Elliot's finger stroked his Princess's cheek fondly. The icy morning breeze made her shiver under her leather corset, making Elliot's warm arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his strong chest. He buried his nose into her soft locks exhaling the scent he knew so well.
"Only just one more day and we can finally be together." He cooed sweetly as his fingers wound themselves around hers.
Her pink lips spread into a smile that shined with the happiness of her heart. Giggling she tugged playfully as his collar, till he came face to face with her. Her lips pressed against his and his met hers in equal love.
Deep hidden in the darkness of the forest Linda watched. Her eyes glowing with evil intent and raged jealously.
Linda arouse from her bed soberly. Today was the last day that Elliot would be in her life and it instantly made her heart ache. She had carefully watched him these last couple days and knew how he and Keira would communicate. An orphanage no less they had used to secretly exchange notes branded by the seal of their love.
The orphanage Jimmy would sneak out with the letter hidden under his tattered tunic and would take it to the Princess's hide out. But now today the tables would turn, it would no longer be so innocent. This was war.
Jimmy was going about the morning with his usual bronze tasseled hair and his goofy toothy grin spread across his joyful face.
"Jimmy, Elliot gave this note to me so you could go bring it to the nice lady he's been having you send notes too. If you get it to her really fast I'll give you a piece of apple pie." Linda watched as the young boys eyes lit up with fantastic sparkles.
"REALLY!" The boy exclaimed.
"Yes but you have to get it to her quickly!" Linda smiled back, the darkness stirred deep behind her kind eyes.
"Right away Miss!" Jimmy exclaimed grabbing the letter and ran for the door. Then like that the plan was set into motion like an unstoppable clock.
Linda chuckled to herself as she exited the Orphanage and watched the boy tear down the street, till he was out of sight.
Linda then slipped the last letter through Elliot's window, the same place where Keira had placed his letters for the last couple days.
She knew that Elliot would do anything for his Princess. But what if he came to late to save her from death itself? Would he be able to do anything for her then?
A smiled spread across her lips. "He'll be back with me, soon enough. He wont have anywhere to go and he'll come back to me."
Keira watch the fiery sun lift up to the sky as if pulled by an invisible string. The rays kissed her face and she imagined Elliot's warm lips grazing her cheeks. She couldn't suppress a smile as her heart fluttered in her chest. She let her fingertips graze the side of her cheek, soon Elliot's touch would never leave her skin. She would never be separated from him again.
A familiar sound of footsteps echoed down the halls of the secret caves of her Rebellion head courters.
"Hey Jimmy, what have you got me today?" Keira smiled beamed at her little cupid messenger.
Jimmy ran up like a wild thing, panting like an ox he handed her the sealed letter.
"Good work Jimmy." She ruffed his manged hair.
As Keira opened the letter, she felt an uneasy feeling about its contents as her eyes scanned the page.
Some of the children have got exploring up to Mistpeak Mountain. They ran away sometime in the night. Please I'm begging you find them! I can't leave the children here behind. You need to go after them as soon as you get this! Please my Dear go with haste.
Love Elliot
Keira's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes scanned up and down the letter. In a whirl she gathered her sword and her pistol and headed for the door.
As she left she called out. "JIMMY LET ELLIOT KNOW I'M LEAVING RIGHT AWAY TO MISTPEAK!"
Jimmy nodded as he sat down trying to catch his breath.
Keira felt the full brunt of the cool wind as she swung her sword on her back and headed towards the mountain's trail.
Elliot's eyes opened to the sun pouring through the small hole in his musty room. A familiar sight lay on the floor, a crisp letter awaited his attention. Excitement filled his heart as he picked it up and dusted it off. He carefully opened it and read it aloud.
Elliot my Love meet me at Mistpeak Mountains at sunset, follow my footsteps. I will be waiting for you there.
Love,
Keira
Elliot could feel his heart shine from his chest. He knew that it would be the moment that they would finally be together. Today was the last day, he would spend without her and finally be reunited with her at sunset.
