
Tho I have little time atm. with the coming of Kamael, and working off my last semester.
I hope to complete this stuff, get my RL in working order, and pick up helping on the story again. Just at this time I'm not able to function on it.
Around Xmas I should have plenty of time to help her once again.
Caellia huddled on the small bunk in her quarters. Her hands shook as she rocked back and forth attempting to calm herself. How was she ever going to face him again?
The door to Caellia's quarters opened and Kattath strode in a bit shakily. She momentarily leaned back against the door for support almost imperceptibly, gathering her wits about her from her ordeal with Nathavin. Looking over to Caellia she could see that the young Queen was faring no better than she had earlier. Kattath came away from the door and sat opposite of Caellia on the bunk. "Caellia..." She frowned when Caellia quickly interrupted her.
"I know." Caellia sighed morosely, not wishing to discuss it, but knowing that Kattath would not leave her alone. "I pushed him too far again."
"Yes you did! Caellia, you are playing a dangerous game with him." Kattath stated worriedly. "You have no idea how very dangerous it is." Kattath snatched Caellia's hands and held them tightly, in the hopes that somehow the physical contact would impress upon her how very serious the circumstances were. "Caellia, you must stop being afraid of him! He already knows what you are attempting to hide! Things can not continue in this way any longer!" Kattath was desperate to make her understand.
"Kattath I'm not ready to tell him!"
"Yes you are! Your heart tells you that you are ready, yet you stubbornly refuse to trust it!" Frustrated Kattath growled out, "What are you going to do when we finally reach Rune and he takes you to complete your training?" She stared hard at Caellia. "I don't know what he's told you, but he intends for the two of you to train together, alone." Her voice dropped down to a lower tone. "There will be no one else Caellia. You will rely solely on him for your survival, and he will rely solely on you for his."
Caellia sat back, stunned. She'd always assumed that when she completed her training she'd do so with not only Nathavin, but with Kattath and several of Nathavin's most trusted guards and healers as well. The possibility that he would want to train her alone had never crossed her mind. While she enjoyed and wanted time alone with him, training with him alone was not quite what she wanted. The idea of training alone with him made her inexplicably nervous. "Why? Why must it just be the two of us? Shouldn't we bring a small contingent with us? It would be beneficial if we could have…"
"He's doing this so that the two of you will have time alone with no interruptions from anyone." Kattath snapped at Caellia, her patience wearing thin. "It would be better if you were to have others go with you, but he wants the two of you to have time alone. He's insisting that no one go with you." Agitated, she stood up suddenly and walked a few paces away, "Caellia, if you pull something similar to what you did tonight while out training with him, there's no telling what he might do."
A heavy silence filled the room before she stormed back to Caellia and gripped her by her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "He's a dark elf Caellia! His patience with you will not last forever! It will run out! And when it does…he's going to demand that you admit your feelings for him, and he won't be gentle about it!"
Kattath stared into her eyes and said with a quiet fierceness. "He does love you Caellia, but his love for you is on a completely different scale than Goryn's love for you was. Goryn's love was tender and affectionate. I would say that it was downright tame actually. Goryn would never have made any demands of you. Nathavin's is an intense burning and passionate love, the kind of love that sets the blood and soul on fire. It is not tame, and it never will be. He will make demands of you. And he will demand that you admit your love for him, whether you are ready to face that truth or not. He will accept nothing less."
Kattath didn't know how else to make Caellia understand what she was doing to Nathavin. Caellia was slowly causing his more basic and possessive instincts as a male, and a dark elven male at that, to come to the surface. As scared as Caellia was already, Kattath felt sure that if she tried to explain that concept, explain the dark blood to her, Caellia would become even more afraid. Sighing she muttered as she opened the door to leave. "It's late, try to get some sleep."
Nathavin silently lurked in the shadows of the ship's narrow corridor watching the door to Caellia's quarters. He stood up straighter as Kattath opened the door and stepped out of the room, his eyes narrowing in barely restrained anger as she paused just outside the door to answer one final question.
Caellia nodded before asking tiredly, "When do you think we'll reach Rune?"
"By my estimate, we should be there in four days, maybe five." Kattath answered before she exited the door, shutting it firmly behind her. She tiredly began making her way to her own quarters.
"Kattath," Nathavin growled out after they had progressed far enough from Caellia's quarters so that they wouldn't be overheard, stopping Kattath in her tracks.
Spinning around quickly, heart in her throat, Kattath locked gazes with Nathavin. She hadn't noticed his presence. Since it was late and she was so tired, she hadn't been able to properly sense or see his aura. Judging by his cold, angry stare, he'd obviously been watching the doorway and listening to her conversation with Caellia. A silvery glint at his side hinted at the presence of his dagger. The overall effect was a brutal reminder of just how skilled he was and that he could've killed her easily if he had been so inclined. "Yes, my Lord?" She questioned with a shaky bow. Clearly he was still in a foul mood from her earlier mistake and was probably even more upset by her rather candid talk with Caellia just now.
"Leave Caellia alone." The words were growled out, his next sentence proving Kattath's suspicions. "Do not speak to her regarding this matter again." His eyes narrowed to slits and his chin dropped as he focused on Kattath. He purposely allowed the dark blood to take hold of him for a brief moment, knowing that she would read it in his aura, before locking it back down. "Have I made myself clear?"
"But Nathavin she needs someone to guide her. She is still very much afraid of what she feels and is having a difficult time letting go of that fear. I was only trying…" Kattath unwisely protested, trying to protect Caellia.
"I will guide her then!" Nathavin nearly bellowed, incensed. He snarled viciously at Kattath, "There will be no other way! No one else will help her!" If that was the only way he could get through to Caellia, then so be it, he thought to himself.
Kattath suddenly realized with blinding clarity that Caellia's stubborn actions tonight had indeed pushed him over the edge. She was actually amazed that he was still somewhat in control of the dark blood, able to allow it to surface briefly before tamping it back down. Starting now, everyone would have to guard themselves when speaking of, or to, Caellia. And Caellia herself would have to be careful when near him. Kattath had done all she could to help. Knowing it would be no use to try to talk to him now; she simply bowed and said no more. Caellia would now learn by experience what Kattath had tried so desperately to tell her.
Nathavin watched Kattath leave before stalking back to Caellia's door. He stared hard at it for a long time. He didn't know what to do. He knew Caellia loved him! He just didn't understand why she wouldn't admit it! Did she find the fact that she loved a dark elf so repulsive that she couldn't even admit to it?
His ears caught the faint sounds of her moving about. It almost sounded as if she was pacing the short length of the room. Long minutes passed before the sounds stopped. A few minutes later he heard the almost inaudible sound of her even breathing as she slept. A grim determination filled him, he would force her to face her feelings for him one way or another. Her stubborn refusal to face the truth would no longer be tolerated. Her fear to face the truth would not be tolerated.
Deeply hurt and confused by her refusal to admit what she felt, Nathavin snarled angrily at her from behind the closed door. "Rest while you can Caellia, your training, and more, starts the day we reach Rune." He stormed to his quarters, the dark blood surging through his veins.
*****
The next week passed tensely. Word spread quickly throughout the ship of Nathavin's ill temper. Anyone unfortunate enough to anger him paid dearly. He made certain that he missed no more meals with Caellia, although he ignored her questions about why Kattath was suddenly avoiding her. He remained polite and courteous however, not wanting her to sense that anything was amiss before they reached Rune. He didn't know however, that Caellia had already noticed his bad temper towards everyone else onboard.
Once the ship was docked he didn't waste any time. He gave Kattath strict orders to see to the ships unloading and told her to make her way back to Goddard castle quickly and take care of matters there. As Kattath quickly left to follow his instructions his thoughts turned to Caellia. Quickly scanning the harbor he saw her approaching Kattath. He watched them closely, noticing that Kattath looked quickly in all directions, obviously looking for him, as she tried to avoid Caellia.
Watching them it was clear that Caellia was not going to let Kattath continue to avoid her and was rather surprised to see her effectively corner Kattath. The pair argued for about a minute before Kattath raised her ever present staff and emphatically struck the ground with the end of it in an apparent attempt to drive her point home. He did not need to hear them to know that they were arguing about Kattath's sudden and unexplained avoidance of Caellia. When it became clear that Caellia was not going to back down he made his way toward them.
Kattath noticed him approaching and silently prayed to Shillien that he would not become too angry with her. She had tried to avoid Caellia the best she could, but the young Queen had been quite determined today to speak with her. She opened her gift to him, his aura showed that he was still angry with her from earlier and that it was smoldering beneath the surface, but he was not angry with her over this current incident.
"Kattath," Nathavin intoned curtly, not managing to fully disguise his anger toward the spellhowler "finish seeing to your duties." His eyes though, were trained on Caellia. He watched Caellia as she glanced back and forth between himself and Kattath before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. Clearly she had noticed his anger toward Kattath despite his efforts to keep it hidden.
Waiting until Kattath was out of earshot Caellia asked carefully. "What was that about?"
"What was 'what' about?" Nathavin coolly replied, daring her to continue her questioning of him.
Caellia's eyes narrowed. "You know very well what I'm referring to." She glared at him accepting his dare. "Why were you rude to her?"
Nathavin matched her glare evenly, refusing to answer.
"What did Kattath do to anger you?" Caellia wanted an answer. Kattath had become a close friend despite their arguments and differences, and to her knowledge Kattath had done nothing wrong. His anger toward her was unwarranted. And she now suspected that Nathavin was behind the spellhowler’s sudden avoidance of her.
"Kattath knows what she did and is trying to atone for her error. That is what is important." He snapped out bitterly. "What she did is not necessary for you to know."
Caellia bristled at the obvious snub. "Nathavin…"
He quickly cut her off. "We leave to begin your training in one hour Caellia. Gather your supplies and meet me at the northern entrance to Rune at the end of the hour." He leveled a hard glare at her and said ominously. "Do not be late." He then turned and left quickly.
Nathavin knew that he was handling the situation poorly. But he was still so badly hurt by her reluctance to admit her feelings on that night that he couldn't think straight. It hurt to look at her and know that while she loved him, she apparently found the fact to be so horrible that she couldn't even admit it to herself, let alone him.
Staring at his retreating back, Caellia fumed. He had been needlessly rude to both her and Kattath. Her eyes narrowed in irritation at his warning about not being late as she went to get her supplies. He'd said that purely to anger her since she'd given him no reason to think that she'd be late. Huffing angrily, she hoped that he'd calm down in the hour they had before they left.
The hour flew by quickly and Caellia dutifully made her way to their arranged meeting place. Not surprisingly he was already there and waiting on her. She checked the sun’s position, while she wasn't exactly on time, she wasn't exactly late either.
