Talen slashed away his enemies with broad strokes, his armor sprayed with
blood. He sat
upon his mighty stallion Howda, and felt his heart thump hollowly in his chest. "Damn
you all to hell!" He cried, his eyes burning like fire.
His insides turned to ice when he saw a fellow knight fall off his horse, an arrow in his
throat. Wheeling Howda towards the fallen knight, Talen slashed away the heads of the
people who hacked at the dead knights corpse. He seemed to flow into this feeling of a
dream.
It all seemed to be a dream. His feelings deserted him, and all he saw was his sword that
rose in arches, splitting the heads and bodies of Sync's minions. Nothing bothered him
now, not even the noise of the battle, and not even the slicing sound of his broadsword as
it descended upon his enemies.
Suddenly, someone from behind his yanked hard at his cloak, and he lost his grip on his
sword that clattered to the earth with his survival. Quickly, he reached for the mace at his
hip and just managed to grasp its hilt before he fell himself onto the earth. His armor
dented in, jabbing into his flesh underneath, "Ah!" He cried. Opening his eyes, he saw a
sword of a Styric person's slashing down to him and, desperately, he swung out his mace
and managed to hit his offender in the hip.
Quickly rolling to his feet, Talen swung his mace around, and quickly searched for
Howda, who was rising on his hind legs as a Styric man mounted him. Running to his
stallion's rescue, Talen smashed the man's skull in with his mace and quickly remounted
his stallion, which, now angered, trampled the dead into mush with his steel hooves.
Again, as his confidence returned, Talen returned to that void, dream-like feeling that
calmed him, and let his trapped anger out.
The battle stretched out before him like a sea of water and waves, and the wind disrupted
their cloaks like fire, and the winds howl seemed to howl for the dead, calling them, and
threatening the living.
"Talen," Whispered the wind in his ears, surprised, he looked around, "Over here!" He
spun around to see someone in a pale blue gown hurry past his horse and vanish into the
fighting crowd.
"Talen! Look out!" A fellow knight roared close by.
Spinning around, Talen saw a group of Styric's ready to aim their throwing knives at
him. Digging his heels in Howda, he rode them over, swinging his mace at their faces.
"TALEN!" the screech came from the winds, "Look over here!" He spun around and saw
the pale blue gown vanish amongst the people once again, but with it, he saw a flash of
pale golden hair, "Over here Talen," Came a murmured whisper near his ear.
"Ah!" He cried, looking over his shoulder to see no one on his saddle with him.
But again, he used his mace as his life was threatened once again, and thundered his
stallion in among a gang of Styric's and some Zemoches and smashed them apart, when
suddenly, everything stopped.
Everything was frozen.
Talen looked around, a Zemoch, who he had just struck, was in midair, his face dented
inwards, fountains of blood frozen in air as it followed its owner. Then suddenly, he saw
Aphrael, her midnight black hair falling around her, her glowing white gown untouched
by the earth or the blood, "Watch out!" She screamed stretching out her had towards him.
Suddenly, she vanished, and with her gone, time came back. The battle continued as
though it had never stopped. He looked up to see another knight fall off his horse, an
arrow that had pierced his armor and had embedded itself in his chest.
"Look up, Talen." Murmured a feminine voice.
The voice came from above him, so he looked up and saw a beautiful maiden floating
above him. Wind seemed to play with her golden hair and pale blue gown, her large
sapphire eyes alight with fire. Reaching down to him, she placed her hand on his
helmeted head, and sighed, "Good-Bye mortal, you will die like a normal foul being of
this earth!"
Threatened, Talen swung his mace at the unknown spirit, and heard a dragon- like scream
erupt from her lips, and quite suddenly, she vanished like vapor, and with that, wisped
away his helmet, armor, and weapons. He wore all white, and a white shawl, not a cloak.
"No!" He cried. Quickly, he spun Howda around and thundered away from the battle and
spotted a fellow knight, named Aorbain, and cried, "Help me! Give me a weapon!"
But just then, an arrow came spinning out of the trees nearby, aimed at Talen's
unprotected chest.
************************************************************************
Mirtai gazed down at Danae with an expression of sorrow, and closed her dark eyes.
Danae sat up in her bed; she had regained some strength, for Aphrael had given it to her
to produce an heir for Elenia. She had grown paler then usual, her eyes sunken in which
were usually closed.
"I'm fine, Mirtai." Danae murmured softly, her eye's barley open.
"Look at yourself, Danae," Mirtai scolded in hidden sorrow, "What did you do to get
yourself in such a condition?"
A weak smile came to Danae's pale lips, "Maybe I ate poison?"
"That isn't funny!" Mirtai cried, tears coming in her eyes when Danae chuckled silently.
