Chapter 14
Her future seemed bright as she traveled through the woods. For the first time in her life, she had seen an image of her real mother, right in front of her. She felt that she should search for her, but she also remembered that she was the only one to survive the explosion, besides Sorator. Pretty soon, she stopped thinking about her mother and started thinking about him. She never thought about how he survived the explosion until that very moment. It was dark and she took her things off her back. Maybe if I concentrate, I'll remember something, she thought. She sat there and concentrated with her eyes shut tightly, but after half an hour, all she got was a headache. Maybe I'm concentrating too hard. She opened her eyes, and saw an image projected in front of her. "This must be my home!" she said. She stood up, and suddenly, the scenery around her changed. She looked around her and saw a beautiful garden like meadow, and in the center of that meadow, she saw the giant willow in her dreams. She walked slowly towards the towering willow, feeling the grass on the bottom of her feet. As she slowly reached for the tree, she saw Sorator approach her. He was dressed in a robe of gold and he wore sandals. He took her hand, and held her tightly around her waist, with Armena struggling to release herself.
"We were meant to be together, Armena. We were meant to be together. Tell the elf to depart from our home, and we will live together forever," he said.
Armena struggled to release herself from Sorator's grasp, until his hand began to hurt hers. Eventually, Legolas came up behind her and grabbed Sorator's wrist, after he got Armena out of the way. "Let her go, Sorator," he said. His eyes displayed anger in them as he spoke.
"Why should I?" replied Sorator. "She belongs to me." Armena became infuriated and attempted to say, "I belong to no one," but her words would not come out. She tried to speak once again, but nothing would come out. Legolas eased in closer to Sorator, until they wee eye to eye, and said, "She belongs to no one." You took the words right out of my mouth, Legolas, thought Armena.
Sorator forced Legolas's hand off his, and then said, "That is not for you to decide. She is betrothed to me, and therefore, she is mine." Legolas just stood there, keeping Armena out of harm's way. Sorator rose in the air and grew black wings from his back. His garments became dark and a sword materialized in his left hand. Armena looked at that hand and realized that he had worn the anklet that she had given him before she departed. She tried to warn him, but she was still silenced. At that moment, Sorator flew down in full speed, and began to attack…
Sorator concentrated on finding Armena, but he couldn't help to think about that black out he had had earlier on. The feeling he had when he was unconscious was very familiar, but at the same time, very foreign to him. "Legolas, there is something you are not telling me. What happened when I blacked out?"
Legolas turned his head around slightly and said, "Nothing. Your energy was limited and you collapsed."
"I know you are lying. I need to know what really happened."
"It is best for you NOT to know."
"How do you know what is best for me? My life is my life and I need to know!"
Legolas stopped and approached him, his eyes mixed with anger and sorrow. "It is best for you not to know!" he said slowly. They both stared at each other for a moment, each with anger in his eyes, until they finally traveled on.
Armena found herself on the ground, eyes closed. As she slowly opened them, she lifted her head, and raced to her feet. She circled in her position, but saw only the trees that surrounded her before. She held her head and looked like she was in distress. Did that really happen? Is that how this all started? Everything has gone blurry again. Her vision became skewed, and she passed out. The vision played over and over in her mind, but she could do nothing about it. Each time she tried to speak, nothing but her breath came out. She tried to wake, but she found herself getting cold. Why can't I move? Everything is getting cold! What happened to Sorator? Why does he have black wings? What's wrong with everything?! Her mind became lost in her home, her body, stuck on the ground. Moments later, her body lay still on the ground. No motion. No life.
Sorator became infuriated with Legolas. I have a right to know why I blacked out, even though he does not want to tell me. He sped up to Legolas and grabbed his left shoulder and said, "There has to be a real reason to why I blacked out!! You have to tell me, and we are NOT—"
"I couldn't tell you," interrupted Legolas, "because that was one of the reasons that she was even harmed!!" Sorator let go of his shoulder, and looked puzzled, anger and confusion running in his brain.
"What do you mean that I have harmed her?"
Legolas walked away and sat on the ground. "You were corrupted by her anklet. Why did you put it on?"
"You never said there was any harm in wearing the anklet. It seemed like no harm."
Legolas, still angry, replied, "You never put on jewelry that of the youngest daughter. Your mind will be put under a spell that nothing can break it. The only way out of it is death."
Sorator walked over to Legolas and sat down next to him. "It is time I knew," he said. "What of my past is so familiar to you?"
