Welcome to the second chapter of "Twice the Lightning struck" by CJNova and PsychoSammi. This will be my last chapter for the next two chapters, so please enjoy! And make sure to review, cause we love it when you do.

Disclaimer – I own the books. I really, truly do. In my dreams at night, not in the real world of course. Unfortunately.

Bold Italics - A Stalker, who is after Maya. Throughout the story you may, or may not, guess who it is. If you do please don't ruin it for the other readers :)


On The Run


It had been hard for Maya to be enthusiastic about the recent turn of events. Her interest in trees and birds, swordplay and magic? Unrivalled. Her love for all things breathing? Intangible. Her fascination with reading and singing? Irrevocable. But IslanzadÍ's request that she turn her attention from those past-times to the wedding rite that was being set up for her? Impossible.

Not only had she known Lord DiNozzo less than three weeks, she knew only that – his name. She had met him once, in a brief introduction between him, IslanzadÍ and Maya, where she had gotten barely a glimpse at his face before being rushed off. And then, two weeks later, she had been informed that Lord DiNozzo was to become her husband.

It was a struggle. Maya naturally lived to please everyone, she would no doubt like her husband and be liked in return, but she could not love the man. A wedding rite was supposed to be about love, wasn't it? She had asked IslanzadÍ, who had assured her that her own wedding had been arranged in exactly the same way and at the exact same age of fifteen, and so Maya had settled her questions. She would not argue with IslanzadÍ. Perhaps for once, the Queen would at least act as if Maya had done something right once this wedding was over.

Skipping through the hall with her raven on her shoulder, she gestured with a sweep of her arm towards the glittering icy decorations and seating sung out of the plants in the ground.

"What do you think, Blagden? It's beautiful isn't it? The Queen truly has outdone herself." She commented. The bird scratched his head with a claw and remained silent. "I will be wearing purple. I glimpsed the dress earlier when we snuck into the bridal chamber, before we were shooed out."

"This wedding is a curse, a fate worse than the grave,
If you go through with it, you'll marry a knave."

Maya glanced at her bird, unnerved. Though the bird often jested, he was always correct, and to give such a grim prediction must mean that this wedding truly shouldn't go ahead.

"Perhaps I should talk to Arya about this. See what she thinks." She admitted. The bird cawed, and took flight. "Where are you going?"

"To feed or read with plenty of ease,
To do whatever on earth I please."
The bird answered, before disappearing through a window. Maya sighed, then fixed an optimistic smile upon her face and cast her thoughts around as she tracked down Arya.

She found her stood outside the bridal chamber, tugging at her dress. Arya would be leaving straight after the wedding to go to The Virden, who had news for IslanzadÍ, which saddened Maya. It meant she had no one to go to if she and her new husband were truly incompatible.

"Arya-elda!" She greeted her with a hug, peering up at the elder elf adoringly. She had been like a sister and a mentor to her throughout the years and had gained her respect time and again. "I would ask your opinion, if I may?"

"Speak, Maya. You have little time before you are married." As Arya spoke, she ushered Maya into the chamber beyond and began to prepare her dress. Maya obligingly stripped behind a screen, peering over the top.

"What do you think of this wedding? Of Lord DiNozzo?" Arya didn't so much as blink.

"I believe he will be able to provide you with everything you could ever desire. The wedding is a valid option for the course of your life." The dress was handed over and Maya stepped into it, held it to her chest and allowed Arya to begin tying the ribbon-held corset.

"An option. But not one I have to choose? What other option do I have? Refusing and risking the wrath of the Queen?" Maya sighed miserably, and Arya took the opportunity to yank in the corset, restricting her breathing.

"You could refuse to marry, yes. You could take your things and escape Ellésmera. Travel outside of Du Weldenvarden, become an adult before you make any decisions about who you want to be tied to for the rest of your life. It would be dishonourable to make this commitment and then break it at a later date, Maya. And you must remember, it will be hard to find a good man who would be able to see past the fact that you'd already been married once."

Maya was spun to face Arya as the older elf began to braid her hair. Maya studied her cousin, wishing she was as wise and knowledgeable as Arya. Perhaps then she'd know what to do.

"Did you think you would ever be married?" She asked. Arya's face became amused, and then serious again.

"Again, it's an option." She shrugged, dropping her hands. "There, perfect. You're ready." Maya and Arya looked around as the door opened – IslanzadÍ beamed as she saw Maya in the dress.

"Oh Maya, you're beautiful. Lord DiNozzo is sure to be pleased with his new bride. Kausta, kausta, sharjalví! We must make haste, the guests are all here." Maya followed her Aunt and cousin to the great hall again, absently casting her mind about for Blagden. She didn't want him to miss the wedding, despite his prediction that it would be a disaster.

