Sept 2002
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them. The
story, however, is mine.
A New Beginning
Chapter 12
Alrena slid her clothes off and dressed in her dressing gown as she
went to stand on her balcony. So much had happened that night. A smile
touched her lips as she thought about the meeting with Gilthanas in the
garden. He'd changed, that much was obvious, but deep down her was still
the man she'd fallen in love with, just a lot more mature. The years had
been hard on him, it showed in the way he carried himself and the scars he
now bore.
There was a knock at the door and she turned her head, "Enter."
The door creaked, sliding open marginally before Gilthanas slipped
in and then closed and bolted the door behind him. Arlena stepped off the
balcony and closed the doors behind her to shut out the cold breeze off
the sea. Where it didn't bother her, she knew Gilthanas wasn't immune to
it and would soon be shaking from the cold. He walked straight to her and
opened his arms. She gladly went into them, smiling up at him as she
wrapped her arms around his waist. "I've missed you," she told him
quietly.
He gently brushed the hair from her face, hooking her bangs around
her ears as he looked into her eyes, "And I you. More than I have words
to say. Lady, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"
She smiled as her form changed to the wilder elf, seeing the love
shining in his eyes never waver. "How long have you searched, Gilthanas?
How do I know you won't fall back on your old ways and ignore me again?
I couldn't take the second rejection. My heart would not survive and
neither would I."
He ran his thumbs gently over the curves of her cheeks, looking
deeply into the silver pools of her eyes, "Never," he swore softly,
sincerely, "Never again. I could no sooner cut out my own heart than to
turn my back on you. It would kill me to loose you again."
She brushed the backs of her fingers gently over his face, her eyes
sad, "You have more strength then you give yourself credit for. If we
ever had to go through that again you'd do just as you have. You'd
suppress it for a while and then spend years searching for me."
He shook his head, gathering her closer, "Never. It would shatter
my soul if I lost you again. I would go mad, Silver Lady, if you were to
leave me." His face lowered towards hers, his breath quickening as hers
almost stopped. She closed her eyes, leaning into him. He brushed a
kiss, soft as a butterfly's wing, across her lips. She shuddered in his
grasp and slid her hand into his hair, tugging his face towards her with a
vicious tug and his lips slammed down onto hers. He groaned, practically
melting into her strong grasp as her mouth opened beneath his. He
couldn't resist and opened his mouth to her questing tongue. She wasn't
gentle, as he'd come to expect, but she thrust her tongue into his mouth
with an abandon that made him believe that she'd been desperately wanted
him as much as he'd been wanting her.
He pulled back after a moment to breathe. "Silvara," he groaned,
"Please..." he lay his forehead against hers, feeling her heart beating
wildly against his. He felt a flush of power with the knowledge that he
could affect a dragon in that manner. He was humbled with the knowledge
and couldn't help but pull away so he could see her clearly. She opened
her eyes and froze, suddenly tearing herself out of his arms and backing
away. She raised her hands as if to warn him off. "Silvara... what...?"
"We can't do this." She said shakily, "I can't do this. It's been
so long; too long. You can't just waltz back in here and expect to pick
up where we left off, Gilthanas. It can't... it doesn't..." she took a
deep breath and tried again. "I loved you, Gilthanas," her voice broke,
"I waited for almost a year and when you didn't show up I knew you'd
rejected me."
"I still love you, it just took me a long time to understand the
true meaning of that love," he said quietly.
She looked at him, her eyes going cool as she retook the shape of
the Lady Arlena Plata. "I want to believe you, more than anything,
Gilthanas."
"Sil- Arlena, please," he begged. He got down on one knee and
looked up at her, his eyes pleading, "I beg for a second chance. We've
been brought back together after many years of separation and I can't
accept that this is over. Can't we just get to know one another again, I
know it's been a long time, but I still love you, I never stopped."
She looked at him calmly, crossing her arms over her chest
defensively.
He hesitated, getting to his feet, blonde hair falling into his
eyes as he looked at her, his heart in his gaze, "Or is there someone
else?"
She raised one thin eyebrow.
"Another dragon perhaps?" he persisted. It hurt to think that
there might be someone else in her life, and it cut him deep.
"And have you earned the right to be asking these questions,
Prince?" she asked him softly, "Whom I see is none of your concern
anymore."
He tore his gaze from hers and started to turn away, pausing when
he reached the door, "I don't know how to prove what I feel to you...
Arlena. Shape, size and race have no meaning for me anymore where love is
concerned. I've searched Ansalon for you, and if need be I'll search for
you again should you disappear tomorrow. Set me a task, any task, to
prove myself to you. I've changed a lot from the elf you knew."
Her eyes softened, "I can tell,"
He turned to face her, his back to the door as he looked at her
from head to toe. The scar stood out on his cheek, a thin white line that
marred the perfection. "I would do anything you ask of me, Lady," he said
sincerely, "Anything at all..."
She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze with an unwavering stare.
"Anything?"
He nodded, his throat tightening. The way she said it, he could
almost hear the word 'banishment' hanging in the air.
"Leave me be. Allow me time to come to terms with this." She
searched his gaze, "Can you give me that?"
He swallowed hard. Banishment would have been better. "I will do
that if it is your wish, Arlena. I wish you could give me another task,
but I will not pressure you." He inclined his upper body to her, turned
and unbolted the door, "Good night, Silver Lady."
She watched as he left, his soft words echoing in the silence. She
stepped behind him and re-bolted the door, her thoughts twisting and
turning together. Gilthanas had given her time, now she had to figure out
what to do with it.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them. The
story, however, is mine.
