Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction using elements not
belonging to the author. Such elements belong to their respective owners.
Any similarities with other stories by other authors, either living or
dead, is purely coincidental.
Screams echoed all around him. He could clearly see the horror in the faces of the people in front of him. He felt his hand move, a great weight within its grasp. In a flash it all became silent. He looked at his hand. It was stained with a warm scarlet liquid. He then saw the bodies that lay on his feet. Men with their arms around their families, frozen around them as his blows hit their backs. Women with mouths wide open, silent screams coming out of them. Children with their eyes closed, never to open them again.
'What have I done?'
He woke up with a jolt. Everyday he would rise from slumber with the memories of countless brutal massacres. How he wished it would all end. This was why he came to this place.
As his senses focused he realized he was not where he was supposed to be. The cold, dark underground vault was a replaced by a warm tent.
"You're awake, good."
He turned to see a young woman with short brown hair. He quickly recognized her as a warrior who had ones tried to destroy him. He was surprised to see her.
'What is she doing here? How did she find me?'
His surprise and confusion grew when he heard her asked him.
"How are you feeling today, friend?"
Xianghua saw the confusion in their guest's eyes and decided to try to calm him down.
"Don't be afraid. You are with friends." She said as she knelt beside the young man. "Our companion found you gravely injured. We took you here to our camp so we could heal your wounds. You have been asleep for almost a day now."
She saw him calm down, as if beginning to remember something. Upon see his change in mood, she decided to go to the task at hand.
"Now please, let me see your arm."
Upon mentioning his wounds, the young man began to remember something. A pirate bearing two swords; a great battle; a bright light and a great force that threw him into the abyss.
His pondering stopped when she heard the young woman say something about his arm. It was then when he realized that something has changed.
"It was pretty beaten up when we found you. It seems to be alright now." Xianghua said as she examined it.
She began to replace the bandages as the man watched. When she was finished she stood up to leave and let him rest.
As the Chinese girl left the tent, she was met by Cassandra.
"How is he?" the Greek fighter asked.
"He's awake now," answered Xianghua "He was a bit confused but I got him to calm down."
"That's nice." Cassandra said with a smile.
Xianghua then had an idea. "Cassandra, our guest must be hungry. Why don't you take some food to him? He should get to know his rescuer, anyway."
"Oh, alright."
The young man sat on the makeshift bed, looking at his right hand. He was trying recall what has happened to him but so far it was all a blur. His pondering was interrupted when he heard someone enter the tent.
For a moment he thought his time on earth was over, for before his eyes stood an angel. She had short golden hair that shined with the sunlight and beautiful dark green eyes. Her clothes clung to her body and he could see her stocking-clad legs under the short skirt. He couldn't help but stare at her.
It was the first time for Cassandra to see the man he saved. She was busy dragging him to camp that she didn't get a good look at him. Now she saw how handsome he was. He was about a few years older than her and had long hair that had a color like grain. She could also see the muscles in his bare torso and arms. Cassandra slowly felt a blush creeping to her cheeks.
She then saw his eyes. They were beautiful orbs of emerald green yet it had a tinge of sorrow in them. She felt herself being lost in them.
It took almost all of Cassandra's will to make her look away from the man. She quickly spoke.
"I thought you might be hungry. I brought some food."
The man broke himself from hid trans and nodded. Cassandra knelt beside him and gave him the food. She just looked at him as he ate. At the rate he was eating, it seemed to her that he hasn't eaten for a long time. Much to her surprise, the meal she brought him disappeared in just a few minutes.
Cassandra decided to let the man rest. She was about to live when she him speak.
"Please wait."
Cassandra slowly turned to the man.
"Please, I would like to ask you something."
The Greek girl sat down again beside him. She would gladly help him in anyway she could.
"Please tell me, how did I get here?" the man asked.
"I found you by the lake." She replied. "You had a very deep wound on your side and you were losing a lot of blood. Had I not gotten to you, you may have died."
The man then remembered what had happened after the battle. He fell into an underground river and was by carried by its currents for hours. The river must have been where the lake got its water. The current might have brought him there.
"May I know your name?" the man asked in a lighter tone.
"My name is Cassandra Alexandra." The girl said proudly and with a smile.
What the man did next surprised Cassandra. He got on his knees, gently took her hand and kissed it. It was the first time someone treated her like this. Her heartbeat began to race.
"Lady Cassandra," the man said with his head bowed, "You have saved my life and therefore I am at your dept. From know on I will be your knight and you, my lady. I pledge to you my life. My sword, my service, is yours."
Cassandra was turning red all over. She had only pulled him out of the water and now he was offering his life to her. This was too much for a simple baker's daughter to bear.
"I.I.I must go."
She took her hand from his and started to walk quickly outside. The man thought he had made a mistake. Before walking out, Cassandra suddenly stopped. She turned around and asked the man.
"May I ask what your name is?"
The man fell silent as if pondering something.
"My name is Siegfried Schtauffen, Lady Cassandra." He responded.
"Very well. I will call you Siegfried. But you must call me Cassandra. No 'Lady', just Cassandra."
"Agreed."
With that, Cassandra left him.
Siegfried lay back down on the bed again.
'I can't believe I actually told her that name.' He thought to himself. 'I have been unworthy of that name since my father died, much more after what I have done.'
His eyes slowly got heavy as sleep began to take him again.
