Never Gone
They were in the forest, covered in icy slick coldness that enveloped them like a tornado storm. As the gray dull clouds continued its reign throughout the entire sky, tiny white sparks rained the land endlessly. Dried trees with branches protruding every space between stood firmly in the miraculously dry soil. In the murky forest, a black carriage wheeled. The two brown horses were contrast to the pale whiteness that shed on them. A total of five men and a woman walked alongside the carriage, guarding. Only the woman, whose face was hidden under a black hood, seemed to stand out the most. Beneath the cloak, eyes as fiery as fire glanced at the path spread beyond them calmly. Her pale formed lips were pursed tightly, as if inclined to do so. She was thinking. Remembering. Reminiscing. Recollecting…
She had succeeded. Almost. When this journey is over, the plague would end. And her country would be saved. Her father…
A deep line of crimson lined her cracked lips, forming a tiny river of blood down her chin. She wiped it away roughly with her right hand, careful to avoid from hurting her left damaged hand further. A bit more…
A warm hand groped her shoulder. She winced slightly, managed to cover up her wound before the person noticed. A young man almost her age blocked her path, trying to get her attention. His messy black hair glimmered with the white sparks. Without looking into his eyes, she pushed him away with little will left. She could feel her life force draining away, bit by bit. She won’t give up yet, not now. She staggered as the weight of her injured arm felt heavy on her body. The hood fell back to reveal a mass of golden hair, cascading down her shoulders. The young man stared at the figure, who was now steps in front of him, his eyes reflecting pain mixed with hatred.
A sudden gust of wind blew into them. Alarmed, she stopped and looked up into the murky sky. The rest of her gang followed. They, too could feel presence. The pressure of the atmosphere escalated.
Out of nowhere, a series of attacks paralyzed their movements. Razor sharp forces attacked them everywhere. Skillfully, she avoided each of them without fear. Taking cover between the trees, she withdrew her right arm from her cloak and summoned power. A blue almost crystal spark immediately formed and eventually enlarged to turn into a mass of magnetic energy. Suddenly a black sword unlike any other materialized into her palm, glowing miraculously in broad daylight.
Eyes a shade of determination, she ran into the battlefield once more and sliced thin air with her sword. She blocked every attack with her swordsmanship, breaking it down as if chopping log. Her movements were swift and light, almost like dancing. She quickly broke through the opponents attacks and immediately forged direct combat with the enemy.
There were four of them, each wearing silver masks. From the figure of the enemy she was facing, she could tell that it was a man. It didn’t matter, as long as she could defeat him. Ignoring the growing pain, she plunged forward, aware that her enemy might already discover her weak spots. Gripping her weapon tightly, she swung them into the enemy’s direction, and as predicted the latter avoided the attack swiftly, before realizing that it was merely a trap. But it was too late; she was already in midair, and her sword was aiming for him. In a brief second, the weapon landed, and the mask cracked halfway through. Then, everything felt still for her. The battle was still ongoing, but she could no longer feel anything, except for the excruciating pain and what she saw.
Edric….
Something felt hot in her eyes, and it blurred her vision. She could feel a hot boiling sensation in her chest, ready to blow up anytime soon, but tried with tremendous effort to keep it down, along with the pain that seemed to be eating her with every growing second.
His eyes stared at her widely, unable to believe what he was seeing after such a long time. It was her, the person he was looking for all this time, is standing in front of him, battling him. How is that possible?
She noticed that the male figure had suddenly lost focus, and remembered the reason she was in pain. Her eyes cleared, and she immediately found her grip again. She will not surrender!
In a flash, she appeared in front of him, her sword about to slice through his flesh, when he darted the sudden attack, unharmed. He quickly recovered from his daze and recomposed himself. Why was she attacking him?
“Why are you doing this?” He finally spoke, his words echoing through the remarkably empty forest. His gaze locked on hers, as he waited for a response, an answer.
She suddenly noticed how heavy her sword was, and lowered it down, it’s blade touching the bare ground. Her eyes continued to stare, as if wanting to look beyond, to search something in his soul. But she did not answer.
“Why?” A second time, he asked, his hope never faltering. He too, looked deep into her hollow eyes, that were once as fiery as the season of autumn, seeking for something, something that once belonged to both of them.
“For Eradain.” A surprisingly rich voice echoed. The spoken words made the colour drain from his face, and he suddenly understood what she meant.
“Yes, I am the third princess of the Kingdom Eradain, Arayla. Do you understand now why I chose to leave?We are destined to be sworn enemies forever!”
At the end of those words, blood was splattered on the ground. Her legs felt light and she could stand no longer. Her black sword was dropped to the cold ground, she could no longer hold the pain back…
Sensing that something was wrong, he plunged towards her, and managed to grasp hold of her before her body could hit the ground. He saw blood flowing out of her pale lips and felt her cold body stiffening as he touched her.
No! His mind panicked, realizing that for the first time ever, she might leave him…
Fear gripped him like the whiteness that continued to rain down on them, and everything felt still for the both of them.
She tried to remain her eyes open against the blinding light, and fought hard to suppress the pain and ache her body was feeling, but she couldn’t hold back her tears as it flowed from her red eyes, the fieriness in her eyes losing its sparkle. She tried to raise her uninjured hand, and touched his shakily. He gripped her cold numb palm in his, his eyes gazing at hers, concern and pain in his eyes.
She tried to smile, only to end with more blood oozing out of her lips and coughed.
Trying to hold back warm tears, she whispered “I’m sorry.”
As the icy whiteness covered the earth, and the sound of the fight eventually died down, a slight winter breeze swept, blowing away the stench of spilt blood of an old feud.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Who could tell when the wind of love blew
Turning the wheel of fate
And beginning a cycle of wonders
As two souls of different worlds
Intertwine
Who would know that the fountain of chains
Would cast a misty gaze
As the two hearts were set ablaze
Who could sense the warm air
When in his gaze there was only her
And in hers only him?
While the water shimmered under moonlight
And the scent of the breeze enclosed them
In a kiss they were bonded
Unfolding the prophecy beyond
