Sept 2002
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them. The
story, however, is mine.
A New Beginning
Chapter 10
The spoon dipped into the bowl again as a steady hand brought it up
to full lips. They closed over the spoon as the door opened and in
stepped Leth. "Sire, you're awake!" He exclaimed, moving quickly to
the bedside, his relieved smile nearly taking in his ears.
"How long, Leth?" the words were cautious but he had recovered from
his ordeal and his voice was strong.
"Little over a tenday, sire," he told him, his smile fading, "We
had almost lost hope."
He dropped the spoon into the bowl, his head coming up sharply,
"That long? What was wrong with me?"
Leth pulled a seat up next to the cot, "The Lady Arlena has a
theory... one I'm inclined to agree with. They depend on your answers
to some questions though. Perhaps I should summon her and have her ask
you them herself." He made to get up but Gilthanas grabbed his hand and
shook his head, suddenly apprehensive about seeing this lady.
"Not yet, Leth. Something tells me that I should be cautious and
prepare myself for meeting with the lady of the keep."
"Sire? She's a very nice lady, not at all like the other humans in
the compound. In fact, she seems to understand the way some of them
look at me and has gone out of her way to make it clear that we are her
guests and she won't tolerate insult. In fact, she threw a man out of
the keep not a sevenday ago for insinuating that the Lady had kidnapped
you for ransom. I have never seen such a sight."
"You're quite enamoured with her," remarked the elven Prince, his
apprehension rising. He felt a little jealous of Leth suddenly and
couldn't explain why. He placed the bowl of half finished broth on the
table next to his cot, never taking his eyes off his companion.
Leth shrugged, "As you say, sire, but I fear she pines for another.
There are times I catch her off guard late at night when she seems to be
deep in thought. Her eyes," he sighed, "they're so sad when her guard
is down, so full of longing and emotion it makes me want to pick up my
sword and kill whatever demon is chasing her. On that note, she saved
your life you know, and your foot."
Gilthanas laughed ruefully. Leth's description was almost exactly
what he had felt the first time he'd seen sorrow in Silvara's eyes. He
sighed, "I will attend dinner tonight, if the lady has no objections.
Perhaps it is time for the keep to see that I am indeed well and not,"
his lips twisted in a small smile, "kidnapped against my wishes. I will
thank her as well, in my own time."
Leth fairly bounded out of the room to find the Lady Arlena.
Gilthanas leaned back against his furs and then swung his legs over
the side of his cot and stood on shaky legs. He walked to the window
and looked out, his eyes going over the lush farm lands, a small smile
tilting his lips as his gaze slid over the forest in the distance, a
longing for home coming over him. He sighed. He was not looking
forward to that night. The door creaked open behind him. "Did you
inform the lady, Leth?" he asked without turning, "I fear inviting
myself to dinner may have been a bit foolish."
"Foolish, Prince Gilthanas, but never unwanted," Commented a cool
female voice from behind him.
Gilthanas spun around, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The
inflictions of the way she said his name were the same as Silvara's.
His eyes fell on the lady knight in front of him. She was dressed in
her daily clothes, a mail shirt and breeches along with sturdy boots and
her sword at her side. She was not a beautiful female, in the eyes of
elves, her lips being too thin, her nose too straight but Gilthanas felt
like he'd been punched in the gut. He struggled to draw in breath. No
matter how she looked, the woman was stunning for her posture and
attributes. He felt floored and didn't know why. Leth was lurking
behind her, he just barely caught sight of the younger elf.
She raised one eyebrow at him and smiled, "Are you well, Prince?"
He nodded, his mouth moving but no sound coming from him. This
human, this woman, could it be? His heart sang that it was true, his
mind told him that his beloved would never take the shape of a human,
knowing how he felt about them for the most part. But then she was a
dragon, a creature he'd feared and one that he had never accepted. How
like her it would be to do something such as this. To prove that love
had to transcend everything from age to race.
"Such conversation," she said at length, when the silence stretched
too thin. She bowed to him gracefully, "Pardon my manners, I haven't
introduced myself. I am-"
"The Lady Arlena," Gilthanas spoke at last, the musical tone to his
words cutting through hers. She raised an eyebrow, as if asking for an
explanation, "Lethagas mentioned you. From his description on the way
you hold yourself lady, you could be no other." He finally dipped into
a low bow showing her his respects. "I understand that it is to you I
owe my life and the ability to walk, my lady, please accept my thanks."
