12.

Tialen's body knew no constraints, for it seemed as though the world around had been besieged by darkness. As far as he could see there was but nothing. A nonentity enwrapped him, yet his presence remained. All of his appendages could move freely, but he was plunging eternally into an empty void. While he could have flailed erratically, he instead had a very grim frightening thought. What if he was stuck here, damned to limbo? The notion that it was dream floated by him, but he dismissed it, thinking that his senses were too acute for him to be in a fabrication. Tialen became very afraid. The abyss seemed to constrict him, and even though he attempted to scream, silence choked him.

Through the stifling nothingness a voice was heard, not from his ears but from every feasible direction, including within.

"Yes, I see my grasp frightens you…good".

Scared and enraged Tialen shouted words that never befell his ear.

"Why are you doing this to me."

"Because you fell to me. And in proving yourself to be…weak, you've enthralled yourself to me."

"What?! How could I ever be a slave?!"

"Your soul is mine. I could do with it and that pathetic vessel of yours what I please, and that could include ripping your very being apart."

" Then why do you not kill me now? Death as always been my one true escape." Tialen said, again resuming his submissive attitude.

"Hehe…It is more fun to watch you suffer…for you're too worth less to merit my time." With that, Tialen could feel even more emptiness, as if whatever or whoever had spoke to him ceased to have an audience. It almost was disheartening being rejected, but a new voice filled the endless cavern. It sounded much more tangible and it even had a funny accent.

"Kay'mon….KAY'mon". It said ever growing louder. As it approached him the maw he was wrapped in seemed to lighten.

"KAY'MON!" Had it have gotten any louder it would have reverberated inside the lack of space, yet it caused the darkness he was incased in to lift…

SMACK!

Tialen felt a large three fingered hand come across his chin. Though done quite abruptly, he had been Jarred from his constricting dream. Just as reality hit him, a sudden rush of clammy, humid, dank air, reeking of disease seeped into his senses. He awoke, covered in sweat, in the presence of a two medics. One was a dowdily dressed troll, who now was pointing and laughing at his colleague, while the other was a quiet Elf. The troll, despite the inappropriateness, was gloating.

"ha HA!. You be seeing now dat all dat prayin' be doin'nutin? It be takin afewa ma' pations to revive dis' human heeyah. Now dat I be dun chasin de spirits away from heem I gots me odas to tend to".

With that the troll took his concoctions and enchants and slipped through the veil surrounding Tialen. The lanky wiry shadow of the troll could still be seen hobbling about. During this time the Elven healer stood, obviously irked, but silent, with his teeth grinding. Tialen could tell that he was relieved to be free of the obnoxious troll, but he was still inclined to minister his patient. As professionally, yet caring, as possible the Elf placed a damp washcloth on Tialen's sweaty forehead.

"Are you okay?" He inquired condescendingly but still acting according to procedure.

"I'm exhausted, hot, and parched. Otherwise I'm fine", Tialen spoke the truth. He felt no pain, only fatigue. It wasn't even hard for him to get up and take a look around, not that there was much to see. A white veil surrounded him and he could only see blurry silhouettes through it. The only other person with him was the Priest who was surprised, almost alarmed at his good health.

"Please try not to move, my child.", the healer said, worried about his patient.

"No really I'm fine. Whatever you did to me really did the trick. I don't even remember how I was injured."

"You weren't injured, only corrupted. They rushed you here in a demonically infested state, something I've only witnessed in those that had been infused with enough dark energy to drive them mad but not kill them. The only one who could save you was…"

At that moment the aged troll poked his pointy-head through the sheets.

"Me be almost forgetin. If you take dis' heeyah then you be back on ya feet in no time."

With that he shoved a leathery hand, that was enclosed around a corked vile, through the veil. It contained a concoction that seemed unidentifiable. Still he had seen those odd trolls in their practice, healing hundreds of men at once, so he trusted any of the exotic elixirs they were able to mix. His strength returned to him as he popped the cork and gulped down the potion.

Feeling invigorated Tialen roused from his bed, but he forgot about the sheets surrounding him and aptly tripped, becoming entangled. Still somewhat addled he fell in the mess of cloth.

"By the light are you okay?", asked the priest as he ran by his side.

"I'm okay. I only hurt my pride." He said while struggling. "May I ask you a question?"

"Okay"

" How long was I out?"

" You were entranced for a couple of hours. It's already 2 hours past sunset, but I think you…"

"Okay thanks." He said, quickly bolting for the door. He had hated being cooped up in there, it being musky and such. It had also seemed that the eyes of all the other soldiers were watching him, like silent apparitions. As he closed his eyes to feel the cool night air, he almost felt as if it that infirmary had smothered him.

He opened his eyes to look outward onto the beaten camp, but it seemed to him that they were not fairing much better. While most of the structures were intact, many of the outer barricades were ablaze, just like before. The camp's laborers attempted to service the failing buildings and put out the fires, just like before. Around he saw numerous soldiers in anguish over the death of a comrade, the loss of a limb, or the shock of almost being decimated, just like before. Worst of all, more smiting than any physical damage, the same despair struck the camp, just as it did when they were trapped at the top of the world, for this time there was no fruit reaped from all the death. They had abated the scourge, and been proven its ferocity had not been curtailed. This wasn't a decisive victory, merely delay of the inevitable. While the beaten men trudged around with their heads' held low, Tialen wondered how good or how grim their fate would be.

But for him, there was a single light bleeding through the tainted sky, as if a goddess of benevolence had chosen him to touch and bestow bounty upon. He just needed to find her.

"Promise to find me again in the moons' light?", those words echoed in his head like the whispering of the wind, rustling through the leaves of the lush forest of Ashenvale, but what did they mean? He pondered this deeply, trying to think if the words stuck in his head could lead him to her, but all he did was make himself more befuddled. Then he stared at the moons. What had she said, before?

"Only Elune knows of my presence.", Yes Elune, but who was Elune to them? This was so puzzling, but he knew that he could find some meaning to her words. The way to find her was on the tip of his mind and his tongue.

"Elune, Elune, Elune, Elune,…", he said in repetition, trying to ponder the word, remembering it was a goddess of great importance to them, listening to a particular sound inside the word, and realizing that the way his tongue curved around part of it.

"Elune, Elune, Lune, Lunar!", he'd got it. He remembered, now, Elune was the goddess of the moon, which she'd trusted so much. So he looked skyward and, Tialen's eyes met the moons. They seemed familiar. He couldn't explain it but something about them reminded him of when he'd met her before, so he followed them.

The lunar pair became his guides. He couldn't explain it, but he trusted them as well. They led him through the dismal hordes of men, which starred at one of their own, running through them staring at the sky like a crazed fool. He made tracks in the soft pathway their lights paved for them, and before he knew it, he came to the forest. He'd always looked on it as alien, a thousand mysteries clouded in a woody veil. The trees, so tall and menacing, had almost rued him, but this time they didn't seem so malevolent. With the moons' hands to escort him he felt a new sense of confidence and direction as he entered the forest. This time the trees were now much more affable and he thought he might have seen them bend a little to show him the correct way. With the respect of the forest and the assistance of the moons he ran through the glades without hesitation.

In less than an hour's time he came to it. Yes he was sure of this was it, a clearing set in the midst of the all the growth. The space seemed just like the space where he'd met her before, but he saw no trace of her. Worst of all he'd never heard her voice when he had approached it. He had to step further into it, but as he did he noticed his foot dig itself into something odd.

Looking down at his leather boot he realized that the ground was bare in that one spot. It was quite queer sight, indeed. In a forest, where there was nothing but life how possibly could death encroach? A thought then occurred to him. What if she was dead? He remembered now, all the thoughts flooded back to him. The time when he almost had died, and probably should have, he never found her, yet more than ever he had wished to be by her side. She wasn't there now either, and his misery pervaded him more than ever.

"Feorie…", the words were hard to speak, even though he'd relished the chance for them to touch his lips again, "where are you?"

