Chapter 8 – An Unwanted Intruder
Wherein Erik defends Aura in a rather unconventional fight
Aura let out a gasp as she recognized Carlotta coming toward them. She was in an awful rage right now, and looked more hideous than ever!
Erik boldly stepped forward. "What do you want with my beautiful, beloved Aura?" he demanded.
Carlotta snarled as she continued to advance. "Shea trieda toa destroya mya joba and mya singinga! Ia ama thea stara herea, nota thisa horriblea, wretcheda, uglya thinga!!!!!!!!!!! (She tried to destroy my job and my singing! I am the star here, not this horrible, wretched, ugly thing!)"
Aura shivered and huddled against Erik. He put his arm protectively around her; it felt so warm and safe and protected and romantic!
"You have no business with her," Erik said in a deep growl, which still managed to be incredibly hot despite its clear sinisterness.
Carlotta narrowed her eyes and splashed clumsily closer. "Yesa, Ia doa! Ita isa youa whoa havea noa businessa witha hera! (Yes, I do! It is you who have no business with her!)"
Erik whipped out his Punjab and showed it to Carlotta. "Do you really want to know what this feels like?"
Carlotta recoiled in fear, but then blinked it away and moved forward again, splashing through the water more noisily and clumsily than ever. "Ia don'ta carea! Youa area foolisha! (I don't care! You are foolish!)"
"No one threatens me!" Erik declared, proudly thrusting his chest out. Aura nodded to affirm his declaration, though she was rather distracted by the rippling muscles that were now clearly displayed.
"Anda noa onea threatensa mea! Leta mea takea carea of hera! (And no one threatens me! Let me take care of her!)"
"No!" insisted Erik again, once again whipping out the Punjab lasso threateningly.
This continued on for what must have been hours. Carlotta insulted Erik and Aura with every imaginable name, insult and false accusation that was imaginable, and Erik bravely defended both himself and Aura from Carlotta's horrible attacks.
This was all incredibly exciting to Aura for a while; she loved getting to watch Erik defend her. He was so hot and good-looking and romantic and all-around perfect while doing it that she scarcely even paid attention to anything else.
Just when she was getting bored of the fight, it finally took an exciting turn. Erik and Carlotta were barely inches apart, and Aura could feel Carlotta's hot, disgusting breath on her bare neck and shoulders.
Suddenly, with a particularly loud and nasty insult, Carlotta grabbed Aura and threw her away from Erik.
Aura nearly fell, but was harshly held up by Carlotta's sharp fingernails. "Let me go!" she cried, but Carlotta's firm grasp on her wrist only grew more painful. She looked imploringly at Erik, using her incredibly long, black eyelashes to make her shimmering, star-like eyes as large and sad and pleading as possible.
Erik looked at Aura in horrified concern, then back at Carlotta. "No one touches my Aura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed.
He rushed forward and thrust his fist at her head, but she blocked it with her leg while using her free arm to punch him directly in the stomach. Erik curled over, but not without hitting Carlotta's shoulder. Carlotta kicked Aura in the shins with a pair of sharp shoes, then used those same shoes to kick Erik repeatedly in his side. Erik spun around and caught Carlotta on the ear with his fist, but she responded by brutally kicking him directly on his deformed cheek. There was an awful sound on impact, but Erik was right back into the fight with another hit to Carlotta's jaw.
Aura screamed in horror when she noticed that Carlotta was now focusing all of her attacks directly on Erik's deformed face, and that he was visibly weakening. She quickly darted between Carlotta and Erik, catching a particularly fierce kick in her shin.
"Don't you dare touch him again!"
"Youa sillya girla! Youa shalla nota geta ina mya waya anya morea! (You silly girl! You shall not get in my way any more!)"
Having said this, Carlotta promptly threw Aura into the lake.
By this time, Erik had fully recovered his strength, and had even miraculously half-healed himself. He glared at Carlotta and valiantly dove into the water after Aura.
Aura felt herself slipping under the water, suddenly unable to save herself. Her leg was starting to hurt, no doubt thanks to Carlotta's kick, and this had caused her to be completely immobile. Erik! Help me!
Suddenly, she felt two strong, muscular arms grab her and pull her into the sweet air above the water. She gasped prettily for air, and threw her arms around Erik. "Thank you!" she cried.