'I'm not worthy of the name Siegfried. My other name suits me more.'
'The name Nightmare.'
Screams echoed all around him. He could clearly see the horror in the faces of the people in front of him. He felt his hand move, a great weight within its grasp. In a flash it all became silent. He looked at his hand. It was stained with a warm scarlet liquid. He then saw the bodies that lay on his feet. Men with their arms around their families, frozen around them as his blows hit their backs. Women with mouths wide open, silent screams coming out of them. Children with their eyes closed, never to open them again.
'What have I done?'
He woke up with a jolt. Everyday he would rise from slumber with the memories of countless brutal massacres. How he wished it would all end. This was why he came to this place.
As his senses focused he realized he was not where he was supposed to be. The cold, dark underground vault was a replaced by a warm tent.
"You're awake, good."
He turned to see a young woman with short brown hair. He quickly recognized her as a warrior who had ones tried to destroy him. He was surprised to see her.
'What is she doing here? How did she find me?'
His surprise and confusion grew when he heard her asked him.
"How are you feeling today, friend?"
Xianghua saw the confusion in their guest's eyes and decided to try to calm him down.
"Don't be afraid. You are with friends." She said as she knelt beside the young man. "Our companion found you gravely injured. We took you here to our camp so we could heal your wounds. You have been asleep for almost a day now."
She saw him calm down, as if beginning to remember something. Upon see his change in mood, she decided to go to the task at hand.
"Now please, let me see your arm."
Upon mentioning his wounds, the young man began to remember something. A pirate bearing two swords; a great battle; a bright light and a great force that threw him into the abyss.
His pondering stopped when she heard the young woman say something about his arm. It was then when he realized that something has changed.
"It was pretty beaten up when we found you. It seems to be alright now." Xianghua said as she examined it.
She began to replace the bandages as the man watched. When she was finished she stood up to leave and let him rest.
As the Chinese girl left the tent, she was met by Cassandra.
"How is he?" the Greek fighter asked.
"He's awake now," answered Xianghua "He was a bit confused but I got him to calm down."
"That's nice." Cassandra said with a smile.
Xianghua then had an idea. "Cassandra, our guest must be hungry. Why don't you take some food to him? He should get to know his rescuer, anyway."
"Oh, alright."
The young man sat on the makeshift bed, looking at his right hand. He was trying recall what has happened to him but so far it was all a blur. His pondering was interrupted when he heard someone enter the tent.
For a moment he thought his time on earth was over, for before his eyes stood an angel. She had short golden hair that shined with the sunlight and beautiful dark green eyes. Her clothes clung to her body and he could see her stocking-clad legs under the short skirt. He couldn't help but stare at her.
It was the first time for Cassandra to see the man he saved. She was busy dragging him to camp that she didn't get a good look at him. Now she saw how handsome he was. He was about a few years older than her and had long hair that had a color like grain. She could also see the muscles in his bare torso and arms. Cassandra slowly felt a blush creeping to her cheeks.
She then saw his eyes. They were beautiful orbs of emerald green yet it had a tinge of sorrow in them. She felt herself being lost in them.
It took almost all of Cassandra's will to make her look away from the man. She quickly spoke.
"I thought you might be hungry. I brought some food."
The man broke himself from hid trans and nodded. Cassandra knelt beside him and gave him the food. She just looked at him as he ate. At the rate he was eating, it seemed to her that he hasn't eaten for a long time. Much to her surprise, the meal she brought him disappeared in just a few minutes.
Cassandra decided to let the man rest. She was about to live when she him speak.
"Please wait."
Cassandra slowly turned to the man.
"Please, I would like to ask you something."
The Greek girl sat down again beside him. She would gladly help him in anyway she could.
"Please tell me, how did I get here?" the man asked.
"I found you by the lake." She replied. "You had a very deep wound on your side and you were losing a lot of blood. Had I not gotten to you, you may have died."
The man then remembered what had happened after the battle. He fell into an underground river and was by carried by its currents for hours. The river must have been where the lake got its water. The current might have brought him there.
"May I know your name?" the man asked in a lighter tone.
"My name is Cassandra Alexandra." The girl said proudly and with a smile.
What the man did next surprised Cassandra. He got on his knees, gently took her hand and kissed it. It was the first time someone treated her like this. Her heartbeat began to race.
"Lady Cassandra," the man said with his head bowed, "You have saved my life and therefore I am at your dept. From know on I will be your knight and you, my lady. I pledge to you my life. My sword, my service, is yours."
Cassandra was turning red all over. She had only pulled him out of the water and now he was offering his life to her. This was too much for a simple baker's daughter to bear.
"I.I.I must go."
She took her hand from his and started to walk quickly outside. The man thought he had made a mistake. Before walking out, Cassandra suddenly stopped. She turned around and asked the man.
"May I ask what your name is?"
The man fell silent as if pondering something.
"My name is Siegfried Schtauffen, Lady Cassandra." He responded.
"Very well. I will call you Siegfried. But you must call me Cassandra. No 'Lady', just Cassandra."
"Agreed."
With that, Cassandra left him.
Siegfried lay back down on the bed again.
'I can't believe I actually told her that name.' He thought to himself. 'I have been unworthy of that name since my father died, much more after what I have done.'
His eyes slowly got heavy as sleep began to take him again.
'I'm not worthy of the name Siegfried. My other name suits me more.'
'The name Nightmare.'