Legolas turned slowly to Sorator and began to explain. It took him a long time to find the right words, but he finally said, "You are one of the survivors of Armena's peoples. The only reason you had no memories was because you were the only one who is half human. You are the only half-half being on this plain, and your human mind became corrupted by the anklet that you wore." He paused for a second, and then kept speaking. "Your lust for Armena's hand grew far more than her people could handle. You became jealous that…" He stopped. Sorator never had to ask what for because he already knew. Then he continued with, "Your human self created this other being that eventually lead to the destruction of your home."
"There's one thing I don't understand, though," interrupted Sorator, "what does this connect to the elves, or orcs as they were?"
"This, I am not sure. I still don't see a connection between you and the orcs, though it is starting to piece itself together."
Legolas felt a cold wind brush across him, a wind that was almost…dead. He took out the pendant, and saw that it wasn't as colorful as it had grown. It wasn't even as bright as the day Armena had found it. The pendant was pale and gray, and getting dimmer by the second. He took out the anklet and saw that it was turning from diamond to rhinestone. Slowly, it went through the process of turning to rock. He stood up quickly and said, "Something's wrong! Armena is in trouble!"
"Sorator stayed to the ground. "How can you tell?"
"I can feel it in the air. It's so cold and dark."
Sorator rose up to his feet. "But, how can we tell which direction she is in? She could be miles from here and it could take us days until we find her!"
Legolas closed his eyes. After a moment he saw Armena lying on the ground, pitch black. He heard the words "…help…me…" come from a faint voice in the distance. "This way!" He pointed, and then he headed west, where Sorator followed. As the two of them ran, the air became colder and felt heavy. "she is fading7! If we don't hurry, there will be no more but a heavy corpse."
Sorator stopped running. He felt the same cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it seemed to grow colder as time passed. Legolas stopped in his tracks. Half conscious, he fell to his knees, then the same black wings protruded from his back. Though his other being fought with him, his real self stayed conscious. "We have to hurry," he said, "or none of this world will exist anymore." He took flight and caught up with Legolas. He grabbed Legolas' shoulders, and they flew as fast as they could, though the other being in Sorator bean to grow stronger by the minute.
Her future seemed bright as she traveled through the woods. For the first time in her life, she had seen an image of her real mother, right in front of her. She felt that she should search for her, but she also remembered that she was the only one to survive the explosion, besides Sorator. Pretty soon, she stopped thinking about her mother and started thinking about him. She never thought about how he survived the explosion until that very moment. It was dark and she took her things off her back. Maybe if I concentrate, I'll remember something, she thought. She sat there and concentrated with her eyes shut tightly, but after half an hour, all she got was a headache. Maybe I'm concentrating too hard. She opened her eyes, and saw an image projected in front of her. "This must be my home!" she said. She stood up, and suddenly, the scenery around her changed. She looked around her and saw a beautiful garden like meadow, and in the center of that meadow, she saw the giant willow in her dreams. She walked slowly towards the towering willow, feeling the grass on the bottom of her feet. As she slowly reached for the tree, she saw Sorator approach her. He was dressed in a robe of gold and he wore sandals. He took her hand, and held her tightly around her waist, with Armena struggling to release herself.
"We were meant to be together, Armena. We were meant to be together. Tell the elf to depart from our home, and we will live together forever," he said.
Armena struggled to release herself from Sorator's grasp, until his hand began to hurt hers. Eventually, Legolas came up behind her and grabbed Sorator's wrist, after he got Armena out of the way. "Let her go, Sorator," he said. His eyes displayed anger in them as he spoke.
"Why should I?" replied Sorator. "She belongs to me." Armena became infuriated and attempted to say, "I belong to no one," but her words would not come out. She tried to speak once again, but nothing would come out. Legolas eased in closer to Sorator, until they wee eye to eye, and said, "She belongs to no one." You took the words right out of my mouth, Legolas, thought Armena.
Sorator forced Legolas's hand off his, and then said, "That is not for you to decide. She is betrothed to me, and therefore, she is mine." Legolas just stood there, keeping Armena out of harm's way. Sorator rose in the air and grew black wings from his back. His garments became dark and a sword materialized in his left hand. Armena looked at that hand and realized that he had worn the anklet that she had given him before she departed. She tried to warn him, but she was still silenced. At that moment, Sorator flew down in full speed, and began to attack…
Sorator concentrated on finding Armena, but he couldn't help to think about that black out he had had earlier on. The feeling he had when he was unconscious was very familiar, but at the same time, very foreign to him. "Legolas, there is something you are not telling me. What happened when I blacked out?"
