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A Love Not Forgotten
Chapter Three: Angela's History
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"Though the past may be painful,
know that there is always somebody
standing by your side."
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My mind had froze when Angela's words had ever so hesitantly drifted upon my ears. Yet, I still loved her, though I had yet to discover it for myself. Even though my undead heart clenches at having to tell our tale, it must be told. For I will not let it be forgotten as some trivial invention or idea. Nor shall I let it lay tarnished as a forbidden or fairy tale happening. For it is truth is it not? It is not written in some naive infants book....surely it shouldn't be. For words on mere parchment hold little value compared to those spoken directly through one's heart and mouth. Though they do hold value no matter how small. Almost like a trinket that helps you remember a special moment in your life, but that trinket is only a reminder... nowhere near as precious as the moment itself.
I cradle this ring now in the palm of my hand, running my talons over the smooth gold band. The inscription nearly rubbed away by my trying to caress a memory far too distant to ever become reality again. The inscription 'twas a secret for the one destined to wear it to figure out, for no one else could possibly understand it. Though, simply translated it means: "the love for my angel is eternal and everlasting". I remember when I made that promise....and when it was made to me. I however, am drifting away from the telling of this tale....allow me to continue.
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*~ Flashback ~*
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I stared at her both fascinated and appalled as she let her sentence hang in mid air. In truth I cared very little for the fact that she was a priestess......a Sarafan Priestess, but only for what she had done underneath that title's false righteousness. Had she slaughtered legions of vampires, merely watched their demise, or had she done nothing at all? It seemed that petty facts were raising more interesting questions. It was becoming an obvious fact to me, that I would not tire of this priestess Angela... quickly. Never would I tire..... Though whether that was true or not would be discovered soon enough, within the conclusion of her tale.
She let her sentence dangle and cling like a mortal desperately clinging to the edge of a towering cliff. Her eyes darted about nervously, and I could tell that she wished she had never opened her mouth. Though when she looked at me it was with a pleading and frightened gaze, that involuntarily made me soft to her plight. How was it that this, this one single beautiful woman could control and affect my emotions better than any other being in Nosgoth? It would not be the first time I became a puppet....nor the last... It came ever so unwillingly into my knowledge that maybe this is what "fate" prescribed for my chilling condition. Was I to become yet another sacrifice, to the Sarafan's outrageous and grotesque beliefs, or rather would I become what I was intended to despise? It mattered little to me, though I was quite sure that the first of the two situations would never take place.
She sat there pressed now against the cavern wall, tiny, injured, and helpless like a small child. I felt remorse and pity for her, but by the look in her eyes I could tell she wanted neither. A companion perhaps... I strode over and lay my hand upon her now quavering shoulders, though with fear or with rage I was not sure. Ignoring the shaking of her slender shoulders I began to rub them gently attempting to ease the tension between us, and to let her know she was safe for the time being. However, it only served to force the gap between us wider. Her shoulders stiffened, and she removed my hands from her shoulders. I gave both myself and Angela a glare, it served me right for having such queer and extraordinary feelings for one such as herself. The ironies this unlife had in store for me were boundless.
She shocked me when she pulled my legs out from under my body when she tripped me. I had to stop underestimating her like that.... She returned my glare with a vengeance while scooting farther away from me. I could tell that she'd noticed the schlock in my eyes, plain and visible even to a blind man. She watched as the shock slowly melted away leaving a small grin on my features. She was turning out to be quite the cunning little minx. She had seen the look that many a man would've paid to see on my features, so I wasn't about to let her see it for an entire hour. Even though it was fairly close..
The priestess stared at me with both pleading and determined eyes silently begging me not to harm her. I knelt before her and brought my claws to her face, my mind sickeningly delighted at the fear I saw in her eyes. My claws clamped themselves around her bruised face, my eyes issuing a warning, a warning that if she dare behave like that again it would cost her more than just a little discomfort. I immediately released her when a single crystalline tear began to trickle down her cut cheek, causing to wince in pain. And causing me to.... I raised my hand to brush away the tear, but when I noticed her shrinking back into the cavern corner, I let her be. Even though my mind swam in guilt for being the cause of her pain. I stepped back away from her and sat down near the entrance of the cave, taking notice of the light flakes of snow that were slowly starting to blanket the landscape.
"You may continue." I flaunted my words casually and with ease, she must have thought me to have been mocking her for her eyes filled with a subtle anger.
"I betrayed the Sarafan order when I assisted a vampire named Vorador. He was about to meet his demise as his followers had, but I freed him at the last possible moment. As you can imagine Vorador was slightly confused. But he did me no harm he merely thanked me and fled." I had the urge to laugh, Vorador thanking a mortal woman? If this was the truth she was speaking Vorador certainly had been different, but I had yet to find this story true.