She was handed a bunch of flowers – she noted with a small smile that they were her favourite rainbow orchids – and then she set off down the aisle at the slow, graceful pace that IslanzadÍ had spent a day teaching her. As she walked, she kept her gaze on her goal – the spot next to DiNozzo at the altar where IslanzadÍ and another influential elf, Myrnin, was stood, waiting to bond them together with magic.

Finally, she reached the end of the aisle and glanced up, unable to help herself. Her gaze landed on DiNozzo, and her heartbeat stuttered. Was this the man she was to marry? This… This old, nay, ancient elf with owl eyes and cat-like teeth? The weight of stress pressed down upon her shoulders, and she felt the panic began to rise. Arya's options and Blagden's curse were ringing in her mind, drowning out the words of the rite being spoken by Myrnin.

When she was able to snap out of her terror attack, she glanced towards IslanzadÍ. The Queen was sat upon her throne, watching the wedding proceed with a smug look upon her beautiful face. She had known… She had known Maya would not object. She had known that the decrepit elf beside her would not turn down an offer like this. She had known that together, Maya would have no choice but to marry the elf and become his responsibility…

A sudden fury gripped Maya. The orchids fell to the floor, and she stepped away.

"Letta." She commanded Myrnin, who immediately paused. "I can't do this." She fled, sliding out of the hall and running along a corridor to the bridal chamber once more. She fell inside, collapsed into a chair, and hugged herself as she trembled, adrenaline surging through her veins at the simple thought. She had disobeyed IslanzadÍ.

She heard footsteps approach. Instantly forming arguments, she waited until IslanzadÍ entered and began to demand what was happening before letting loose in the ancient language. She ranted, pouring out her anger and hurt, throwing her words into the space between them as if to build a wall that would lock IslanzadÍ out of her life.

She described in great detail everything that IslanzadÍ had done to her, everything that made her angry or annoyed, everything that made her feel wronged, everything that had accumulated into this. This one, sparkling moment, where rebellion took control of her usually carefree mind and twisted it. This one moment with the clarity of spring water, where she would make or break her freedom. She would either sink or swim, become independent and run or bow to IslanzadÍ's will, go back in there and marry that ancient elf.

In return, IslanzadÍ raged. She screamed and cursed and threw things, and threatened and cursed some more. She hissed and spat and screeched, and yet still Maya talked, weaving her web of arguments. In a fit of pique, the Queen lashed out and caught Maya a backhanded slap across her face. The ring she wore sliced a cut upon her right temple, but Maya paid no attention to the slow trickle of blood.

IslanzadÍ glared at Maya as they finally both ran out of words. With gem-like eyes, so much like Arya's, the Queen stared her down. Maya gazed right back with unusually black eyes, as dark as the starry night sky. Finally, oh-so-finally, the Queen backed down. Maya was gone in a flash as the Queen's eyes flickered away for just a second, and she sprinted to her room, throwing her meagre possessions in a bag. They had been arguing so much and for so long that it had turned night-time from her midday not-wedding.

She threw a dark cloak around her shoulders, and then leapt out of her window, landing silently upon the ground more than thirty feet below. She darted sideways immediately, hiding behind a convenient tree as a group of elves sprinted into the house of IslanzadÍ – a commotion was happening at the far end of the lane. However, she had no time to waste. Maya chose a direction, and started a smooth pace into the dark forest.


Half an hour earlier…


"Out of my way, vermin!" The old elf was insane. I jumped out of the way as he swiped at me, furious about his missing prize. He had been about to marry my Maya, my darling innocent Maya. He had been about to take her from me! Well, now I was here to make sure he never made that mistake again…

With a smooth swoop and a glimmer of metal, my prey fell before my eyes, his blood rushing just as Evandar's had. I watched it soak into the floor awhile, my mind hazy with bloodlust and jealousy, before I remembered – Maya would be emotional, and I would have to be there to see it if I were to understand how her mind dealt with grief. I turned and leapt out of the window, fixating upon her jumbled half-hidden, half-scrambled thoughts that passed as a shield when she was upset.


Within ten minutes, she had slowed to a jog. Within half an hour, she had slowed to a walk. Despair scattered her thoughts, dragging her down into depression. She could not think of solutions to the problems her mind sprang up, and she barely noticed when a flash of white circled her and landed upon her shoulder.

"Wherever you're about to go,
You're going to get there far too slow."
She sniffled, and nodded.

"I know. I'm not sure if this is the right thing, though, Blagden. Ellésmera is all I know. It's all I have."

"The time to change is here right now,
Unless to pressure you will bow.
I suggest we head to Osilon,
Hurry now, you must carry on."

Another, softer sniffle, and then Maya nodded, pulling up the hood of her cloak and bounding forward once more. She leapt over tree roots and then up at a tree, kicking off immediately until she was bouncing higher and higher, reaching the lower branches easily. There, she swung from place to place, never fearing the fall, never miscalculating.

