Ch 4: Sweet Memories
Elmina was on the floor in tears, "I'm a monster..."
"Rose!" Jack came running up to the crying woman he swore to protect. He hugged her and allowed her to cry in his lap.
"Jack...I know everything. Alhazad.. Lady Harken...Stuff you don't even know... I want you to do a favor for me Jack. If you truly want to protect me, please do not stop me!" She pulled out a dagger, the same one Jack had given her back when he met her as a waitress. (Irony- don't you love it?) Elmina began backing away from him.
"Elmina, what are you doing? Give me the dagger!" Jack ordered Elmina.
"I have a confession to make, Jack. The night Arctica was attacked, and I stayed behind to protect something important to me. Not only was I protecting you, but our unborn child as well!" She backed away from Jack even more.
"Child?" Elmina... you were..."
Elmina continued, "I made a deal with that bastard to spare the life of our child, but in the end... Alhazad tricked me into killing her.. I can't go on knowing I killed my baby. I understand that she'll never forgive my actions. Please don't try to stop me Jack.
"Elmina! It wasn't your fault! Alhazad is dead. I'm sure she forgives you. Just give me the damn blade!"
The woman lifted up the dagger, but suddenly stopped. Elmina held her head, while still clutching the dagger "No please stop." Elmina screamed.
xxxxx
"Where am I...?" It is so dark in here... Who am I? What am I? Why can't I remember?"
A faint voice was heard in the background. "Lady Harken was originally a human woman... A woman gives birth... Who else is more perfectly suited to give birth to anti-life than a Mother!" The word 'Mother' boomed"
"Mother? Am I somebody's mother...? I can't... I can't remember"
Another faint voice was heard within the darkness. It was much more powerful. "Do it Alhazad, let the 'Black Tear' rain onto the world."
"Alhazad?" So familiar... Wait, I am a mother...! Asrael... I remember now! Alhazad made me murder Asrael...!"
"There's no way we will let you do that!" A man's voice yelled. Unlike the other two, his was clear. It was almost as if he was speaking into her soul.
"What is happening to me? This darkness is draining my energy..."
After what seemed like eternity the same man's voice screamed out again. "Stop! Damn it! Stop it!" She heard a loud bang like metal hitting her prison of darkness, but it went deeper. It felt as if he was attacking the darkness within herself.
"Jack!" A woman's voice yelled out clearly, so much love and care was in her voice...
"Jack?" That name... so familiar... Wait, Jack is my Garrett..."
"Grrrraaaaaargh!" He yelled. The prison was attacked once again. This time a faint light appeared then the darkness shattered. She was free. Her body was human again.
Elmina looked up and saw this man... Jack. It was all clear to her now. "Get away! Don't come near me!" She threatened. Suddenly her body transformed itself into the monster body once more. The body she was used to over the past years. "I'm Lady Harken, the demon warrior." Then before she teleported out she said softly to herself, "The monster..."
xxxxx
"Elmina!" Jack lunged forward to see what was happening to his dear Elmina.
"Nooooooo!" I don't want to be a monster! I want to be Elmina!" She screamed loudly. Before Jack even knew what was happening, the knife had already found it's way into her chest.
"Elmina!" Jack quickly began rummaging through his belongings to find some revive fruit, but her hand stopped him. He looked down at her and she was smiling at him.
"No." She whispered.
"Please don't talk. I don't want to go through this again."
Denying Jack's request she continued quietly, "I'm sorry it has to end like this, but I felt Lady Harken trying to bring herself back. It was the only way."
"Elmina, no..."
"Thank you for all you've done. I know you were only trying to help me by not telling me who I was. She forgives me." The dying woman closed her eyes.
Suddenly a pink light emerged from Elmina's belongings. It was the forgotten pink goat doll! The light darted around a bit between Jack and Elmina before it went further away and became larger. Jack looked up and saw a young child of about seven years old. She resembled Elmina, except she was blond. The child smiled and then vanished. Jack looked back down at Elmina who was smiling and had her eyes slightly open, Jack knew she saw it as well.
Not only did the pink light completely heal Elmina's wounds, it also completely restored her memory. The woman looked into Jack's eyes, but quickly changed to look at the end of his ponytail. She stared at his green ribbon and smiled as a memory she had long forgotten returned to her...
xxxxx
A young man waited outside alone in the cold breeze. It was secluded spot in the outskirts of Arctica kingdom. He paced back and forth nervously.
"Pathetic as usual I see." The man turned around to see the woman he was waiting for, but she looked different. Instead of her normal fighting uniform of red body armor, some shorts, and tall boots she had on a dress and pants. It was a short green dress held on with a belt and a yellow sash. She also had on a long brown cape which blew in the wind like the woman's long red hair.
"Elmina... I... You look..." The man was nearly speechless and was cut off before he could voice his thought.
"I don't even want to hear anything out of you, Garrett." She then turned her back to him in a teasing way, "Besides, the only reason I came is because I felt sorry for you." Elmina lifted her chin up high and turned it away from him. "It's about time somebody knocked some sense into you. Think of this as community service to Filgaia, somebody has to keep an eye on you."
Another mans voice came out from within the trees "Do you even know what you're getting yourself into Garrett? I know you're capable of fighting of hordes of Flurity, but this is nothing compared to that." Both Garret and Elmina looked up to see Chief Coldbird walking up to them, a man in a long robe was following behind.
"Oh so now you're comparing me to monsters? Some chief knight you are" Elmina teased back. "Let's just get this over with. Remember, I don't want anybody else to know. Not the rest of the knights, not the king, nobody!" The red haired woman walked over to Garrett and put her finger in his face. "And you. I don't want you to ever mention the words "wife" or "married," not even when we are alone. I don't want people to think I've gone all soft."
Garrett put up his hands and backed a bit away from the aggressive woman. "Hey, no problem. I swear I will never mention this to anybody. I will take our secret to the grave if that's what you wish."
Coldbird smiled cheerfully and laughed a bit at the two. "So, which one has the rings?"
"Ha!" Elmina laughed. "People would find out if we had rings. I think words alone can seal the promise."
The chief knight shook his head, "I figured that from you Elmina. That's why I came up with an idea." The knight pulled out a green ribbon from his belongings, "You, Elmina, left this on my floor a long time ago. It's about time I return it to you, after all it was a gift from Garrett. Coldbird handed Elmina her ribbon, but then he pulled out another identicle green ribbon from his pack.
Elmina looked at Garrett and then at Coldbird questionably, "You can't possibly mean we use ribbons instead of rings."
Coldbird just smiled at both of them while handing Garrett his ribbon, "I think it would be interesting and nobody would suspect a thing. Besides Elmina, you normally wear ribbons anyways. Also it wouldn't be suspicious if Garrett started wearing one around his forehead." The chief knight laughed again, "or maybe he could grow his hair out and tie it back with the ribbon."
The red haired woman just shook her head, looked up at the two knight, and then shook her head again. "I swear you're almost as pathetic as Garrett, Chief Knight. And him with long hair? You've got to be kidding me..."
xxxxx
Meanwhile somewhere in Filgaia...
The handsome green-haired warrior lunged at the enormous beast. It had to be the biggest monster he's ever seen. He was able to get a quick blow in before dodging the monsters attack. He landed a few feet away from some of the spectators at the Ancient Arena and a few of them fainted having been in the presence of this great warrior. The man jumped up and landed the final blow. The monster toppled to the ground just as fans started throwing confetti.
The Duke walked up to the balcony and announced to the crowd, "I declare Zed, to be the best warrior this world has ever seen. May his very presence bless us all."
The crowd began chanting his name as Zed danced around the room. "Zed! Zed! Zed! Zed!"
"Zed!... Zed!...Zed... Zeddy it's time to get up." A young blonde woman in a pink dress gently shook Zed awake. "The tournament is almost over, you slept through it all. We have to check out of the room soon."
"I missed it! Why didn't you wake me up for it? I was supposed to win this and be declared the best warrior ever." He whined. He then got up and started towards the door.
"Hey Zed, where are you going?"
"You said the tournament is almost over. It can't end without me. I'm Zed! How could they dare end the tournament without ME?"