Love Comes Ammunated
Love is like a butterfly. Hold it too loose, it'll flutter away. Hold it too tight, it'll die. I know from experience – oh, yes. Yes I do…
A hundred years ago, I was a changed man – a different man with different objectives. I was calm, caring, and a boy under the spell of love who had taken a step up into near-adulthood and it was all the work of one girl – the love of my life. And her name…? I…I…cannot remember her name…but I knew I would have sacrificed anything for her; I loved her. I truly did. But love…can be a tricky situation to deal with…
I tiptoed into the house in a sneaky fashion, attempting to be elusive and stealthy. It was nearly midnight when I should have been locked away at eight for sleep. Still, I couldn't resist meeting her, my love – I had to see her for the day. Under the watchful eyes of my "guardians" in the waking hour, I had no opportunity to see her…so I had to sneak off when all life was asleep. For that, I would be heavily punished – a hundred whippings were my guess and a few days without food nor water.
Praying that my "guardians" were asleep as I slid open the closet door not even bothering to turn the lights, I slowly made my way into it.
"So you'd think you'd get away, eh?" A sharp blow struck as I fell forward from the impact. The lights were turned on promptly, revealing my "father" dropping the chair he had struck me with. As I fell toward the ground, a strong arm quickly yanked me back.
"You good-for-nothing sneaky…" His face reddened with anger as he motioned to strike me. I winced before a rush agony was dealt to my stomach.
"I'm sorry, Father…please…" I kneeled in respect in front of him, hoping to lighten the impending punishment.
"You think you would get away with it, didn't you!" Grunting as he sharply kicked me in the head, I resumed my bowed position.
"Stand up, boy!" I did. "Next time you sneak off, I swear I will kill you myself. You hear?"
I knew better than to let a second pass after that question so I promptly nodded.
The man brandished a belt. "Good – two hundred whippings and no food for a week."
An hour later, I crawled into the shelter of the closet, back bleeding from the merciless whippings. But I was happy…it was worth it. She was worth the whippings. She was worth more than 10,000 whippings. I would do anything for her. I would die for her.
A foolish young man I was back then, tinkering in the trickeries of love. Love is deceitful! It is cunning…it takes its time before it goes in for the kill like a predator on a hunt…love is. I know…ohh, how I know. It is nothing more than lies, conjuring misleading illusions to the love-struck. And when it has you in its grasp…it torturously suffocates you until there is no life left. Then, with one swift motion, it steals everything from you…
There wasn't much to ponder of in that week of solitary as I sat in the same spot. Under the expanse of darkness, I thought about how much I had changed, the daytime outside, the chores I would have to make up. But most frequently, I thought about her. There were only two things that I held dear and true to my heart: my love, of course, and Roku, my best friend, or as most preferred to call him – Avatar Roku.
It was a curiosity why the Avatar, in his infinite power, didn't liberate me from this hell-hold, this excuse for a house of non-fire-benders. Every time I questioned him, he would reply the same, "There is a time and place for everything."
But he didn't know what it was like. The day hours here were filled with endless labor for chores. The night hours were just as gruesome except not under the wrath of the infernal sun but under the turmoil of the wind and cold, yielding its greatest power against my shirtless back. No, surely, the Avatar didn't understand. He knew nothing…of this lifestyle. He rode in the village with glory and celebration as the Avatar, a treated royalty! I admit it, I was jealous; I wish I was the chosen Avatar with his genius ability for fire-bending…but no…I was Dimir the peasant – Dimir the worker. But I had something he didn't have…I had true love!
I would trade anything for true love as I had it now. However, true love was cut short under the strict rules of the household…if only love could last forever, far past the day when I could make my own rules.
It wasn't long until my wish became a reality with the help of Roku. With access to the Spirit World, I could seek their secret of immortality, their ever-lasting youth to realize my dreams. There, I met with a horrid creature, a single face with a centipede body who named himself Koh.
With luck, I made negotiations with the creature. He pitied me to say the least, mumbling words of a betrayal under my nose; I foolishly paid no heed as I received my newfound knowledge. Why the Face Stealer so willingly provided me the secret is beyond me…but I didn't care. I could live forever, long past the tyranny of my "guardians". My wish was realized. True love did prevail.
And here…is where the suffocation begins – the slow constriction for a foolish love-struck. So blinded by it was I that I hadn't realized what treachery had transpired. And by the time I could see through the thick mirages of happiness and destiny that love so maliciously offered, I had lost everything.
Three nights later, my lover and I were deemed immortal from promising death. I would outlive my "guardians" and break the threshold. My love would last forever! Or so…I thought…
It was another sneak visit to her house; I didn't mind the threats from my "father". To me, obeying him was unnecessary but I had to respect him. What surprised me the most was the lack of questions when the closet door had opened the previous day but under the obsession of love, I didn't mind much. I simply snuck off like I had been for the past days.