"You're late." Nathavin pointed out coldly as he started down the path at a brisk pace.
Caellia stiffened as she defended herself, falling into position behind him. "Not by much more than a few minutes." She did her best not to sound offended even though she was.
Nathavin bit out acidly, "Why are you late?"
"It took some time for the warehouse keeper to locate the crate that had my belongings in it." Caellia explained, trying valiantly to keep her rapidly rising temper in check. "Apparently there was a mix up at the docks, and some of the crates were misplaced."
Nathavin snorted disbelievingly, but said nothing.
They soon came to a narrow but deep stream of water and he stopped. Turning to face Caellia he noticed that she was focused on the darkened path that led up and into the forest that lay just across the tranquil stream. "Your training begins now." He watched the expressions on her face as she stared at the darkened path before them as he continued. "This is known as the Forest of the Dead. We skirted past this area before, on our way to Rune from Goddard, though we stayed out of the truly dangerous places within. Now we will explore the darker recesses of the forest together."
Caellia gazed at the gloomy path in trepidation, her earlier anger with him forgotten instantly. Where she was standing now it was sunny and clear, but across the gently bubbling stream, the path and what little of the forest she could see, was dark and foreboding.
Nathavin turned away from her abruptly and waded across the stream without another word.
Caellia took a deep breath to calm herself before crossing the stream after him. As soon as her feet hit the opposite bank she felt the air temperature drop dramatically. The distinctive evil energy in the air was oppressive. The forest was unnaturally dark; no sunlight filtered down through the trees. A hazy mist of fog enshrouded and obscured everything even though it was the middle of the day with the sun blazing down. Caellia unknowingly took two steps backward, this place was evil. She could sense it clearly and did not want to go any further.
Noticing her retreat Nathavin said grouchily. "You're fine, just stay with me and do exactly as I tell you." Turning around he started up the path, leaving her no choice but to follow him.
Grudgingly she followed him up the path and as they rounded a bend further up she saw a broken down wooden carriage decorated with many skulls. Nathavin didn't slow down, and as they passed by the carriage she saw a large black cauldron that was sitting above an unlit fire pit. A strange human, a wizard by the looks of his blood red robes, called out to them, beseeching them to help him get rid of a ghost. Still Nathavin didn't break his stride, completely ignoring the mysterious wizard. Caellia followed him as he took the path that led to their right and led to a ramshackle, broken down house.
Before they entered the yard of the house, Nathavin stopped and pointed at an eerie figure half hidden by the fog. His anger with Caellia was replaced with a cold detachment for the time being while he focused on her training. "That is a bone collector. They collect the bones of travelers to use as decorations and for their idea of 'religious' ceremonies." He spoke quietly so as not to alert the creature to their presence.
Caellia eyed the grotesque creature in front of her with revulsion as it swayed unsteadily on its feet. She could see a small, shrunken skull hanging from a leather strap looped around its neck. It carried a simple wooden staff that was held together by pieces of age worn leather in places where the wood had apparently splintered. While still staring at the repugnant being, she listened as Nathavin explained further.
"Do not be deceived by their awkward gait and appearance. They are skilled casters and they have a fire spell that is almost as good as any human sorcerer's spell. They also have a spell that will hold you in place, among others." He cautioned her. "I will demonstrate first and then I want you to copy me."
Nathavin cast the few spells he knew for protection and strength on himself and watched her do the same. After they were done he raised his bow and fired, killing the unsuspecting creature quickly and efficiently. He repeated the process several times in rapid succession before allowing Caellia to try. "Now it's your turn, I will be here in case anything happens."
Caellia breathed deeply and took aim at the target she'd selected. The arrow flew true when she released it, hitting the target in the center of its chest. However she didn't land a killing blow, allowing the creature time to launch fireballs at her. Caellia stood her ground in the face of the scorching heat, allowing her spirit barrier to absorb and deflect the force of the magic’s power. Finally, after several more shots, the creature clutched its chest and sank to the ground. She listened to Nathavin's encouragement as she gratefully accepted a few potions he handed to her to soothe the burns the bone collector had inflicted. It did not escape her attention however that his encouragement was a bit forced.
After several hours Nathavin called a stop to the training. Nightfall was fast approaching and he insisted that they take refuge in the broken down remains of the house. Since they had not brought striders that could help carry extra items they each carried a simple lightweight blanket. Caellia settled herself in a far corner as comfortably as possible.
Nathavin watched her from the corner of his eye as he settled himself into a seated position. He would watch over them at night since he knew that her eyesight was poor in darkness. He began to explain to her the plans he had for her training in detail. They would train by day and by night, alternating them when possible and resting the day between the swap so that they were not up for two consecutive days. She would learn to stealthily hunt all of the indigenous creatures of the forest; from the bone collectors to the fear inspiring vampire warlords.
Caellia listened raptly as he explained all of the creatures in detail, shuddering as he explained the demonic vampires. She feared them the most. Nathavin's voice as he spoke calmed her though, and eventually she fell asleep, the day's hard training catching up to her.
Nathavin heard her even breathing and turned to face her. His anger toward her had abated somewhat throughout the course of the day, though he was still depressed. After a few minutes he stood up and stealthily approached her and then settled down next to her, watching her sleep. Throwing caution to the wind, he pulled her to him and laid her head gently in his lap. It was much the same way she had held him on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in his homeland and asked her in a softly pained voice while unknowingly shedding a solitary tear. "Why can't you let yourself love me?"
oooh gee...teh PR was killed JUST because he flirted with that LE?? and the pally just let his comrade die like that?? poor DE, wish he's in a better group
Caellia lay silently, pretending to be asleep. She kept thinking back to that fateful night on the ship, her reaction, and the resulting conversation with Kattath. The word’s Kattath had spoken came back to haunt her. ‘Your heart tells you that you’re ready, yet you stubbornly refuse to trust it.’ Kattath was right and Caellia knew it. Her heart was ready to tell Nathavin, and was dying to do so, but she could not trust herself. The pain she’d suffered in the past, inflicted by those she’d once trusted, was too much. It would not allow her to admit her feelings to him.
Nathavin glanced about the destroyed house and noticed that it was gradually getting lighter as daybreak neared. He had stayed up all night watching over them. He’d held her gently in her sleep, massaging her muscles during the night so that they would not be stiff and sore when she awoke. It had been a testament of her trust in him that even though she had woken up while he’d carefully massaged each arm and leg, she had readily gone back to sleep at his quiet command. Sighing heavily he gazed sadly back down at Caellia as his fingers threaded through her hair softly. He knew that soon he would have to get up and leave her before she woke. He didn’t think she’d appreciate him being so close to her.
Caellia knew that the pain she’d suffered in the past would be nothing compared to the pain she would feel if he chose to betray her trust, betray her love. She didn’t want to feel that pain, didn’t want to have to face it. That was what she was afraid of most. That was why she couldn’t trust her heart and admit her love. The pain that would be caused by his betrayal would be unbearable. If he betrayed her, it would utterly destroy her. With her throat on fire from the effort it took not to cry, Caellia knew that she could not, dared not, admit her love for him. Caellia knew that he was awake but she was unable to stop the tears from falling. She turned her head to one side, not wanting him to see her cry. It would only lead to questions she didn’t want to answer.
Oblivious to her true thoughts and feelings, one hand fisted lightly by his side as the other continued its path in her hair as an unbearable sadness welled up within him. Why? Why wouldn’t she say the words? He would do anything for her! Though his original reason for fighting Asadar had been to protect his people, he was now going to fight Asadar to protect her! He’d killed Asterios for her when the High Priest thought to murder her! Nathavin could not understand why she would deny him her love simply because he was a dark elf. He deserved her love! He’d earned it!
Nathavin felt her shifting in her sleep and the action broke him out of his thoughts. His relaxed, albeit sad, mood dissipated and was replaced with an irrational anger as her head tilted away from him. It seemed that even in her sleep she refused him! The dark blood began pounding through his veins and he quickly stood up and moved away from her. As he was getting up to leave however, he thought he saw her hand reach out and grasp at the air in the place where he’d been, before she pulled it back towards herself. It had been so quick, so fleeting, he was certain that it must’ve been a trick of the light and he firmly turned his back to her. But, for one achingly, heart stopping moment, it had almost looked as if she’d been reaching out, for him.
A sharp pang shot straight to her heart as he abruptly got up and moved away. It was almost as if he couldn’t bear to be around her. Her heart felt as if it had been torn in two. A trembling hand reached out in the direction he had gone and clutched at the empty air in an unconscious attempt to stop him from leaving and bring him back, before she fisted it up and drew it back with a muffled, anguished cry.
Caellia continued to feign sleep for several more minutes before quietly sitting up and stretching, taking quick swipes at her eyes to remove any traces of her tears. As she slowly got up and began to move around, she noticed that she wasn’t quite as sore as she would’ve thought from the harsh training she’d received the day before. As she looked at Nathavin, a remnant of a dream surfaced. She’d dreamed that he’d gently massaged her muscles and told her to relax and go back to sleep when he’d noticed that she had awakened. A small, sad smile graced her features for a fleeting moment, if only it hadn’t been a dream.
Caellia gave herself a mental shake. She would not dwell on what could not be. She was determined to act as if nothing was wrong. She would act as if she hadn’t made the most heartbreaking decision of her life this morning. With the memory of her dream still fresh, she looked over at him and wondered if he’d gotten any sleep at all. “Nathavin…” She began to question him.
“Good, you’re finally up.” He interrupted her as he stood up. “Get your things together quickly. We’re wasting time.” He never turned to face her before striding outside, not wanting her to see the hurt he was feeling.
Caellia watched him in mild shock. What was wrong with him? She hadn’t done anything at all. Shaking her head, she silently gathered her things and went after him. When she caught up to him he was already casting spells on himself in preparation for their training. She pushed her own pain to the side as she focused on him. “Nathavin, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He glared at her coldly.
Pursing her lips together tightly Caellia stared at him. Something was definitely wrong. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it though, so she remained silent. His cold stare began to make her uncomfortable and she broke eye contact with him, moving a small distance away. Caellia dismally prepared to begin her training for the day. She didn’t understand. What had she done this morning? Why was he acting this way toward her? She had barely spoken to him. There was no reason for him to be angry with her.
When she was done casting her defensive magic, Nathavin led them quickly to a different area of the forest. How could she not know what was wrong?! Seething in fury, he ruthlessly killed anything that got in his path along the way to the area he’d chosen for them to train in today.
