chapter 2. awesome. i just wanna know if any raziel fan girls are reading this. and if u r, well, u'll just about eat ur heart out. Rosaline is one lucky gal. hehe.
anyway, the last part was a pain to write. i couldn't figure out exactly what to say. so plz, if it sux, just.. well.. get over it. kay? enjoy.
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His bright eyes widened in disbelief. "My l-lover?" he stuttered. That one word brought sudden memories of when he was still a warrior priest of the Sarafan and when he gave her every spare moment he could muster.
"We were to wed the day after you were killed," she trembled.
The sudden memory of their love was too much for him to bear. He nearly doubled over in shock. Mixed emotions swirled throughout him. Unsure of which to trust, he stood and backed away from her. He stepped off the platform, his arms hanging loosely at his sides as he lifted his head and closed his eyes. How could this be? Anger and fury began growing within him. This newfound knowledge of what other happiness the cruel hand of fate had relinquished and stolen from his grasp was enough to call forth the reaver unconsciously.
"Raziel?" Rosaline inquired, concerned that she had angered him and brought him cause to hate her.
She moved as far as her shackles would allow. Raziel then whipped around, his eyes glowing threateningly at her. Ghostly green light swirled and enveloped his arm, which she knew could be none other than the wraith form of the reaver.
In fear, she took involuntary steps backwards and threw her shackled arms up to protect herself even if it would be a pitiful attempt. Raziel rushed forward, and she closed her eyes waiting for her beloved's deathblow.
However, none ever came…
A loud clash of metal rang out; the heavy weights fell to the floor. Staring at her hands, eyes wide with surprise and confusion, she fell to her knees.
She looked up at Raziel who stood before her, his claw outstretched for her to take.
"Rosaline, come with me. I will not allow fate the amusement of crushing yet another glimmer of happiness of mine. Will you come?" he questioned.
She did not reply, nor did she grasp his hand. She merely mouthed three inaudible words, eyes glowing with blood red.
A large piece of the wall, which had trapped them earlier, fell to pieces.
"Does that answer your question?" She said bearing herself more confidently than one would ever think she could. Her lips curved in a mischievous smile while her eyes glimmered with her newfound freedom.
If Raziel still possessed lips to smile, he would. He could not recall entirely her personality or the time together they spent, but he did recall why he had fallen in love with her so long ago.
He gazed at her with inquiry. She caught his eye and answered with a gesture towards the shattered remains of her shackles, "They restricted my strength."
The two turned their attention towards the opening and cautiously entered the stone room, which Moebius had made his exit. Raziel grasped the door's handle and opened it slightly. He peered into the hallway, scouting for possible enemies. The hall was bare and quiet. He pulled the door wider, and they walked out into the hallway.
"We must escape before Moebius can entrap us once again," Raziel said.
"No. More than a millennium of slavery had been bestowed upon me. My captor shall not remember me so," she said, taking on a defiant tone.
She turned to face the end of the hall that would lead her to Moebius, but before she could even take a step, Raziel grasped her arm tightly.
"He'll destroy you," he warned.
She gritted her teeth and relented. She followed him as quickly as she could but with centuries of confinement, her physical attributes had waned. Raziel was in constant fear that their escape route would become known seeing as how their progression was much slower than he had anticipated.
They had finally reached the outer gates finally reaching their exit. Nearing the gate, a cloaked figure stood in their way.
"You really think you can escape?" Moebius said with an air of amusement.
Rosaline smiled, her eyes bearing the hunger for bloodshed, much to the dismay of Raziel.
In an attempt to prevent a fight they obviously could not win, he quickly spoke, "Let us pass, Moebius."
The Time streamer scowled, "At this time, I would even allow you, Reaver, to escape from my grasp, but I do not intend on allowing you to steal what is mine."
Rosaline stood defiantly, hands glowing with power fed by her every-growing fury.
"I do not belong to you!" she shouted as she flung her arm as if to throw something.
A spinning ball of bright red light flew towards the old man, a cloud of dust and debris erupting on impact.
A smile grew on her face but vanished just as quickly as it had appeared when she heard the cackling of the old man.
"You amuse me greatly, Rosaline."
