In which Nadia Belmont learns who she really is. Enjoy. . .
He sat at the cave entrance, his back to the wall. His brown eyes fixated on the girl still sleeping even now in the early morning. His face was sympathetic but in his head questions raged. As much as the sleeping girl might have questions, he had his own as well. He knew her.
Somehow, some way, he knew who she was. Not her name, not her past, he had seen her in his dreams. In them she was in terrible suffering of such horror that her soul had cried out for help in her sleep. Somehow she had found him and clung to him, feeling immense pity for her he had taken her in close. It appeared she had no idea she he was a true soul, she thought he must have been a figment of his imagination.
In doing so she hadn't told him what trouble she was in, who she was, or where she stayed, he felt the sadness and pain though, felt it ripping through her. Sometimes, at night, he even felt extreme emotional pain coming from her. He could only imagine what she was going through. In the past thirty or so years though he hadn't felt anything and he believed her to be dead. Of course now he was sure this was that girl, he had finally found her.
What surprised him most was that the mystery woman was an Immortal. He wondered if it really was Nadia Belmont. It would make sense since she had been kidnapped by The Kurgan and then somehow managed to escape, only to disappear around the time their connection faded.
Even in her sleep she knew someone was there. She had felt them approach, but remained asleep. If they were going to kill she wanted it over and done with. When everything became quiet again she fell back into sleep. Now was the moment she began to wake up. She slowly sat up and, at first, forgot she had a visitor. When she suddenly turned to look to the eft of her she gasped in fear and scrambled to the back of the cave, which wasn't far. She picked up a rock and held it above her head.
"Don't you come any closer!" She shouted. As strong as she tried to sound strong but she failed.
He stood up and held his arms out. "I'm not here to hurt you little one. I'm here to help you." He took a few steps forward.
She squeaked in fear and then grabbed her bow and aimed at him. "I said stop!" Her tone had a thick edge of desperation. Her hands were strong on her weapon but her heart beat so quickly it hurt.
He stopped and the look he gave her was so sympathetic. She inspected him and saw that he carried no weapon. Even in the dull moon light coming in through the mouth of the cave she knew he carried no weapon, but she still couldn't see his face. Shadows covered his front side, and yet, she was sure there was something familiar with his voice. She had heard it before. . .years ago.
She stood up and aimed his arrow directly as his head. Over the years she had honed her skill in to a expert level and knew she wouldn't miss her mark.
"Back away sir," she commanded. "Go to the edge of the clearing and stay there until I call."
He nodded and carefully walked backwards so that she wouldn't be spooked by any sudden movements. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her more that she was already. When he was where she told him to go she knelt down and quickly lit a fire. Once he saw her face he knew it was indeed the girl from his dreams. His heart skipped a beat. . .
She stood up and repositioned her arrow. "Come forward to the light, if what you say is true. . .Then who are you?"
He came forward with a hopeful look on his face. Once she saw his red clothing, his grey hair, brown eyes, she froze. Her arms trembled, her mouth fell open, she gasped.
"It. . .it can't be," she said. "Y-you were only a dream."
The man stood across the fire from her. "I thought the same about you when I came across you sleeping. Only a dream."
She carefully lowered her bow. For a moment she only stared at him, trying to speak. When she found the words they were a whisper. "You. . ."
Without warning she threw down her bow and launched herself into his arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she cried shamelessly into his shoulder. He held her back and pressed her against him. Both were overjoyed to find the other. It felt as if they were old friends reuniting, when really, they never knew the other was real. Always just a dream. It was a long while before she could let go of him and looked into his eyes with tears in her own.
"Where have you been all these years? After I escaped. . .You just left me." She asked.
His eyes shone in the fire light. "I thought it was you who were gone. You appear to me one day and I knew I had to help you. And then you vanished." He shook his head. "Who are you? What happened?"
Suddenly she blanched and her breath hitched in her throat. "I was taken from my home, many years ago. I don't know how long ago. The. . .he," her breathing drastically quickened and suddenly she clutched her chest. She couldn't breath!
She got on her knees and hunched over the ground, trying to get breath through but nothing was working. That told him all he needed to know. She was the one held captive by The Kurgan, all that time ago. She was Nadia Belmont, there was no mistaking it. He instantly leapt up and forced her to straighten out, leaning back against him.
"Nadia," he said, his smooth voice was comforting as wine. "It's alright Nadia, he won't hurt you anymore. He won't find you here, with me. You're finally safe."
With those words her breathing slowly settled. It brought a peace to her, a comfort. She felt safe with this strange man and she didn't even know who he was. Of course it physically pained her to be held by a man, after her time with the monster just the sight of a man scared her near death. She slowly calmed and looked at the wall across from her.
"H-how long. . have I been away. . .from him," she spoke carefully between heaving breaths.
He looked at the ground at her feet. "The year is 1481, you've been gone for thirty years."
Her eyes went big. "Impossible. . ." She swooned in his arms and settled against him. "Impossible."
"No girl, it's very real indeed." He said gently. "You are an Immortal, you will never die until your head is removed. You are forever, like me."
"I-I don't understand," she said.
He breathed out his nose. "You will. You need to calm yourself before I can tell you what we are."
"We," she thought to herself. It brought her such an immense feeling of joy to know she wasn't alone in whatever she was. And that the man who had brought her hope was real, and apparently the same as she was, whatever she was.
"Please," she whispered. "Stay with me tonight. Don't leave me."
He nodded, "I won't leave you. I will never leave you."
With those final words of comfort she closed her eyes and let the swoon overtake her.