Caellia watched him sadly from behind. She’d never seen him like this. Every movement was driven by an intense rage. It was disturbing and heartbreaking to witness. She was shocked into frightened stillness when he suddenly whirled around and regarded her silently. Her mind screamed that she was in danger. His eyes were no longer a cool calm grey color, instead, his eyes were as black as night. The last time he had looked at her with eyes like that she’d been his target, his prisoner! A chill of terror ran up her spine as she returned his gaze apprehensively, her muscles tensing in preparation to run. What was he thinking?
Staring her down, Nathavin knew he was scaring her. He could see it in her wide, shocked eyes, and in the way she leaned away from him, ready to bolt. His hand curled tighter around the bow as the dark blood pulsed through him a little stronger. He could feel it driving him, filling him with a primal need to hunt her down, chase her down if he must, and force her to acknowledge what she felt! Force her to acknowledge him, acknowledge what he was to her, her match, her soul mate, her love! Turning away from her with a pained and aggravated snort, full of fury and self loathing, he took off running again.
Shakily Caellia began following him again, this time at a discrete distance. For one heart stopping moment she had been sure he was going to attack her. She knew that for one instant, she had been in grave danger from him. Like some hunted animal, the instinct to run, to get away from him, had almost been overpowering.
Inwardly raging, Nathavin attempted to calm himself, striving to attain the cold detachment he’d achieved the day before. He could not succumb to the pull of the dark blood, he would not! He would not let it rule him like some common beast! Nathavin knew however that it was a losing battle. Soon, the instinct would overpower him.
Caellia resolved not to speak to him until he had visibly calmed down. She began to pay attention to where they were going and noticed that they had retraced their steps to the main road and had turned right onto it. They were now heading southeast. Nathavin paused at a divide in the road before taking the road that branched off to the right and west. As they passed, Caellia noticed that they were crossing underneath the roots of a very large tree. They came to another split in the road and he again took the path to the right which led them to a smaller path that led to the remains of a small village.
Nathavin turned to face Caellia, noting that she was quickly scanning her new surroundings while holding her bow at the ready. “This village was overrun many years ago. There is no one left, but it is a good place for you to continue your training.” His voice was harsh, still angry with her.
Caellia merely nodded at him. She didn’t want to risk angering him further by speaking. Her gaze returned to the beings in front of her as Nathavin began her lesson.
They trained in much the same way as they had the day before. He showed her what needed to be done and offered encouragement or criticism when appropriate, while Caellia listened attentively and followed his instructions. She noticed however that Nathavin was particularly forceful today as compared to yesterday. He was much more demanding and the lessons far more exacting. Criticism was doled out liberally while praise and encouragement seemed forced and stiff. His anger clearly wasn’t dissipating as the day wore on. However, despite all of this, the day progressed in relative peace between them. It wasn’t until late afternoon that they began to argue again.
“Nathavin, perhaps we should stop for today.” Caellia mentioned guardedly. It was blatantly obvious to her that he’d not slept at all the night before and was over tired.
“No, there is plenty of daylight left and I want you to improve your method of attack before nightfall.” Nathavin retorted at her.
Caellia watched him carefully. “Nathavin, I know you didn’t rest well last night. And I know that you want to stay up tonight, but you need to rest.”
Nathavin growled out, “Don’t tell me what I ‘need’ Caellia.” He looked over at her, his eyes filled with intense pain. “You don’t know what I need.” Or care, he thought sadly.
Caellia turned away from him, hurt by his words. They kept training for a little while longer. Finally, Caellia could stand it no more. Nathavin needed to rest and he needed to rest now! And if he wasn’t willing to stop for his own sake, then she’d make him stop the only other way that was left to her. Turning to face him she said as calmly as she could. “I’ve had enough.”
“You’ve had enough of what, exactly?” Nathavin eyed her closely. Did she truly think she could just stop when she wanted to?
“Training, we’ve been at this for hours Nathavin.” She lowered her bow to the side and held it in a relaxed grip.
“You are not done Caellia.” Nathavin growled warningly at her.
“Yes I am.” To prove her point, she bravely turned her back on him and began to walk away.
Nathavin was beside himself with fury. How dare she defy him?! The dark blood rapidly bubbled up in response to her defiance.
Caellia’s hair stood up on end as she sensed, rather than heard, his swift approach. Her survival instincts took over and she began to run but it was too late. She had not gotten more than three running steps before he caught up to her and shoved her into the nearest tree.
“Don’t turn your back on me!” He kept her pinned to the tree and facing away from him. “Never turn your back on me!”
Caellia shot back at him, looking over her shoulder at him as best she could. “You need to rest! Whether you want to admit it or not Nathavin you need it! And if refusing to continue my training is the only way to get you to take that rest then I’ll gladly do it!”
“What makes you think you know what I need?!” He spun her around to face him and pinned her hands above her head while leaning in close to her. “Look at me Caellia! Do you know what I need?!” When she tried to look away from him he briefly brought her hands away from the tree trunk before slamming them roughly against it again to force her to look at him, not noticing that the rough bark of the tree was leaving bloody scratches on the backs of her hands. “If you know what I need Caellia then tell me! Tell me what it is that I need, tell me what I need to hear! Tell me!”
Caellia suddenly realized that he was talking about much more than their current argument. He was talking about that night on the ship!
He saw the recognition flash through her eyes and snarled at her. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you?!” The outside edges of his eyes flashed a dark blood red crimson for a brief second as he roared at her angrily. “You know what it is that I need! What I need to hear! You just refuse to acknowledge it! To accept it!” Anger didn’t begin to describe what he felt. “You know what I need and you are purposely withholding it!” His voice lowered to a dangerous rumble that was no less frightening and far more threatening than his previous yelling. “You will accept me Caellia! Before your training here comes to an end, you will accept me! I will leave you with no other choice!”
Caellia stared at him as the stark reality of her situation abruptly dawned on her. This was what Kattath had tried to warn her about! Suddenly more frightened of him than she’d ever been, Caellia struggled fiercely in his grip, stumbling when she was suddenly free. She wasn’t fooled for an instant into thinking she’d gotten free on her own, he’d let her go. She had to put some distance between them but there was no where she could go. She didn’t know anything about this forest. In her fright she’d forgotten which direction they’d come from and couldn’t remember the way back to the broken down house. Her head turned in each direction, desperately wishing for a way out.
His low, smug laugh rumbled through the air as he released her. In a voice that was rasping and guttural he asked her. “What’s the matter Caellia? Lost?” He laughed openly at the look she sent him before continuing as he walked closer to her, closing the distance she’d put between them. “Follow me.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper as he leaned in close to her ear, “I’ll take you back, since you need me too.” Smirking arrogantly, he snatched her by one arm and half dragged her back to the abandoned house. Nathavin knew he was being inexcusably cruel to her, laughing at her predicament and toying with her while she was in a forest she wasn’t familiar with. His actions were truly deplorable, but for one selfish moment, he wanted her to hurt as much as he was.
Caellia didn’t miss the true meaning of his last statement. He knew she needed him, knew she needed him for far more than just to lead her back to the abandoned house! His perceptiveness scared her even further and she struggled against him futilely unable to break his grip. Once they reached the old house, she flew to the back wall and nearly plastered herself to it in an attempt to get as far from him as possible. Covering her face with her hands, she began to deeply regret not insisting that others come with them. She could sorely use Kattath’s guidance now.
Nathavin watched her through slitted and red rimmed eyes before settling himself down to take a very short rest. He meant what he’d said about leaving her with no other choice. She would accept him before her training was through!
I apologize that it took me so long to finally post. Apparently, when you sign up to the forums.. they take thier time approving you, even if that means days.
I have been playing Lineage 2 for two months now. I know, im a complete noob, lol. But anyway, I wanted you to know it was this story that made me decide to play the game and move from WOW.
Ive been surfing the forums for a while now and just got hooked into your story. I also write, but have not yet obtained the courage to go public with any of my writings. So I commened your bravery. And I must say, in my opinion you are good enough to publish, ever thought of trying? Either way I want to thank you for sharing your work with us.
I'm speechless, and blushing, hehe....I never thought the story was good enough to draw anyone over from another game. Thank You for the compliment :) I've been playing the game since Chronicle 1 and still consider myself a noob. :D
I played Wow for a year before I came to Lineage2. The scenery is much better in this game and I think thats what hooked me with your story. Your good at the details and making a person "see" whats happening in thier mind. I wanted to see how much of the game fit with your story. And well.. now I am still hooked on your story , which is very accurate in my opinion, but am also hooked on the game now.
Please don't tell my friends, lol, but I have not played Wow for a whole month. I think they believe I just dropped of the face of the planet. Lol.
I hope my life allows me to continue to play, but if it doesnt, there will be nothing to stop me from reading your wonderful story.
Chronicle one and know that much about the game? Noob my butt :p
*applauds* Loved it! I've been following allong and i finally decided to sign up just so I could post here :) I'm new to the game, and your story got my mind thinking in the RP'er terms :) Your story is amazing and I can't wait to see what happens next!!
really bad bout of writers block :confused:, working through it as quickly as possible, i should have the next installment up by this weekend. I had planned to have it out much sooner but i was not satisfied with anything i had written. i've completely scrapped 3 different versions of this next installment already. i'm almost done with it though, just need to add some finishing touches to it and then i can get it out. ;)
Kattath strode briskly through the long halls of Goddard castle, making her way to the throne room. It was her place to take care of matters in Nathavin’s absence and she’d been informed that a human was asking to speak with him. As she made her way to the large throne room she wondered how Nathavin and Caellia were doing. It had been little more than a few days since she’d last seen them, but they should be well into Caellia’s training by now, she thought to herself.
Finally, she reached the large chamber and made her way up the sloping ramp to the throne. The chamberlain Alfred hastily bowed to her and presented her with a long list of things that needed to be addressed. The townspeople wanted the tax rate adjusted, the vault needed tending, and there were squabbles in the town over the manor fees. A quick flick of her wrist sent him scurrying away, tripping over his feet in his haste to leave her. She would deal with the mundane business later. Kattath nodded to the two shillien knights to bring the human in as she took her seat in the throne, crossing one long leg over the other with a slight flourish and lounged back in the soft luxuriant red satin that covered the throne.
The two knights snapped to attention and fetched the human, one on either side of him and forced him to the ground. Kattath stared at the human, taking in every detail. From his sandy windswept hair, to the heavy soot colored armor with red leather straps coming over the shoulders. Then her gaze swept over to the dual swords that belonged to him that were being held by a guard at the moment. One sword was long and slender with a smooth double edge while the other was broad and heavy, with massive serrations halfway down the blade on either side before the blade became smooth and double edged. She listened attentively while a guard explained that the human had been found just within Goddard territory. When he’d been apprehended he had not fought back and had instead requested to be allowed to speak with Nathavin.
