khmerboi919: Once again, your questions are about to be answered...
Millenium Slinky: *brushes off confetti* er...thanks.
The way I write so fast is by using a little technique I like to call "writing as I go". What I do is lay out what I basically want to happen beforehand, but everything else is written when I come to it. All I have to do is think "hmm, what would happen now" and write it. This helps especially with dialogue (and there's a lot of it) because I just think of what each character would say in a certain situation.
o_O: Woohoo, another male reviewer!
And now, the ending...
Epilogue
"Heath! Priscilla!"
The two were just coming out of their tent the next morning when they found Raven standing right in front of them. Priscilla visibly tensed, and immediately clung to Heath, afraid that Raven might hurt her again.
"It's all right," Heath told her. "He's not going to do anything."
She relaxed her grip a little, but still held on to him.
"What is it, Raven?" Heath asked.
Raven sighed and looked at the ground, embarrassed. Lucius had been right, Raven was not very good at apologies.
"I believe Lucius talked to you last night," he said softly.
"Yeah, he did," Heath replied.
Priscilla looked at Heath inquisitively, but he told her that he would tell her later.
"No, I'll tell her," Raven said. He looked at Priscilla. "Priscilla," he said slowly, "is this truly what you want? Will staying with Heath make you happy?"
She nodded.
"Then..." He sighed again. "Then I will not stop you. I...wish you all the happiness in the world."
Priscilla's face immediately brightened, and she threw her arms around her brother.
"Oh, thank you...thank you, Raymond."
Heath saw Raven tense at the mention of his real name, but he did nothing else.
Priscilla let go, and put her arms around Heath again.
"Heath," Raven said, looking at him, "please make her happy. It is something that...I could not do myself."
Heath and Priscilla looked at each other longingly, remembering that they could not stay together long.
He looked back at Raven. "I...I will," he said.
Heath and Priscilla were inseparable after that night. They never left each other's side in the time they had before their mission was completed. Heath took Priscilla flying every chance that he could, and Priscilla's fear of heights all but disappeared with Heath by her side.
They stayed by each other in the battles that eventually came, first at the Ostian castle, then on the Dread Isle, and finally at the Dragon's Gate itself. They could not do much besides hold each other as they watched the three lords and Archsage Athos battle Nergal and the dragon that he managed to call through the portal.
After the threat that Nergal posed to the world had been eliminated, Heath and Priscilla went back to the Caerleon castle, as Heath did not have another place to go. They knew that he would have to leave soon afterwards, however, but they cherished the little time they had left...
"Heath!"
Priscilla's worried shout echoed throughout the Caerleon castle.
Heath had stayed at the castle for three days. Today was the day that he had to leave, and Priscilla was looking for him, so that she might be able to say goodbye.
She became more and more worried as she searched room after room and found no one.
"Heath," she said to herself, "you can't have left me already...I didn't even say goodbye..."
She searched for him more, but she did not find him.
"No...please still be here...please..."
She could not find him.
She wanted to break down, to cry, but the tears would not come forth. Instead, she walked slowly to her room.
As she opened her door, she noticed a piece of paper on her bed. It was a letter.
She picked it up and read it.
And for a moment, all that could be heard in the Caerleon castle was a single, anguished wail.
A cottage sat at the base of the Bern Mountains. The man who lived there had little contact with the outside world. He had lived there for some time, content with his life, except for one thing...
If only...if only time could stop...
Several years had passed since that moment, and still Heath could not stop thinking about it. It played through his mind, over and over.
It had been painful to leave her. He still regretted his decision to this day, and every night he wondered what would have happened if things had been different...
If only...if only time could stop...
He had realized it at that very moment. That was what it all came down to, his being a fugitive. She didn't care about that, she had said that much. But she was a high-ranking noble, soon to become Countess Caerleon herself. He was a deserter, from another country at that. They could not be together; the laws would never allow it, no matter how much they wished otherwise.
Heath remembered how he had stayed in the castle of the Caerleons for a few days. The Caerleons were very kind, and they accepted that she loved him, but they were powerless to change the laws. He could not stay for very long. He knew that eventually he would have to leave her, but he couldn't bear to say goodbye to her face-to-face. Instead, being the foolish man that he was, he had left her a letter.
He still remembered what he had written:
Dearest Priscilla,
I can't bear to see you cry. I am writing this because I do not wish to see you cry once more. I'm leaving. I don't know where I'm going, but please do not look for me. We cannot be together, as much as I wish otherwise. Please know that even though it was brief, the time we spent together was the happiest of my life. I wish I could see your face again before I leave, but I can't stay any longer. Goodbye, Priscilla.
I love you,
Heath
Even now he called himself a fool for writing that.
One year after he left, he decided that he could not take it anymore. He had to go see her once more. He had flown to the Caerleon castle only to find that she was no longer there. He found out that she had been as unable to accept their separation as he had. She had left to look for him, despite the fact that he asked her not to. And now, he might never see her again...
He had retired to this cottage, no longer finding any reason to live elsewhere. He hated it, but he knew he was doomed to live the rest of his life alone, with only his wyvern for company.
If only...if only time could stop...
The image played again in his mind. He sighed.
He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts as he heard a knock on his door. He wondered who it could be, as few people even knew he existed out here.
His confusion turned to joy as he opened the door and saw her.
They embraced each other, squeezing each other as tight as they could.
"Heath," she whispered, "I finally found you...It's been so long..."
"Priscilla...I never should have left you..."
"That doesn't matter now...I've found you, and now I will not let you leave..."
Heath awoke in the middle of the night. The first thing he did was feel the space in his bed next to him. Nothing there.
He panicked. Had it all been a dream? He remembered Priscilla coming to his cottage and finding him, they had spent some time catching up with each other, then when he decided to go to bed, she had come with him. He remembered feeling pure exhilaration as he felt Priscilla beside him, thinking that the images of her in his mind would finally come to an end.
He felt the space next to him again just to make sure. Again, nothing there.
Apparently, the images hadn't stopped; instead, he had just been fooled by another one.
He scowled and sat up, opening his eyes. Would this never end?
He looked to his side, and there she was.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window at the moon in the clear night sky. The moonlight shone on her pale skin, making her look even more beautiful than she already was.
He reached out to touch her, to make sure this wasn't another image.
She gave a small gasp as he touched her and turned around.
"Oh, it's just you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You startled me."
So it hadn't been a dream...
He gave her a wide smile.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked playfully.
Heath swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat beside her. "You," he said. "I still can't believe you're hereājust now I woke up and I thought I had dreamt you coming here."
She smiled, then put her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.
He put his arms around her and asked, "Why are you awake?"
"I was just...thinking," she replied. "I remember when I decided to give up my status and look for you...I couldn't care less whether or not I was a Caerleon, as long as I found you. But now that I finally have..." She trailed off.
"You miss them?" he asked.
She sighed. "Yes, I do. But...I would rather stay here with you."
Heath looked at her and smiled. "Do you really mean that?"
Priscilla raised her head and smiled back at him. "Yes," she replied. "If I was unable to be with you, I would regret it for the rest of my life. When I was looking for you...I could never stop thinking about you..."
"Me too," he said. "I never went a day without remembering the time we spent together..."
They stared at each other smiling silently for a few moments, before Priscilla broke the silence with a whisper.
"I love you, Heath..."
"I love you too, Priscilla..."
She brought her face to his and kissed him.
At that moment, both of them wished that time could stop right then and there, just as they had many years ago.
But this time, it was not out of sadness.
For at that moment, they were the happiest people alive.
The End
OK, I'm sure I messed that one up...
I'm going to give you guys a few days to review, then I'll post my final responses and comments.
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT
Millenium Slinky: *brushes off confetti* er...thanks.
The way I write so fast is by using a little technique I like to call "writing as I go". What I do is lay out what I basically want to happen beforehand, but everything else is written when I come to it. All I have to do is think "hmm, what would happen now" and write it. This helps especially with dialogue (and there's a lot of it) because I just think of what each character would say in a certain situation.
o_O: Woohoo, another male reviewer!
And now, the ending...
The two were just coming out of their tent the next morning when they found Raven standing right in front of them. Priscilla visibly tensed, and immediately clung to Heath, afraid that Raven might hurt her again.
"It's all right," Heath told her. "He's not going to do anything."
She relaxed her grip a little, but still held on to him.
"What is it, Raven?" Heath asked.
Raven sighed and looked at the ground, embarrassed. Lucius had been right, Raven was not very good at apologies.
"I believe Lucius talked to you last night," he said softly.
"Yeah, he did," Heath replied.
Priscilla looked at Heath inquisitively, but he told her that he would tell her later.
"No, I'll tell her," Raven said. He looked at Priscilla. "Priscilla," he said slowly, "is this truly what you want? Will staying with Heath make you happy?"
She nodded.
"Then..." He sighed again. "Then I will not stop you. I...wish you all the happiness in the world."
Priscilla's face immediately brightened, and she threw her arms around her brother.
"Oh, thank you...thank you, Raymond."
Heath saw Raven tense at the mention of his real name, but he did nothing else.
Priscilla let go, and put her arms around Heath again.
"Heath," Raven said, looking at him, "please make her happy. It is something that...I could not do myself."
Heath and Priscilla looked at each other longingly, remembering that they could not stay together long.
He looked back at Raven. "I...I will," he said.
Heath and Priscilla were inseparable after that night. They never left each other's side in the time they had before their mission was completed. Heath took Priscilla flying every chance that he could, and Priscilla's fear of heights all but disappeared with Heath by her side.
They stayed by each other in the battles that eventually came, first at the Ostian castle, then on the Dread Isle, and finally at the Dragon's Gate itself. They could not do much besides hold each other as they watched the three lords and Archsage Athos battle Nergal and the dragon that he managed to call through the portal.
After the threat that Nergal posed to the world had been eliminated, Heath and Priscilla went back to the Caerleon castle, as Heath did not have another place to go. They knew that he would have to leave soon afterwards, however, but they cherished the little time they had left...
"Heath!"
Priscilla's worried shout echoed throughout the Caerleon castle.
Heath had stayed at the castle for three days. Today was the day that he had to leave, and Priscilla was looking for him, so that she might be able to say goodbye.
She became more and more worried as she searched room after room and found no one.
"Heath," she said to herself, "you can't have left me already...I didn't even say goodbye..."
She searched for him more, but she did not find him.
"No...please still be here...please..."
She could not find him.
She wanted to break down, to cry, but the tears would not come forth. Instead, she walked slowly to her room.
As she opened her door, she noticed a piece of paper on her bed. It was a letter.
She picked it up and read it.
And for a moment, all that could be heard in the Caerleon castle was a single, anguished wail.
A cottage sat at the base of the Bern Mountains. The man who lived there had little contact with the outside world. He had lived there for some time, content with his life, except for one thing...
If only...if only time could stop...
Several years had passed since that moment, and still Heath could not stop thinking about it. It played through his mind, over and over.
It had been painful to leave her. He still regretted his decision to this day, and every night he wondered what would have happened if things had been different...
If only...if only time could stop...
He had realized it at that very moment. That was what it all came down to, his being a fugitive. She didn't care about that, she had said that much. But she was a high-ranking noble, soon to become Countess Caerleon herself. He was a deserter, from another country at that. They could not be together; the laws would never allow it, no matter how much they wished otherwise.
Heath remembered how he had stayed in the castle of the Caerleons for a few days. The Caerleons were very kind, and they accepted that she loved him, but they were powerless to change the laws. He could not stay for very long. He knew that eventually he would have to leave her, but he couldn't bear to say goodbye to her face-to-face. Instead, being the foolish man that he was, he had left her a letter.
He still remembered what he had written:
Dearest Priscilla,
I can't bear to see you cry. I am writing this because I do not wish to see you cry once more. I'm leaving. I don't know where I'm going, but please do not look for me. We cannot be together, as much as I wish otherwise. Please know that even though it was brief, the time we spent together was the happiest of my life. I wish I could see your face again before I leave, but I can't stay any longer. Goodbye, Priscilla.
I love you,
Heath
Even now he called himself a fool for writing that.
One year after he left, he decided that he could not take it anymore. He had to go see her once more. He had flown to the Caerleon castle only to find that she was no longer there. He found out that she had been as unable to accept their separation as he had. She had left to look for him, despite the fact that he asked her not to. And now, he might never see her again...
He had retired to this cottage, no longer finding any reason to live elsewhere. He hated it, but he knew he was doomed to live the rest of his life alone, with only his wyvern for company.
If only...if only time could stop...
The image played again in his mind. He sighed.
He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts as he heard a knock on his door. He wondered who it could be, as few people even knew he existed out here.
His confusion turned to joy as he opened the door and saw her.
They embraced each other, squeezing each other as tight as they could.
"Heath," she whispered, "I finally found you...It's been so long..."
"Priscilla...I never should have left you..."
"That doesn't matter now...I've found you, and now I will not let you leave..."
Heath awoke in the middle of the night. The first thing he did was feel the space in his bed next to him. Nothing there.
He panicked. Had it all been a dream? He remembered Priscilla coming to his cottage and finding him, they had spent some time catching up with each other, then when he decided to go to bed, she had come with him. He remembered feeling pure exhilaration as he felt Priscilla beside him, thinking that the images of her in his mind would finally come to an end.
He felt the space next to him again just to make sure. Again, nothing there.
Apparently, the images hadn't stopped; instead, he had just been fooled by another one.
He scowled and sat up, opening his eyes. Would this never end?
He looked to his side, and there she was.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window at the moon in the clear night sky. The moonlight shone on her pale skin, making her look even more beautiful than she already was.
He reached out to touch her, to make sure this wasn't another image.
She gave a small gasp as he touched her and turned around.
"Oh, it's just you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You startled me."
So it hadn't been a dream...
He gave her a wide smile.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked playfully.
Heath swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat beside her. "You," he said. "I still can't believe you're hereājust now I woke up and I thought I had dreamt you coming here."
She smiled, then put her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.
He put his arms around her and asked, "Why are you awake?"
"I was just...thinking," she replied. "I remember when I decided to give up my status and look for you...I couldn't care less whether or not I was a Caerleon, as long as I found you. But now that I finally have..." She trailed off.
"You miss them?" he asked.
She sighed. "Yes, I do. But...I would rather stay here with you."
Heath looked at her and smiled. "Do you really mean that?"
Priscilla raised her head and smiled back at him. "Yes," she replied. "If I was unable to be with you, I would regret it for the rest of my life. When I was looking for you...I could never stop thinking about you..."
"Me too," he said. "I never went a day without remembering the time we spent together..."
They stared at each other smiling silently for a few moments, before Priscilla broke the silence with a whisper.
"I love you, Heath..."
"I love you too, Priscilla..."
She brought her face to his and kissed him.
At that moment, both of them wished that time could stop right then and there, just as they had many years ago.
But this time, it was not out of sadness.
For at that moment, they were the happiest people alive.
I'm going to give you guys a few days to review, then I'll post my final responses and comments.
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT
