Yeup, I'm back again! I juz finished writin chp. 18 yesterday, but I decided to write diz chapter early, tho I don't kno when imma post it, cuz I waz hopin to get u guyz hung wit da cliffhanger I left in the last chapter…actually, can dat be called a cliffhanger? Oh, well, u decide…
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Kasumi groggily opened her eyes and looked around the room. The three guards assembled on the balcony were talking quietly, she could easily hear them, but to her disappointment she could not understand what they were saying. She pouted and sat up in bed, alerting one of the elves guarding her from the sitting room.
He had not taken a seat, but had instead stood and leaned against the arm of a cushioned chair. He stared at her attentively, watching her every breath without a single blink.
Kasumi eyed him nervously, uncomfortable about being watched so closely. She looked out a window and was shocked to find that it was still dark. She must have only slept a couple of hours since her capture. She looked back at the elf still vigilantly watching her. "Good morning to you sir," she called to him, hoping to get some information on her current situation.
The elf grunted and stared at her blankly, his eyes cold, dark, and uncaring.
Kasumi sighed and pouted, she had a very small chance of getting anything out of him. "Excuse me sir, if you do not mind me asking it of you, who is the captain in charge of the security around my room?"
"You are under the supervision of Captain Haydn's regiment, he personally volunteered to assemble his finest soldiers in stations around your chambers," he announced proudly.
'Finest soldiers indeed,' Kasumi thought as she gazed around, recognizing most of the soldiers that she had defeated the day before. "If you could be so kind as to arrange for your captain to come here, I would be very grateful," she requested politely.
He stared at her for several moments, then addressed one of his companions sitting down and conversed with him softly. Soon after, the other elf stood and exited the room. "I have done as you have wished," he told her frigidly.
"I thank you," she said smiling, then stood from the bed and walked over to the dresser. The note and the garments she had left behind were still there, and she quickly took the note and burned it with one of the lighted candles. 'There is no use in anyone reading it now, we have failed, and the hope of escaping as fled from me,' she thought despairingly.
She turned and watched as the doorway in the sitting opened and in stepped Haydn and the elf that had kindly gone to fetch him.
Haydn quietly dismissed all the elves stationed in her chambers and she watched as they left, some appearing from rooms out of her sight. When they had left and the door was locked, Haydn approached her in the bedroom.
"I see you've awakened," he said, his face expressionless.
Kasumi frowned. "Please Haydn, don't be like this!" she pleaded from her seat on the bed.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, his face turned distressed, and his voice was filled with hurt. "Did you even plan on saying a farewell?"
Kasumi sighed softly. "I wanted to tell you Haydn! It hurt a dreadfully, knowing that I couldn't say goodbye. I thought that if I said goodbye to you in person, that I would never be able to leave, and I did not want you to know of my plans, because then you would have to hide your knowledge, and if you were caught…Oh Haydn I didn't wish for you to be in trouble!" she cried, her body shaking from her whimpers.
As she said this, Haydn silently paced back and forth in front of the bed, turning his face the other way, so he would not have to look at her pleading face.
Kasumi watched as he paced silently I front of her, and grabbed his hand as he passed her, turning him towards her. "Please Haydn! Please try to understand!" she begged, grasping his hand tightly, her eyes gleaming with tears.
He looked at her, his eyes fixed with hurt, and his brows set with anger. Deep within the sadness of her eyes he saw his angry reflection, and he sighed, knowing that her reason was true, and that fighting to merely uphold his pride was useless when her sadness was sincere. "Oh Kasumi!" he swept her into his arms and embraced her.
Kasumi's eyes burst with tears as she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him. "Please forgive me!"
He held her head as she sobbed, kissing her forehead and comforting her gently. "Shhh, everything is fine. There is nothing you have done that needs forgiving, you have never wronged me Kasumi," he whispered quietly.
Kasumi pulled away from him slowly. "Manwein," she whispered. "Is his security under your charge as well? Do you know how he is doing?"
"Please forgive me!"
He held her head as she sobbed, kissing her forehead and comforting her gently. "Shhh, everything is fine. There is nothing you have done that needs forgiving, you have never wronged me Kasumi," he whispered quietly.
Kasumi pulled away from him slowly. "Manwein," she whispered. "Is his security under your charge as well? Do you know how he is doing?"
"Yes, my guards are stationed around his chambers as well. I have not yet stopped by to check on him, so I do not know how he is faring."