Andraos felt his mouth go dry as he looked up from his forced kneeling position. His gaze traveled up the impressive ramp to the figure sitting in the throne. What a sight to behold. His eyes skimmed over her. Black boots, long legs, and the shortest red and gold robe he’d ever seen. Her black hair was in a topknot with a few strands pulled loose to frame her face. Who was she?
Kattath stood up abruptly, angered by the human’s silent perusal of her body. Why did human males always look at her like that? It was infuriating. “What business do you have here?” She spat out at him.
Caught, he thought to himself as he answered her. “I have come to speak with Lord Nathavin.”
“Lord Nathavin’s time is highly valuable. He does not see just anybody who shows up at the castle. There are certain protocols that you must go through to speak with him.” Kattath responded frigidly, implying with her tone that Nathavin might be around but was too busy to speak with the human. She did not want anyone to guess that Nathavin was not actually at the castle. “And seeing as how you were found on our land near the southern border, I can only surmise that you came from Aden.” She glared icily at him. “And we are not at all pleased with King Asadar at the moment.”
“I understand that. However I must speak with Lord Nathavin. It is an urgent matter.” Andraos paused before continuing, “I would also like to make a request of him.” He looked unblinkingly at her.
Kattath sniffed haughtily, not liking the human in the least. “Then tell me and I will relay the matter, and the request, to him.”
“I’m afraid that I can speak of this matter with him only.” Andraos had no intentions of discussing his plans to defect and of Asadars plans to attack Goddard with anyone other than Nathavin. He did not know who he could or couldn’t trust here.
Kattath stared at him, his voice and aura indicated that he had absolutely no intention of speaking with her. They had reached an impasse rather swiftly and she was curious as to just what the human had to say. Nathavin and Caellia would not be back for at least another week, perhaps longer. One delicate eyebrow lifted in amusement before she began to saunter down the ramp. The human had wanted to look hadn’t he? Well, she’d let him look his fill, perhaps then he’d be more inclined to give her the information she sought.
She maintained eye contact with the human all the way down the ramp, stopping only when she was just out of arms reach. Her sensitive ears could hear his breathing speed up and just a glimmer of a smirk crossed her face for an instant. Human males were incredibly predictable in this respect. She nodded briefly at the knights, indicating that they should move away for a moment. Once they were gone she moved in closer to him and said breathily. “I’m sorry,” her mouth twisted into a rueful smile, “but Lord Nathavin would be very displeased if I summoned him for something that he deemed not worth his very valuable time.” She looked directly into his eyes. “I promise I will get the information to him as swiftly as possible.”
Andraos looked down at the stunning dark elven woman, unable to think of anything to say. This close to her he could feel the heat emanating from her body and hear the rustle of the robes as the fabric moved with her. “I…I will speak with Lord Nathavin only.” His voice sounded weak even to his own ears. Curse her!
A husky, feminine laugh filled the air as she strolled behind him, casually trailing her fingers along his shoulders and back. “It is my duty to handle things my Lord can not tend to himself. I assure you, if it is something that will be of great interest to him, I will have him see you as quickly as I can manage.” As she came back in front of him she asked him again, “Now, what is that you would like to discuss with him, and what is your request?”
Andraos stood rigidly, his mind nearly blank from her close proximity. He would not become a blubbering fool because of her! He would not! “I will speak only to Lord Nathavin.” His voice was hoarse and beads of sweat had popped out on his forehead, but he had resisted her!
Kattath was only slightly put out, though she hadn’t gotten the information she wanted, she had still found it quite fun to torment the human. She pouted at him for a moment. “Well, I shall inform him that you wish to speak with him. However, I don’t know when he’ll have time to see you.” She gave a falsely apologetic look, “I’m sure you’ll understand however that until such time as he can see you, I can’t very well allow you to freely roam the castle.” The two knights took their cue and stalked forward, grasping the human firmly between them. Kattath turned and began to walk back up the ramp to the throne, about half way up, she stopped and turned to face the human, unable to resist taunting him a bit more. “What’s your name?”
“My…my name?” Andraos stuttered, confused.
“Yes, your name. What is it?” Kattath purred amusedly.
“Andraos.” He replied, curious.
“Andraos.” Kattath repeated slowly. She turned and walked all the way to the throne and sat down with great flourish. “Andraos, let me welcome you to Goddard Castle.” Kattath said with a wide smile before flicking her gaze to the knights, her voice changing suddenly, no longer that of a teasing temptress. Her voice had become frigid and steely. “Take him to the holding cells.”
*****
Nathavin awoke just before nightfall and immediately scanned the area for Caellia. A sick feeling began to fill him as hazy memories of their fight filtered through his mind as he looked for her. He knew he’d lost his temper with her and he was almost certain the dark blood had taken complete control of him during the fight, and he was not comfortable with that fact. Finding her in the same place she’d flung herself to, he stood up and stretched slowly.
The sleep had done him some good. The call of the dark blood had abated for now. His anger with her was still high but he forced it down, determined to keep his temper in check. He watched her momentarily, she seemed oblivious to the fact that he was up. She was focused on one of her hands, gently dabbing a bandage soaked in a weak healing potion on it. When had her hand been hurt? He walked over to her and kneeled down while silently taking her hand in his to inspect the injury.
Engrossed in her task of cleaning the wounds on her left hand, Caellia did not know that Nathavin was up until he bent down in front of her and took her hand in his. Half afraid and half angry, she snatched her hand away from him. Her blue eyes flashed angrily at him in defiance, hissing out. “Don’t touch me!”
Nathavin bit his tongue and stared down at her furiously while reaching out quickly and grabbing the hand she’d snatched away from him, holding onto it firmly when she attempted to draw it back again. Slowly, he drew it toward him, his eyes locked with hers. He resolved not to lose his temper with her again.
“Let go!” Caellia yanked her hand purely for emphasis, knowing she would not be able to pull loose if he didn’t want her to. She watched him heatedly as his grip tightened on her hand in response, pulling it inexorably closer to him. Using her right hand, Caellia tried to pry his fingers from around her left hand while whispering venomously. “Let me go!”
Nathavin said nothing as he simply reached down and caught her other hand without breaking eye contact with her. Her head turned to the side in frustration. “Look at me,” he commanded her.
“No.” She said sullenly, keeping her face turned away from him.
Nathavin took in a deep breath to calm himself. “Look at me.” When she didn’t answer and didn’t move, he put both her hands in one of his and effectively trapped them. Using his other hand, he grabbed her chin and forced her head upward. “I said look at me.” He held her still as she tried to pull away.
With her chin and hands trapped Caellia could not break loose from him and soon gave up as her hands began to hurt from his firm grip. A sharp shake of her chin forced her eyes to open and focus on him.
“Let me see your hands Caellia.” It was not a request. He wanted to know what had happened to her hands. He suspected he knew already though as a vague memory of having her pinned against a tree with her arms held above her head surfaced. The sick feeling grew. Nathavin needed to know if his losing his temper with her had caused this. He had been so angry with her. He knew now that the dark blood had totally consumed him. The fact that he couldn’t remember the fight clearly proved it. That made it all the more important that he keep his temper now. He could not afford to lose it again.
Caellia glared at him in defiant fury for a few seconds longer before relaxing her hands and arms in submission. She could not hope to pull free and knew that he was capable of holding onto her for as long as he pleased.
Nathavin felt her relax and with one final light, but meaningful shake, he released his hold on her chin, allowing her to pull her head back slightly. Then he turned his attention to her hands. Bitterly he stared at the evidence of his loss of temper and the result of the dark bloods control as guilt washed through him. Wordlessly he picked up the bandage she had been using earlier and began to carefully clean the wounds. He did not try to explain his actions. Right now he knew that she would not listen to him and truthfully there could be no adequate explanation given. He had hurt her. No amount of explaining would change that fact. The only thing he could do now was heal the wounds he’d caused and try to earn her forgiveness.
Caellia leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to ignore him as best she could. She didn’t want him to clean the wounds on her hand but decided that she was simply too tired to bother with trying to get him to stop. The fight had drained her both physically and emotionally. She hissed slightly as he rubbed a bit harder at one of the scratches and glared at him in angry aggravation.
Nathavin glanced sharply up at her. “You missed a splinter. I have to get it out or else it will get infected.”
Caellia didn’t reply, just leaned her head back against the wall and let him continue. Though she tried not to think of it, her thoughts kept going back to the fight. Had she been wrong to insist that they stop for the day? She had known that he had been in a foul mood all day, should she have just given in and continued training? No, she concluded, Nathavin had badly needed the rest.
Caellia knew she shouldn’t have turned her back to him, had known it was foolish to do so. So why had she? She couldn’t answer that. Turning her back on him had been a grave mistake. She had insulted him by doing so. Then she had further insulted him by not keeping quiet. The words she’d said in the heat of the moment came back to haunt her. ‘You need to rest!’ She knew he didn’t respond well to being told what to do and that was what she had done, albeit unintentionally.
Nathavin switched one hand out for the other, cleaning the abrasions she had been working on when he woke up. Despite his hazy memory of most of the argument, he remembered quite clearly telling her that he would leave her with no other choice than to accept and admit her feelings for him. That vow he had every intention of fulfilling, starting now. The issue lay in the ‘how’. Glancing up at her quickly before looking back down at her hand, he knew that she still trusted him even though the dark blood had been in full control. If he had lost her trust she wouldn’t be allowing him to do this. That was one less hurdle for him to have to cross. If he’d had to regain her trust his goal would be much harder to achieve.
Once finished cleaning her wound he pulled back slightly and stared at her in determined contemplation. He noticed that night had fallen in the time it had taken for him to clean her wounds. Standing up, he moved away to grab his bow. “I’m going to take a look around to make sure we are safe.” He would give her a few minutes alone for now.
Caellia nodded mutely without opening her eyes. She was still angry with him, but couldn’t muster the energy necessary to argue with him. Grabbing the lightweight blanket she’d brought, she covered herself with it and tried to ignore her stinging hands as she settled back against the wall.
Upon re-entering the abandoned house Nathavin found her resting awkwardly against the wall asleep. He hesitated for only a second before striding over to her. As silently as possible, he knelt down beside her, placing his bow next to them. He then began to pull her into the same position he’d had her in the night before, with her head resting in his lap.
Caellia woke up abruptly, feeling that she was being drawn down. She pushed herself into an upright position and stared at Nathavin accusingly. “Leave me alone.”
