"Now about our future.."

Nine Years Later

"Lorilie what did I tell you about teasing the boys?" Lielay placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

"I wasn't. They started it." Lorilie said hotly.

Lielay looked down at her beautiful five-year-old daughter. Lorilie was named after Lielay's mother and that made her very proud. Lorilie had her father's brownish-reddish hair, but she had Lielay's eyes and beauty. She also had Lielay's bad temper and Albain's stubbornness. She was, in her parents' eyes, the perfect child.

"And what did I tell you about Midnight?" Lielay pointed down to the stables.

"I was just playing." Lorilie held her hands behind her back, looked at the ground, and shuffled her feet around.

Albain came out of the house and watched Lielay kiss Lorilie and send her to go play. Lielay straightened her dress and faced Albain. He walked to her and kissed her forehead. Taking Lielay in his arms, he spun around laughing with his love. The two walked down to the stables and began tending to their two horses. Lielay's black stallion, Midnight, held his head up high over his stall door. Albain's brown stallion, Traveler, switched his tail to ward of troublesome flies. The serene peace in the stables made Albain calm.

"I have to go out later Lielay, so can you keep my dinner hot please?"

"What do you have to do?" she turned to him while putting a grain bag down.

"Oh, just going to the blacksmiths, bank, and other small errands."

"Sure thing, dear." She smiled to him while petting Midnight's nose.

Caleb came through the doors carrying a bale of hay on each shoulder. A strong seventeen-year-old he grew to be. Three years earlier Lielay and Caleb crossed paths and they became a family again. He told her how he fled from the giant ogre when he was even and how he ran into the ancient druid ring in the West Commonlands and got amnesia. He also told her about how he was raided in a druid school and all about his friends he met there. He began to cry when he told his mother how he had forgotten her and couldn't remember his own name or anything when he first arrived at the druid school. Lielay embraced her son and wept with him. She was so proud that he had become a druid.

A little time after their reuniting, Albain and Caleb went to Luclin and bought two horses. Mirk had also came back, but with him was a female iksar and a nest full of eggs. Mirk and his family now lived in Kelethin and built their house close to Lielay's. Albain and Mirk still hated each other, but there was no trouble. Joshua and Birria's little girl, Kayla, played with Lorilie everyday under one of the parents' watchful eyes. Marcus and Caleb were friends again, but this time they weren't immature or causing troubles. Lielay's life was perfect; she had all her loved ones near and no harm had befallen anyone. She thought nothing would ever go wrong again, but she was wrong.

Albain kissed Lielay good-bye to go do his shopping. Lorilie squealed with joy as her father picked her up and swung her around. He put her in the house and left. Caleb watched him leave from the window and looked away when he kissed his mother. Caleb never really liked Albain; he didn't really trust him either. Caleb and Mirk talked a lot and Mirk told him all about Albain's wrong doings.

An hour or so later Lielay sat waiting for Albain to come home. It was starting to get dark. She waited another ten minutes before putting Lorilie to bed and telling Caleb that she was going to look for Albain. Caleb said he'd watched the house because he was going over to Marcus'. Lielay walked to the stables and saddled Midnight. She felt like riding before finding Albain. Her dress and hair flew behind her as she raced Midnight through the trees. She felt like a star soaring thought the sky. Her white gown shown brightly against Midnight's gleaming black coat as he galloped and jumped over broken trees and stumps. She rode to the grove where Albain and her spent lots of time together just talking.

The moonlight was bright in the clearing. Lielay dismounted and led Midnight to the middle of the grove. She turned in small circles looking up at the sky. She heard a noise in the bushes and stopped. Lifting her dress above her ankles so she could walk, she carefully crept towards the noise. She parted the bushes and saw a dark figure moving. Peering closer, she noticed it was two people. Lielay turned red with embarrassment and started to turn away. The moonlight shifted and the people became clear. Lielay's mouth dropped and her heart broke. Albain was stripped and was biting at a high elf's neck. The high elf moaned as the two moved. Albain's and the elf's clothes where thrown in the small clearing they made. Lielay began to back away slowly with tears rolling down her face. A twig broke loudly and Albain raised his head. He saw Lielay and jumped up.

