3:

Awakening

That pulling feeling had returned, stronger than ever this time, only he could not tell which way it wanted him to go. The Warrior found he could hardly think anyway, struggling just to keep his breathing steady. He could not understand what was wrong with him.

After a short time of warring with his own feelings, he decided that the most trusted option for him to take was to leave the serenity of the gardens and return to the palace. Without looking where he was going, he took a step back, turning around, only to find that he had placed himself on a collision course with another's path, and the two walked straight into each other.

For a surreal moment, their surprise and confusion kept them still, and the seconds froze as their gazes found and held each other. Finally, that pulling feeling that had haunted them for all their lives was gone. That feeling of freedom was almost as incomprehensible to them as was the lack of it, and they found the moment lasted longer than it should have.

Nuala stared more in amazement than confusion. She had never looked at another of her kind and thought them to be beautiful before. This the Warrior certainly was to her; perhaps because he was as different from the others in appearance as she was, if not more. His eyes were almost as orange-red as hers, though still a little more yellow, and his eyelids and lips were as black as hers were red.

It was hard to believe she had seen through this man's eyes, felt his pain, watched his dreams as if they were her own and yet he still did not know her. Looking into his eyes she could not recognise any emotion where ordinarily she could have discerned much from a person's expression. She felt as though she needed to know, to understand, and her hand began to ache with the need to touch his, so that she could hear what he felt.

"My apologies," the Warrior murmured, his low voice gentle as he steadied the princess automatically, and then quickly let go of her arms, stepping back, feeling as though tiny sparks were going off in his fingertips where he had touched her. His next thought was one of wonder; he had not wanted to let go, but manners had insisted that he did.

"N-no…don't apologise…I should have been looking where I was going, I am sorry," Nuala insisted, her voice barely above a whisper as she glanced away nervously. Even as she spoke, he was moving back, and her fingertips briefly touched his palm. Thoughts of awe, of amazement and…she tried not to think about such ideas, but a smile found its way onto her face anyway.

"You live here?" he said it more as a statement, but Nuala nodded anyway, and his expression became one of a strange kind of amusement, "Yet you are not a healer, and certainly not a servant."

"No, I am not," the princess replied quickly, her chin tilting proudly. Still, she was glad the colour of her clothes did not betray her true identity – after all, would he be willing to speak with her if he knew she was royalty?

"I have offended you," the Warrior noted, and his expression darkened. Despite the stirring up of her pride, Nuala felt her heart race; no one had ever looked at her like that, "I am sorry…for the second time," and he bowed his head briefly, pale hair shimmering silver in the moonlight.

"I will accept your apology. You are after all a warrior," the princess paused, half-smiling, enjoying the way his eyes flashed at the suggestion of how that rank might affect his command of manners, "And as such you have fought hard for the realm."

"And I will allow your cruelty," his smile – an expression that was barely noticeable at all, showing more from the gentle look in his eyes than anything else – betrayed his lack of sincerity in regards to that accusation, "Simply because my own words were…misguided."

The distant footfalls of the night guards alerted Nuala to the fact that the rest of the world still existed, and she glanced over at the glimmering light nervously. She could not risk them seeing her, not when Ethlinn had told her to stay in her room that night. Unthinkingly, she began to step back towards the passageway of trees, and then glanced back at the Warrior.

"You must leave?" he asked knowingly, his eyes straying pointedly towards the guards.

"Yes," the princess sighed – why was she so saddened by this? She and this warrior had barely spoken a – civil – word to one another! How amazed she felt at the emergence of so many new emotions.

"But you will be here again tomorrow?"

"Certainly," she smiled; there was nothing she wanted more!

"Then goodnight…until then," the Warrior added with a smile, "Don't let them catch you!" he laughed slightly as the princess turned towards the trees and vanished into the night.

The next few days passed as if in a dream, where every evening was spent together. Nuala was amazed by how much peace these meetings gave her, and yet could not help feeling uneasy about the way Ethlinn had reacted when she discovered the identity of the Warrior. It was for this reason that she found herself strangely unwilling to learn the name of her new companion – would it somehow tell her of why the healer had been so shocked…horrified, even? The princess was not sure if she wanted to know why that was.

Above all things, Nuala felt confusion at the happiness the presence, and the company, of the Warrior gave her. It was with shame that she admitted she forgot even about the death she had seen, when she was with him. Similarly, it was almost with fear that she felt the pounding of her heart every evening when she knew it was not long before she would see him.

The Warrior had brought about so many sudden changes in her; she could feel excitement, and, more strangely, she could speak with him without awkwardness or the need to distance herself. He had the power to make her smile, to make her laugh, even. She wondered if she had the same effect on the Warrior, and found herself hoping it was so.