Nathavin sucked in a breath. This would have to stop. Though she was angry with him, and rightfully so, he was not going to let her shut herself off from him like this. She was putting up walls between them. If he allowed her to put those mental walls up he would slowly lose all the ground he’d gained so far as she distanced herself further and further from him. He also knew that if he didn’t put a stop to it now, she would be harder to break of the habit later.
“No.” He said as calmly as possible while pulling her toward him again, feeling her strain away from him. After a minute he simply picked her up and placed her down on his lap sideways, the left side of her body and left arm pressed against his front. He pulled her head to his chest with his right hand, the same hand he used to pull his bowstring back, while his left encircled both her wrists. His legs came up and pinned her right side, trapping her.
“Let me go Nathavin.” Her words were quiet, angry. When he didn’t answer her she tried to pull free. She growled in frustration as his right hand kept her head snug against his chest while his left kept her hands firmly pinned together within its grasp.
“Be still.” He tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “I’m only trying to make you more comfortable. You could not possibly have been comfortable in the position you fell asleep in and you would have woken up stiff and sore.” He purposely kept the timbre of his voice low and even on his next sentence. “You slept with your head in my lap last night. I even massaged your arms and legs so that they would not be sore today.”
Caellia jerked slightly, so it had not been a dream! He really had massaged her arms and legs!
His head lowered to the top of hers as he finished softly. “Please, at least allow me to make you slightly more comfortable.” It was the closest he could come to apologizing for hurting her earlier.
Caellia was stunned. She’d never heard him speak in quite that way and it touched her deeply. For tonight only, she decided that she would honor his request.
His soft words seemed to do the trick and he felt her begin to relax against him. Slowly, by degrees, he loosened his hold on her wrists until he finally let them go entirely. A few minutes later he loosened his grip on her upper body and lowered his legs. She was entirely free to move if she chose. She didn’t. His heart soared with hope as she settled against him, turning her face to his chest slightly, angling her head to put her ear to his heart and falling into a deep sleep.
Nathavin hugged her to him tightly, swearing to Shillien that he would never hurt her again. Not ever! It tore him up inside to know that he had harmed her, that he was to blame for her injuries, however slight they may be. From now on, he vowed to keep the dark blood at bay by whatever means necessary. He could not risk losing his control to it again.
His fingers began to trail through her soft hair, as he leaned his head back against the wall thinking on Kattath’s words on the ship. She had said that Caellia was still confused and afraid of her feelings and was having difficulty in letting go of her fear. But, he thought as he looked down at Caellia, she was not confused on her feelings. She did love him and she obviously knew that. And she did not seem like she was afraid of her feelings either. It was more like she was afraid of admitting to them. Sighing heavily he wondered what she feared so badly that caused her to refuse to confess her love for him.
The simple fact that he knew she loved him, despite her reluctance to admit it, should have been enough for him, he thought to himself darkly in self recrimination. However it was his cursed pride as not only a dark elf, but as a male, that both wanted and needed to hear those words from her. Those words, coming from her lips, would give him the greatest pleasure. It was not enough for him that she merely loved him, she had to confess it. He simply could not, and would not, accept anything less.
His head lowered to hers as he breathed in the soft fragrance of her hair. He let the smell both calm and comfort him as he settled into a more comfortable position for his long vigil to guard them during the night. Somehow, he would have to figure out exactly what her fears were, why she was so afraid of confessing her love to him. Once he knew those fears, he could overcome them. And when that was done, Nathavin knew her resistance would crumble away, and she would be left with no choice but to confess her love to him.
Caellia awoke slowly the next morning. Shifting, she realized that she was lying down on her side. She frowned slightly in confusion; she had not fallen asleep like that. Raising her head, she wondered where Nathavin was. Looking around, she saw him sitting quietly near the entrance of the house. The cool morning air caused her to shiver and she pulled the blanket around her tighter, realizing that he must’ve covered her with it at some point during the night. She made no move to get up, and neither did she make any attempt to hide the fact that she was awake. If Nathavin knew she was awake he gave no indication of it.
Hearing movement behind him, Nathavin knew that she had finally awakened. He had let her rest late into the morning as he planned for them to begin her night training later that evening. But as much as he needed to focus on her training, his thoughts continually came back to the night before. Her quick acquiescence to his request last night had piqued his interest. What had made her relent so quickly to him? He knew that she had been extremely fatigued from the day’s training and their fight and could have given in out of sheer exhaustion. But, something told him that was not the whole reason why she’d relented so fast. There was another reason. Could her quick response have been induced by fear? It was certainly possible, but he didn’t think so.
After a few minutes, she stood up and stretched. He still hadn’t moved a muscle, seemingly deep in thought. Shuffling over to her pack, she dug around quietly, looking for another bandage and container of healing potion. The scratches on her hands had opened slightly when she’d stretched her arms upward and she didn’t want them to become infected. Busy looking through her pack, she didn’t hear him stand up and approach her quietly.
“I found the bandages and potions. Sit against the wall and I will clean the cuts.” Nathavin told her in hushed tones, courteously keeping in mind that she had recently woken up and that normal speaking tones would probably be unappreciated.
Caellia looked at him guardedly, mildly uncomfortable with the fact that he’d obviously gone through her pack. “That’s alright, I can clean them myself.” She cautiously replied. His face was an unreadable mask as he looked down at her. Caellia held his gaze for a while before lowering her own. Since he had all the bandages and potions, there was really no point in arguing with him. With an exasperated huff she thought to herself, it wasn’t as though she’d be able to force him into giving up the supplies. Getting up, she moved to the wall and obediently sat down; watching him gather the supplies from where he’d stashed them.
Nathavin watched her settle down from the corner of his eye as he retrieved the bandages and potions from his pack. He’d known she wouldn’t want him to clean the wounds again and had taken the liberty of removing the supplies from her pack, allowing her no room to argue with him. Standing back up, he crossed over to her, watching as she leaned back against the wall.
Caellia watched him for only a moment longer before closing her eyes and laying her head back against the wall. She heard him approach then kneel down in front of her. Keeping her eyes closed, she heard the rustling of the bandage as it was unwound and the sound of a cork being pulled from the bottle of potion. She flinched lightly when he took one of her hands in his.
Nathavin inspected the wound of her left hand closely as he cleaned it. It would heal soon. This was probably the last application of healing potion it would require. His gaze flickered to her face briefly. Her eyes were closed as if she was dozing. His heart stopped for a moment when she opened her eyes and fixed him with a direct stare. What was she thinking?
Opening her eyes Caellia was surprised to see him staring at her. Why was he looking at her? She held his gaze for a brief moment before breaking it while muttering softly. “This really isn’t necessary Nathavin. It’s just a few superficial scrapes.” Caellia was anxious to get him to stop. His sudden tenderness after yesterdays fight was threatening to overwhelm her. The urge to simply give in and tell him what she felt was almost overpowering. She knew that if he continued this she would not be able to keep her promise to herself. If he continued to treat her with such gentleness her defenses, what little she had left, would lower and then crumble altogether, leaving her completely vulnerable to him. Somehow, she had to make him stop!
Nathavin watched her closely, noting that she had pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and was lightly biting it unconsciously. She only did that when she was uncomfortable. She was unnerved by him doing this. This simple act of kindness from him was unsettling her. Why? Deciding to ignore her comments for now, he began to clean her other hand. “Superficial or not, if they aren’t properly cleaned they risk becoming infected.”
Caellia let him continue for a bit longer before pulling her hand away abruptly and standing up quickly. “That’s enough. My hands are fine now.” To prove her point, she deftly scooped up her bow and experimentally pulled the string back and let it go in one fluid motion. “See, the cuts don’t even bleed anymore.” She showed Nathavin the backs of her hands quickly before asking as she moved away from him. “Where are we training today?” Caellia was desperate to change the subject, and his attention, to something other than her while she brought herself back under control.
Nathavin simply stared at her intensely. “We are taking the day lightly in order to rest. Tonight you will begin your night training.” He moved to stand closer to her, reaching out a hand to trail through her hair. “For today we will just relax.”
“So that’s the reason why you let me sleep so late then?” Caellia asked, turning away from him, quickly avoiding his outstretched hand as she moved back to her pack several feet away.
“It is.” Nathavin’s eyes furrowed as he lowered his hand, staring at her in confusion. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? And why was she doing everything to avoid looking at him. “We will not do anything for the remainder of the day. I don’t want you to tire out before nightfall.” He moved closer to her again. “I don’t want to push you too hard on your first night training here.”
“Nathavin I’d like to begin training before nightfall.” Caellia began as she once more moved away from him, taking her pack with her. She continued to dig through it, using it as a means to avoid him for a little while longer as she pretended to search for something.
Nathavin’s gaze narrowed further in irritation as he watched her. He walked towards her. When she began to move away he commanded her imperiously. “Stop avoiding me.”
Knowing that she could no longer avoid him, Caellia looked at him pleadingly as she slowly inched away. “Nathavin, don’t...”
“Don’t ‘what’, Caellia? Don’t come near you? Why?” As he fixed her with a discerning stare, a theory began to take shape in his head. Could it be that she didn’t want him near her because it threatened her perceived safety? Could his tending to her wounds have made that profound an impact on her? He tried to reach out to her again, and again she evaded him. “Why won’t you let me close to you Caellia?”
“What are you talking about? I did let you close to me. I let you put healing potion on my hands.” Caellia countered shakily, backing away from him as he began to advance on her. She didn’t like the way his eyes had narrowed to mere slits, their grey depths shuttered as his lashes lowered. He only had that look when he was focused on a difficult problem. As she looked around she realized he was slowly corralling her into a corner.
“That is not what I meant Caellia.” Nathavin could tell she was getting more nervous with every step he took toward her. “Why are you so skittish Caellia?” He could tell that she’d realized what he was doing and was looking for a way past him. “There is no way by me.” When she didn’t respond he snapped at her. “Come here!” While Nathavin didn’t raise his voice, the words were short and clipped.
“Why?!” Caellia wasn’t able to keep the panic out of her voice.
“Do I need to have a reason?!” Nathavin barked back, glaring at her. His chest heaved as he kept a tight rein on his emotions. He could feel the dark blood rising slowly within him and forced himself to calm down. He growled lowly to himself, disgusted with his lack of control over the dark blood. He turned and took several paces away from her, giving her room to get around him.
Caellia wasted no time as she moved to a section of the building that was near one of the exits. She had no intentions of being cornered again. But what had caused him to back away? Sighing softly as she decided not to dwell on it, she began to reorganize her pack and clean her bow to pass the time until dusk since he showed no sign of continuing her training until then.
