So, here's the second chapter. I'm not sure how long the chapters should be—I can only type so much because of my schedule, and I don't really want to leave you hanging. I'll try to fit as much as I can in each chapter.
December 04, 2012: I made minor revisions and tweaks to this chapter. Don't worry, just a couple of added details, word changes, and corrections.
April 25, 2013: More revisions, corrections, and additional details.
November 14, 2013: More detail, revisions, what have you!
February 15 and June 30th, 2015: My writing style transformed somewhat, so I'm revising everything once more.
PLEASE REVIEW! I can't stress this enough, guys. I want feedback, critique—I wanna know what you think about Maerwin!
So yes, please, please, please review. That would make me incredibly happy, and motivate me to write more.
Maerwin watched from a balcony high above the palace entrance, her hood pulled over her head to conceal herself.
The twins had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense agents for hours now. Nuada paced up and down the floor with his hands laced behind his back while Nuala stood by quietly. Maerwin was feeling unnerved as well. She was uneasy, hoping the crown piece would not reach Nuada's hand.
His intentions were just, she could see that. It was tough watching her people fade into obscurity, but Maerwin didn't feel vengeful for it. Like Nuala and King Balor, she knew what horrors would be unleashed if the Golden Army awakened once more. As the soulless, mechanical soldiers did not discriminate in their killing, it was clear that both elves, humans, as well as any living creature on the planet would be poorer for it. The world would barely be able to recover from their relentless slaughter.
They waited several more hours until the BPRD agents appeared. And goodness, they were taking their sweet time to walk up the palace steps! The dark elf took this opportunity to observe them quietly, her eyes flickering from one figure to the next.
The most attention-grabbing was Anung Un Rama, the Beast of the Apocalypse. Maerwin heard that he didn't go by it, instead coining the name 'Hellboy' to better familiarize himself with humans. He even was accustomed to filing down his horns. For what reason? Perhaps it was to make them appear less daunting. That, or they got in the way of daily activities. She wanted to look closer at his right hand, but from his movements she could not get a clear view.
It looked as if he had taken up a human mate, as well.
Maerwin was extremely fascinated at how close he and the only female of the group interacted. The two stayed close, keeping themselves within arm's length of each other. At first glance, the petite woman didn't appear to have powers, but from witnessing it firsthand in the city after Nuada had summoned that Forest Elemental—yes, Maerwin had been tracking them for quite some time now—she knew that this woman had the ability to conjure flames from her body. It was a fitting power alongside her lover, the fireproof hell demon. Maerwin admired her tenacity when she tried to reason with public that night, and wondered if they'd get along if they were to meet.
With them was a peculiar suit that looked eerily similar to 19th-century diving ensemble. There was not a person inside, but a wispy gas that seemed to be controlling the outfit. Strange... Maerwin vaguely recalled reading about teleplasty, but she'd never seen it so closely until today. How long had he been in that state for? She guessed around a decade, give or take. It'd make a fascinating conversation, that's for certain.
And lastly, a fish-like creature that went by the name of Abraham Sapien. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the person who'd captured her lady's interest. By the looks of it, he was a tall and lanky fellow with large, black eyes, whose skin was slick like a bluefin tuna's. Maerwin wondered what made him so special as to earn Princess Nuala's affection. The princess was a very talented and intelligent woman, whose kindness was given to all but favor given to few. He must be extraordinary, Maerwin mused.
The thought of the princess and him made Maerwin feel... well, that wasn't important. What was important was the fight about to ensue. And such a feeling of dread passed over her when this Abraham revealed the final crown piece and tossed—willingly!—it to Nuada. Maerwin's breath caught in her throat. Why, on earth, would Nuala be so fond of him when he's stupid to make such an ill-advised, dangerous decision?!
It was no matter, there were more pressing issues at hand. The Golden Army was to come to life, after all.