He stepped forward and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips. Or he
meant to. The moment he touched her he felt electrified, a surge clear
through to his soul of longing and love. His eyes flew to hers and
watched as she fought some inner battle.
"You are too kind, Prince." She told him, striving for an easy tone
as she withdrew her hand from his and clasped them behind her back. She
prayed he hadn't caught that they were shaking badly. "The healer did
the work, I merely carried you back to the castle so you wouldn't get
eaten by the monsters." Her tone was almost as cool as the gaze she
kept levelled on him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking as he
looked into her glass like eyes.
"Gilthanas," he corrected her, smiling, "I suppose it is to you I
owe my life then, Lady. Is there any way I can repay that debt?" His
eyes stayed attached to hers, searching as if for something. She pried
her eyes gave away nothing as she looked out the window.
"I will think of something. The supper hour is almost upon us. If
you are joining us, perhaps you should put more clothes on, Gilthanas."
He looked down at his state of undress and then had the grace to
look embarrassed though he didn't blush, "My apologies, Lady Arlena, I
did not know I would be entertaining fair ladies. I will see you at
dinner."
She turned, and he caught a fleetingly sad smile on her lips,
"Indeed you will, Gilthanas." She disappeared before he could say
another word. Leth stepped into the room, Gilthanas' clothes and some
new finery draped over his arm.
"Isn't she amazing?"
Gilthanas sank onto the cot, his head falling into his hands,
"Leth, please, I need a moment to myself."
Leth looked at him shocked, "Certainly, my liege." He placed the
clothes on the end of the cot and stepped out, closing the door behind
him.
Gilthanas clenched his hands in his hair, his heart singing,
pounding madly from her presence. It was her; his heart and body were
telling him true but his mind would not readily accept the shape she was
in. The same as before when he couldn't accept that she was dragon
born. He closed his eyes, envisioning her the way he'd last seen her,
as Silvara, and just now as the Lady Alrena. He noted, in his mind, the
same gestures she made, the same tilt of her head, the same body
language and the same inflictions of her words. Those could not be
changed. But if it was her then why had she not acknowledged him? Did
she have no memory? Or maybe she didn't want to acknowledge him. His
heart constricted painfully at the thought. He'd hurt her badly,
probably more deeply than he'd realized. She probably needed time... or
proof.
He sighed, laying back across the cot, staring at the rafters as
the sun began to set in the sky. Why was she doing this? He'd found
her, he knew it was her, but she hadn't even seemed to notice that he
was here other than as a guest. He grinned suddenly. Tonight he would
shower her with attention and then get her alone as soon as possible
before revealing that he knew it was she. His grin faded. What if she
refused to acknowledge him? What if she refused him completely? He
would never recover.
He rose from his cot and quickly dressed in the clothes Leth had
brought him, choosing the simple, yet decorative, dark blue jerkin and
black pants. He slipped his feet back into his elven boots and smiled.
He smoothed the butter soft fabric down and then looked at himself in
the looking glass. His hair was too long. He looked around the room
and found his weapons neatly stacked next to the bed. He pulled out his
dagger and pulled the thick mass that hung halfway down his back, in
front of him. He grasped it in one hand and then quickly took the
dagger too it, somehow managing to get a clean and mostly even cut. He
shook his head this way and that and then nodded his approval. Much
better. He grabbed the headband from the pile of his old clothes and
fastened it around his head before securing the sword belt around his
hips. He felt more himself and smiled at his reflection, reaching up to
trace the long scar that ran across his cheek. So much for his
beautiful elven face. He sighed and turned from the glass, going to the
door and opening it. Love looked beyond visages, he knew that now, it
transcended them, hopefully Silv- er.. the Lady Arlena would be able too
as well after all this time.
Leth looked up and smiled, his teeth showing through, "You look
wonderful, majesty, the lady insisted that we have elven clothes for
you. You don't mind, do you?"
Gilthanas grinned, "No Leth. Come on, I've been sleeping long
enough, I want to see the compound."