Nathavin listened to her go about whatever tasks she’d set for herself as he replayed the events over again in his mind. She had seemed fine when she woke up. And though she hadn’t been overjoyed with the thought of him cleaning her wounds, she had let him. It wasn’t until after he’d been cleaning her wounds for a little while that she’d gotten spooked. Or, more accurately, she hadn’t gotten spooked until she’d caught him looking at her while he was cleaning her wounds.
He turned to face her, propping up with his back against a far wall, watching her as she meticulously cleaned the grime from the many nooks and crevices in her bow and checked the tautness of the string. His mind flashed back to their time in his home village and how relaxed she’d become with him. She’d become so relaxed around him she’d even allowed him to kiss her neck. His blood boiled as he remembered her innocent response. She had been shy and nervous, but relaxed. His fingers curled into a ball in his fist as he glared at her. He wanted that closeness back!
Caellia chose that moment to look up at him and involuntarily shuddered before looking quickly back down at her bow. He had a look of determination about him, like he’d made his mind up about something and wouldn’t be diverted from his goal. As she continued to clean her weapon she couldn’t stop her hands from trembling.
His thoughts centered on his applying the healing potion and her reaction as his gaze turned introspective. He’d only meant to show her that he was truly sorry for hurting her. It was the best way he knew to apologize to her and ask for forgiveness. He knew that the only way of getting her to lower her defenses enough to re-establish their emotional bonds was to show her that he could be gentle and tender with her. His breath caught and his eyes widened in excited revelation. That was it! It was all so clear now! She didn’t want him to get close to her emotionally because if he did she wouldn’t be able to keep from confessing her love for him! Why hadn’t he realized it sooner?!
The simple act of being gentle, showing that he could be tender was having a profound effect on her! His being tender and gentle meant he could get close to her emotionally! And since she was trying to avoid that so that she wouldn’t confess her true feelings she had put up emotional barriers. When she felt that her emotional barriers were in danger of being brought down, as when he was being gentle and tender toward her, she would put physical distance between them as a way to better handle extreme situations. Situations in which she felt she was close to losing control!
But his method of asking for forgiveness had been chosen for the explicit purpose of overcoming her emotional defenses that she had put up after their fight. He had not known, had not even considered, the fact that she might’ve been using those same barriers as a way of distancing herself enough from him to avoid confessing her love.
It was the only logical reason for her to have been as nervous as she was earlier. He’d been too close to getting past not only her defensiveness after his attack on her yesterday, but all of her defenses. Defenses she did not want taken down at any cost. His goal was much closer than he’d thought! But how much closer? Was he close enough that he could overcome her defenses without knowing exactly what caused them? He refocused his gaze on her, wondering. But how could he get close to her now that her hands were healed enough to not need the potions? He thought back to their earlier conversation, the one in which he’d asked her to come to him and she’d asked why. In the heat of the moment he’d been unable to come up with a sufficient reason for why. Now he could. She was to be his wife. That alone was reason enough.
Caellia looked over at him again and a chill shot down her spine as his keen eyes locked with hers. What was he thinking? Why was he staring at her so intently? As their gazes locked and held, a feeling of foreboding flooded through her. Something in his perceptive gaze was different. He was calmer, much calmer than she’d ever seen him. While he’d always carried himself confidently, he had an air of certainty about him that was disturbing. Her breath caught in her chest, he knew something!
He continued to ponder the issue for a bit longer. Caellia would not give in easily he knew. She would struggle against him. And though he wanted to be gentle with her he knew that she would likely try to drive him away using any means she could, including purposely trying to anger him. His jaw set at the prospect. This would be a very delicate endeavor on his part. He could not let her anger him to the point the dark blood took over, nor could he simply let her continue to pull away. No amount of yelling or angry displays would tear her defenses down and yet he knew that gentleness alone would not win. Gentle force was called for. Their battle would have to be a battle of will. He would simply have to prove to her that his will was stronger than hers and that he would not be denied.
With quiet confidence, Nathavin watched her thoughtfully for moment before pushing himself away from the wall and slowly strolling to her. He stopped only when he was a few scant feet away. From this distance he could see the fine shivers that wracked her body. Her long hair swept the floor as she craned her head back to look at him properly.
As she watched him come away from the wall, Caellia tried to get up, tried to get her body to respond and move away. But it was almost as if he’d entranced her and her body refused to obey her. All too quickly he stood towering over her, and she was forced to lean back awkwardly to look at him. It was uncomfortable in more ways than one. It firmly reminded her that he was dominant. He was the dominate one in the alliance that they’d formed. And once they reached Goddard, he would be her Lord, dominate over her!
Nathavin was well aware of the parallels between their relative positions. He’d specifically chosen to approach her in this way because of those parallels. He decided to stand over her for an extended period of time just to ensure that she drew the same parallels. Judging from the way her face was coloring, he knew she had. He drew out her discomfort a bit longer before moving behind her and sitting down, placing a firm hand on her shoulder when she made to scoot away. “Stay still.” Though he spoke calmly, he made it quite clear that he expected her to obey. He settled back against the wall and drew her closer to him, hugging her close to his right side while resting his head against hers. In hushed tones he informed her calmly. “We will wait here together, like this, till darkness falls. From now on, you will not leave my side. I will never be far from you, and you will never be far from me.”
Caellia shivered. This was far different from any declaration he’d made before. He hadn’t yelled. His voice had not been raised. There wasn’t a trace of anger anywhere within his tones or even his body posture. She felt his fingers begin to move lightly through her hair. “No.” She muttered, shaking her head as she began to feel relaxed and sleepy. Eva take him for using this against me, she thought angrily.
“Yes.” He caught the strands in a light fist, stopping her from shaking her head. When she stilled he went right back to combing her hair with his fingers. He allowed a small contented smile to play on his lips when he felt her relax and drift off to sleep. He was stunned into shocked silence a little while later when she began to struggle weakly in his arms and began crying out in distress while she slept, obviously caught in the midst of a nightmare.
“No! Don’t leave me! Please don’t! Don’t betray me like this!” Though still asleep, tears fell from her closed eyes and small trembles shook her body. “Nathavin, don’t betray me, please!” Her voice grew lower, little more than a whisper as she continued, clutching his arm tightly in her sleep. “Don’t leave me…please…I love you!”
rawr! well i dont care if they fuss cookie just means they getting all passionate about your writing :D nice instalment, keep it coming :) i think about how tired your fingers must get from typing these installments and i thank you for the quality entertainment :D
Without a doubt one of the best stories I've ever read.
Few stories have kept me as hooked as this one.
In my almost 19 years of living, the amount of books I've read that I wasn't forced to read could be counted on both of my hands. Probably around 70% of the books I was forced to read, I didn't actually read.
Yet, I'm reading this. I think that says something.
Caellia watched closely as Nathavin took aim at the deadly vampire soldier, quietly marveling at how quickly the vampire died. It had only taken two quick shots. The vampire had barely had time to begin his charge before he had fallen to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Taking aim at another vampire, Nathavin brooded on her dream induced confession. He chanced a quick glance at her, noting that she seemed to be having no difficulty yet seeing the vampires, but that might change when they moved out of the weak moonlight. He turned back to the vampire, killing it swiftly. After a few more minutes of demonstration he stepped back toward her and nodded silently at her, indicating that he was ready to let her try.
Stepping forward, Caellia wondered why Nathavin was being so quiet. He had barely spoken to her since he’d woken her up several hours ago. The only things he had said to her were in regards to her training. As she focused on the nearest vampire, she stopped wondering about his strange behavior and concentrated on the task at hand. Four arrows later, she stared at the bloodied being at her feet. Not bad, she thought to herself. It was only two more arrows than what it had taken Nathavin to kill it. She turned to look at him briefly, raising her eyebrows in silent question, wondering if he wanted to comment on her kill. She turned back and selected another vampire when he remained silent.
It was clear to Nathavin that Caellia did not remember her dream; much less know that she’d spoken aloud during it. But he now knew the source of her refusal to confess to him what she felt. She felt that he would betray her, felt he’d leave. He still didn’t understand why though. Why would she believe that he would betray her and leave? Hadn’t he shown her that he loved her and was not going to do that? After all that they’d been through, did she not trust him as much as he thought she did?
Caellia turned to face Nathavin after she’d killed several more vampires. Though he was looking at her she could tell that he was distracted. She approached quietly, not wanting to startle him. “Nathavin?”
Breaking out of his thoughts he sent her a puzzled look. Why had she stopped? He looked around them, the vampires had moved to another location, probably looking for safety in numbers. “Let’s move on.” She had progressed nicely and he felt that she could safely handle a bit more of a challenge.
Staring at his retreating back, Caellia huffed in mild irritation. She had not wanted to change location but it seemed that he’d thought that was what she’d meant. He’d also turned away from her before she could continue to talk to him. She couldn’t understand him. His current mood did not match his mood from earlier in the day. He seemed distant, unwilling to speak.
Nathavin led them through the darkened forest, expertly weaving his way through the trees and bramble. He could hear her mumbling behind him, fussing about the change of location. Clearly she had not wanted to change locations but he wanted to see how well she could fight in the shadows rather than just open moonlight.
Tripping over a tree root, Caellia cursed Nathavin’s back soundly beneath her breath. She hated the fact that she couldn’t see properly in the darkness. Standing slowly she realized that he had continued ahead and apparently didn’t know she’d fallen behind. She stood perfectly still, listening for his footsteps, but she could hear nothing. It was as if he’d simply vanished. She wanted to call out to him, let him know she’d fallen behind but knew that if she did she would gain the attention of the vampires. Caellia looked at her surroundings warily, what should she do?
Her head snapped to the left, her bow drawn and ready as she heard something move behind a tree. Another sound, this one clearly a footstep, caused her to jerk back to the right. Caellia trembled slightly; she couldn’t fire in both directions at once! A low hiss filled the air. Slowly, the vampire came into what little bit of moonlight filtered through the tree branches and Caellia got a good look at it. Her bow shook, it was massive! The sword alone was as tall as she was! As she stood watching, the vampire slowly stretched two bat-like wings before folding them back neatly behind his back. The creature lifted its sword high in the air, looking at it before glancing at her. Though the creature did not say a word, Caellia understood its meaning well enough.
Caellia looked in the direction she knew Nathavin had gone in. The vampires had not blocked the path he’d taken. She glanced back at the massive vampire. Could she outrun it? She knew that eventually Nathavin would realize she was no longer behind him and would retrace his steps. Until then she would have to hold her own.