Fully opening her big dark eyes, Danae said, "Some thing's have to be done, to get
something accomplished," When she said that, she looked at Sparhawk, who sat in a
chair off to the corner, "and one mustn't be saddened over such a thing."
Looking into Mirtai's confused face, Danae smiled sadly, "Everything happens for a
reason, Mirtai."
Shaking her head, Mirtai said, "And there are some thing's that are not meant to be."
"But this is meant to be." Danae stated, "I am going to die because of the will of God,
and none can prevent that."
Mirtai shook her head, "I'll be right back," she muttered, storming out of the room.
When she was gone, and only Sparhawk and Danae were alone, he stood up and
approached the bed, "Don't talk like that to them, Aphrael." He said, "You're going to
leave us soon, and you don't have to break everyone apart by talking like that."
"I'm getting them ready for my departure. When I leave, they'll understand that it's okay
for me to leave. Their grief, by then, would be gone." Looking into his eyes, burning
tears came to hers, "I'm so sorry, Sparhawk, I didn't want to go like this." Placing a hand
to her swelling stomach, she smiled softly, "I will leave you an heir, however."
Sitting at the edge of the bed, he said in a soft voice, "Who.who's the f- father.?"
Tear's rolled down her eyes as she gave him a forced smile, "Who else?" She sighed,
"I've liked him since I laid my eyes on him."
"Talen?" He asked.
Sparhawk had been expecting this for a while.
Burying her face in her hands she nodded, "Yes!"
Sparhawk nodded, "Does he know?"
"About the baby?" She asked, slowly lowering her hands, "No." She looked vacantly at
her hands, "And he never will."
"If you don't want to tell him," Sparhawk said, "I wont tell him when he comes back
from the war."
She shook her head. "He wont be coming back father."
Sparhawk paled, "What?"
"He's not coming back." She repeated, looking up into Sparhawk's eyes, "Right now, in
just a few moment's, an arrow will pierce him, and he will fall to the earth, were he will
get no more pain, grief or anger."
Sparhawk stared at her.
"I cannot do anything to help him," She said, "He was destined to father a halfling, ruin a
great deity and then die." She began to weep, "I will never see my Talen again!"
And just as she wept, Talen cried to the heavens above as the arrow, so destined to
destroy him, struck him in his chest, pushing him off his stallion to land upon the earth.
"Aphrael!" He called, but received nothing but the wind that cried and called for him.
upon his mighty stallion Howda, and felt his heart thump hollowly in his chest. "Damn
you all to hell!" He cried, his eyes burning like fire.
His insides turned to ice when he saw a fellow knight fall off his horse, an arrow in his
throat. Wheeling Howda towards the fallen knight, Talen slashed away the heads of the
people who hacked at the dead knights corpse. He seemed to flow into this feeling of a
dream.
It all seemed to be a dream. His feelings deserted him, and all he saw was his sword that
rose in arches, splitting the heads and bodies of Sync's minions. Nothing bothered him
now, not even the noise of the battle, and not even the slicing sound of his broadsword as
it descended upon his enemies.
Suddenly, someone from behind his yanked hard at his cloak, and he lost his grip on his
sword that clattered to the earth with his survival. Quickly, he reached for the mace at his
hip and just managed to grasp its hilt before he fell himself onto the earth. His armor
dented in, jabbing into his flesh underneath, "Ah!" He cried. Opening his eyes, he saw a
sword of a Styric person's slashing down to him and, desperately, he swung out his mace
and managed to hit his offender in the hip.
Quickly rolling to his feet, Talen swung his mace around, and quickly searched for
Howda, who was rising on his hind legs as a Styric man mounted him. Running to his
stallion's rescue, Talen smashed the man's skull in with his mace and quickly remounted
his stallion, which, now angered, trampled the dead into mush with his steel hooves.
Again, as his confidence returned, Talen returned to that void, dream-like feeling that
calmed him, and let his trapped anger out.
The battle stretched out before him like a sea of water and waves, and the wind disrupted
their cloaks like fire, and the winds howl seemed to howl for the dead, calling them, and
threatening the living.
"Talen," Whispered the wind in his ears, surprised, he looked around, "Over here!" He
spun around to see someone in a pale blue gown hurry past his horse and vanish into the
fighting crowd.
"Talen! Look out!" A fellow knight roared close by.
Spinning around, Talen saw a group of Styric's ready to aim their throwing knives at
him. Digging his heels in Howda, he rode them over, swinging his mace at their faces.
"TALEN!" the screech came from the winds, "Look over here!" He spun around and saw
the pale blue gown vanish amongst the people once again, but with it, he saw a flash of
pale golden hair, "Over here Talen," Came a murmured whisper near his ear.
"Ah!" He cried, looking over his shoulder to see no one on his saddle with him.
But again, he used his mace as his life was threatened once again, and thundered his
stallion in among a gang of Styric's and some Zemoches and smashed them apart, when
suddenly, everything stopped.
Everything was frozen.
Talen looked around, a Zemoch, who he had just struck, was in midair, his face dented
inwards, fountains of blood frozen in air as it followed its owner. Then suddenly, he saw
Aphrael, her midnight black hair falling around her, her glowing white gown untouched
by the earth or the blood, "Watch out!" She screamed stretching out her had towards him.
Suddenly, she vanished, and with her gone, time came back. The battle continued as
though it had never stopped. He looked up to see another knight fall off his horse, an
arrow that had pierced his armor and had embedded itself in his chest.
"Look up, Talen." Murmured a feminine voice.
The voice came from above him, so he looked up and saw a beautiful maiden floating
above him. Wind seemed to play with her golden hair and pale blue gown, her large
sapphire eyes alight with fire. Reaching down to him, she placed her hand on his
helmeted head, and sighed, "Good-Bye mortal, you will die like a normal foul being of
this earth!"
Threatened, Talen swung his mace at the unknown spirit, and heard a dragon- like scream
erupt from her lips, and quite suddenly, she vanished like vapor, and with that, wisped
away his helmet, armor, and weapons. He wore all white, and a white shawl, not a cloak.
"No!" He cried. Quickly, he spun Howda around and thundered away from the battle and
spotted a fellow knight, named Aorbain, and cried, "Help me! Give me a weapon!"
But just then, an arrow came spinning out of the trees nearby, aimed at Talen's
unprotected chest.
************************************************************************
Mirtai gazed down at Danae with an expression of sorrow, and closed her dark eyes.
Danae sat up in her bed; she had regained some strength, for Aphrael had given it to her
to produce an heir for Elenia. She had grown paler then usual, her eyes sunken in which
were usually closed.
"I'm fine, Mirtai." Danae murmured softly, her eye's barley open.
"Look at yourself, Danae," Mirtai scolded in hidden sorrow, "What did you do to get
yourself in such a condition?"
A weak smile came to Danae's pale lips, "Maybe I ate poison?"
"That isn't funny!" Mirtai cried, tears coming in her eyes when Danae chuckled silently.
Fully opening her big dark eyes, Danae said, "Some thing's have to be done, to get
something accomplished," When she said that, she looked at Sparhawk, who sat in a
chair off to the corner, "and one mustn't be saddened over such a thing."
Looking into Mirtai's confused face, Danae smiled sadly, "Everything happens for a
reason, Mirtai."
Shaking her head, Mirtai said, "And there are some thing's that are not meant to be."
"But this is meant to be." Danae stated, "I am going to die because of the will of God,
and none can prevent that."
Mirtai shook her head, "I'll be right back," she muttered, storming out of the room.
When she was gone, and only Sparhawk and Danae were alone, he stood up and
approached the bed, "Don't talk like that to them, Aphrael." He said, "You're going to
leave us soon, and you don't have to break everyone apart by talking like that."
"I'm getting them ready for my departure. When I leave, they'll understand that it's okay
for me to leave. Their grief, by then, would be gone." Looking into his eyes, burning
tears came to hers, "I'm so sorry, Sparhawk, I didn't want to go like this." Placing a hand
to her swelling stomach, she smiled softly, "I will leave you an heir, however."
Sitting at the edge of the bed, he said in a soft voice, "Who.who's the f- father.?"
Tear's rolled down her eyes as she gave him a forced smile, "Who else?" She sighed,
"I've liked him since I laid my eyes on him."
"Talen?" He asked.
Sparhawk had been expecting this for a while.
Burying her face in her hands she nodded, "Yes!"
Sparhawk nodded, "Does he know?"
"About the baby?" She asked, slowly lowering her hands, "No." She looked vacantly at
her hands, "And he never will."
"If you don't want to tell him," Sparhawk said, "I wont tell him when he comes back
from the war."
She shook her head. "He wont be coming back father."
Sparhawk paled, "What?"
"He's not coming back." She repeated, looking up into Sparhawk's eyes, "Right now, in
just a few moment's, an arrow will pierce him, and he will fall to the earth, were he will
get no more pain, grief or anger."
Sparhawk stared at her.
"I cannot do anything to help him," She said, "He was destined to father a halfling, ruin a
great deity and then die." She began to weep, "I will never see my Talen again!"
And just as she wept, Talen cried to the heavens above as the arrow, so destined to
destroy him, struck him in his chest, pushing him off his stallion to land upon the earth.
"Aphrael!" He called, but received nothing but the wind that cried and called for him.