A New Beginning
Chapter 12
Alrena slid her clothes off and dressed in her dressing gown as she
went to stand on her balcony. So much had happened that night. A smile
touched her lips as she thought about the meeting with Gilthanas in the
garden. He'd changed, that much was obvious, but deep down her was still
the man she'd fallen in love with, just a lot more mature. The years had
been hard on him, it showed in the way he carried himself and the scars he
now bore.
There was a knock at the door and she turned her head, "Enter."
The door creaked, sliding open marginally before Gilthanas slipped
in and then closed and bolted the door behind him. Arlena stepped off the
balcony and closed the doors behind her to shut out the cold breeze off
the sea. Where it didn't bother her, she knew Gilthanas wasn't immune to
it and would soon be shaking from the cold. He walked straight to her and
opened his arms. She gladly went into them, smiling up at him as she
wrapped her arms around his waist. "I've missed you," she told him
quietly.
He gently brushed the hair from her face, hooking her bangs around
her ears as he looked into her eyes, "And I you. More than I have words
to say. Lady, can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"
She smiled as her form changed to the wilder elf, seeing the love
shining in his eyes never waver. "How long have you searched, Gilthanas?
How do I know you won't fall back on your old ways and ignore me again?
I couldn't take the second rejection. My heart would not survive and
neither would I."
He ran his thumbs gently over the curves of her cheeks, looking
deeply into the silver pools of her eyes, "Never," he swore softly,
sincerely, "Never again. I could no sooner cut out my own heart than to
turn my back on you. It would kill me to loose you again."
She brushed the backs of her fingers gently over his face, her eyes
sad, "You have more strength then you give yourself credit for. If we
ever had to go through that again you'd do just as you have. You'd
suppress it for a while and then spend years searching for me."
He shook his head, gathering her closer, "Never. It would shatter
my soul if I lost you again. I would go mad, Silver Lady, if you were to
leave me." His face lowered towards hers, his breath quickening as hers
almost stopped. She closed her eyes, leaning into him. He brushed a
kiss, soft as a butterfly's wing, across her lips. She shuddered in his
grasp and slid her hand into his hair, tugging his face towards her with a
vicious tug and his lips slammed down onto hers. He groaned, practically
melting into her strong grasp as her mouth opened beneath his. He
couldn't resist and opened his mouth to her questing tongue. She wasn't
gentle, as he'd come to expect, but she thrust her tongue into his mouth
with an abandon that made him believe that she'd been desperately wanted
him as much as he'd been wanting her.
He pulled back after a moment to breathe. "Silvara," he groaned,
"Please..." he lay his forehead against hers, feeling her heart beating
wildly against his. He felt a flush of power with the knowledge that he
could affect a dragon in that manner. He was humbled with the knowledge
and couldn't help but pull away so he could see her clearly. She opened
her eyes and froze, suddenly tearing herself out of his arms and backing
away. She raised her hands as if to warn him off. "Silvara... what...?"
"We can't do this." She said shakily, "I can't do this. It's been
so long; too long. You can't just waltz back in here and expect to pick
up where we left off, Gilthanas. It can't... it doesn't..." she took a
deep breath and tried again. "I loved you, Gilthanas," her voice broke,
"I waited for almost a year and when you didn't show up I knew you'd
rejected me."
"I still love you, it just took me a long time to understand the
true meaning of that love," he said quietly.
She looked at him, her eyes going cool as she retook the shape of
the Lady Arlena Plata. "I want to believe you, more than anything,
Gilthanas."
"Sil- Arlena, please," he begged. He got down on one knee and
looked up at her, his eyes pleading, "I beg for a second chance. We've
been brought back together after many years of separation and I can't
accept that this is over. Can't we just get to know one another again, I
know it's been a long time, but I still love you, I never stopped."
She looked at him calmly, crossing her arms over her chest
defensively.
He hesitated, getting to his feet, blonde hair falling into his
eyes as he looked at her, his heart in his gaze, "Or is there someone
else?"
She raised one thin eyebrow.
"Another dragon perhaps?" he persisted. It hurt to think that
there might be someone else in her life, and it cut him deep.
"And have you earned the right to be asking these questions,
Prince?" she asked him softly, "Whom I see is none of your concern
anymore."
He tore his gaze from hers and started to turn away, pausing when
he reached the door, "I don't know how to prove what I feel to you...
Arlena. Shape, size and race have no meaning for me anymore where love is
concerned. I've searched Ansalon for you, and if need be I'll search for
you again should you disappear tomorrow. Set me a task, any task, to
prove myself to you. I've changed a lot from the elf you knew."
Her eyes softened, "I can tell,"
He turned to face her, his back to the door as he looked at her
from head to toe. The scar stood out on his cheek, a thin white line that
marred the perfection. "I would do anything you ask of me, Lady," he said
sincerely, "Anything at all..."
She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze with an unwavering stare.
"Anything?"
He nodded, his throat tightening. The way she said it, he could
almost hear the word 'banishment' hanging in the air.
"Leave me be. Allow me time to come to terms with this." She
searched his gaze, "Can you give me that?"
He swallowed hard. Banishment would have been better. "I will do
that if it is your wish, Arlena. I wish you could give me another task,
but I will not pressure you." He inclined his upper body to her, turned
and unbolted the door, "Good night, Silver Lady."
She watched as he left, his soft words echoing in the silence. She
stepped behind him and re-bolted the door, her thoughts twisting and
turning together. Gilthanas had given her time, now she had to figure out
what to do with it.