A/N: sorry it took so long for me to update, it's the dreaded Writer's Block! I haven't been able to update any of my many stories for the longest time, so I'm sorry if this one isn't that good. Oh and I don't own the song Celaeno sings, it's by Blind Guardian. By the way, if anyone reading this likes Zelda, I have a Zelda fic out called Serpent-Tongue, and no one's reviewed it yet, so if you want to check it out, that would be loverly.

Never Forsake me, and I'll Never Forsake You

Celaeno didn't sleep for the rest of the night. She was too worried. She knew that Seamus wasn't beyond or above threatening Holly to get to her, she had just prayed beyond all human reason that he wouldn't. But now she couldn't deny that Holly was in danger because of her. Seeing her Angels, as she thought of them, again, feeling them, hearing them, her heart ached unbearably to be free and with them. She had overcome this futile longing and pointless heartache long ago, but now they returned. She tried to will them away, but they wouldn't leave her. For the first time in many years, Celaeno began to cry. She cried for the rest of the night, and prayed that Seamus didn't find out. She knew he would, she just couldn't help but pray that he wouldn't. She finally stopped when she started to choke on her own tears as she danced, but the ache in her heart was eased. She was surprised to feel that her heart didn't hurt nearly as much as it had over the years, even when she had put aside all pain.
'Mayhap I should not have stopped crying, if I feel so much better and more hopeful,' she thought. She quickly tried to compose herself as Holly woke up.
"Celaeno are you all right?" she asked, noticing Celaeno's tear- streaked face.
"Fine, I'm just fine, considering the circumstances," Celaeno replied, too quickly. Holly was not convinced.
"Really Celaeno, if something's wrong you can tell me," she persisted. "I mean, I opened up to you, you can do the same with me..."

"I'm FINE!" snapped Celaeno. Holly jerked back slightly, then looked coldly at Celaeno.
"All right, keep your pain within then, if it makes you happy," she retorted and looked away. Celaeno looked back at her, hoping she would apologize, but she didn't.
'Don't be stupid, she doesn't have to apologize, you do,' a voice in her head said. She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Holly," she said softly. "I'm just upset, ok? I haven't cried in years, and I can't handle it as well as I normally could. I had a dream and in it I was warned that you're in danger because of me. I was told that Seamus would hurt you to get to me. I'm just confused about what I'm feeling. But I guess I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's not your fault," she said sadly. Holly looked at her again.
"Then why didn't you just say that before?" she asked gently.
"I couldn't. I didn't want to scare you," Celaeno replied.
"It's okay. Really. I'm not afraid. If Seamus kills me, then I'm released from this hell, if he doesn't then I'm just dancing in a different spot. There's really nothing to worry about," Holly said. Celaeno managed a smile, and the girls kept dancing. To their surprise, Seamus showed up not too long after. Neither of the girls looked at him, just kept dancing.
"Celaeno, I have decided that I'm not going to ask you the same question every night from now on," he announced.
"Time, what is Time?" sang Celaeno, dancing a different dance that Holly had never seen before and was certainly not in any DDR game she had ever seen, still not looking at Seamus. "He saw it clearly, it's too late, it does not heal, it lets us forget. Time, what is Time? We'll never know! So don't take care when Time is Time again!"
"I've decided this, because I'm going to ask you one last time, and you are going to say yes," Seamus continued, not listening to her.
"And what gives you that inane idea?" asked Celaeno.
"Because if it falls out otherwise, you'll deeply regret it," said Seamus.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Celaeno snorted. She received no reply. Seamus just nodded to his cronies, who took hold of Holly and carried her off, kicking and screaming. Suddenly Seamus had Celaeno's undivided attention. "Don't you dare hurt her," she snarled. Seamus just chuckled.
"Oh I won't," he replied easily. "I won't as long as you give me the answer I want to hear. But don't rush yourself, I'm so generous and caring I'll give you time to think about it. You have until nightfall. When the moon rises, I'll have my guards come and collect you and bring you to my magnificent castle. There, you will give me your final answer. Maybe now that there's someone you have come to care about in danger, you'll actually give careful thought to my munificent proposal." With that, he mounted his horse and rode off. Celaeno just stared after him, hardly able to take in what had just happened. It was true, now she really did have to consider her options. She could always agree to Seamus, wait 'til he released Holly, and then kill herself. Or she could refuse him, and let him kill Holly and then she'd be free at least. But could she really bring herself to as good as order her friend's death? No. She knew she couldn't do that. The marriage-suicide plan was starting to look best, but whose to say that Seamus wouldn't just kill Holly afterwards just for spite? Maybe she could marry Seamus and then kill him. Yes, why should she and Holly die for him? That plan sounded good, but a million and one things could go wrong. She sighed in frustration.
"Oh Angel, Jonathan, I wish you were here to tell me what I should do," she whispered. She closed her eyes, trying to see them in her mind, hear their voices telling her what was the right choice. She saw them all right, but heard nothing that she had not heard before. She opened her eyes again, and just wished that either her Angels would come and help her, or night would never fall again. That could not be, of course, nothing could stop the moon from rising over the blackened, diamond star-flecked sky. Usually, watching the moonrise was the only pleasure Celaeno got from her captivity. Now it only filled her with a sickened dread. Shortly after the moon rose, two of Seamus's lackeys showed up with Seamus's horse. They took hold of Celaeno, sat her on the horse, and led the horse to the castle. Celaeno noticed that she kept dancing in the air while she rode. Strange. She'd probably never stop dancing, unless she agreed to Seamus. And she would never do that. She desperately wished for her Angels.
'You promised me you'd always be there for me if I got in trouble. You promised that when I was a child. Well, where are you? I'm in trouble, and you're not here! I never forgot about you, have you cast me away?' she thought wildly. Then she shook her head. 'Stop it, it's not their fault this happened. They'd be here if they could.' She looked up as the castle loomed in the distance. The time was almost come. They stopped in front of the great double doors and she was pulled off the horse and half-carried, still dancing, into the castle. She was taken down many long halls to a throne room and stood in front of Seamus. She stood there, still dancing, in silence. Seamus finally spoke.
"So, have you reached your decision?" he asked.
"And what if I haven't?" replied Celaeno.
"Then your little friend pays for it," said Seamus. "Have you come to your decision?"
"I have," Celaeno said, a thousand-ton weight in her stomach as she spoke.
"And what would it be? To save your friend and be mine, or refuse me for the last time and send your friend to her doom?" asked Seamus.
"My decision is...to challenge you," she replied. Seamus blinked in surprise, then laughed.
"You can't," he snickered. "That's not one of your options. I won't accept a challenge from you. Besides, what good would it do you? You've been in my power for too long, I know all of your dances and no matter what I have complete control over your movements. You couldn't possibly beat me like that."
"No, but I am under no such spell," came a voice that made Celaeno's face light up like a candle and Seamus's face contort with shock and fury. "I can beat you."

A/N: ha ha, I'm not nice. I love leaving cliffhangers, I love suspense and mystery. And hey, the sooner someone reviews, the sooner I upload. Keep that in mind ;-).