"Why did you free him priestess?" I asked my questions with ease, disguising how fascinated I truly was. The truth being I wanted to know it all, I wanted to be able to memorize the tale and be able to retell it exactly the way it had been told. And not due to the fact Vorador had apologized.
"I freed him because he had just watched the execution of all of his brethren and friends." I took note of her thoughts as they raced through both of our minds one in particular standing out; "Just as I was about to." She paused before she spoke, and her clear voice began catching on her words making it crack. What had happened afterward to cause her such pain?
"A noble priestess I see." I watched as she stared at me in crude calculation. She was clearing wondering what had drawn me to that conclusion.
"I find myself far from noble." She looked away from me a she spoke as if something was troubling her. When her gaze returned to mine a haunted look had replaced the calculating one that was there only moments before. I felt her pain at that moment.
"You may continue with your tale." I urged her forward again, seemingly with little regard for what she was feeling at the moment.
"Without my knowing one of my lower ranks saw us and notified a higher priest. For this I am condemned. Just before you had found me they had burned my village, my home, .....my family." She paused to wipe a tear from her pale cheek. Though many more of the trickling signs of pain and regret were soon to follow. I had the urge to wipe the tear from her cheek once again. But I hushed that notion harshly. A vampire should not, will not care for a human. I suppose I'm the exception... Soon enough after her tears had calmed their flowing to a trickle here or there she continued with her story.
"Destroying my home and innocent people was not enough for them however. They had to see me dead. After they burned my village to flush me out they set the hounds and the guard upon me. As they shot their arrows I did my best to dodge and weave but, I still was grazed by a few. They continued to chase me until I attempted to get across the river; and collapsed instead."
"Then I found you." I added subconsciously. She had finished her tale and moved up next to me. The newly falling snow danced and weaved around her, giving her an entrancing effect. I noticed her shoulders shaking again, both with cold and renewed tears. I placed my arm around her trembling forms hoping that perhaps this time, she would accept what little comfort I offered...and she did.
I paused taking in the full worth of her tale. She had endured persecution much like the vampires she previously helped to destroy. The look in her eyes told, that she now understood, what it was like to be hounded by a group of fanatical people that only wanted to see you dead. In a way, I understood the pain in her eyes, but in another, I wanted to push her away and tell her that she gotten what she had bargained for. Never push your luck farther then it can stretch. Obviously she had, for here she lay trembling from cold and tears up against what she was sworn to kill. Ah...sweet...sweet irony.
However, these new thoughts and feelings would not let me push her away as I previously wished to do. Instead they made me hold her a little closer and shield her body from the cold. Quite the opposite of my original intention. I was trapped in my own thoughts for quite awhile after I had pulled her closer to me. However, she broke me out of their hold. She tapped on my shoulder gently, attempting to gain my attention, which was bordering impossible at the moment.
"Kain?" She said my name loud and clear as if nothing had happened to her. I quirked my head to look down upon her taking in her form and beauty. Though another tap on my shoulder pulled me out of my more than pleasant thoughts.
"Yes?" I answered, my attention being pulled back to reality.
"Don't you need to feed?" She asked with quiet uncertainty. But I detected something else. Concern?
"Yes, soon I must feed but, no harm shall come to you." I promised quietly; nearly silently to myself.
She paused taking this in, twitching her feet and wringing her hands as if she were a nervous child. I didn't know why but I felt the need to reassure her. Love perhaps...no one can say for sure...not even I. So I came up to her side and wrapped my arm about her shoulders again pulling her a little closer than what was considered proper for two mortals. But then again, whoever declared a vampire mortal?
"Everything will be fine Angela. There is no need for you to worry. Just stay here and get some rest while I gather both of us food." I whispered the reassurance in her ear, she flinched as my breath tickled her ear.
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* ~ End Flashback ~*
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I removed my arm from her shoulder then dropping slowly from her shoulders. Her eyes held a sense of forbidding, a warning that something would not go right. How true it was in many a case. Alas, a swell of memories rises up every time I caress this ring in my hand. True they are not the actual happenings, but they are the closest I will ever get to holding Angela in my arms, or hearing her sweet song. Even though this ring, is only a part of the memory and not the memory itself, I hold it almost as dear as the memory, and as Angela. For if it wasn't the memory, there would be no person true? There would only be a face no one remembered, and I vow that Angela will not become one of those.
Chapter Notes:
Well first off I'd like to apologize for the lateness and dullness of this chapter. :p I'm going to try to update all of my fics more often (as we all would like to do). But I'd also like to insert a small shameless plug, I ask of you to please R&R my poetry, once someone gets so many unreviewed things, it becomes like "Oh...no reviews...I must suck." So please R&R. I also would like to state, that I'm hoping to be back up to where I was when this fic got taken down around the end of Winter Break. Farther if I'm lucky. Well that's all for now, farewell until the next chapter, and thank you for all of your reviews.