"Not now!" he reminded her, and just in time, because a candlestick had just splashed into the water beside them.
"Ha! Youa area nota soa stronga nowa! (Ha! You are not so strong now!)" Carlotta mocked, and picked up another candlestick.
"Hurry, Erik! She's throwing your candlesticks at us!"
"I don't mind losing them if I can still have you," he whispered, gently stroking her hair.
Aura smiled. "You know what I mean."
"Of course, but you know what I mean as well."
Another candlestick splashed into the water, a little closer this time.
"Come, we don't have much time," Erik said, and began swimming the two of them back to shore.
Aura watched fearfully as Carlotta picked up another candlestick and hurled it across the water. She cringed as it hit Erik's head with a thud!
A roar of anguished rage tore out of Erik's mouth and aimed right at Carlotta, pushing her against the hard wall and knocking her out.
"Erik!" Aura's shriek sounded on a pure high note that reached much, much, much, much, much higher than existed on a piano.
Erik looked up at her with sorrowful, tender eyes that were filled with endless love and pain. The wounded side of his face looked horrible by now, and the entire lake had turned red.
He smiled weakly. "It's only a flesh wound," he whispered, and fell against her shoulder.
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. She desperately pulled him the entire two feet to shore and pulled him over the edge. "Erik, you can't leave me! You can't!!"
A shadow fell over them, and Aura looked up with another musical gasp.
"Muahahahahahahahahahaa!!!!!!!" The horrendously evil laugh came from none other than Carlotta who had already revived herself and was now standing menacingly above the pitiful-looking pair. "Soa! Whoa isa strongera nowa! (So! Who is stronger now!)" she mocked.
"Carlotta, you can't do this!" Aura sobbed.
"Oha, yesa Ia cana! Anda Ia finallya havea youa! Ata lasta Ia shalla havea mya revengea!! (Oh, yes I can! And I finally have you! At last I shall have my revenge!)"
Aura gently patted her graceful white hand against Erik's healthy cheek. "Erik, please, wake up! Oh, please wake up, my love!"
The evil laugh sounded again. "Hea shalla nota wakea upa, youa sillya girla! Hea hasa finallya leta mea havea youa, anda ata lasta Ia cana doa toa youa whata Ia havea wanteda toa doa evera sincea Ia firsta meta youa! (He shall not wake up, you silly girl! He has finally let me have you, and at last I can do to you what I have wanted to do ever since I first met you!)"
"NOOO!" Aura shrieked, but this time, there was no need. Something wonderful flashed by her, and Erik was suddenly standing firmly between herself and Carlotta.
"Touch her, and you will die," Erik said in the deepest voice imaginable.
"Nevera! (Never!)" Carlotta declared, and grabbed a candlestick. Oh, she didn't grab just any candlestick either. She grabbed the biggest, sharpest, pointiest, brightest, fieriest, hottest candlestick that has ever been made.
"Erik!"
Erik whipped out his flashing sword, and clashed its blade against the candlestick. "Touch her, and you will die," he repeated.
With a terrible scream, Carlotta parried his sword and moved to attack Erik. But he was too quick for her, and blocked the candlestick with his Punjab lasso. She tried again, but he blocked her by swishing his long, flowing cape. He thrust his sword at her, but it bounced right off her. She growled and attacked him again, and yet again he blocked it with his sword. He thrust the hilt into her wrist, and she countered by stomping on his arm. He Punjabbed her ankle, and she harshly attacked his cape with her sharp fingernails while simultaneously singeing his sword with the candlestick. He attacked her face with his cape as he Punjabbed her nails, and she ran her elbow into his arm and shoved the candlestick against his boots.
He hurled the Punjab at her neck, but found it immediately burned to pieces by her candles. He quickly used his cape as an impromptu Punjab, but it burned even more quickly. She thrust the lighted end of the candlestick at his face, but he ducked just in time to miss the flames and used his sword to swipe off the bottom inch of her dress. He then sent his blade to her waist but it again bounced off, this time catching Erik in the stomach with its hilt. He staggered backward just long enough for her to slap him sharply across the face.
The slap was more than he could take, and he immediately fell to the floor, completely unconscious.