Elliot bathed and prepared for his last day at the Orphanage. The morning had a sense of bittersweet to it as he went about preparing the other workers at the Orphanage how to manage without him in the kitchen and such. He was sad to leave it behind, but it was time to finally be with his Love.
As he entered into the main hall he heard shouts erupting from the children. As he came into the room, he recognized Jimmy protecting a piece of pie with his arms huddled into a corner.
Jimmy screamed as he fended off the other children with a fork.
Elliot came and separated the outraged orphanages and sat Jimmy down, apple pie covered his little mouth.
"Jimmy where did you get that? You know we don't eat pie till after dinner."
"But..but...Miss Linda said she would give it to me if I gave the note you sent to the nice lady fast and I did!" Jimmy protested.
"What?" Elliot instantly tensed. "Linda said I sent a note?"
Jimmy felt like he was in big trouble and nodded shyly.
"But when did this happen?" Elliot questioned with growing fear.
"Th...this morning.. Nice lady said that she would be going right away to.. Mist Pick..." Jimmy stuttered under Elliot's inquisitive eyes.
Elliot felt a strange wave of fear wash over him. He reached from the letter in his pocket and read it again.
"Mistpeak at sunset, but why would she leave now? Is Linda planning something?" His fear turned to horror as he studied the letter more carefully. The handwriting was slightly different than Keira's, as if copied.
Horror filled his heart as he stuffed the letter back into his pocket.
"A setup..but why would Linda do this? What would she plan?" Elliot's eyes clouded over, as he was lost in his thoughts. "Linda wouldn't do anything would she?"
Elliot felt his adrenaline race through his veins as he quickly got up and raced into his room. He needed to get to Mistpeak as quickly as possible, and by any means necessary.
He grabbed his cloak and swung it over his back. He grabbed a ruby hilted dagger and it sharp blade flashed as he stuck it in his belt. Keira had given him the dagger to protect himself in case there was an emergency.
Elliot felt his head spinning with thoughts.
"But what could she be planning? What is this all about?" The questions in his mind tore at his brain, yearning for answers.
He opened the door to the Orphanage, the brittle wind whipping around his clothes. "Only one way to find out."
Keira's decent up the mountain was an ominous one. She could feel eyes peering at her through the dark trees. Which loomed over her
like centurions of the forest, their branches reached out to her trying to drag her into the dark unknown. Her sword was firmly gripped in her frigid hand.
White snow started to cover the ground as she headed up the mountains face. The frigid wind whipped around her form, making her skin sting at its touch. But she pressed on looking for the children. She saw no tracks but if she got more up Mistpeak maybe she'd see prints in the snow.
"Worth a try." She thought to herself, clamping her sword hilt tighter in her hands.
She needed to keep alert, she knew wolves hunted in these areas. But the eyes that looked back at her in the shadows seemed to be bigger than wolves, it sent chills down her spine just to imagine what lay behind the black trees
Snowflakes started to fall around her and she took every careful step on the icy ground. Until all that surrounded her was the thin trail in front of her and the white land all around. The dark haunting trees were thick and concealed everything in its boundaries. Her breath could be seen in the cold wind, as it blew fiercely around her and howled through the trees.
The wind's howling made her think twice if it was actually the wind or dreaded wolf cries.
Her hairs on her skin rose, as dark forms seemed to race by her in the dark thicket. Her eyes darted to see them but couldn't find anything but the forests trees standing frozen in the snow.
Her ears picked up a deep growling coming deep from the forest, she quickly turned to face it. But her eyes couldn't see clearly through the snow falling all around her.
A huge dark form burst from the trees and knocked Keira down to the icy ground. The hit left her head spinning as she tried to gather her senses. But the huge beast dove again at her, sending her tumbling along the frozen ground.
Keira dug her hands and feet into the ground trying to gain balance. Her eyes lifted to see the beast standing in front of her. It stood eight feet tall on its hind legs and its thick chest burst from its hairy form. It had a wicked gnarled face of a wolf, with a huge gapping mouth filled with horrid sharp teeth.
