The Storm Rages On
Chapter Twenty-Five
Recognition
She was standing in a wide-open plain, grasslands as far as the eye could see. Wildflowers flourished across the hills, a multitude of colors—violet, blue, white, yellow—standing out from the deep green background, like flecks of paint peppering a smooth canvas. Warm, radiant sunshine streamed across her skin, warming her, comforting her, relaxing her. In the distance she could hear the sound of water cascading down a nearby falls. The occasional cry of birds filled her ears, the exclamation point upon this natural wonder into which she had been transported.
"I'm dead." Valanda realized she was surprisingly calm at this revelation. She did not deny it, did not protest, did not attempt to barter for her life. A sense of peace as she had never experienced before washed over her, filling her soul with comfort. "If this is what death is like," she thought, "then I'm not afraid. It's . . . It's beautiful!"
Valanda was jolted from her thoughts by the sounds of footsteps approaching her, the grass behind her swishing softly as boots disrupted its rest. She turned, squinting in the brilliant sunlight, trying to identify the figure before her.
It was a man: tall, short blonde hair, his face lined with creases from years of stress, yet his body still firmly muscular, virile, full of life. Valanda moved toward him, unable to see the details of his face due to the shadow lying upon it. Something about him seemed familiar, and yet she could not identify where she had seen him before.
"Who . . . Who are you?" she asked softly. "Where are we?"
The man smiled. "This is Paradise. One form of it, anyway." He looked at her. "I've been waiting to see you again for such a long time. Although, I've only just arrived here recently."
Valanda looked at him, confused. "I . . . I don't understand. Have we met before? You look . . . You look so familiar. But I can't place it . . ." She racked her brain, trying to discover the man's identity. "Who are you? Please, tell me."
The man looked at her. "I thought you had died a long time ago," he whispered. "When I heard what had happened to you . . . that you and your daughter had died in childbirth, I . . . I lost myself." His eyes darkened. "I did horrible things because of my anger. Terrible, despicable things. That is why . . . That is why I have only just arrived here, even though I have been dead for several years. I had to atone for my sins, to be cleansed from them, before I would be worthy enough to enter these sacred lands."
He ran his fingers over her wrist, his touch gentle, delicate. "But you. You are one of the few who have ever been granted immediate access to these lands. Your soul is pure, your heart uncorrupted. You . . . You are everything I remember about you, and more."
Valanda's mind was overwhelmed, struggling to make sense of the man's cryptic words. "I . . . I don't understand! I didn't die in childbirth! Nor did my daughter! I mean, I would have died if it hadn't been for . . ." She stared at the man, desperately attempting to recognize him. "How do you know me?" she asked. "Why are you so concerned for me? Who are you?!"
The man moved closer, his face no longer shrouded in darkness, sunlight causing the icy blue of his eyes to shine with radiance. His eyes!
Valanda sank to her knees, shaking her head in disbelief. She had only ever seen one man with eyes as pure as those before her now. "It can't be," she whispered, her hands trembling. "You . . . You can't be him! This is . . . This is . . ."
The man knelt beside her, bringing his fingers to her cheek. "I want you to know," he said softly, "that there was never anyone else after you. Elsa's mother . . . I did not lie with her. I sired her through magic alone. You were everything to me, my Valanda. My only love . . ."
Valanda could deny it no longer. She threw her arms around the man, passionately kissing him, pulling him close to her, refusing to let go. Finally breaking away from his lips, she cupped his chin in her hand. "Oh, Isarn!" Tears fell from her eyes as she gazed upon the only man she had ever loved.
Isarn ran his hand through her fiery hair, marveling once more at the emerald glory that was her eyes. "I'd almost forgotten just how beautiful you are," he murmured. He shook his head. "I never should have believed what I was told. I should have gone into the mountains myself. I should have endured your mother's wrath for the sake of finding out the truth!"
"No," Valanda shook her head. "There is nothing you could have done. I would have died after giving birth to my . . . our daughter if it wasn't for Mother. I needed to be sealed away in order to heal. We . . . We could never have been together."
Isarn shook his head. "But our daughter, Valanda." He looked at her, his eyes begging for her to understand. "I didn't know she survived. I swear! If I had known, I would have fought through all the fire your mother could have unleashed in order to spare her from her suffering at your mother's hands. She could have . . . She could have grown up happy, Valanda! She wouldn't have had to endure what she has been through if I had only—"
"Shhh!" Valanda pressed her finger to Isarn's lips, silencing him. "You have already helped her. Your other daughter saved her. She gave her a new name, a new life. Your Elsa has brought our Alúvelin back from the darkness."
"Alúvelin . . ." Isarn allowed the name to echo in his ears, absorbing the beauty of his daughter's title. He smiled. "Of course Elsa would have named her that. Just like the old legends . . ."
He turned back to Valanda, his eyes darkening with sadness. "Valanda, I need you to listen to me. We don't have much time together. I need you to hear me."
Valanda looked at Isarn, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "We have eternity now, don't we? We can be together forever, just like we always wanted!"
Isarn shook his head. "It is not your time to rest yet, Valanda. You are still needed in the realm of the living. Your family needs you. Our daughter . . . She needs you. You must go back."
"No." Valanda took Isarn's hand, refusing to let go. "If I have to go back, you are coming with me. I am not going to lose you again!"
Isarn brought Valanda's hand to his lips, kissing her fingertips. "I wish I could go with you," he whispered. "But my time has passed. I am needed here now. Before you arrived, I . . . I was given my task by the Almighty Himself. He has a special purpose for me here. I cannot abandon His sacred charge, not after He has forgiven me of all my transgressions."
"I . . . I don't believe this!" Valanda could not stop the tears from flowing down her face. "Why? Why bring us together once more, only to tear us apart?! What good does that do?!"
Isarn ran his fingers through Valanda's hair once more. "The Almighty has a plan for all of us, Valanda. I spent most of my life trying to run from that. I see now, however, that I was foolish. I have done what I needed to do on the Continent. I met you. I fathered two incredible daughters. I repented of my sins. Now, I must do the will of my Father."
"Please!" Valanda's voice was hardly audible, her face stained with tears. "Just a few more moments! Please!"
Isarn embraced the brann wielder princess, refusing to let go. "I will be waiting for you, my Valanda," he whispered in her ear. "When the time finally does come for you to join me, I will be right here, ready to greet you."
He kissed her once more, his love pouring through Valanda's very essence. After what seemed like hours, he broke away, smiling sadly. "Tell Elsa . . . Tell Alúvelin . . . Tell them their father is proud of them. Tell them to be strong, to always follow the goodness within their hearts." He pulled a lock of hair from Valanda's eyes, letting it lie across her brow. "I love you," he murmured. "Never forget me!"
Valanda reached forward to take Isarn's hand one last time, but the whole world around her was fading away. A brilliant light overwhelmed her vision, blinding her. "No!" she cried. "Isarn! ISARN! I LOVE YOU! ISARN!"
Her entire body was spinning uncontrollably. She felt herself hurtling through space, as if crossing a great distance. She cried out as, without warning, she suddenly stopped moving, and—
AN: This chapter was one of the primary reasons I wanted to write this story. I wanted to finally give Valanda and Isarn their reunion, even if it was only temporary in death. Now, however, Valanda can be at peace with herself a bit more, as she knows Isarn is waiting for her when it is truly her time to pass on. More to come!