It was after the struggle to fend off the golden soldiers and after Hellboy's battle against Nuada that the princess watched as her brother rise from the floor. Through their twin connection she felt his darkened heart reach toward the dagger hidden in his robes. In response, she quietly unsheathed her own from her sleeve.
Nuala knew what she had to do. She realized her brother would never come around. It was a desperate, fleeting hope of hers that Nuada would realize that the extinction of humans wasn't going to save their people but bring an era of bloodshed, darkness, and pain.
She wished that he'd stop all this nonsense and return with her to their people to fade as one into darkness. Now, it would never happen. Her people would fade on their own, lost and leaderless. Their culture and history would be nothing more than a tragic legend for mankind's fairytale books.
Positioning the blade's tip to her abdomen, she stole a longing glance at Abraham. Her heart ached, and tears began to gather in her eyes.
I'm sorry, Abraham. It was not meant to be.
Just as she was about to plunge the dagger into her body...
"No!" A voice shouted from the heavens, startling everyone in the room. All looked up in harmony to gaze at the dark silhouette that appeared seemingly out of thin air. Even the soldiers of the Golden Army lifted their mechanical heads to spy the figure above, who was difficult to make out from the shadows. They were standing on a balcony's ledge, more than fifty feet above the palace floor. Their hooded head was turned to look directly at the elven princess on the platform below. "You mustn't kill yourself, your highness."
Nuala stared hard at the figure. That voice... it sounded oddly familiar.
Nuada, startled, lowered his hand that was raised to plunge the knife in Hellboy's unsuspecting back. He turned his head to where his sister was standing—and his heart sank when he saw that she was holding a blade to her body, poised so the dagger's sharp tip touched the fabric of her bodice.
"Sister," he started, his voice filled with sorrow. He abandoned his weapon, allowing the dagger to fall out of his hand. The metallic 'clank' of it hitting the floor drew all attention to him, but he paid no mind. "You would give your own life to save them? These humans? After what they did to our people?"
His question fell on deaf ears, for Nuala's mind was elsewhere. She had her head craned back to gape at the dark figure, her mouth agape and her brow furrowed. Her eyes strained to identify them through the darkness that shrouded the individual, but to no avail. They were much too high, and the cloak obscured her vision.
Her mind raced. She searched through her memory to place that voice. It was so very familiar... Where was it from?
"You, my lady, are a very beautiful woman..."
When she finally placed that voice, a smile appeared on her pale face.
"...Maerwin?" she called out, "Maerwin, is that you?"
At the mention of the dark elf, Nuada turned his head once more at the shadowy silhouette with disbelief written all over his face.
[✿ ✿ ✿]
She had been quietly watching the entire time. She witnessed the BPRD agents fend off the Golden Army and the struggle between the elven prince and Anung Un Rama. She noticed Nuada rising from defeat, recognizing that sinister look on his face. It was a look that most definitely gave his intentions away.
She also, out of the corner of her eye, saw the princess unsheathe a hidden dagger from her sleeve and press it to her body.
Maerwin felt a stab of dread and panic when she realized: Nuala was going to kill her brother... and, at the same time, kill herself.
As warrior-priestess, it was Maerwin's duty to preserve the sons of the earth and keep their culture alive. This was exactly what Nuada was seeking too; naturally, a person would think that Maerwin would fight alongside the Prince. The difference between the two was that she didn't believe that the extinction of the human race was necessary—she cared little for them. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with them. However, it didn't justify killing them in any way, shape, or form.
On one hand, Prince Nuada's death would mean that the humans were no longer threatened with full-scale genocide. On the other hand, if Nuala died, it would surely lead to the demise of their people. The Bethmooran elves would not have anyone to look up to for guidance. It wasn't as if someone could just step up in their place! It was an unspoken law that only royal blood could rule. Few elves would listen to someone who was not of royal descent.
If Prince Nuada died, the threat of human genocide would cease. If Princess Nuala died, all hope for elvenkind would be lost. More so, Maerwin would lose her forever...