"Please Haydn, please let me see him!" she begged.
Haydn smiled, and nodded. He was still greatly confused by Kasumi's feelings towards him and her friend Manwein, her actions and emotions were quite unorthodox, but he did not want to force her to make a decision, so he decided that he would have to wait…he did not care, he would wait forever.
Kasumi followed Haydn as they walked out of her chambers and down the hall to a door guarded by two guards. They nodded as they saw their captain and allowed them to enter. Haydn dismissed all the guards from Manwein's rooms as well, and they found Manwein in the bedroom, laying on the bed.
He sat up shocked as he saw Haydn enter the room, but smiled widely as he saw Kasumi appear from behind him.
Kasumi turned to Haydn. "Could I please talk with him privately?"
Haydn nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Kasumi! Have they done anything to hurt you?" Manwein asked as he rushed to her, holding her in an embrace.
Kasumi stood there, her arms to her sides as he embraced her. She did not feel right being with both of them, she knew she had to choose, but she didn't have the heart to. 'I know I must choose, but who? Manwein he is tremendously sweet, but can he care for me like Haydn can? Haydn he is so caring and loving, but to be with him means to be here, but to be with Manwein could mean being free, if we ever get free…but Legolas he is sweet, caring, loving and he can help me be free,' Kasumi sighed. 'Legolas, my first true love, he is my choice. But how do I confess my doings to Haydn and Manwein? I cannot do it, I cannot force my heart to do such a thing.' Kasumi thought hard, then came up with a solution. 'I will not say a thing, but when they embrace me or kiss me, I will not return the favor, and excuse myself because "I am not feeling too well"'
Manwein looked down at her worriedly. "Is something wrong Kasumi?"
She shook her head, "Nothing, why do you ask?"
"
Manwein looked down at her worriedly. "Is something wrong Kasumi?"
She shook her head, "Nothing, why do you ask?"
"You seem…sad," he told her.
"I am not feeling too well," she lied.
"Did they do anything to hurt you?"
Kasumi shook her head and stepped away from his embrace. "What do you think they will do to us Manwein?" she asked him worriedly.
Manwein sighed, he had been trying not to think about it. "I know not, Kasumi. But whatever they may do, I will fight to lift you from punishment," he said determinedly, stepping forward to hold her.
Kasumi gently pulled his arms off of her, and stepped away, turning to look at him. "Thank you," she whispered, her head bowed down. "But that will not be necessary, I will happily suffer the same punishment placed upon you."
Manwein sighed, upset that his heroic offer hadn't made her lighten up from her sulking mood.
The two turned to look at the door as a sudden knock came from behind it.
"Yes?" Manwein called in question.
"Kasumi must return to her chambers now," Haydn replied.
"Very well then," Manwein said. "Goodbye for now then Kasumi," he embraced her and kissed her atop her head, but when she did not return his affection and instead turned and left through the door, Manwein frowned, perplexed. 'Is she not feeling well? Or has she chosen Haydn? But what of Prince Legolas? Please let it be the first…' he thought as she left his chambers with the dark elf at her side.
"I must be off Kasumi," Haydn told her as he accompanied her back to her bedroom.
She nodded silently, and stood still as he raised her head and placed a kiss on her lips.
As soon as Haydn left, several soldiers filed back into her chambers and assembled once again in their set stations.
Kasumi sighed and fell onto the bed, her decision to ignore both Manwein's and Haydn's affection had already grown hard for Kasumi, but she knew that it was only fair to them to stop leading them on, before leaving them hurt too much. Though she cared greatly for the both of them, Kasumi knew that in the end Legolas was who she would love forever, but how long could she last like this?
She glanced out of the window and saw that the sun was rising, the rays of light flooding through the room as it lit up all the dark corners. She sighed and buried her head in the pillows, heaving a sigh as she breathed in the scented aroma of the clean sheets. The fragrance flowed around her drenching her senses in its sweetness, until her head grew heavy and her muscles grew tired. Kasumi tossed on to her side, her head resting on her hands, as she drifted slowly into a sweet sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Did you powder the bed with that concoction like the King requested?" the Lieutenant asked one of the guards stationed in the sitting room.
"Yes, I did so when she was away with the Captain, sir," the guard answered, handing back the bottle.
"Good," he replied. "You and your regiment will be under my charge as of now."
"What of Captain Haydn, sir?"