This was all so new to the princess, because she had not felt such happiness since she was a child. Nuala knew no explanation for why she had lost so many emotions as she became older, or why as she began to lose her happiness the strange pull had strengthened, calling for her to seek out…him. She knew that at least. They were definitely linked in some way, but the explanation for this, too, was unknown to her.

Despite her uneasiness and her confusion, the princess found herself increasingly in anticipation of her evenings with the Warrior. This eagerness made her feel as if she were a stranger to herself, and yet it also lightened her heart and her spirits. So it was that she was glad that these twilight ventures had remained unnoticed – as ever, no one thought to take note of her as she passed them. All but the fairies, of course, who seemed to understand far too much for her liking, giggling and pointing as she went by them, whispering amongst each other with excited voices.

Often, the princess and the Warrior would speak very little, and yet still enjoying each other's company. One particular night of this sort was one Nuala found herself replaying over and over again in her thoughts. It was just one simple moment, one moment of clarity in the Warrior's unreadable mask that had both surprised her and filled her with emotions so unfamiliar she was surprised she recognised them at all: exhilaration and delight.

The princess had been standing by his side, caught somewhere between the beauty of the sunset she was watching and trying not to concentrate too hard on the fact that every so often, their arms would touch. Finally, the sun had sunk below the line of trees, and Nuala had looked around to see his eyes already upon her. His expression was so gentle, so honest in a way, showing all the emotions she had sensed from him when they first met…and more. She had smiled at him, a little self consciously, feeling her heart rate increase as in response he simply touched a fingertip to the back of her hand, very lightly and just as briefly.

Other times they had spent all night just talking, learning of each other's lives. And yet still they remained oblivious of each other's names, and of their real standing in the Elvish society. The mystery of the Warrior was one that was forever in Nuala's thoughts; she did not know that he lay awake all night, often just thinking of her, just as she did of him.

Inevitably, however, it was only a matter of time before the new pattern of their lives was disrupted. For one day a terrible storm descended upon the land, rain hammering to the ground seemingly with the force of thrown spears, wind howling through the trees almost with enough force to fell them. The palace of course remained untouched by the chaos, but the gardens were out of bounds, and Nuala found herself sitting helplessly in her room, alone that evening, as the storm raged on. She hardly slept that night.

The next day she rose from her bed, glad to see that the sky was clear and there would be no more chaos. Still, she was restless, unable to sit still for long when her thoughts were forever on him, and eventually the princess escaped from notice to try and walk off her unrest through the palace.

Nuala was paying little attention to her surroundings as she wandered aimlessly down the familiar passageways and through the corridors of trees she knew so well. So it was with some surprise that she came upon a place she did not recognise: a small glade, awash with the bright morning light. She was about to retrace her steps, to work out why she did not know this part of the palace grounds, when she saw him, and instead of walking away Nuala found herself pausing in the archway of trees that led to the clearing.

Standing there, watching him, the princess was mesmerised. She found it hard to believe how beautiful he made every action, turning a fighting routine into a dance. He twirled the spear effortlessly through the air, his long hair flowing out behind him as he spun in midair, landing with his back to the princess, his face turned to the side, the spear tip pointing outwards to the right while he used his free hand for balance. It surprised Nuala to admit that this was the most graceful pose she had ever seen. Then he broke into movement again, the strong muscles of his bare back rippling as he spun around.

The second he saw her, he smiled, spinning the spear around and around in one hand as it lost its momentum, then settling it slowly on the grass-covered ground beside him and gesturing for her to enter.

"I'm not intruding?" the princess asked tentatively, stepping over the threshold anyway.

"Of course not," he promised, and she smiled in relief, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh…not long. I've never seen a dance more beautiful."

"Or deadly," he reminded her darkly, and the princess nodded reluctantly, "Did you lose your way? This is not a place I would expect to…find you," he noted, turning around, and Nuala's heart rate increased suddenly as her eyes were drawn to his powerfully muscled chest.

"Yes," she managed to say quietly.

"Then I am glad you lost your way to me," he smiled, and when he said it his dark ochre eyes shone. Nuala was about to return the look when she saw the scars, several of them, streaking his upper arms. She could see a long, curved, raised line on his left side, just below his ribs, with another crossing diagonally over his chest from his left shoulder.

"Those scars…they are all from battle?" she gasped, approaching automatically, reaching out as if by touching him she could take away the pain they had caused in the past.

"Yes," he shrugged, an action that relaxed again when the princess touched her fingers lightly to his chest, "They are no longer painful," he added softly, as her touch ran over the scar there.