Was she really going to stand by, silent, while the princess took her own life?
"No!" The words poured out of her mouth before she even realized what was happening. "You mustn't kill yourself, your highness."
Oh. Oh, oh no. Now everyone was looking at her. The only thing Maerwin could do was stare back and hope that she was far away enough that they could not determine her gender, though her voice might have given them a hint. She kept still, though her hands were twitching from the urge to duck into the shadows. Her body tensed with the notion to hide, but instead she stood her ground.
The air was suffocatingly stiff with anticipation when Nuada spoke. "Sister... You would give your own life to save them? These humans? After what they did to our people?" There was anger in his tone, but mostly despair. Maerwin empathized with him for once; to see the princess in such a situation was heartbreaking indeed, and there was possibly no other who was as selfless and caring as her. The dark elf kept her eye on the dagger in Nuala's hand, still fearing that she would follow through with suicide.
"...Maerwin? Maerwin, is that you?"
The dark elf blinked owlishly when the princess called out her name. How could she have figured out it was her? Maerwin had her hood pulled over her head, and her skin made the perfect camouflage in the shadows she was lurking in. There was at least a four-story distance between them, for goodness sake! Granted, she didn't mask her voice when she spoke, but it had been centuries since they last spoke to each other.
Even from the height Maerwin was at, the tears glistening in the princess's eyes were noticeable. Just the sight of tugged at Maerwin's heartstrings—really, it'd tug at anyone's to see such a lovely and gentle woman cry. As it seemed, there was no other option but to swoop down from her perch, to comfort her and wipe her tears away. Her identity was compromised and now her plan of acting as a faceless, nameless, and unidentifiable guardian angel was foiled. It was time to reveal herself. Perhaps, she could even mend this mess her brother made.
Maerwin disappeared into the shadows, retreating towards the balcony's entrance and sidling down the winding steps. She stepped onto the platform where Nuala stood, pausing to stand in the shadow of the doorway. The princess was facing away from her, her eyes still searching the balcony above. One by one, the others on the floor below took notice of her, taking in her cloaked figure with suspicion. The BPRD agents still had their weapons drawn, clearly anxious if this stranger was a friend or foe. Defeated and without a weapon, Nuada stood with crossed arms and watched the figure with knowing, distrusting eyes.
When Nuala noticed the presence behind her, she turned to see who it was. It was then that Maerwin removed her hood, her face coming to light. Her grey skin, with markings across her forehead, cheekbones and chin, was a strange sight to those from BPRD. At the same time, it was an all too familiar one for the princess.
"My lady," the dark elf greeted ceremoniously, stepping forward to bow, as customary when one met with elven royalty, before sneaking in a warm smile at the look on the princess's face. It was a mixture of shock and happiness. For a moment Nuala was speechless, one hand clasped over her mouth while the other held the dagger's handle with a vice grip.
"Oh, Maerwin!" Nuala suddenly cried out, dropping the dagger to embrace her childhood friend.
The dark elf wrapped her arms around the princess and planted a kiss on the side of her head. She snuck a familiar whiff of her perfume, a natural, floral scent with a hint of earthy tone. The scent brought comfort and stirred up old, fond recollections of their shared past. Her chin trembled at the sight of the fallen dagger on the floor and at the thought that, if just seconds too late, the woman in her arms might have begun turning to stone. She swallowed back tears, keeping a straight face towards the rest of the group.
Relief filled the air as Nuala released the weapon she was about to use to kill herself—and also confusion. To say the least, it was an odd sight for the BPRD agents to see her act so affectionately with... well, anyone. They didn't know who this woman was, or where she came from. She was a complete and total foreigner. Her skin, the color of the night sky, was a new and unusual sight.
And Nuada? He was too busy giving the dark-skinned elf a sneer. Maerwin gladly returned the favor, and narrowed her eyes right back at him.
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