Memories
Dream
Reality
It's dark, in the centre of a room lies a young woman, fast asleep, her hair tumbled around her face, she dreams.
Pounding feet, manic laughter the sickening sound of a sword through flesh, red eyes gleaming, a scream…. Flashing steel, cold eyes of the rescuer, long black hair flowing in the wind, a voice:
"Don't try to run, show your back and I'll cut you down"
The dream shifts
Laughter and the sound of eating and drinking in a room full of friends, a beautiful girl in a dress stepping forward into the light, men frozen in disbelief….the girl runs, coming face to face with a man sitting, silhouetted against the evening sky, he turns and smiles, they talk. Soon they are interrupted by a laughing man, they return to the room and the door closes, laughter rings out once more.
The dream moves on
An explosion, three devils faced by wolves. One leaves and returns, carrying and unconscious girl, the wolves become fiercer and the human devil vice commander attacks the kidnapper, disarmed he loses his balance, death rushing toward him, the girl awakens, stepping in between death and it's target, death pauses and the human devil pulls the girl against him, shielding her from danger.
The girl frowns and rolls over
War cries, the clash of steel, smoke rising from fired guns, cannon fire, the cries of wounded men. A woman presses a cloth against the arm of a wounded man, red seeps through. The woman looks up as an explosion sounds near by, an older man touches her shoulder,
"They are all true warriors"
She smiles.
The girl stands before two men, her eyes fixed on her feet,
"Do you have to go?"
One man pats her head, the other slings his arm over her, they smile but the smiles only hide the sadness. She watches them go,
"Take care of yourselves."
The woman places a cloth across the forehead of the unconscious man in front of her, her heart ached to see the lines of pain on his face. He awakens, she feeds him, he sleeps again. He opens his eye and smiled, his caretaker lay, resting her head on him, dead to the world.
She enters the room, and hurries across the floor,
"You shouldn't be up! You're on the brink of death!"
The man smirks, she places a blanket on his shoulders.
She waits, for so long she waits. A letter comes and tears fall, the wait is over.
A knock, a tired voice,
"I'm busy right now, save it for later."
She enters, a pair of pain filled eyes look up and widen, the man rises, he speaks, the woman answers, he closes his eyes, defeated. They embrace, tears fall.
He leans against the window, she watches him. Turning towards her, the man approaches her, he speaks
"I think I've fallen in love with you."
They kiss.
The pounding hoof beats, a command:
"FIRE!"
The black haired man is flung from the saddle, sending her flying too. She lands and looks up, her eyes searching for him, she hurries towards his still form. Alive, she carries him off the battlefield, setting him down she tries to stop the bleeding. Red, so much, too much, she adds her own red, forcing him to drink, his eyes open, he frowns
"Did you injure yourself again for me?"
She smiles and hides her wrist.
One devil faces another, the last strike is imminent, the woman witnesses from the sidelines.
The blades meet and it is all over, the horned one falls, the fake one's sword in his chest. The girl runs, catching the victor as he to slumps forward.
She kneels, his head on her lap, as his breathing fades she looks up, through her tears she sees a flag,
"Can you see it? It's the flag of truth that everyone carried!"
Tears fall.
The woman sat up, tears falling, she touches her cheeks her hand coming away wet.
"Why? How could you leave me alone? Please, come back!"
And curling up into a ball, she cries.