Suddenly, Sarafan soldiers began pouring out of the building behind them, distracting Moebius. Raziel saw his chance, grabbed Rosaline, and just narrowly escaped the oncoming flourish of arrows from the archers above.
They traveled quickly into the mountains, and hid in a cave to rest.
Rosaline, grateful for the time to rest, sat heavily near the wall relieving her tired limbs. Raziel gave her a look of concern, which she returned with a weak smile.
"We need to keep moving. Will you be okay?" he asked, hoping not to force her beyond her limits.
"I will be," she simply answered glad that he had not spoken of her previous mistake with Moebius.
After a small break of rest, Raziel scouted the nearby area for enemies. Soon after, they continued on their way. Although, they were well out of reach of Moebius' grasp, Raziel worried about Rosaline. He noticed her face begin to pale, and her body begin to shake. She also became increasingly clumsy. Many times he inquired of her health, and many times she replied with a smile, but it never settled his increasing worry.
The sun was slowly setting in the west, and they came upon a cliff overlooking a pristine lake, sparkling from the sun's last rays.
"Wow," Rosaline muttered to herself, a smile creeping on her face.
Exhaustion had only affected her body, not her spirit. She glanced down the cliff and stood precariously close to the edge. Much to Raziel's horror, she jumped.
"Rosaline!" he ran to the edge, fearful of what he could find.
"Raziel! Come on," he heard her call to him.
He glanced down and was surprised to see Rosaline standing on a ledge just below the one he stood on. They jumped from ledge to ledge, Raziel keeping a close eye on Rosaline. He was still aware of her growing exhaustion and knew she was in some way hiding it. A short while later, they arrived at the bottom and continued towards the lake.
"Rosaline, you're trembling and shaking more now. Are you really all right?" he asked.
She looked at him and forced a smile, "I'm all right. Stop worrying."
Distracted by Raziel's question, she tripped over a branch that was in her way. She braced herself with her arms as she fell. She felt the branch's rough bark dig into her legs and Raziel's claw rip her clothes at his vain attempt to prevent her fall.
"Rosaline! Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm all right."
She struggled to push herself off the ground but failed. Without a word, Raziel knelt next to her, pulled her close to himself, and picked her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her.
As far as she remembered, he had never carried her like this nor had he ever been this close to her. Her face slowly began to flush, and she hoped he would not notice. She leaned her head against his chest, burying her face in his cowl. Although the cowl was tattered and torn, she had no care just then. All she wanted was to be closer to him.
Raziel neared the lake. He glanced down and saw her with her eyes closed, one hand clutching part of his cowl. He found a place for the two of them to rest and laid her down gently onto the ground, his cowl following suit. He sat close to her and watched the remaining rays of the sun disappear below the horizon.
"Raziel," he heard her mutter.
He gazed downward at her, watching her as she slept. She stirred slightly, taking small shallow breaths but soon became steady again. He brushed the hair out of her face, still admiring her. The whole journey, he wondered what possessed this woman to keep waiting for him and why she could even recognize him in this hellish state. He glanced at her hand, hoping to recover his missing cowl but discovered it still trapped. He dreaded the thought of her seeing him like such. She had already seen his deformed body, and he was determined to not allow her to see more.
Just as that thought entered his mind, he heard her stir once again, her eyes slowly opening. She pushed herself up on her arm and waited until her vision adjusted to the dark.
"Raziel? What happened?" she said sleepily.
He turned away from her, ashamed of his embarrassment.
"Go back to sleep, Rosaline," he stated blankly.
"What's wrong?" she glanced at her hand and noticed how she clutched his cowl. "I'm sorry. Here," she handed it towards him.
Without thinking, he turned around and took the cowl from her hand. He nearly slapped himself when he saw her eyes widen. He cast his gaze towards the ground but was surprised to feel her gentle touch as she placed the cowl around him for her.
He glanced at her in disbelief of such an act of kindness. In answer to his disbelief, she placed her head against his chest and curled her body close to him as he gently placed his arms around her.
As she drifted off to sleep once again, she whispered, almost too low to hear, a single phrase.
"I love you, Raziel."
Hearing that made him feel embarrassed of the way he acted before. This woman waited over a millennium to see him once again. It was silly to believe she would be disgusted by his disappearance.
He took a last look at her, and hesitantly but confidently whispered into her ear.
"I love you, too."