"Lielay what the hell are you doing here!?" he picked up his pants and pulled them on.

"Stay away from me you monster!"

Lielay ran to Midnight and galloped as fast as she could to the stables. She put Midnight in his stall, still saddled. She picked up four saddlebags and ran to the lift. She shoved all hers, Lorilie's, and Caleb's things in the bags quickly before Albain had a chance to come home. She started for Lorilie's room, but the problem was that Albain stood blocking the doorway of their room.

"Get out of my house now!" Lielay tired to push him away.

"Your house? This is my house dear wife and your not going anywhere." He had a bottle in his hand.

"I'm not your wife anymore. Now move so I can get my child." Lielay growled.

Albain grabbed the saddlebags and threw them to the floor. He then grabbed the back of Lielay's head and pulled her close for a kiss. She kicked him in the groin and pushed him aside. Albain took her leg and pulled her to the ground with him. He punched her in the face and she jumped up. Albain was already up and again he threw her to the floor and kicked her in the ribcage. Lielay's white gown was stained with blood and tears. Lorilie hid behind the door and cried for her mother and brother. A bottle broke as Albain threw his elven wine against the wall. Bending down, he grabbed Lielay's neck and picked her up. She struggled to free herself, but it was no use, he was too powerful. She pried at the hands clasped around her neck. Lorilie screamed and ran out of the house. Lielay choked.

"You leave and take my child, you die." He clutched her neck tighter.

Lielay's eyes rolled madly in her head. She was in so intense of pain that she couldn't even think. The door broke open and Snappy, Lielay's faithful pet lion, jumped on Albain and attacked. Lielay fell to the floor. The necklace Albain gave her those many years ago, lay broken next to her. Her beautiful eyes were open and filled with hurt and pain. All that she had done all her life; it was going to end like this. She embraced death and with her last breath she chanted a spell hoping to bring Albain down with her. The walls caught fire and spread. Snappy had Albain pinned to the ground and swiped at his face. Out of his boot, Albain pulled a dagger and thrusted it into Snappy's heart. The big cat rolled off and slinked over to Lielay's side.

"I will always love you Lielay." Albain kissed her before grabbing his sword off the wall and jumping through the window onto the balcony.

Snappy laid his head on Lielay's chest and closed his eyes. His sides stopped moving and the great cat died. The flames burned and reached the ceiling. One of the rafters fell and blocked the door.

Caleb ran to the house followed by Joshua holding Lorilie tightly. Caleb casted a quick spell and ran into the flaming doorway. He covered his eyes and searched for his mother. The roof was caving in and places were blocked. Caleb grabbed a picture, the one of him and his father; he tucked it into his shirt. He spotted Lielay and Snappy in the next room, but it was impossible to get there. Wiping ash from his eyes, he began to pick up flaming pieces of wood. Slowly he made a path and threw Snappy over his shoulders and picked up Lielay.

Outside he placed Lielay and Snappy down. A large crowd had gathered and some were throwing buckets of water on the house so that the fire wouldn't spread. Joshua held Lorilie in his arms. Birria had Marcus and Kayla close to her sides. Mirk covered his mouth in horror as he saw Caleb emerge from the flames bearing Lielay and Snappy. About ten people rushed over and felt for Lielay's pulse. One shook his head and patted Caleb's shoulder. Mirk bent down and pulled the chain around Lielay's neck. It held his missing horn and he places it neatly over Lielay's bosom.

"I hate you Albain Tinderblade!" Caleb yelled into the darkness, "When I find you, I'm going to kill you! Your going to suffer for what you did to my mother!" he sunk into Mirk's shoulder and cried.

THE END