She stretched the bowstring as far back as she could then let go. The vampire gave an enraged howl as it charged her. Caellia turned and ran a few paces up the path as she snatched another arrow and magic stone from her quiver. She fitted the arrow into the string, then turned and fired quickly. Nimbly she dodged the dagger that the smaller vampire thrust at her as she turned her back to them and continued to race up the narrow path. After gaining some ground she turned, raising her bow high in the air as she summoned her magic, she let go and watched her target stand still while shaking its head, momentarily stunned. Knowing it wouldn’t stay stunned long, she wasted no time barreling back up the path.
As she rounded a bend in the path, it began to slope upwards and the tree cover grew thicker. Caellia could hear the massive vampire begin charging after her once more. Cursing fluidly she pivoted neatly and let another arrow sing through the air. A grunt of pain followed by a heavy thud told her that she’d succeeded in killing the massive vampire.
The smaller one didn’t even acknowledge that its kinsmen had fallen. It simply ran straight up to her and began to slice at her with the dagger it held. Caellia flung her bow up to deflect the dagger while she stumbled backward. Excruciating pain radiated down her right side as the dagger tore into her. Pushing away, she made a short sprint up the path. The vampire warrior stayed on her heels though and she couldn’t get enough room to aim properly. Twice more the dagger ripped into her flesh. Biting back tears, Caellia flung the vampire away from her. She gained enough time and distance to fire a single shot, watching through hazy vision as the arrow narrowly missed the vampire’s neck and instead buried itself deep within the shoulder.
She turned to run again, a mistake. A strangled scream burst from her throat as she felt the dagger drive deep into her unprotected back. Wrenching away, and on pure adrenalin, she brought her bow up and fired point blank into the vampire’s chest. She had killed it. Falling to the ground, Caellia looked up at the dark trees around her. A cold fury began to burn deep within her chest. She would not die like this! She would not! She could not!
Nathavin whirled around as the sound of the scream reached his ears. He cursed himself viciously when he saw that Caellia was not behind him. Tearing back down the path, he prayed that she was alright. Snarling, he killed any vampire that dared to cross his path.
As Caellia lay there, she began to hear rustling in the surrounding trees. She focused her gaze, willing herself to see better in the darkness. A tall, lean, vampire woman glided out from the darkness. Her eyes flicked about, taking in the slain vampires, before darting back to Caellia. The woman stalked forward, quivering in anger. Caellia prepared herself to die. As she stared at the vampire, she heard another sound, the distinctive sound of a bow being drawn taut. Seconds later she saw an arrow suddenly protruding from the vampire’s chest. Twice more she heard the bow being pulled taut before the female vampire fell to the ground dead.
Nathavin raced over to Caellia. He took a brief look at the corpses of the vampire warlord and the vampire warrior. She had killed them alone? His gaze turned back to her. Her white armor was red with blood, her blood. Shillien don’t let her be dead! His eyes skimmed over her, she had a large slash on her right side. Most of the blood on that side of her body was coming from that. But there was too much blood on the ground for that to be her only injury.
“Na…tha…vin…” Caellia croaked out hoarsely, the pain and stress beginning to overwhelm her.
“Shhh. Don’t speak Caellia.” He shushed her, running a hand lightly down her cheek. She didn’t need to talk, she needed to rest! This was all his fault! If he’d only realized she wasn’t behind him! He leaned back to dig through his pack for the healing potions but was stopped when her hand clutched his arm tightly.
“No! Don’t leave!” Her voice was scratchy with pain and fear. “Please don’t leave me!” Caellia had never been so afraid in her life.
“I won’t leave you Caellia.” Nathavin gingerly brushed a tendril of hair from her eyes, “I will never leave you.” Once she settled down enough for him to look through his pack, he grabbed two vials of white potion. “Here, these will help.” Carefully, he helped her to sit up to drink them. As he did so, he got a good look at her back. What he saw shocked him. Her back had sustained the most damage. The wound was deep and was still pouring blood. He looked at her face closely. It was pale, too pale, and she was beginning to shake uncontrollably. The healing potions he’d handed her would not be able to heal her injuries alone.
“Nathavin, what’s wrong?” Caellia asked through her pain.
“Hush Caellia. Don’t try to talk.” Taking a precautionary look around them, Nathavin scanned the area for any other vampires. Seeing none, he scooped Caellia up, being mindful of her back. He waited until she’d adjusted to be more comfortable before he started making his way east. She could not train any more in this condition. They would have to head back to Goddard.
Caellia winced at the pain in her back but stayed quiet, trusting him. As time passed and night gave way to day, she sank into a deep melancholy. She had failed. She had not been able to keep up with him and had caused their excursion to be cut short. Distressed that she had disappointed him, she felt remarkably guilty.
Nathavin stared down at her. She had done amazingly well to survive those vampires alone. He cradled her closer to his chest, resisting the urge to hasten his steps. He didn’t want to jostle her and cause more pain. They soon came to the eastern bridge that marked the end of the forest of the dead. As he stepped onto the bridge, sunlight that had been blocked by the mysterious forest shone down brightly, causing him to squint in momentary blindness. He could feel Caellia tense up as well before she turned her face to his chest, blocking most of the sunlight out of her eyes.
Nathavin walked all through the day and well into the night, covering as much distance as he could without stopping. He stopped outside of the Devil’s Pass, noticing that the construction of the new fortress was complete. Nathavin trudged up the long winding path to the gates of the fortress. Once the guards saw him, they wasted no time opening the gates. As he walked past, he ordered the nearest one. “Bring me a healer, now!”
A wizened old dwarf ran up to Nathavin on his short, stubby legs. Taking one look at Caellia, he motioned and said gruffly. “Follow me, there’s a bed she can rest in over here.”
Nathavin nodded curtly and followed the dwarf inside a large building. He laid Caellia down on the bed the dwarf indicated then looked at the dwarf sternly. “I want complete privacy. No one is to enter this room except for the healer.”
“As you wish Lord Nathavin.” The dwarf replied humbly before backing out. He didn’t need to be told that the next person who entered the room would be shot dead if it wasn’t the healer.
Nathavin finally looked down at his armor. The front of it was soaked in her blood. His stomach twisted, she had lost so much blood! Kneeling beside the bed, he gently began brushing her hair with shaking fingers. “Caellia, please be alright.” He knew she couldn’t hear him, had passed out from the blood loss, but he still whispered to her anyway. “Please be alright.”
The Shillien Elder looked on quietly as Nathavin broke down and wept openly at the side of the bed. He looked at Caellia. There was no way he could let her die. It would take all of his skill as a healer, but he could not let her die. If she died, Nathavin would not recover.
Nathavin felt a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling him away from the bed slightly. He sent a frosty glare at the male elder.
“I will not ask you to leave my Lord, but I will need some space.” The elder intoned respectfully. “Where is her most severe injury?” Once learning that it was her back, he had Nathavin carefully turn her over. He kept his face devoid of all emotion as he saw the extent of her injury. She would be lucky to make it through the night.
Nathavin watched in worried silence throughout the process. Once done, he gripped her hand and once more began to comb through her hair.
The elder watched a few minutes longer before suggesting quietly. “Perhaps you should get some rest. She will not awaken for quite some time.”
“No. I will not leave her.”
“I didn’t say you had to leave her. Only that you should get some rest.”
Nathavin growled out. “I will not sleep while she is so badly injured that she can not speak!”
“But my Lord…” The elder began to protest.
“NO!” Nathavin stood up quickly, his body tense and rigid. “You’ve done your job, now leave!” After watching the elder leave, he turned back to Caellia and whispered. “I promised you I would not leave and I won’t.” She remained unresponsive. “Please Caellia, say something!” Nathavin cursed explosively at her continued silence. Gripping her hand tightly, he fell into a despairing silence.
That pretty much sums it up because I lack the words also. I love the show Heroes and I will miss that just to find out what happens in Treason next.
:D
Nathavin blinked tiredly as he raised himself up. He’d fallen asleep with his head resting near Caellia’s while he sat on the floor next to her bed. He cursed himself for falling asleep. What if she’d woken up and needed him? Looking over at her, he realized that she hadn’t moved. She still lay in the same position she’d been in before he fell asleep. His hand gently brushed across her forehead, sweeping her hair away from her eyes. “Caellia?” He questioned softly, hoping to get a response from her. His head dropped back down to his chest at her continued silence. A tear slipped past his closed eyes and fell on his hand that was fisted tightly in his lap. Would he ever be able to see into her beautiful blue eyes again?
He did not know how long he stayed there, listening to her shallow, ragged breaths as they came much too slow for his comfort. The elder came by twice more and re-cast his magic and each time asked Nathavin to get some proper rest. And each time Nathavin refused, always repeating that he would not leave her side. He took his mid-day and evening meals sitting next to her.
The next day when the elder came in he stared at Nathavin. Disheveled, dirty, and unkempt were the words that crossed his mind as he stared at his Lord. While he understood that Nathavin wanted to be near Caellia when she awakened, he also knew that Nathavin really needed to take the time to tend to himself. There was nothing Nathavin could do for Caellia at the moment except clean up. Clearing his throat, he began cautiously. “Lord Nathavin,” a sharp, steady gaze from Nathavin nearly froze him on the spot, “perhaps you should take this time while I’m healing Caellia to see to your own needs.”
Nathavin narrowed his gaze at the healer. “We have already had this discussion. I am not leaving…” He was cut off by an unexpected voice.
“Lord Nathavin, the healer is correct. You must go and tend to your own needs. Immediately I might add. I will look after Caellia in your absence and will alert you the moment she awakens.” Kattath could not believe the way Nathavin looked. She’d never seen him so filthy. He was still in his bloodied armor. She gave a slight nod at the healer, signaling to him that she’d handle Nathavin and that he could get back to the important task of healing Caellia.
Nathavin scowled at Kattath even as he asked, working to keep the astonishment out of his voice. “When did you get here?”
“I only just arrived.” She stated as she walked further into the room, refusing to say how she’d known to come to the fortress in the first place. Kattath walked past Nathavin and took her first look at Caellia. Though the healer’s spells were working, she could still see the jagged tears in Caellia’s flesh. She looked back at Nathavin and at his armor before looking back down at Caellia and then turned to look back at him with furrowed brows. “Were you injured Nathavin?”
“No.” He knew what Kattath was getting at, knew that she was confused as to the amount of blood. It also drew his attention to the fact that he was still wearing his bloodied armor. His face twisted into a grimace.
Kattath watched his face and nodded approvingly to herself. She’d managed to drag his attention to his armor without badgering him about it. “Nathavin,” she started in a comforting voice, “I will look after her. Please, go take some time for yourself. You can’t be comfortable in that filthy armor and it’s unhealthy for you, unhealthy for her.” Kattath stated quietly, nodding in Caellia’s direction. “When you come back, you will feel better.”
