Stupid ff.net...let me see my reviews!
OK, I'm not sure if any of you have noticed this, but all of the reviews that were posted after Friday seem to be invisible (and it's not just this story, the reviews I've posted on other stories are invisible as well). The review count on the story says 29, but my stats page still says 24. I can see DrillingPlanet's review cause he posted his on Friday...but I can't see anyone else's. I've e-mailed ff.net about it though, so hopefully it will be fixed soon.
Stupid computer *clicks reviews button repeatedly* come ON! *kicks computer*
Computer: *gives Blue Screen of Death™*
Oh yeah, there's another problem. My computer is really messed up and seems to be blue-screening whenever I try to play a game or download something. Fortunately for you guys, I can still write this, at least. So enjoy!
DrillingPlanet: Sort of. I was thinking of a way to get Nils away from Ninian when that just popped into my head. Nils isn't annoying in this story though.
As for everyone else...sorry, but I can't respond to what I can't see. If by some chance your reviews do reappear, I'll respond to them in later chapters.
Chapter Five
Hope
"You're leaving already?"
Ninian stood in her room at Castle Caelin, ready to leave. Florina was standing just outside the door, wondering why she couldn't stay.
"I...I'm sorry, Florina," Ninian said. "But Nils and I..."
"It's all right," Florina interrupted her. "If you have to leave, I won't stop you. It's just...well, you've been a great friend, and I'll miss you..."
Ninian gave her a sad smile. "As will I, Florina. You have been...a great friend to me as well. I wish you luck in your pegasus knight training."
Florina thanked Ninian, then briefly embraced her. "I hope I see you again..."
"Me too..." She began to walk out the door. "Goodbye, Florina."
"Goodbye, Ninian..."
"Goodbye, Ninian! Have a safe journey!"
Ninian waved back at Lyn, who was standing in the gate of the castle.
Having helped Lyn regain the throne of Caelin, Ninian and Nils were now ready to continue their journey to Ilia. Lyn had given them a new tent and plenty of food for their journey, and, at Nils's request, had also given them two curved daggers known to some as "killing edges." If any men attacked them, Nils, and Ninian if she had to, would be able to silence them quickly.
Once again, the siblings began their journey in high spirits, confident that this time they would be able to make it to the next town without any trouble.
They were wrong.
They have left the protection of that weak marchioness...perfect. I will accept no mistakes this time!
BRING THEM TO ME!
Ninian once again awoke from her nightmare with a jolt, but this time, she and Nils were ready. Each of them had strapped the sheathed killing edges near their waists so that they might be able to draw them quickly in an emergency. Ninian, however, did not want to fight if she didn't have to, so she simply fingered the hilt of the dagger as Nils approached the tent's front flap and waited.
Nobody came for several minutes, but the sensation in Ninian's head told her that there were people waiting outside.
It was then that the front flap began to glow orange. Ninian turned around.
The men had set the back of the tent on fire. Now they could either stay inside and be killed, or go out and at least not go down without a fight...
The siblings looked at each other, understanding what they had to do.
Without a moment's hesitation, Nils raised his dagger and charged out of the front of the tent.
He didn't get far. The moment he left the tent, he was blindsided by one of the men. The dagger he had been holding flew into the air and landed uselessly some distance away.
Ninian didn't even get a chance to unsheathe her dagger. Another man, seeing that Nils had been pacified, quickly rushed into the tent and grabbed Ninian by her waist. He laughed as more men came in and quickly bound her hands before they could move to her weapon. They went out of the tent just as the fire began to consume it completely.
Ninian began to scream, but this time there was nobody to help her. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head as something hard smashed into it, and then everything went black.
"Ninian..."
Ninian's eyes slowly fluttered open. She sat up, then quickly clutched her head as it began to pound.
"Ninian, are you all right?" She heard Nils's voice.
Ninian looked up, but all she could see was black.
"Ninian..."
She heard Nils's voice from behind her, and turned around. She burst into tears at what she saw.
They were back in the temple of the Dragon's Gate again. The blackness she had seen had been the Gate itself, which she was lying right in front of.
"No...no..." she sobbed.
Nils wanted to comfort her, but what could he say?
They had no hope now...
Nergal was going to become all-powerful, and all because she had wanted to see her homeland...
Ninian didn't know how long she cried, nor did she care. But at some point she had noticed that the killing edge was still strapped to her waist. The men who had captured her must have never removed it.
Looking back on it, she wasn't sure what had driven her to do it. All she remembered was that she was holding the dagger right above her chest, eyes closed, ready to take her own life. If she did so, then Nergal could not use her to open the Gate...