Legolas turned his head around slightly and said, "Nothing. Your energy was limited and you collapsed."
"I know you are lying. I need to know what really happened."
"It is best for you NOT to know."
"How do you know what is best for me? My life is my life and I need to know!"
Legolas stopped and approached him, his eyes mixed with anger and sorrow. "It is best for you not to know!" he said slowly. They both stared at each other for a moment, each with anger in his eyes, until they finally traveled on.
Armena found herself on the ground, eyes closed. As she slowly opened them, she lifted her head, and raced to her feet. She circled in her position, but saw only the trees that surrounded her before. She held her head and looked like she was in distress. Did that really happen? Is that how this all started? Everything has gone blurry again. Her vision became skewed, and she passed out. The vision played over and over in her mind, but she could do nothing about it. Each time she tried to speak, nothing but her breath came out. She tried to wake, but she found herself getting cold. Why can't I move? Everything is getting cold! What happened to Sorator? Why does he have black wings? What's wrong with everything?! Her mind became lost in her home, her body, stuck on the ground. Moments later, her body lay still on the ground. No motion. No life.
Sorator became infuriated with Legolas. I have a right to know why I blacked out, even though he does not want to tell me. He sped up to Legolas and grabbed his left shoulder and said, "There has to be a real reason to why I blacked out!! You have to tell me, and we are NOT—"
"I couldn't tell you," interrupted Legolas, "because that was one of the reasons that she was even harmed!!" Sorator let go of his shoulder, and looked puzzled, anger and confusion running in his brain.
"What do you mean that I have harmed her?"
Legolas walked away and sat on the ground. "You were corrupted by her anklet. Why did you put it on?"
"You never said there was any harm in wearing the anklet. It seemed like no harm."
Legolas, still angry, replied, "You never put on jewelry that of the youngest daughter. Your mind will be put under a spell that nothing can break it. The only way out of it is death."
Sorator walked over to Legolas and sat down next to him. "It is time I knew," he said. "What of my past is so familiar to you?"
Legolas turned slowly to Sorator and began to explain. It took him a long time to find the right words, but he finally said, "You are one of the survivors of Armena's peoples. The only reason you had no memories was because you were the only one who is half human. You are the only half-half being on this plain, and your human mind became corrupted by the anklet that you wore." He paused for a second, and then kept speaking. "Your lust for Armena's hand grew far more than her people could handle. You became jealous that…" He stopped. Sorator never had to ask what for because he already knew. Then he continued with, "Your human self created this other being that eventually lead to the destruction of your home."
"There's one thing I don't understand, though," interrupted Sorator, "what does this connect to the elves, or orcs as they were?"
"This, I am not sure. I still don't see a connection between you and the orcs, though it is starting to piece itself together."
Legolas felt a cold wind brush across him, a wind that was almost…dead. He took out the pendant, and saw that it wasn't as colorful as it had grown. It wasn't even as bright as the day Armena had found it. The pendant was pale and gray, and getting dimmer by the second. He took out the anklet and saw that it was turning from diamond to rhinestone. Slowly, it went through the process of turning to rock. He stood up quickly and said, "Something's wrong! Armena is in trouble!"
"Sorator stayed to the ground. "How can you tell?"
"I can feel it in the air. It's so cold and dark."
Sorator rose up to his feet. "But, how can we tell which direction she is in? She could be miles from here and it could take us days until we find her!"
Legolas closed his eyes. After a moment he saw Armena lying on the ground, pitch black. He heard the words "…help…me…" come from a faint voice in the distance. "This way!" He pointed, and then he headed west, where Sorator followed. As the two of them ran, the air became colder and felt heavy. "she is fading7! If we don't hurry, there will be no more but a heavy corpse."
Sorator stopped running. He felt the same cold feeling in the pit of his stomach, but it seemed to grow colder as time passed. Legolas stopped in his tracks. Half conscious, he fell to his knees, then the same black wings protruded from his back. Though his other being fought with him, his real self stayed conscious. "We have to hurry," he said, "or none of this world will exist anymore." He took flight and caught up with Legolas. He grabbed Legolas' shoulders, and they flew as fast as they could, though the other being in Sorator bean to grow stronger by the minute.