He waited, perfectly still with his hair standing on end, listening for any sounds of movement. Tialen wanted to listen as hard as he could for her. Then, without warning, a purple blur tackled him toppling him over. His head landed with a loud thud as it impacted the grass. It was she! Feorie lay horizontally clutching him tightly as she spoke into his ear.

"By the goddess you're okay. I thought you were gone. I just thought you were...."She stopped in mid sentence, instead just hugging him tighter. Her voice, though burdened ,was sweet to his ear.

"Feorie I missed you too, but I also can't breath." ,Her grip was so tight that it had become difficult to inhale. Immediately she let go of him and got up, helping him to his feat. Her face became flustered. The reddening lightly freckled lilac cheeks made for a subtle expression of apology. Her arms went behind her back as she kept a small distance, but she still looked at him directly.

"I'm sorry Tialen. I just had to thank you for saving me. I'm also sorry for…this." Her right palm came forward and slapped him. His head snapped in the direction of her swipe and stayed there for a second, startled. A stinging imprint of her hand was felt on his chin when he rubbed the area.

"What was that for?!", he responded startled.

"That was for almost dying.", she said while letting out a small laugh., "Its good to see you again.".

"Good to see you again… I ugh… think.", In truth he was overjoyed to be with her, even if she had just struck him. Just being there satiated his longing, and his only regret was that he could not embrace her further. As she spoke again his ears perked up to taste her voice.

"You know Tialen I have something for you.", with that she turned around and walked to a large bush. Her long scintillating hair flowed in the moonlight as she dug in the shrubbery for her "present". Finding the mystery item Feorie stood straight with her arms behind her concealing whatever objects she possessed.

"Now, close you're eyes.", she asked walking toward him. Tialen didn't think she would play such a childish game, but he wasn't too mature himself. With his lids closed shut he felt a smooth conforming object being placed in his hand. It also seemed to be heavy on one end, so he used his other hand to hold it upright. Little intuitiveness was needed to tell what the object was, and he opened his eyes to reveal, to his expectations, a sword! It was not ornate nor did it shine, but he could brandish it with ease.

Feorie stood with a similar sword with one leg forward in a ready stance. She angled hers so that it crossed his blade. From the looks of it she was ready to duel.

"ugh…Feorie?", he said confused.

"I'll explain. I watched you combat those five ghouls and I was pretty impressed. You're a good swordsman but your form is sloppy, so I thought I could help you learn a technique I've been developing.",

" But I don't even have a shield!"

"Oh, don't worry. If you follow my movements you'll learn that you won't need a clumsy hunk of metal to protect you."

"Do you really think you could teach me?"

"Sure, it has only taken me two thousand years to perfect.", This did not convince him, but he passed it off as a jest, "In fact to start you just need to do one thing… parry".

"What?"

"Parry !", she exclaimed excitedly while delivering a powerful side swipe. Out of awkward reflex Tialen barely managed to deflect her blow, and he was also set off balance. Feorie, not holding back at all, used the moment to hit him on his other side. Tialen thought the blade would cut him in two, but surprisingly it only gave him a bruise. It did manage to cause him to buckle.

"Oh I forgot to mention these are practice armaments. They can't cut you, but they do smart.", she was now standing above him pointing her weapon at him victoriously.

"I figured.", he replied while getting up and trying to match her offensive pose. She looked at him almost predatorily, as a cat that was about to pounce upon its prey. Even her glowing emerald eyes widened. They're blunted edges crossed again, and they went at each other.

The night aged and they sparred again and again. Feorie's movements were so sure and controlled she almost seemed like a well-trained ballerina. There was even much grace as she darted about him, effortlessly. Tialen, on the other hand, barely managed to keep up with her, feeling more like a clunky wooden doll. He didn't quit, though, for being challenged by her made him burst at the seems with adrenaline. Once he managed to be able to parry all of her blows he could follow her movements with ease, and every time Feorie defeated him he got back up and asked for more, never giving up.