She would have done it then and there, if a voice hadn't suddenly stopped her.
"Don't!"
The voice was male, but it did not belong to Nils or Nergal. She opened her eyes to find a man in front of her with red hair, blue eyes, and a moustache. He wore a brown shirt and pants.
The first thought she had about the man was that he looked startlingly like an older version of Eliwood.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man asked, although he was not angry. He seemed more concerned.
"There is nothing else that can help me," Ninian said in a flat, expressionless voice. She was beyond despair now. "If I take my own life, I may keep Nergal from reaching his goal."
"There are other ways to stop Nergal besides taking your own life!" the man declared.
"Why should I continue to live?" she continued in her flat voice. "The only reason I am alive is for Nergal to exploit my power."
"That isn't true and you know it. There must be someone—something in your life that you should live for!"
Ninian ignored the statement. "You do not know how I feel," she said, her voice trembling with a rage she had never felt before. "My life is meaningless now."
The man sighed. "You are right, I do not know how you feel. But I know someone who has."
Ninian laughed mirthlessly. "Really. And who might that be?"
"My son, Eliwood."
Eliwood...
That sparked a memory in her mind.
"My son may not have been in the same situation as you," Eliwood's father continued. "But he once felt the same despair. As a small child, he once became lost in a forest outside of Castle Pherae. He stayed there for hours, hoping that I or someone else would find him, but no one came. He felt as though everyone had abandoned him, and left him to die...but even after he had lost all hope of being rescued, I found him and brought him back to the castle."
Just like Eliwood rescued me, she thought. She had accepted that there was nothing she could do after the men had captured her, but still she was saved by Eliwood.
"Even when you feel there is no hope, there always is," Eliwood's father said. "There is still a chance we can stop Nergal. And there always was. But if you wish to stop him, you cannot simply give in."
He's right, she thought. Taking my life will do nothing.
"But what can we do?" she asked him, her voice no longer expressionless.
He smiled, seeing her despair gone. "I'm not sure," he said. "But we will find a way."
Hmmm, that was kinda short. But I must say, it's a good place to stop. Especially with that last line.
*computer blue-screens again*
*restarts* stupid thing...Well anyway, keep posting your reviews, because there's always hope that they will appear. :P If they don't, you can always e-mail your reviews to me at LavaWave10@aol.com.
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT
OK, I'm not sure if any of you have noticed this, but all of the reviews that were posted after Friday seem to be invisible (and it's not just this story, the reviews I've posted on other stories are invisible as well). The review count on the story says 29, but my stats page still says 24. I can see DrillingPlanet's review cause he posted his on Friday...but I can't see anyone else's. I've e-mailed ff.net about it though, so hopefully it will be fixed soon.
Stupid computer *clicks reviews button repeatedly* come ON! *kicks computer*
Computer: *gives Blue Screen of Death™*
Oh yeah, there's another problem. My computer is really messed up and seems to be blue-screening whenever I try to play a game or download something. Fortunately for you guys, I can still write this, at least. So enjoy!
DrillingPlanet: Sort of. I was thinking of a way to get Nils away from Ninian when that just popped into my head. Nils isn't annoying in this story though.
As for everyone else...sorry, but I can't respond to what I can't see. If by some chance your reviews do reappear, I'll respond to them in later chapters.
Hope
Ninian stood in her room at Castle Caelin, ready to leave. Florina was standing just outside the door, wondering why she couldn't stay.
"I...I'm sorry, Florina," Ninian said. "But Nils and I..."
"It's all right," Florina interrupted her. "If you have to leave, I won't stop you. It's just...well, you've been a great friend, and I'll miss you..."
Ninian gave her a sad smile. "As will I, Florina. You have been...a great friend to me as well. I wish you luck in your pegasus knight training."
Florina thanked Ninian, then briefly embraced her. "I hope I see you again..."
"Me too..." She began to walk out the door. "Goodbye, Florina."
"Goodbye, Ninian..."
"Goodbye, Ninian! Have a safe journey!"
Ninian waved back at Lyn, who was standing in the gate of the castle.
Having helped Lyn regain the throne of Caelin, Ninian and Nils were now ready to continue their journey to Ilia. Lyn had given them a new tent and plenty of food for their journey, and, at Nils's request, had also given them two curved daggers known to some as "killing edges." If any men attacked them, Nils, and Ninian if she had to, would be able to silence them quickly.
Once again, the siblings began their journey in high spirits, confident that this time they would be able to make it to the next town without any trouble.
They were wrong.
They have left the protection of that weak marchioness...perfect. I will accept no mistakes this time!
