The Winglies of Hellena
Chapter Fifteen: I Won't Let Them Take You Again
Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .
Albert looked up, startled, as the door swung open and Lloyd walked through, his expression filled with grim determination. Albert knew what the expression meant. Lloyd wasn't content to just sit around anymore. He was going to return to Hellena and try to free his people. In truth, Albert had been waiting for this to happen. He had noticed how restless Lloyd had been growing since his recovery. Setting aside his book, he rose up and walked up behind Lloyd as he began to fill a pouch with various potions and spells. "What do you plan to do, Lloyd?"
"I'm going to take out Dominic. That alone should give us a good start to freeing my people. Dominic is by far the largest threat we have to worry about. And after Dominic is dead, I'll go for the boss. With them out of the way, the guards will either flee or attack, but chances are they'll most likely flee. Without a leader we can pluck them off at our leisure."
Albert nodded thoughtfully, then questioned, "But what about the shackles binding the Winglies' powers? How will you get them off if Dominic doesn't?"
"If he can do it, so can I," Lloyd growled as he finished filling his pouch and tied it around his middle. "We'll figure out a way."
"But what if you cannot, Lloyd? What if Dominic is the only one who knows how to remove the shackles? Try to squeeze the information out of him before you kill him, won't you?" Albert could easily see how Lloyd's pride and grim determination would leave much room for error. Lloyd might not be thinking clearly, being so absorbed in extracting his revenge and freeing his people.
"I'll see what I can do." Lloyd looked at Albert and sighed. "I know what I'm doing, Albert. Trust me. This is too important for me to mess it up. Would you and Dart come with me?"
"HEY!" Meru appeared in the room, hands on her slender hips. "What about me! You're not the only Wingly around here, Lloyd! I want to help too!"
Lloyd looked at Meru and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, fine." He looked at Albert, waiting for his answer.
"I'm surprised you feel as though you have to ask. I'd like nothing better than to fight alongside you, Lloyd." Albert smirked, shaking his head in amusement.
Lloyd smiled. "Thanks Albert, I appreciate it." He looked to Meru, "Could you please find Dart and ask him if he'll come along?"
Meru grinned and saluted Lloyd with a, "Yes sir!" before turning to run out of the room. Lloyd rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling. "Spunky little thing, isn't she?"
Dart, Lloyd, Albert, and Meru all stood at the boarder of Seles, making sure they were prepared to go. Althought Dart and Meru seemed confident, Albert alone seemed unsure. "Lloyd... How can you be so sure you can defeat Dominic?"
Lloyd turned to look at Albert, frowning. "He's powerful, but not as powerful as I. If I hadn't had the shackles binding my powers and had I not been so horribly wounded in the first place, I would have killed him straight off. The boss, whatever his name may be, is a human with no special powers to speak of. Not that I've seen, anyway. We've been up against worse. They don't even begin to compare to Melbu Frahma."
Albert nodded, his fears fading. "You're right, and I agree. We have faced much worse than them."
"Lloyd! Wait!"
Lloyd turned to see Wink running up towards them and blinked. "What is it?"
Wink stared at him in shock and put her hands on her slender hips. "I don't believe you! You were actually going to leave without telling me! Without saying goodbye! I'm surprised at you!" Dart, Meru, and Albert couldn't help but snicker, seeing Lloyd being chastized by the outraged woman, his head lowered and shoulders hunched. The poor Wingly looked so pitiful.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't want you to worry."
"'Didn't want me to worry'! Lloyd, how can you be so thick headed! If you left without saying goodbye, I'd be MORE worried than if you had told me! I thought I lost you once, but by Soa you are NOT leaving to go back to that hellhole again without saying goodbye!" Wink threw up her hands in frustration. "Honestly, sometimes I think you took one too many beatings over the head in that place and it's screwed up what little brains you have!"
Lloyd scuffed his boot, staring down at the dirt, feeling much like a child scolded by his mother. When it seemed as though she was done, he lifted his head and opened his mouthand was startled out of his mind when Wink threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him soundly, tears running down her cheeks. He stood frozen for a second, before slowly lifting his arms to wrap them around her, closing his eyes and returning the kiss. Both had forgotten completely about the other three.
Dart and Albert looked at each other and smirked. Each of them grabbed one of Meru's arms and proceeded to drag her off, kicking and squirming as she tried to go back to watch the action. Lloyd slowly parted the kiss with Wink and opened his eyes, the crimson orbs gazing down into her bright blue eyes, finding himself quite speechless, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Wink's heart was also pounding, but tears were in her eyes as she looked up at him. "Lloyd... When Dart and the others told me you had died fighting Melbu Frahma... my heart broke. I loved you even then, despite what you'd done... Please... Promise me you'll come back to me. Don't leave me alone again..."
"...I promise." Lloyd drew Wink into his embrace and nestled his face into her soft blonde hair, breathing in the scent of her. "I promise I'll come back to you. And when I do come back... When I've freed my people... I... would like to spend the rest of my life with you... Wink, I love you..."
Wink nestled her face into Lloyd's shoulder, tears pouring from her eyes. She hugged him tightly, her arms wrapped around his muscular torso. "I love you too, Lloyd..."
"There it is..." Albert murmured. They had arrived at Hellena prison as dusk began to fall. The place seemed just a sinister as it did the last time they had come.
"Well now that we're here, how the heck are we gonna get in?" Meru chirped, leaning on her hammer. Dart glanced back and drew the four of them to hide behind the rocks as a supply wagon rolled past.
"...Same as we have before. Come on, let's go!" The four fighters rushed forward and climbed onto the back of the wagon as it made its way into Hellena.
Lloyd peered out of the wagon and watched as they approached Hellena... He suddenly felt as if he had swallowed cold lead. His heart was held in an icy grip, and he began trembling and breathing heavily, a cold sweat breaking out over his body. Fear. That's all he could think about, all he could feel. His crimson eyes darted around frantically, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to run. Forget the mission, forget Dominic, forget everything, he'd run back to Wink and the others where he was safe, far away from here.
Albert glanced over and froze as he saw Lloyd's panicked condition. Giving Meru and Dart a nudge to alert them, he went over to Lloyd and whispered in his ear, "Lloyd, snap out of it... Pull yourself together. You don't have the shackles suppressing your power anymore. They have no control over you. They can't hurt you again. Remember what you're here for. Your people are suffering and dying in there, just as you were. Let's get them out." He put his arms around his friend and just held him as he trembled, whispering, "I won't let them take you again. I promise, my friend."
"If they capture me again..." Lloyd whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible.
"They won't," Albert whispered firmly. "Now pull yourself together. We're nearly there." Dart and Meru cast worried looks at each other as Albert quietly tried to soothe Lloyd's fear. They were not counting on this, but for all he'd been through, they should have expected it. What if Lloyd's fear took over? They weren't even inside Hellena yet and already Lloyd looked ready to bolt away and run like a terrified rabbit.
They could only cross their fingers and hope.
A/N - Maybe now that I've finally edited the story to make it easier for people to read, they'll review, and I'll get the motivation to finish this. PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW if you do not want this fic to die!