"A balverine." With that single word it sent jolts of fear through her heart, making her limbs weak beneath her.
The tales of the creatures were those of nightmares and horror stories that only mothers would tell to their misbehaved children. But the nightmare now stood face to face with the Princess of Albion.
Keira gripped her sword with her hands and stood to her feet trying to keep her legs from giving way.
She charged the creature but as she swung her sword, it leaped in the air and disappeared into the trees.
Keira whirled around trying to find where it had disappeared, but the snow covered trees hid the dark presence. Her heart almost filled with panic as she saw the brunt again jump out at her from the darkness. She tried to keep her ground but the weight of the creature sent her flying back and she hit the ground hard.
Then the jaws of the beast descended down and quickly with a swipe of her sword Keira cut the balverines jowls, making its massive heard jerk up and it let out a blood curdling howl.
Keira's palms and heels dug in to ground as she backed away from the jaws of death. All her training she had learned came rushing back into her mind, she scrambled back to her feet and made a stance against the creature of nightmares.
Its fearsome face crunched up into an ugly nasty snarl and its arms out stretched with long claws outstretched. It inhaled a deep breath and from the depths of its chest it let out a long dreadful howl that echoed through the trees the mountains canyons.
"HOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWLLLL"
Keira gave out a shout as she charged the creature. With a mighty swing her swords edge cut the creature's thick throat and the howl was cut off as thick dark blood gurgled up from its throat.
But the creature wasn't finished. It took a swipe at Keira, she dodged its wicked claws and quickly grabbed the hilt of her gun and aimed it at the creature's thick skull. She pulled the trigger and the gun powder blast exploded the bullet deep into the balverines head.
The beast crumpled to the ground and the shot rang through Keira's ears, making them deaf to everything around her.
Only the silent snow fell in front of her gently landing on the massive creature's dead form.
Then without another warning another blow hit Keira's back knocking her to the ground. Another balverine had heard the howl of the one that lay dead.
The huge weight of the creature pinned Keira down against the icy ground. Its thick claws then struck again and again against her back. The thick claws ripped painfully through her leather armor and ripped through her flesh.
Keira screamed in agony and pain. Twisting her arm back, with pistol in hand she fired blindly at the assaulting balverine.
With a snarl it retreated off of her, and she twisted around still firing at the balverine.
But to her horror there was not one but two who had come to the aid of their fallen brethren.
The two balverines stalked around her, their monstrous forms slinked around the fallen Princess.
She painfully gripped her sides as the warm crimson blood flowed over her frozen fingers. The open gouges had cut deep into her flesh, the blood dying the snow beneath her.
Wincing she got to her feet and fired at the figures which stealthily slunk back into the woods.
Keira knew they would wait for her to turn her back and they would strike again.
Slowly she backed up the mountains path, her sword in one hand and her gun aimed at the forest. The two figures guarded the path down the mountain, she was going to have fight them to survive.
As Elliot followed the path up to Mistpeak he could feel his legs aching from running so hard and long, but he refused to stop, not until he knew the Princess was safe. The rock path was treacherous and steep, but Elliot steadily kept his footing.
The cold air blew against his sweating brow and it stung against his exposed skin. But his heart beat strong in his chest pushing him forward up the mountain. The forest grew thick and silent around him. His heart beat through his ears and his breath could be seen in the cool wind.
The path wound farther up the mountain and its unrelenting steepness was exhausting. Snow gently fell and swirled around Elliot, his breaths ragged in his numbing throat.
As the snow thickened beneath him, Elliot's heart skipped a beat as he noticed foot steps in the snow.
His heart raced in his chest as he quickened his pace further up the mountain. Up the path a color caught his eye in the snow. Crimson drops led up to a pool of blood soaked in the snow and drag marks through the snow.