"I know," she sighed, biting her lip nervously when she raised her eyes to look into his again, "I wish the pain had never been there at all," as she spoke, her hand paused on his skin, her palm resting over his heart, feeling its rhythm. Some of his thoughts found their way into hers, emotions of surprise…and pleasure. He did not understand why she had come so close to him, but he liked it.

"You would wish no one to ever feel pain," the Warrior observed.

"Least of all you," Nuala nodded, then looked away in embarrassment, snatching her hand back suddenly as she realised the contact she had made.

"This is one of the practice areas for the warriors," he told her eventually, answering Nuala's unspoken question, "You have lived in the palace all of your life, and yet you do not know this place…why is that? Why would you never come here?" he mused aloud, his eyes searching her face, and then he nodded to himself, "You are afraid of them, of the warriors," he stated softly, and the princess looked up quickly, glad when she saw no hurt in his expression.

"I…" she began, but stopped when the Warrior brought a hand up to lightly touch her cheek.

"And yet you do not fear me," he noted softly, subconsciously stepping closer.

"Never you," the princess agreed, closing her eyes as she put a hand over his, holding his touch against her face.

"Tell me your name," the Warrior whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck so that she almost forgot the answer.

"Nuala," the princess answered, her voice just as quiet, turning her face against the side of his without quite touching, but feeling the warmth and the comfort he brought her.

For a moment the Warrior was utterly still, and Nuala feared he had realised her true identity in the realm. It was with some surprise, then, that she recognised he was smiling as he spoke again.

"Truly?"

"Yes, what is it?" the princess asked nervously.

"Just a startling similarity."

"In what sense?"

"Our names…there is but one sound between them," the Warrior informed her with a slight laugh of amazement that instantly set her at ease.

"Your name?" Nuala prompted, and her companion stepped back slowly from the unusual embrace; she sensed his unwillingness at doing so, and his pleasure as her touch on his hand remained, even as he lowered it from her face.

"My name," here he paused, seeming slightly embarrassed because of the similarity, "Is Nuada."

"You seem somewhat uncertain," the princess teased, the light-hearted response coming automatically to her. She knew his name! The similarity was surprising, but it meant nothing to her, at least in the sense that she was no wiser on the subject of Ethlinn's unease.

"I could have said the same for you earlier," the Warrior – Nuada – pointed out with a smile that told the princess he had most definitely noticed the shake in her voice as she had told him her name before.

"Ah, we two nameless ones," Nuala smiled, and suddenly he was all around her. She felt his hand running through her hair, the other trailing lightly over her back, and could not suppress a sigh of contentment.

The princess had never been so close to anyone in her life. No one had ever held her, at least not in her memory, and certainly not in the way he did then! Amazement filling her thoughts, and, feeling as though the whole world had taken on a dreamlike quality, she looked up to meet his eyes. For a moment they remained that way, just looking at each other, and then they moved closer at exactly the same time. Their lips brushed only once before the nearby rattle of armour alerted the two to the fact that they were no longer alone.

Gently and yet still urgently, Nuada pushed the princess away, and she paused for only a moment, gasping. The second she heard the call of the servants announcing the arrival of the king a stricken expression came upon her face, and she darted instantly into the trees.

"Find me," she whispered over her shoulder before the veil of leaves had closed around her fully, and could only hope that the warrior had heard her.

The king had not remained long, speaking only briefly with Nuada before leaving again. The warrior had done well to keep his behaviour calm – after all, his thoughts were totally diverted from the words of the king. Once Balor did eventually go, the young Elvish warrior continued the fighting routine he had been enacting when Nuala had found him. He knew he could not simply leave the practice area; that would create suspicion in those who saw him.

This reasoning proved to have been wise – and rather futile – when Nuada spun around to see his spear collide with the blade of a familiar elf, a fellow warrior. There was no challenge in the expression of the newcomer, who had been a close friend of Nuada's in childhood. That bond had weakened considerably over the years, though they had often practiced together, and both had been injured in the same battle.

"Elatha," Nuada growled, regarding the golden-haired newcomer coldly.

Suddenly, the first warrior's hands were a blur, spinning his spear around the blade and only stopping – a split second – later when the silver point was pressed to Elatha's right shoulder. Instantly the taller, and less physically formidable, warrior dropped his sword to the ground, raising his hands in defeat.

"I surrender, old friend," he grinned, his eyes – as vivid yellow as his hair – glinting with mischief.