Nathavin nodded quietly. “If she shows any sign of change, please, alert me.”
“I swear to you Nathavin, I will.” Kattath promised solemnly.
Nathavin simply turned and walked out, not bothering to say anything else.
“How is she?” Kattath turned her attention to the healer.
“She will live.” The healer stopped what he was doing briefly to look at Kattath. “Thank you for coming so quickly. He would not listen to reason.”
“He never does where it concerns her.” Kattath retorted dryly. “I’m just glad you sent for me when you did.”
The healer harrumphed in agreement as he began his spells anew before pausing again to say briefly. “He will not discuss what happened.” He turned to look at Kattath, “I fear he blames himself for her injuries.” He cast another spell.
Kattath nodded silently, deep in thought. When the healer was done, she thanked him for his services and pulled up a chair to sit by the bed. She saw a pail of water and a soft cloth near the headboard. Nathavin must’ve been using it to keep Caellia cool during the hotter parts of the day. She grabbed the pail and went to the door of the building. Snagging a passing dwarf, she instructed the girl to fill the pail with cool water and bring it back. Once the dwarf returned with the water, she went back to her chair and dipped the soft cloth in the cool water and began to gently sponge Caellia’s forehead to keep her cool. Sighing, she asked the unconscious elf, “What in the name of Shillien happened in that forest?”
Nathavin allowed the cold water to pour over him as he stood under the spout. How could he have let that happen?! His teeth clenched in anger. How long had she been alone to face those vampires?! Covering his face with his hands, he indulged in self loathing. Here he was, trying to prove to her that he deserved her, deserved her love and trust, and then he almost let her be killed!
Removing his hands from his face, he watched the water as it formed tiny streams before disappearing down the narrow pipe in the bottom of the wash basin. The water was still tinged pink with blood, her blood. His eyes squeezed shut tightly in remembrance. Shillien, there had been so much blood! He’d thought for sure he’d lost her when he’d seen her lying on the ground, surrounded by a large pool of blood. As he’d carried her in his desperate attempt to get her to safety, he’d strategically placed his hand over the wound in her back to stanch the blood flow.
Nathavin knew he would never forget how he had felt as her blood had flowed down his body and soaked his armor. The pain he’d felt of knowing that he might lose her while he carried her to safety would haunt him till the day he departed from this realm. Numbly, he reached for the nearest washcloth and scrubbed himself clean. When finished, he stepped out of the wash basin and looked over at his once pristine white leather armor. He would have to have a new set crafted, it was ruined beyond repair.
His gaze swung to another set of armor that had been laid out for him. He despised it on sight. While he intrinsically knew that the armor had been brought to him from Goddard by Kattath and was merely a temporary replacement until a new, proper set, could be crafted, he still hated it.
Walking over, he picked up the tunic and glared at it. The armor was an odd design, and he couldn’t be sure of its exact color. When turned one way, the armor appeared to be a dark blue. When viewed from another angle, it appeared to be a dark green. Both shades looked to be closer to black than either color though. But it was quite obvious that it was not a true black.
He snorted as he looked at the tunic longer. The collar piece came up far too high for his tastes. The shoulder pieces were too stiff and bulky and had a strange golden pattern that was woven around. Or was the pattern woven in silver? On the upper chest of the tunic, a golden cross was prominently displayed with yet two more decorative designs underneath that before the vest ended with a sharp ‘V’ point, which left his midriff exposed. As he grudgingly donned the tunic, he realized that not only was his midriff exposed, but well over half of his lower back was exposed as well! Nathavin growled in indignant fury as he donned the rest of the armor. Kattath would pay for her choice of temporary armor! Striding out of the bathhouse, he took off at a brisk walk back toward the building that was currently housing Caellia.
Kattath opened her gift to read Caellia’s aura as she gently sponged her off. It was a dull, gray color, neutral because she was still unconscious. There were no flickers of color anywhere within her aura. Sighing, Kattath continued the slow passes with the cloth. She idly noticed that Caellia’s armor had been removed and that she was wearing a simple tunic and skirt. She frowned slightly; didn’t the healer say that no one was allowed in the room except for himself and now her? Glancing around, she saw the ruined armor tossed in a corner along with Nathavin’s bow. She nodded to herself in realization, Nathavin must have removed her armor and cleaned the blood off of her and then redressed her at some point. Kattath couldn’t help but smile at the thought. It was such a sweet gesture and was indicative of just how much he cared for Caellia.
Nathavin pushed the door open, looking immediately at Caellia. Crestfallen, he realized that she hadn’t moved. He moved over to her bed and simply stared at her, watching as Kattath spread the cooling water across her skin. He looked questioningly at Kattath.
“There has been no change Nathavin. She hasn’t moved since you left.” After a few moments Kattath steeled herself mentally and took the plunge. “What happened in that forest Nathavin? How did she get so badly injured?” While she’d expected some kind of reaction from him, what she got she wasn’t prepared for. His aura became a deep, dark and oppressive blue as he sunk to his knees. She had never seen him look so… defeated.
Nathavin stared at Caellia as the memories surfaced. Where did he start? Sighing heavily, he started at the beginning of their trip. Relating how he’d been angry the day they left out from Rune to the Forest of the Dead. He hesitated when he got to their fight, his head lowered in shame and he fell silent.
“Nathavin, what else happened?” Kattath inquired softly, feeling she already had a rough idea.
Slowly, he began to explain what had happened. Fresh guilt washed through him as he related the events of that day. Once he made it past the fight, it got a bit easier to talk again. Up until he’d actually come upon Caellia’s still form in the forest after she’d fought the vampires. He struggled through it and then finally fell silent when he got to where Kattath had burst through the door of the building earlier before asking her suspiciously. “How did you know to come here?”
Kattath waved her hand evasively. “It’s not important.” She looked at him as he stood up and stretched. Standing up also, she motioned to the chair. “You take it.” She passed him the cloth as he sat down and then said in a lightly teasing voice, wanting desperately to cheer him up, at least a little bit. “So what happened to her armor?”
Nathavin’s hand stopped half way between Caellia and the pail of water. Glaring up at Kattath, he muttered in an ominous voice. “It was ruined.”
Kattath glanced nonchalantly at the corner of the room which held the remnants of the armor. While she had noticed the telltale shift in his aura that signaled he was rapidly becoming irritated, she ignored it against her better judgment, confidant in her ability to cheer him up without over angering him. “I can see that. But, if she’s unconscious, how did she change out of it and into her current leather tunic and skirt?” She had to work to keep her tone light and conversational, as if she didn’t already know the answer.
Nathavin turned his attention from Kattath and back to Caellia while stating in the same ominous voice. “She did not change.”
She was so confidant in her ability to cheer him up in fact, that she completely failed to notice that her playful teasing attempt to get Nathavin to lighten up a little had, had the opposite effect and instead had infuriated him. Kattath smirked as she walked slowly to the door. A moments foreboding made her wonder if she should really be taunting him in this way. She pushed the feeling to the side as she twisted the handle and opened it just a bit before she tossed over her shoulder. “Well, I guess there’s no need to ask if you liked what you so obviously saw.”
With that final, parting shot, she dove through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind her. She turned her head back to the door at the sound of a loud thump and the sound of splintering wood. Kattath grinned wickedly despite the fact that her blood had run cold in her veins at the sight that greeted her eyes. His dagger had pierced clean through the door, more than half the blade was sticking out on her side. She looked at the pale face of a girl dwarf that had happened to be passing by. “Make sure that no one goes in that building for the rest of the night.” Kattath then walked off, leaving a scared dwarf behind.
Glaring at the door, Nathavin swore savagely. He stalked to the door and ripped the dagger out before returning to Caellia’s side. How dare Kattath make such a statement?! It wasn’t like her! Fuming in anger, he calmed himself by gently stroking Caellia’s hand.
The next morning Kattath approached the door to the building with caution. She knew that she shouldn’t have teased him the night before, but the opportunity to try to cheer him up at least a bit had been too good to pass up. Now however, now she was regretting it as she looked at the splintered hole the dagger had left in the door. As she gazed somberly at it, she realized that he had to have thrown the dagger with considerable force to send it through the door as far as he had. She only realized now that with as much of the blade that had been showing on this side of the door, that only the hilt of the dagger had stopped it from continuing to pass through the door completely. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly swung the door open and walked in.
“Do not ever make comments like the ones you made last night again if you want to continue living Kattath.” Nathavin snarled lowly at her.
Kattath quit breathing as soon as she felt the dagger touch her throat. He’d been waiting by the door for her! As soon as she’d crossed the threshold he’d snatched her from behind and placed the dagger at her neck while kicking the door shut.
“I’ve let you get away with far more than anyone else under my rule because of our childhood Kattath.” Nathavin was seething with anger. The passing of the night had not dimmed his anger with her in the slightest. “I’ve tolerated your impertinence, impudence, and your continual interference in matters that do not concern you.” His voice dropped to a deadly hiss, “What I do with Caellia behind closed doors is none of your concern! You are not to make such bold insinuations again. Our shared past will not protect you from any other ill-advised comments you make in the future!” He spat out viciously before releasing her.
Kattath stumbled away from him while massaging her neck unconsciously. Teasing him last night had not been one of her better ideas. Truth be told, she was lucky to still be alive and she knew it.
Nathavin glared at her through slitted eyes as he moved around her and made his way back to Caellia. “See to it that you never make that mistake again.” A small cough followed by a cracked voice gained his attention.
“Na..Nathavin?”
“Caellia!” With a speed he didn’t know he possessed, he flew to her side.
Caellia moaned in pain as she attempted to sit up. “Wh…where are we?”
“We’re safe Caellia. We’re in a fortress near Goddard.” He gently pushed her back down. “You shouldn’t move yet.”
Kattath knew she’d been completely forgotten and stayed well away from the pair. She took the time to thoroughly examine Caellia’s aura. She was still hurt, but was healing rapidly. She was healing more quickly now that she was awake, though Kattath could not understand why that would be. Dismissing it as an oddity, she focused on what they were saying. She frowned when she caught Caellia’s voice apologizing. As she listened, she discovered that Caellia felt she had failed Nathavin in her training, that she had not been good enough. Nathavin’s response was quick as he vehemently told her that she hadn’t failed and hadn’t disappointed him. Seeing that things were okay, Kattath quietly slipped out, leaving them to their privacy.
hehe on it's way....i havent been satisfied with what i've written so far, its not coming out the way i want it to. on top of that the new ally we're in is incredibly active and keeping me ingame for longer periods of time. if i can get a breather it should be out in about 2 weeks or less if i can manage it :)