She reached Osilon by mid-morning the next day. She waited on the outskirts of the town, watching the bustle of activities going on. It was different to Ellésmera, in that the elves seemed busier and less intense, but the same somehow. Everyone had their own individual tasks or hobbies that they were pursuing.

Finally, she left the safety of the trees and began to wander the streets, watching the elves' lazy habits. She heard snatches of conversation and amused herself for a while, until she noticed the glances she was attracting. A susurration picked up, following her constantly as elves whispered to each other and stared. Blagden hopped from shoulder to shoulder in agitation.

"It would be folly to stay here,
When ill tidings draw so near."
He cawed quietly.

"What are you talking about? You said Osilon, I came to Osilon." Maya whispered back, glancing around nervously. She hadn't failed to notice that the elves were lining the streets now, intrigued and cautious.

"Circumstances change for the worst,
Escape afore the bubble does burst."

Maya didn't hesitate to take Blagden's advice as she saw uniformed elves approaching. She ducked behind a house and found the forest again, evading the elves as easily as a mouse evaded a horse. She had been shunned her entire life, and had suffered IslanzadÍ's wrath – she had a few tactics to use against her own kind.

After a while, the trees began to grow smaller, younger and further between. The roots retreated into the floor, leaving an even terrain for her to walk across. Blagden remarked it was becoming sandier and less fertile, and Maya realised she was actually walking out of Du Weldenvarden. The prospect, however daunting, seemed amusing. She was leaving. Actually making forward progress into the land outside of her usual home.

She knew nothing of the world outside. Why should she? IslanzadÍ hadn't counted on her ever leaving the forest, so why should she be aware of what lay beyond? Maya had no idea who ruled the land. Was it still IslanzadÍ? If so, she had to leave, get far, far away.

As she walked, Blagden amused her by riddles and rhymes, flitting about and gathering up shiny stones and sprigs of plants. They were rare here, in the flat, bare landscape. Far, far ahead, she could see a mountain range unlike any other she'd seen. Blagden steered her away from the nearest city, finding a safe place for her to cross the huge river blocking her from the mountains – her feet were beginning to get sore after so long walking and so little resting.

Still, she forged on. She had to find food somewhere, and she a safe place to sleep. Though elves were certainly able to deal with harsh conditions, she was only a child still, and children were allowed to indulge their minor complaints.

"We approach a village,
Food must be pillaged."
Blagden observed.
Maya was forced to agree – she had absolutely nothing of value to barter with, nothing to sell, no money or jewellery. She felt bad that she would have to steal the food, but what other choice did she have? Until she found a way to earn money, or perhaps hunt and gather her own food, she would have to resort to underhand tactics.

As night fell upon the small village, she stalked the streets as silently as a cat. Peering into houses through windows, she found a butcher's shop – and the silly owner had left a window cracked open. Leaving Blagden as look-out, she slid in and unhooked a chicken breast, then gathered up several other parcels of meat and tucked them into her cloak, holding them to her chest. As Maya wrapped herself back in her cloak, she pondered on what IslanzadÍ would think of her now. She had always disliked –hated even- Maya's preference for meats, it was just one more thing to add to the never-ending list as to why IslanzadÍ, her Queen, and her Aunt, hated her so. A soft noise from upstairs made her freeze, straining her ears, she realised that she had been stupidly wasting time.

The single noise changed into thundering footsteps, and a savage cry of "thief!" arose. She squeaked, frightened, and vaulted out of the window as the human crashed out of the door, meat cleavers in hand. "Thief! Thief!" He howled, causing doors to crash open. Maya fled, running faster than the humans could, but they didn't give up chasing her.

She sprinted along what seemed to be the main road, away from the village, towards the farms that surrounded the small cluster of houses. "Get back here, thief! Fight like a man!" A derisive scoff rose up her throat – fight like a man? They would fall beneath her fingers like she was plucking flowers from the ground, if she stopped and turned on them. But she didn't, as life was sacred and she couldn't bear to take their energy.

"What's going on?" She had found a small barn she'd hoped to hide in, but there was a boy there, stood outside with a pitchfork in hand. She pressed her back against a wall of hay, raising a finger to her lips and brushing her hair out of the way. Her fingers traced the scar on her temple and she winced. The boy stared at her as the villagers approached, and then glanced away. She disappeared with a flicker of her dark cloak, Blagden flying ahead.


Ancient language used in this chapter:

Kausta – Come

Sharjalví – Move

Letta – Stop

Done. Chapter two, finished! And now, I hand you over to the lovely PsychoSammi for her rendition of the events following Maya's escape from Du Weldenvarden. See you on the other side! CJNova xXx