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them. The
story, however, is mine.
A New Beginning
Chapter 10
The spoon dipped into the bowl again as a steady hand brought it up
to full lips. They closed over the spoon as the door opened and in
stepped Leth. "Sire, you're awake!" He exclaimed, moving quickly to
the bedside, his relieved smile nearly taking in his ears.
"How long, Leth?" the words were cautious but he had recovered from
his ordeal and his voice was strong.
"Little over a tenday, sire," he told him, his smile fading, "We
had almost lost hope."
He dropped the spoon into the bowl, his head coming up sharply,
"That long? What was wrong with me?"
Leth pulled a seat up next to the cot, "The Lady Arlena has a
theory... one I'm inclined to agree with. They depend on your answers
to some questions though. Perhaps I should summon her and have her ask
you them herself." He made to get up but Gilthanas grabbed his hand and
shook his head, suddenly apprehensive about seeing this lady.
"Not yet, Leth. Something tells me that I should be cautious and
prepare myself for meeting with the lady of the keep."
"Sire? She's a very nice lady, not at all like the other humans in
the compound. In fact, she seems to understand the way some of them
look at me and has gone out of her way to make it clear that we are her
guests and she won't tolerate insult. In fact, she threw a man out of
the keep not a sevenday ago for insinuating that the Lady had kidnapped
you for ransom. I have never seen such a sight."
"You're quite enamoured with her," remarked the elven Prince, his
apprehension rising. He felt a little jealous of Leth suddenly and
couldn't explain why. He placed the bowl of half finished broth on the
table next to his cot, never taking his eyes off his companion.
Leth shrugged, "As you say, sire, but I fear she pines for another.
There are times I catch her off guard late at night when she seems to be
deep in thought. Her eyes," he sighed, "they're so sad when her guard
is down, so full of longing and emotion it makes me want to pick up my
sword and kill whatever demon is chasing her. On that note, she saved
your life you know, and your foot."
Gilthanas laughed ruefully. Leth's description was almost exactly
what he had felt the first time he'd seen sorrow in Silvara's eyes. He
sighed, "I will attend dinner tonight, if the lady has no objections.
Perhaps it is time for the keep to see that I am indeed well and not,"
his lips twisted in a small smile, "kidnapped against my wishes. I will
thank her as well, in my own time."
Leth fairly bounded out of the room to find the Lady Arlena.
Gilthanas leaned back against his furs and then swung his legs over
the side of his cot and stood on shaky legs. He walked to the window
and looked out, his eyes going over the lush farm lands, a small smile
tilting his lips as his gaze slid over the forest in the distance, a
longing for home coming over him. He sighed. He was not looking
forward to that night. The door creaked open behind him. "Did you
inform the lady, Leth?" he asked without turning, "I fear inviting
myself to dinner may have been a bit foolish."
"Foolish, Prince Gilthanas, but never unwanted," Commented a cool
female voice from behind him.
Gilthanas spun around, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The
inflictions of the way she said his name were the same as Silvara's.
His eyes fell on the lady knight in front of him. She was dressed in
her daily clothes, a mail shirt and breeches along with sturdy boots and
her sword at her side. She was not a beautiful female, in the eyes of
elves, her lips being too thin, her nose too straight but Gilthanas felt
like he'd been punched in the gut. He struggled to draw in breath. No
matter how she looked, the woman was stunning for her posture and
attributes. He felt floored and didn't know why. Leth was lurking
behind her, he just barely caught sight of the younger elf.
She raised one eyebrow at him and smiled, "Are you well, Prince?"
He nodded, his mouth moving but no sound coming from him. This
human, this woman, could it be? His heart sang that it was true, his
mind told him that his beloved would never take the shape of a human,
knowing how he felt about them for the most part. But then she was a
dragon, a creature he'd feared and one that he had never accepted. How
like her it would be to do something such as this. To prove that love
had to transcend everything from age to race.
"Such conversation," she said at length, when the silence stretched
too thin. She bowed to him gracefully, "Pardon my manners, I haven't
introduced myself. I am-"
"The Lady Arlena," Gilthanas spoke at last, the musical tone to his
words cutting through hers. She raised an eyebrow, as if asking for an
explanation, "Lethagas mentioned you. From his description on the way
you hold yourself lady, you could be no other." He finally dipped into
a low bow showing her his respects. "I understand that it is to you I
owe my life and the ability to walk, my lady, please accept my thanks."