"He objected the King's request to apply the sleeping potion in the she-elf's room," he informed the soldier. "The King decided that he was not fit for the job, seeing that his favor for the guest has impair his judgment."
"Ah, I see," the guard replied, then returned to his station.
The Lieutenant watched as the soldier returned to his location, and turned around when he heard a knock on the door.
"Good morning Lieutenant," Kaeliona said as the door opened.
"Good morning," he answered stiffly as he let her in.
"The King requests that I dress Lady Kasumi and that once I am finished, he requests for you to bring her to the courtyard," Kaeliona told him as she pushed open the door to the bedroom.
"Excuse me, sir," she said. "Could you spare some of your soldiers to help assist me in moving Lady Kasumi to the courtyard?"
"Are they to carry her there?" he asked, confused when he saw the she-elf's body sleeping on the bed.
"No sir, I will awaken her as soon as I have a couple of guards to accompany me, the King said that she would undoubtedly put up a fight," she explained, holding up a slender vile, containing the counter remedy to the sleeping concoction.
He nodded, and called over two of his strongest soldiers. "You are to accompany the she-elf down to the courtyard, where the King requests her presence," he ordered. "And remember…be gentle," he added with a sinister smile.
The two nodded and entered the bedroom behind Kaeliona.
Kaeliona propped up Kasumi's head and held the vile underneath her nose and watched as she breathed in the mixture.
Kasumi groaned and wrenched open her eyes in surprise. "Huh?" she said confused.
"I apologize for waking you malady, but the King requests your presence," Kaeliona told her as Kasumi sat up. She dismissed the guards and closed the door. "Lady Kasumi, where is the dress that the King first gave to you?"
Kasumi pointed silently to the folded dress and boxed jewelry on the dresser.
"Thank you," Kaeliona replied as she picked them up, and handed the dress to Kasumi.
"Must I wear this one?" Kasumi moaned.
Kaeliona nodded, "I am sorry malady."
Kasumi sighed and stepped behind the folding wood screen to change.
Once she finished she helped Kaeliona put the jewelry on her and sat down as Kaeliona curled her hair into tight spirals. When they were finished she got up and followed Kaeliona out into the sitting room, where they were met by the two guards.
"They'll escort you down malady," Kaeliona told her and showed them out of the room.
After the door clicked shut, the two guards grunted and grabbed Kasumi by the arms and carried her down the hall.
"Ahhh!" Kasumi cried as she struggled to get free. "Unhand me this instant!" She kicked and squirmed, but to no prevail. Soon Kasumi began to tire and as they carried her down the stairs she quit struggling.
They carried her down the hall past several smaller courtyards filled with soldiers training or servants washing sheets. She bowed her head and watched as the cobblestone floor moved under her until it was suddenly replaced with a smooth marble floor. She kept her head bowed and stared at the veins of stone running through the floor.
The two guards set her on the ground, but still kept a firm grip on her arms.
Kasumi looked up solemnly and gazed around the courtyard, many elves were seated along the edges but the middle remained empty. She scanned her gaze across the open space until she found an unpleasant sight.
"No!!" she struggled in the grasp of the guards. "No!! Manwein!!" she screamed as she caught sight of Manwein's body kneeling down several feet in front of the King's raised pedestal, hands tied behind his back, his neck resting over a wooden chopping block. "No!!! Let me go!!!" she kicked the guards in the stomach and fell onto the ground as they dropped her, crumpling in pain.
Kasumi stood up and ran to Manwein, wrapping her arms around his neck, embracing him. "No!! No, no, no!" she whispered as she clutched him tightly. "They can't do this!"
Manwein looked at her and smiled. "It is all for the better if they take me and leave you," he whispered to her.
Kasumi shook her head, tears pouring down her face. "No!" she hugged him tightly, kissing his forehead. "I won't let them take you away from me!" She wrapped her arms around him and shielded him with her body. "No, no, no," she sobbed, her body shaking violently, convulsing with fear. "You can't go Manwein," she whispered into his ear.
She took his face in her hands and looked at him, his face was set and determined, but his eyes were filled with sadness and dread. "You can't do this Manwein," she whispered. "Please don't leave me!"
He stretched toward her and kissed her on the lips. "I'm doing this so you can live Kasumi. I love you Kasumi…Cutheniel…whoever you are, I love you!" he whispered, kissing her again.
Kasumi shook her head. "N-no don't leave m-me!" she begged him quietly, her voice faltering as her hands shook.
"I love you Kasumi!" Manwein told her.
Kasumi kissed him on the lips lovingly, holding him close, her tears soaking his face. She pulled away from the kiss and held his head close, resting her nose against him. "And I …love you, Manwein!" she whispered, the phrase broken between her sniffles.
He kissed her and smiled at her. "Please Kasumi, do not cry. You are the last thing I want to see before I am taken, but I do not want to see you crying. What comfort would that be to me?" he told her with a small chuckle.
Kasumi nodded silently and wiped away her tears, sniffling as she wiped her nose. Her lips trembled as she forced a smile, but faltered as she whimpered softly.
"Kasumi," he whispered quietly. "We do not have much time left. I have something for you, please, take it out of my pocket, but do not let them see."
Kasumi nodded and discreetly slipped a folded piece of parchment from his pocket. She look down and started to unfold it.
"No," Manwein stopped her. "I do not wish for you to read it now. Read it after all of this is done...after I am gone. Keep it, so you can remember me by."
Kasumi nodded, re-folded the note, and hid it in her closed hand. "I need no trinket to remember you by, but I shall keep it always, for I do not have the heart to discard it."
Manwein smiled in that way he always did, and kissed her softly.
The kiss lasted long, but suddenly she was wrenched away from him by the guards who carried her to the King's pedestal.
She did not struggle, and she did not cry. She merely looked deep into Manwein's eyes, but deep inside she was crying, screaming for someone to free him, sobbing in anguish, but no one answered her when she had cried aloud, and no one would answer when her heart cried either.
Kasumi was roughly thrown onto a cushion placed next to the King's throne. The guards attached a chain onto her anklet and clasped it to the leg of the throne. The King began to speak, but his loud, booming voice was drowned out in Kasumi's head as she watched Manwein. Her eyes began to tear and her lips began to quiver, but Manwein shook his head pleadingly and she wiped the drops away. He nodded approvingly and gave her a loving smile.
Kasumi mouthed an 'I love you', while her mind raced with thoughts: 'How could I let this happen? How could I have ignored him all this time? Why could I not realize how much I cared for him until now?!'
Her thoughts were interrupted as she listened to the King.
"These two elves were caught in an attempt to escape from my palace, and as a punishment I have given this warrior the death-sentence, and as punishment his accomplice shall watch him die, and live to remember it, and may it haunt her mind for the rest of her life, always reminding her never again to cross the Dark King of the kingdom of Gwathdore!" the King exclaimed his voice ringing throughout the courtyard.
Kasumi now knew that the rumors were true, the Dark King was heartless, and no one crosses him without a scarring punishment. He had given her the worst: he had spared her, so that she could live forever in pain, and she knew he was right, she would never forget this…
Kasumi watched silently as a burly elf stepped into the courtyard, wearing all black. In his hands he carried a large heavy sword and walked towards Manwein's kneeling figure.
Kasumi shivered in dread, as the executioner's shadow covered Manwein's body. She looked deep into his eyes and saw a great fear, his face showed no expression, but deep inside she knew her same fear was inside him. Kasumi's lips quivered and pouted, her brow furrowed in grief. She lifted her shaking hand and blew him a final kiss. "I love you," she whispered.
She watched in horror as Manwein bowed his head onto the block, extending his neck giving the executioner a clear cut.
"Proceed," the King commanded coldly, and the executioner raised his axe.
The blade swung down through the air and Kasumi turned away as the metal hit flesh. She shivered as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing silently as she listened to footsteps walking out to the courtyard collecting someone Kasumi would never forget, and she heard water splashing onto the smooth marble floor washing away the blood of her hero.
Kasumi remained in her spot, still refusing to look at where Manwein once stood, clutching the note tightly, shaking violently as she sobbed, allowing no sound to escape from her lips as she fainted in exhaustion...
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Oh no! ::sniffles:: I can't believe I juz did dat!! Oh!! I'm sorry guyz, but it'z all a part of life. ::sniffz:: Now I feel horrible! ::cries:: I'm gonna miss him! Please don't flame me for cutting Manwein out of the picture, but it's juz one of the pains in Kas/Cuth's life that she has to learn to live with. ::wipes eyes:: I didn't think I could do it, I was afraid my poor lil' heart wouldn't be able to take it...::whimpers and tears up::...but the deed is done, and some things in life cannot be changed...I have to go now, I ran out of tissue...::blows nose::...Ciao! :'( ~~ crying face (if ya didn't already kno dat)