"NO!" Elliot cried out as his eyes scanned the pool of blood. The blood seemed to be dragged everywhere as if there was a great struggle. A figure caught Elliot's eye, which was covered in a thin layer blanketed in snow.
Elliot's breath stopped as he approached it. It seemed too massive to be human, and Elliot nudged it will his boot and the snow crumpled off it to reveal a wicked face agape with thick sharp teeth.
His heart leaped up into his throat as he jumped back away from the slain massive creature.
Elliot felt the horror rush into his heart and the fear grew in him as his eyes searched the ground for signs of Keira.
But the only sign that caught his eyes, was the trail of blood leading up the path, with giant wolf like prints following it.
"Keira! Can you hear me!" He shouted, he ran up the path following the blood as it traced higher and higher up the mountain path.
Only silence filled Elliot's numb ears. His heart was filled with dread as his fears were confirmed, that it was indeed a set up.
He cursed under his breath and drew the dagger at his side and raced up the path with his lover's blood leading the way.
Keira could feel her life slipping away but she fought back against the encroaching beasts that attacked her from all sides. She fired mercilessly at them as they encircled her and her sword flashed through the air, stabbing and swiping if they got to close.
But the blood draining from her soaked her armor and stained the ground beneath her. She could feel the beasts around her bidding their time till she was at her weakest to strike.
She couldn't die now, she must live for her Elliot. She wouldn't leave him again, not when she still had the strength in her being to keep fighting.
Then both balverines raced at her from both sides. Keira let out a shout as she drove her sword edge deep into one of the beasts heart. But the move left her unprotected on her right as the other balverine sank its teeth deep into her arm.
She let out a scream as the creature ripped its jaws deep into her muscles. It then flung her with its massive head sending her hard to the ground.
Keira almost blacked out, but she fought for consciousness and aimed her gun at the creatures face and pulled the trigger.
The last balverine let out a howl and crumpled to the ground, twitching as it breathed its last.
Keira lay half dead in the snow, her body felt broken and her life flowed out of her like a river.
"Elliot..." Her chapped lips let the name whisper gently out of her mouth. She felt her throat closing and she coughed up blood, which splatted from her mouth sprinkling the snow. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth and she could taste it on her tongue.
Her strength was leaving her body, but she dug down deep in her soul and found the strength to move her limbs. Slowly and painfully she got to her feet. Her knees threatening to buckle beneath her as she regained her balance.
As she took a step down the mountain, a heavy breathing came from behind her. Slowly turning her head, she came eye to eye with a sight that she thought was only for the fable legends.
The White Balverine can up from the dark forest. Its form towered over its other balverine brethren that lay slain in the soiled snow.
Keira slowly turned to face the approaching creature. Its fur matched that of the snow and its jaws matched that of legends. The sight of it filled Keira with fear and made her blood run thin like ice in her bruised veins.
Its giant claws inlaid at every figure tip as its jaws yielded razor sharp teeth.
Keira raised her blade and knew that this would be the end of her life.
She was too wounded, but she still had strength to put up a fight.
The creature lowered to its haunches and ran at Keira head on.
Keira aimed her blade for the creature and charged as well.
Keira dodged the swipe of its claws and she jabbed her sword into the creature's shoulder.
It let out a cruel howl and its other claws hit Keira sending her skidding across the snow.
Adrenaline raced through Keira as she got back to her feet and dodged with her head as another swipe missed her head.
Keira could feel the heat radiating off the creature above her. She thrust her sword into the abdomen of the creature and in an instant Keira felt the claws of the creature enclose around her.
Its giant grip around her crushed her ribs as the creature drove her body into the snow. Keira could feel her bones threatening to break under the pressure of the creature's strength.
Keira reached up with her pistol and aimed at the creatures face and fired the bullet. It missed the creature's forehead and hit its wicked eye.
The pressure was instantly removed as the creature drew back with an agonizing howl.
Keira leaned up and again fired at the creature hitting it in the arm. With one swing the creature knocked the pistol from her hand and its jaws enclosed down on her exposed hand.