He stepped forward and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips. Or he
meant to. The moment he touched her he felt electrified, a surge clear
through to his soul of longing and love. His eyes flew to hers and
watched as she fought some inner battle.
"You are too kind, Prince." She told him, striving for an easy tone
as she withdrew her hand from his and clasped them behind her back. She
prayed he hadn't caught that they were shaking badly. "The healer did
the work, I merely carried you back to the castle so you wouldn't get
eaten by the monsters." Her tone was almost as cool as the gaze she
kept levelled on him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking as he
looked into her glass like eyes.
"Gilthanas," he corrected her, smiling, "I suppose it is to you I
owe my life then, Lady. Is there any way I can repay that debt?" His
eyes stayed attached to hers, searching as if for something. She pried
her eyes gave away nothing as she looked out the window.
"I will think of something. The supper hour is almost upon us. If
you are joining us, perhaps you should put more clothes on, Gilthanas."
He looked down at his state of undress and then had the grace to
look embarrassed though he didn't blush, "My apologies, Lady Arlena, I
did not know I would be entertaining fair ladies. I will see you at
dinner."
She turned, and he caught a fleetingly sad smile on her lips,
"Indeed you will, Gilthanas." She disappeared before he could say
another word. Leth stepped into the room, Gilthanas' clothes and some
new finery draped over his arm.
"Isn't she amazing?"
Gilthanas sank onto the cot, his head falling into his hands,
"Leth, please, I need a moment to myself."
Leth looked at him shocked, "Certainly, my liege." He placed the
clothes on the end of the cot and stepped out, closing the door behind
him.
Gilthanas clenched his hands in his hair, his heart singing,
pounding madly from her presence. It was her; his heart and body were
telling him true but his mind would not readily accept the shape she was
in. The same as before when he couldn't accept that she was dragon
born. He closed his eyes, envisioning her the way he'd last seen her,
as Silvara, and just now as the Lady Alrena. He noted, in his mind, the
same gestures she made, the same tilt of her head, the same body
language and the same inflictions of her words. Those could not be
changed. But if it was her then why had she not acknowledged him? Did
she have no memory? Or maybe she didn't want to acknowledge him. His
heart constricted painfully at the thought. He'd hurt her badly,
probably more deeply than he'd realized. She probably needed time... or
proof.
He sighed, laying back across the cot, staring at the rafters as
the sun began to set in the sky. Why was she doing this? He'd found
her, he knew it was her, but she hadn't even seemed to notice that he
was here other than as a guest. He grinned suddenly. Tonight he would
shower her with attention and then get her alone as soon as possible
before revealing that he knew it was she. His grin faded. What if she
refused to acknowledge him? What if she refused him completely? He
would never recover.
He rose from his cot and quickly dressed in the clothes Leth had
brought him, choosing the simple, yet decorative, dark blue jerkin and
black pants. He slipped his feet back into his elven boots and smiled.
He smoothed the butter soft fabric down and then looked at himself in
the looking glass. His hair was too long. He looked around the room
and found his weapons neatly stacked next to the bed. He pulled out his
dagger and pulled the thick mass that hung halfway down his back, in
front of him. He grasped it in one hand and then quickly took the
dagger too it, somehow managing to get a clean and mostly even cut. He
shook his head this way and that and then nodded his approval. Much
better. He grabbed the headband from the pile of his old clothes and
fastened it around his head before securing the sword belt around his
hips. He felt more himself and smiled at his reflection, reaching up to
trace the long scar that ran across his cheek. So much for his
beautiful elven face. He sighed and turned from the glass, going to the
door and opening it. Love looked beyond visages, he knew that now, it
transcended them, hopefully Silv- er.. the Lady Arlena would be able too
as well after all this time.
Leth looked up and smiled, his teeth showing through, "You look
wonderful, majesty, the lady insisted that we have elven clothes for
you. You don't mind, do you?"
Gilthanas grinned, "No Leth. Come on, I've been sleeping long
enough, I want to see the compound."