They had been sparring for four hours now, and he'd learned much of her technique. He'd even begun to follow the rhythm she had sewn into her methods, and together their motions gained smoothness to one another in near perfect synchronous. This time when she tried the combo she'd used on him initially. He matched both moves, and even attempted an over head swipe at her. Feorie practically saw it coming and easily caught it with her blade.

She now wanted to try something new, so in a counter she spun around, extending her right arm in an offensive move. In response to the block she expected, she stabbed while twirling the blade in a counter-clockwise circle made out by her outstretched arm, in one of the hardest to defend moves she knew. Tialen, barely able to deflect the complex move, parried in a similar manner, twirling his sword in a clockwise motion. He caught her almost at the hilt, leaving the point inches away from his face.

Realizing that this wouldn't do he tried to force her sword out of her hand, and applied as much pressure to the tiny areas where the edges met. Using force to advance, he, with two arms now, was able to almost free the grip from her hands. Feorie wasn't as weak as he'd thought and once she reinforced her grips with her other hand, they were locked in stalemate. Both of them panted hard in strain as they faced off, using as much power they could.

Yet, in trying to so hard to defeat each other, they had gotten closer, their faces now inches apart. Learning every one of her moves and being able to adapt to them, made Tialen feel as if he'd known Feorie so much better. Just as a vine curls around all the contortions of a tree, he'd felt as if his understanding of her had grown to accommodate every one of her little niches. He was even able to see some of her flaws and imperfections, but they merely caused him to gain more of an understanding. Through that he saw himself not as a peon in the graces of a demigoddess made incarnate, but the two of them... as equals. At that moment his brute strength failed him and he dropped his sword, yet at the same time she released her grip. The two blades hit the ground producing a sound that could be heard as one, as they clanged against each other.

He could see her face so close that even the minutest contractions of muscle were distinct and unambiguous. Feorie's breath, so warm and fragrant, traveled down his shirt. The moons, which where closer than he'd ever noticed, brought out all of the effervescence in her, her eyes gaining a soft luminescence. They now spoke words so hush and slow, that even in a place so devoid of interlopers as Ashenvale, they deemed only to be heard between them.

"You know I never enjoyed violence anyway."

"Me neither Tialen."

"Why do you fight then, if all we are to know is bloodshed?"

"I wish for nothing but peace. That is the only supposed outcome of war. One way or the other. What makes you take up your weapons every day?

"Nothing. I've lost it all."

"You shouldn't do that. The only warriors with nothing in their hearts belong to the Undead."

"Well, there is one thing which is drives me now, but I think it can fend for itself."

In response she only smiled, lightly grabbed the back of his neck, and kissed him. They were so close now that he needed only to gingerly touch the small of her back for his lips to caress hers even further. Time seemed to loss its relentless speed when he held her. At that moment, as he closed his eyes, in pure embrace, he realized that her beauty did not lie within the soft features of her face or her perfectly lavender skin. The most gorgeous thing about her, which he saw now in full detail, was her soul.

Opening his eyes he found that he grasped only air. It didn't matter to him, even though she left no trace.

Out of the corner of his right eye he saw something in the distance. Turning towards it he greeted the morning sun, which peeked into the forest, as if he'd seen it for the first time…

*~*~*

Jeese, that took a long time to write.

Anyway, even though I'm always pessimistic about my work, I'll let this chapter speak for itself.

I just wanted to say that I'm going to a college prep summer school this Sunday, so I might not update anytime soon. I will attempt to work on it on weekends but these chapters have become so long that I can't do them in one night like I used to.

Anyway I won't post any segments of the next chapter because that would be evil, me not updating soon and all.

………..

Oh wait I am evil.

Here goes

"Jaina thought her eyes could bear nothing but guile, as she came close to him. Reason fell victim to her bottled up desires, which begged emancipation. Unimpeded she pressed her cheek against the smooth breastplate, it being unfamiliar but still enough to soothe the afflictions she'd gain when she was torn away from her quiet school life. In much anticipation she tilted her head back, and wriggled her nose as a cold rush of frosted air tickled her."

insert lame smiley here.

-Neozero/Art