Keira felt her arm break under the creature's strong jaws. Keira screamed painfully as she was again hurled to the ground. Her body lay limp in the snow, her mind slipping away to darkness. The pain was too great and her body couldn't take anymore. She was finished.
The creature let out another gruesome howl and triumphantly stood over the fallen Princess.
Keira's body wouldn't move as her skin grew pale from the loss of blood. She could feel the hot breath of the creature as it leaned into end her life with a snap of its jaws around her neck.
As the creature leaned down for the kill, she could hear a voice echo from the darkness of her growing unconsciousness.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!" Elliot yelled with all his strength.
Elliot drove his dagger deep into the giant creatures back. He ripped it out and drove it again and again into its thick flesh. Relentlessly Elliot drove the dagger deeper and deeper into the White Balverines back and the creature fell to the ground.
Elliot jumped on its chest as the creature let out a dreaded howl and he plunged the blood covered dagger into its beating heart. Elliot looked into the eyes of the creature as it watched him plunge the dagger again and again into its chest.
The White Balverine's howls rang through Elliot's ears as he drove his bloody hands gripping the dagger with all his might deeper and deeper into the balverine. Its howls grew weaker and weaker as its heart slowly went still. The blood flowed out from its body covering
Elliot completely in ruby blood.
Elliot sank the dagger deeper and ripped it out of its chest. Elliot then jumped off the beast and ran to the Princess's broken figure in the snow.
He fell to his knees by her side.
"No..no..no Keira please be alive!" Elliot's eyes searched his beloveds for a response. He reached out gently and lifted her head from the snow. The sight of her made Elliot choked with a sob in his throat.
Gently Elliot lifted her limp body from the bloody snow beneath her. Elliot felt the tears swelling up in his eyes as he searched her pale face.
"Please...please my Love don't leave me." Elliot's voice choked with a sob as he lifted her into his bloody arms. His bloody fingers clung around her frigid form as he brought her close to his breaking heart.
His tears drained down his bloody face and landed softly on her ivory cheeks. Elliot searched his lovers face, her eyes were slightly parted but still held a small flame of life behind her eyelids.
"I wont let you die!" He pulled her up in his arms and placed his hot cheek against her forehead sweetly planted a kiss on it.
With hope he rose to his feet and swiftly followed the blood stained path down the mountain. The Princess lay helplessly in his arms, her life hanging by a thread.
The frigid wind blew across the slain mountaintop as it ruffled the white fur of the slain balverine. Though the wounds made it bleed out all of its cursed blood its heart still beat weakly deep in its chest.
Its heart was stabbed in more ways than one. As its form slowly transformed in the crimson snow, it revealed a woman.
The stab wounds went deeper in her chest than any sword could reach, for they reached even the deepest depths of her heart.
Her blood covered her and pooled around her bare form.
She lay there still as the dead corpses that surrounded her. The setting sun started to fall into the dying horizon as the light shown the blood all around her.
She could faintly hear the sound of footsteps in the snow approaching her frozen form.
Then a pair of leather black fancy boots came into her sight. A clicking sound of a gun sounded above her from the dark figure.
"So sad that you couldn't go through our deal Miss Linda." Reaver's voice was cold but had a dark sense of humor that underlined every word. "You see the curse of the White Balverine is a rare gift that I let you acquire for the exchange for the Princess's life. But I can see you failed not only me but also yourself " Reaver tsked at her like he would a child.
"Well since the deal could not be fulfilled on YOUR side, I see I have to fulfill mine, since you failed." Reaver placed a silver bullet into his gun. "Want to know something Miss Linda? Did you know that the only thing that can kill the Legendary White Balverine is a silver bullet?" Reaver chuckled to himself and he locked the barrel into place.
"Here let me show you." As he aimed the barrel at Linda's head, he smirked and pulled the trigger.
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the mountainside. A dead silence followed and hung in the air and the cries of crows sounded across the mountain as they fled deeper into the forest from Reaver's gun.