Then, just as Nuada had been a second before, Elatha was a blur, ducking quickly below the spear point, his ponytail of long hair swishing dangerously close to the sharp edge before he jumped to the side with much talked of nimbleness. Thinking to stop the other elf's equal – if not greater – agility and strength, he took hold of the shaft of the spear, and suddenly found himself being swung through the air to land heavily, flat on his back.

"You seem to have somewhat worsened your position, old friend," Nuada pointed out needlessly, triumphant as he tapped the flat of the spear point against Elatha's neck.

"That it would seem," the other warrior agreed with an embarrassed laugh, and that familiar sound brought a rare smile to Nuada's face, too, as he helped his friend quickly to his feet. The expression became wary when Elatha spoke again, "Who is she? The one you were with before the king arrived?"

"You saw," Nuada hissed, more out of anger with himself, turning away quickly.

"Only the form of an Elvish maid vanishing into those trees," Elatha corrected, pointing to the very spot where Nuala had last been seen.

"Then it is none of your concern, Elatha."

"You are correct, of course," the other elf acceded with a quick bow, "But still, it is good to see that the hermit among us has found a measure of companionship."

Upon hearing those words, Nuada looked sharply over his shoulder, a menacing expression once more on his face. When he saw once again that there was no challenge in the face of one he had called a friend, the look changed, and he managed to raise an eyebrow in disbelief before joining in with Elatha's laughter.

"Is that what you call me behind my back, old friend?"

"That and more," Elatha grinned unashamedly, "Come, my lord, let us join the other warriors for a time. It is good to hear an old friend laugh again after so long, and I believe they will agree with me on that."

Upon hearing the arrival of King Balor, Nuala had been quick to leave the practice areas, fleeing through the trees. She knew the rest of the palace well enough that it mattered little if she was unfamiliar with the places for the warriors, and so it was not long before she was entering her room.

Once safely inside and away from suspicion, the princess bolted the door, and then fell back against the wooden structure, gasping. A hand flying to her mouth, she was almost surprised to hear herself laugh. It was a sound of pure delight, almost like a child who has been given a treasure they had been coveting for some time. Her thoughts spinning, she allowed herself to slide down the door until she was sitting, the skirts of her blue dress rippling out around her.

The high, mischievous tittering of fairies hovering outside, then alighting silently in the window space to regard her curiously alerted Nuala to the fact that she was not alone. She stared in their direction without really seeing them, her thoughts too busy on one of the best moments of her life.

Eventually, the princess managed to recover her composure enough to stand, and finally noticed the game the little creatures in the window space were playing. They were mocking her, of course, as only fairies knew how, acting out little scenes while a third would present them to her. Somehow they already realised what had just happened, but it gladdened her to know that they had not actually seen it. Their guesses were too far out from the reality.

"Where is Ethlinn?" Nuala asked eventually, after a brief mental struggle with her pride. Her tone surprised the little fairies, and the two 'actors' squealed in fright, flitting away back into the gardens. The third creature wavered on the edge of the window space, bound by courtesy to loyalty.

"She is among the flowers in the archway gardens," it told her nervously, and was gone from sight with a little bow the second the princess waved a hand to dismiss it.

Of course Nuala knew of the place the fairy had spoken of, and made haste to the area. It was a small space of open ground connected to the palace by a ring of trees, the boughs of which had grown tangled and curved together, forming several high, splendid archways. A small, dark pool was at the centre of the chaos of colour that was the garden, with several tiny fairies and less common creatures tending to the flowers there. It took only a moment for the princess to notice the Elvish healer seated on the ground among the flowers at the very edge of the garden.

"Ethlinn!" Nuala cried, and the enthusiasm in her voice did not just make her jump, it made the healer jump, too.

"Princess," she gasped in surprise, and had only just begun to stand when her new companion sat down beside her, more cautiously now, "You look…well."

"Do I?" Nuala asked, and her voice held confusion, though her expression seemed somewhat dazed from happiness – her smile was only slight, but it showed clearly on her face, since the princess so rarely showed any emotion at all, "I feel…strange."

"How so, my lady?" Ethlinn inquired, instantly concerned.

"No, no, I am not unwell," Nuala promised quickly, and noticed that the healer only relaxed slightly, "But I do not understand the change that has come upon me."

"What change do you speak of?" Ethlinn truly did not need to ask that question – much of the answer was visible in the princess's expression, after all.

"I am not sure how to explain it," Nuala admitted, then turned to regard the healer with confused eyes, "I feel…happy. My heart pounds, and it makes me feel weak, and yet I cannot sit still…I feel," the princess cut the sentence off there, embarrassed; she had just been about to repeat her first words.

"No, I would say that is not illness," Ethlinn agreed with a slight smile, "But something altogether the opposite," she laughed when Nuala regarded her with a perfectly innocent expression, "You have found a reason to be happy," the healer explained, "A…person perhaps?" when the princess looked away quickly, guiltily, her companion nodded, smiling more, "You care for someone."

"I do not understand."

"Ah, Princess Nuala, you will understand soon, I promise," Ethlinn smiled.

Nuala did not look convinced, but in that moment she could find no room for sadness, and so simply looked away, beginning to hum. The beautiful sound surprised Ethlinn, but she did not interrupt, amazed by the way the tune made her spirits soar. After a short time, however, the princess stopped the tune, and turned to regard the healer once more.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked, and the sound was cheerful enough to make Ethlinn smile again.

"Only my brother. He should be here very soon."

"You have brother?" Nuala smiled, but the look was somehow wistful, "I wish I had a brother," she did not finish the thought, however, for her gaze had turned to the forest. Without thinking, she began to stand, bidding the healer an automatic goodbye, and heading out towards the trees.

Once she was halfway across the main garden, the beauty of the world around her struck the princess. The sun was high in the sky, setting the world ablaze with colour, and the day was filled with one long song of natural sound. Laughing joyfully, Nuala reached her arms out to her sides, as if trying to touch everything around her, and spun in a circle, marvelling at the whole world.

Despite her pause in the gardens, it was not long before Nuala was among her precious trees, deep in the dappled emerald forest. Here she finally stopped her walk, looking about herself cautiously. Then, slowly and yet with perfect confidence, she broke into the graceful, beautiful and very lonely dance of the elves.

"Never have I seen a dance more beautiful," a familiar voice told her from nearby, and the princess turned in surprise, falling back a nervous step, biting her lip almost self-consciously as she saw Nuada. Still, she could not help smiling at his reference to her earlier words.

"And this one is not deadly," she nodded, and the warrior raised an eyebrow at that, taking in her appearance from head to toe…and back again.

"I'm sure," he told her softly, approaching slowly when Nuala held a hand out to him.

The warrior had almost reached her when the princess danced back among the trees, laughing softly. So it began, the first moment of utter happiness that either had ever felt: a game of the elves where she was always just out of reach, flitting away from him as he willingly sought her. Both of them noticed that her escapes became narrower and narrower, partly out of a growing unwillingness on Nuala's part to truly evade him, and partly because the warrior was beginning to understand what she was doing. She was taking them both to the Dream Tree.

It was not long before they reached their destination, and instantly Nuala stopped her retreat, allowing the warrior to 'catch' her. That he certainly did, his hands settling gently on her waist as he drew her closer, and once again they kissed, slowly at first, but then with increasing passion, until they both fell to the ground of moss and grass.

"Beautiful spirit of the forest, take me with you," Nuada whispered with a smile before rolling onto his back to lie beside her.

The princess just laughed quietly, staring up dreamily at the canopy of the forest and thinking about how beautiful everything suddenly was – even more so than before. Then a thought occurred to her, and she glanced over to meet the warrior's eyes.

"What is it?" he asked softly as Nuala sat up, moving closer to his side and looking down at him thoughtfully.

"There is something I…want you to know," she told him eventually, "Something…strange."

"Oh?" Nuada raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing more, awaiting the princess's explanation patiently.

"Perhaps you have heard of such things before, but there is an…ability I possess," the admission was more difficult for the princess than she had expected – she had never actually told anyone before, "With a touch of my hand I can see the past of an object, or the feelings of a living creature…"

"And then how much have you learned of me?" Nuada asked, a little more sharply than she had expected him to. He sounded defensive…hurt almost.

"I…nothing," the princess whispered uncomfortably, moving back to stand on the very edge of the clearing as he sat up. Looking into his eyes was suddenly…frightening.

"Really," he sighed sarcastically, also standing, and Nuala took a nervous step back.

"I learned nothing of your thoughts," she murmured quickly, "I…I only learned of your feelings. They were so beautiful, I couldn't help myself…"

"Nuala," the warrior's tone was much gentler now, "You promised you did not fear me," he reminded her.

"And I don't…I only fear what you will think of me now."

"Then don't, because you need not," he smiled, reaching a hand out towards her, "Please come back, I am sorry."

Slowly, uncertainly, Nuala did return to the centre of the clearing, feeling relief and trust once more only as the warrior touched his hand to hers, so that their palms rested together. This time, with the knowledge of her ability, Nuada's thoughts were guarded; she could sense that he was keeping the memories of his battles from her. Still, he did allow her to sense the warmth of his emotions for her, and eventually the princess smiled, closing her eyes in happiness as they kissed again.