As soon as I had arrived, we spoke our respective greetings and then we immediately locked our lips. But what differed this "special" night from the others was but one mistake. Usually, in my cautioned state, I would observe and check the consciousness of my Father, watching him for minutes or even hours if I needed to before I tiptoed out. Perhaps the confidence of immortality got to my head, promising me a safe and swift arrival and return. Au contraire. That was surely not the case.
It wasn't more than a second when our lips touched that a fierce grip gripped my neck, harshly pulling me back from my lover. It was my father who had followed me.
He shoved me against the hard floor, delivering blow after blow against my face until only a sliver of consciousness remained. I had to remain conscious; I had to defend my lover from my father's assaults. For I didn't mind the repeated assaults at my stomach or any physical damage for that matter, what I did care for was her safety.
By the time he was finished, my face was bloodied and smashed as I lay on the floor, helpless. My "father" made a move for the frightened girl, fingering for a pocketed knife that he always kept on him.
He wouldn't!
Through sheer will, I staggered to my feet.
"Father! Please, don't kill her! I love her! I love her! Please…please…! I'll take the punishment!" Covered in tears, I extended an arm towards my lover as if it could take away everything that would happen. It was a hopeless begging; I didn't doubt his actions. My "father" was never known to bluff. He was a hardy man with solid agendas that when decided, were chiseled in stone.
"You should have though of that before you snuck off to see this…this…wench!" He pulled his knife to his throat, pressuring the blade against it. A seeping ooze of blood came out. I moved in to stop him, eyes watering, only to have my beaten and exhausted muscles fail me as I collapsed into a lump, helpless.
"I will spare this wench's life if she honestly swears that she should never return or ever show her face again. Otherwise…"
She wouldn't…I would die for her…she wouldn't abandon me for herself…We had true love – true love! I'd wish better to meet her in the Spirit World rather to see her renouncing of our love…
She wouldn't. Our love was too strong! It was something that Father would never comprehend. We were in true love. Under the face of danger and the threat of Death, we would stick by each other's side no matter what.
No matter what. She wouldn't. I reassured myself, smiling at the fact of Father's ignorance of the love between us. He wouldn't ever know of how we felt.
Father wouldn't die for another; he was too cold-hearted. He couldn't understand our feelings for another. In my mind, I chuckled at my "father's" proposal. She wouldn't forsake me to live another day. True love prevails.
"Father, we're in love! There is no decision. Better to die for another than live another day! We'd die for each other!"
She shook her head solemnly against the blade.
"I will." My father, smiling victoriously, let the girl go as she ran past me and through the door, dissipating into the darkness.
"Now…you little whelp…true love you were saying…?" A fist stormed down upon my already lifeless head. It was will that had held me unconscious but now...all fell dark. We…had…we made a pact…an unspoken pact under Immortality…
You see! The fate that "love" has wrought upon me! A hundred years ago, I was a changed man – a different man with different objectives all under the malevolent spell of this overrated "love." It has brought me nothing but anguish and angst! It is but a plague that impairs your judgment. My life…my love…they are all lost! Love is a tricky business…oh yes…a very tricky business.
A month later after my release from solitary, there was an unexpected arrival of her. Needless to say, my life had been a moping drudgery from the heart-break. She had come to shatter the remaining pieces of my heart. Yes…she has…she came…
"Dimir…" she started. I didn't want to hear it.
"Shut up!" I snapped back, my eyes clearly showing bags of sleep deprivation upon them.
"I just came to say I'm sorry."
"Wench! You have suffocated me enough with your false pretenses! Be gone with you! I wish to retain the remaining pieces of my shattered heart. Go now."
"I'm not done." My head snapped backwards, eyes red with deranged anger.
"You have defiled me with your false sayings. My trust in you has been shaken; you are but a laden corpse to me whose death is at the hands of my father."
"The reason I…did what I did…was…" She breathed in deep in preparation, then saying in complete boldness, "I…never loved you…my heart resides with Avatar Roku…I'm sorry…"
A traitor he was! A traitor! He had betrayed me! My best friend…he stole her heart! It's all so clear now, he planned my death, pointing me to Koh the Face Stealer in the Spirit World. He had deceived me, the scoundrel did. I trusted him. I did! A trickery! He fooled me and stole her! And so…from that day forward, I have been able to sleep soundly…oh yes, I have. In the wisdom of a hundred years, my eyes have laden upon many things. I have learned without something to live for, I might as well be dead inside. But now…oh yes…now…I have something to live for – The Avatar! I shall kill the Avatar for taking away everything that I had ever cherished and loved. I shall. I promise you, I promise you all! My success…my achievement…I shall…The Avatar will be dead at my hands.
And the girl?
The girl…her death has already been swiftly delivered. I have made sure of that…
Her face has been stolen.
Phew, finished 1st chapter of this new story. I'm taking a break from TBE and writing this one up. Of course, this 1st chapter is just the backstory of the man. The 2nd chapter will be a LOT more interesting - I promise you.
If you please, review and tell me what you think; I will be adding more to it soon. Your reviews will better my future chapters and they almost always motivate me to write more :P Thanks!