BRING THEM TO ME!
Ninian once again awoke from her nightmare with a jolt, but this time, she and Nils were ready. Each of them had strapped the sheathed killing edges near their waists so that they might be able to draw them quickly in an emergency. Ninian, however, did not want to fight if she didn't have to, so she simply fingered the hilt of the dagger as Nils approached the tent's front flap and waited.
Nobody came for several minutes, but the sensation in Ninian's head told her that there were people waiting outside.
It was then that the front flap began to glow orange. Ninian turned around.
The men had set the back of the tent on fire. Now they could either stay inside and be killed, or go out and at least not go down without a fight...
The siblings looked at each other, understanding what they had to do.
Without a moment's hesitation, Nils raised his dagger and charged out of the front of the tent.
He didn't get far. The moment he left the tent, he was blindsided by one of the men. The dagger he had been holding flew into the air and landed uselessly some distance away.
Ninian didn't even get a chance to unsheathe her dagger. Another man, seeing that Nils had been pacified, quickly rushed into the tent and grabbed Ninian by her waist. He laughed as more men came in and quickly bound her hands before they could move to her weapon. They went out of the tent just as the fire began to consume it completely.
Ninian began to scream, but this time there was nobody to help her. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head as something hard smashed into it, and then everything went black.
"Ninian..."
Ninian's eyes slowly fluttered open. She sat up, then quickly clutched her head as it began to pound.
"Ninian, are you all right?" She heard Nils's voice.
Ninian looked up, but all she could see was black.
"Ninian..."
She heard Nils's voice from behind her, and turned around. She burst into tears at what she saw.
They were back in the temple of the Dragon's Gate again. The blackness she had seen had been the Gate itself, which she was lying right in front of.
"No...no..." she sobbed.
Nils wanted to comfort her, but what could he say?
They had no hope now...
Nergal was going to become all-powerful, and all because she had wanted to see her homeland...
Ninian didn't know how long she cried, nor did she care. But at some point she had noticed that the killing edge was still strapped to her waist. The men who had captured her must have never removed it.
Looking back on it, she wasn't sure what had driven her to do it. All she remembered was that she was holding the dagger right above her chest, eyes closed, ready to take her own life. If she did so, then Nergal could not use her to open the Gate...
She would have done it then and there, if a voice hadn't suddenly stopped her.
"Don't!"
The voice was male, but it did not belong to Nils or Nergal. She opened her eyes to find a man in front of her with red hair, blue eyes, and a moustache. He wore a brown shirt and pants.
The first thought she had about the man was that he looked startlingly like an older version of Eliwood.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man asked, although he was not angry. He seemed more concerned.
"There is nothing else that can help me," Ninian said in a flat, expressionless voice. She was beyond despair now. "If I take my own life, I may keep Nergal from reaching his goal."
"There are other ways to stop Nergal besides taking your own life!" the man declared.
"Why should I continue to live?" she continued in her flat voice. "The only reason I am alive is for Nergal to exploit my power."
"That isn't true and you know it. There must be someone—something in your life that you should live for!"
Ninian ignored the statement. "You do not know how I feel," she said, her voice trembling with a rage she had never felt before. "My life is meaningless now."
The man sighed. "You are right, I do not know how you feel. But I know someone who has."
Ninian laughed mirthlessly. "Really. And who might that be?"
"My son, Eliwood."
Eliwood...
That sparked a memory in her mind.
"My son may not have been in the same situation as you," Eliwood's father continued. "But he once felt the same despair. As a small child, he once became lost in a forest outside of Castle Pherae. He stayed there for hours, hoping that I or someone else would find him, but no one came. He felt as though everyone had abandoned him, and left him to die...but even after he had lost all hope of being rescued, I found him and brought him back to the castle."
Just like Eliwood rescued me, she thought. She had accepted that there was nothing she could do after the men had captured her, but still she was saved by Eliwood.
"Even when you feel there is no hope, there always is," Eliwood's father said. "There is still a chance we can stop Nergal. And there always was. But if you wish to stop him, you cannot simply give in."
He's right, she thought. Taking my life will do nothing.
"But what can we do?" she asked him, her voice no longer expressionless.
He smiled, seeing her despair gone. "I'm not sure," he said. "But we will find a way."
Hmmm, that was kinda short. But I must say, it's a good place to stop. Especially with that last line.
*computer blue-screens again*
*restarts* stupid thing...Well anyway, keep posting your reviews, because there's always hope that they will appear. :P If they don't, you can always e-mail your reviews to me at LavaWave10@aol.com.
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT