~~They Will Not Fade~~
Chapter 2: Memories
As the prince lay unconscious still, the woman was standing and walking around the room, curious. She watched all around. All she saw was the resting army that would never be revived again. She knew that, because she saw the golden puddle shape on the ground. She knew it must be the crown.
She raised her hand then and shut her eyes. She was using her one and only supernatural ability. Something she didn't understand where she got it from, but she was also thankful for it at times… Not at others, but she still used it.
Thanks to this power, she could feel past events. When she shut her eyes, she could even see it as if she had been there herself, though it was fuzzy, depending on how long ago the event had occurred. Apparently, not many big things had occurred here-of course, nothing alive has been here for a few years.
But finally, as time seemed to rewind in her mind as she turned around the room with her hand raised, the room changed. At first, it was as if she hadn't shut her eyes, things barely moving, until it began becoming slightly fuzzier and fuzzier in her mind. At first, it was fussy at the edges, but now her vision seemed to blur in some places and show normally in others.
What she saw made her open her eyes and release a few tears. She blinked, having an intake of breath. She coughed as she felt pain in her chest, making her heart seem to come to her throat. But, she had to watch… she had to know what happened to the princess.
So she shut her eyes again, her mind traveling those few years back. She stood in the slightly fussy room. To her left, she saw where the stairs were located. The soldiers of the golden army stood around, watching the people there.
There were a few people the woman did not recognize. A man in a strange suit, with some type of glass head, smoke billowing inside of it. Beside him stood a blue-skinned, half fish/half man creature who wore a black, full body outfit. Beside him was a human female with dark, short hair and a full black outfit. Closer to the woman, was a tall red-skinned man, with shortened horns and bright eyes. He also had a huge, stone like right hand and a tail.
She had heard of that strange creature before, but her focus was on the prince whom was following him, a small knife like hers, raised in his hand as he was about to strike the creature in the back. But the prince halted in his act, shuttering and clutching his chest in surprise and then annoyance.
Seeing that and knowing he must have been pierced, she looked away. Only to wish she hadn't. She was behind the prince, so she did not see him pierced, so why look away? Well, when she did, her eyes trailed over to the top of the room and located there was the princess…whom had pierced herself in her chest, stopping her brothers attempt.
She felt the tears welling in her eyes, but could not open them. She had to know what happened to the princess. She watched as the princess pulled the knife from her chest, and out of her peripheral, she saw the blue man running to the princess in a hurry. She wondered why, but did not focus on him. She saw the princess lying there and wished she could go forward and do something, but she knew there was nothing she could do. And then she turned to see the prince talking to the red man about something. She could not hear it, it was as if her ears were covered as he talked.
She could probably hear him if she tried harder to see this past, but she was already wishing she didn't have to see it. After the prince finished talking, he turned to his sister, twin sister. The woman could read his lips and knew he'd called his twin sisters name, "Nuala."
She saw his body becoming the tan shade of stone and she turned away, knowing he was going to break. She saw the blue man holding the princess in a way she did not expect. As if he was sad at her passing and she guessed there was something between the two of them.
The woman had to watch as the princess turned to stone and lay there. And she continued watching until finally, the blue man stood. He seemed to wave for the others, and they all came to him and helped him move the princess's stone form. That annoyed the woman. How could they take her like that!
But now she knew who to look for, to find the princess. And after that, she opened her eyes with a sigh. Only a minute had passed during her adventure to the past. Now, she must wait. Wait for the prince to awake, and she would offer her plans.
As she waited, her mind wondered far off into the past. Before any of this chaos had happened.
"You two are far too competitive!" a young girl accused, but laughed. It was Princess Nuala, when she was far younger.
She was walking through a small flower garden, many beautiful, colorful flowers at her feet. As she walked through the garden, she was careful not to crush them. And a few feet away from her, her brother and her friend, a young girl wearing armor, were having a sword fight. Of course, not to the death.
"Well, your brother seems to keep fooling himself into thinking he is the better warrior!" the young girl said with a smile. This young girl had half her hair held back by a braid on the right side, the rest falling in front of the left side of her face.
"Oh, Alvara." The Prince said with a smug smile and he did a spinning attack, his light hair whipping around. "Just because your father is a brilliant warrior, it doesn't mean you are. Yet, anyway."
She blocked his attack with her sword as he pushed at her. She just laughed. She pushed him away, swinging her sword at his and catching the tip of his with the tip of hers and yanking it. But his grip was strong. He smiled and she glared.
"You're supposed to be guarding the two of them, Alvara, not fighting them." they heard a voice and Alvara turned as her heart sank.
Her father stood a few feet behind her and a few older guards. He watched her with a hint of annoyance.
She lowered her head to him. "I'm sorry, father…I was…" she couldn't think of an explanation fast enough.
"I'm sorry, Trean." Prince Nuada said with an innocent laugh. "I had offered to duel with her, I didn't think it was wrong, for we're only children and it's only a game. I will not offer it again, if it troubles you."
Alvara was surprised for two reasons. She was surprised he'd stand up for her against her father. But he was her friend after all. And she was also surprised he did not just tell her father it was alright, rather than apologize and say it would not happen again.
Trean, Alvara's father and chief of the royal guard was surprised by that. He shook his head. "No need to apologize your majesty. I was not sure that was appropriate, I would not want my daughter to be the cause of trouble to you and your sister, when she's supposed to be protecting you." He gave his daughter a look.
"Well, we're just playing. Neither of us planned to actually strike each other. And you should not worry."
Trean was quiet, but then nodded. He looked to his daughter. "Make sure to stay on guard, young lady. I will not have you be careless while protecting people as important as these two."
Alvara nodded and ducked her head. Trean whispered something to the older guards who stood nearby, and then he left.
"Well then, I guess that games over." Alvara said with a laugh.
"You won't be in trouble, will you?" Nuala asked her friend.
"Possibly. It was stupid of me…" she said.
"Well, I think you do a very well job, Alvara. Don't feel so down." Nuala commented on her friend.
Alvara nodded. She smiled at her friend. Nuala was such an amazing person; Alvara knew she was blessed to know her. She was so beautiful and kind.
"Well then, shall we continue our walk, sister?" Nuada asked of his twin and she nodded, smiling at the flowers before walking away.
Alvara, along with the two other guards with her, followed behind the twins as they enjoyed their walk through the forest surrounding their home. Nuada even picked a beautiful yellow rose and place it ever so carefully in his sisters' hair. It accented her beauty very well. She smiled and thanked her brother, who watched her happily and adoringly.
The woman standing there, swimming through her memories, was Alvara. And she had her back turned to the still unconscious Nuada as she thought of the past.
But then she turned, just in time to have a sword placed to her neck. She did not gasp or anything. She had guessed this would happen.
"Who are you and what's going on?" Prince Nuada had awoken then, and as soon as he had, he wondered why. But before he could guess, he had noticed her standing there. Not being one to trust many, he had immediately slipped one her swords from its sheath.
She bowed her head slightly and carefully (it was hard to do a respectful bow of the head with a sword blade to your neck). "Prince Nuada…"
Seeing as she was an elf, he lowered the sword, but only slightly and he did not lower his glare. "What is going on? How have I been revived, I had passed on…"
Alvara raised the stone in between them. "A revival stone. One of the last ones, one of the only. It took me a time to find it."
"And why would you revive me?" he asked speculatingly. Most of his kind had turned on him for not honoring the truce between man, he did not understand why this person would want to revive him, knowing he may decide to continue his plans.
"Because, your people need you." She told him.
He laughed darkly. "They will not accept me."
"They must. You are the only hope for us, you and Nuala." She told him. "I have traveled far and wide ever since I learned of you and your sisters' fall. And I will make sure to bring our people back together. We cannot wither away."
Nuada was surprised. "And you expect me to believe this? How do I know you don't want to just use me?"
Alvara sighed and knock the blade from her throat with her vambrace, but he spun, swinging it to her other side, but luckily, she was fast enough to pull out her other sword and block his attack. He glared and pushed at her sword, but she held it there. He swung for her waist and she spun out of the way, only to have him flip to her side and knock her to the ground. He then put his sword to her neck again as she tried to get up but stopped. And all of this had happened in only a matter of seconds, they were very elite elf warriors.
"Where is my sister?" he asked then. He felt worried, his link to her felt weak. He guessed because of his slumber, but he did not feel right unless he felt that link inside him. It was a part of him-she was.
"I have not learned of where yet, but I shall find her." She said.
He glared. "Tell me who you are."
She watched him for a moment, and then said, "Alvara. Daughter of Trean and a soldier of the royal guard."
His eyes widened then, it surprised him very much. "Alvara?" he looked at her differently now, trying to remember his old friend from the past. He then lowered the sword.
She stood then. "I tried to follow you….after you'd gone." She began, remembering the day the truce had been made. "But of course, you were cunning and sneaky. I could not follow any direct trails. I was worried you would not be protected and, knowing many others would be with your father and sister, I knew it would be fine for me to leave."
Nuada watched her and listened, but he had many memories running through his head at the same time.
"I would return to the clan every now and then, to check on the king, the princess and my father. After so many years, it seemed I missed you the one time you chose to return." She remembered arriving and finding the kings stone body with a sword in his chest and the golden piece of the crown gone. "Learning your plans, I tried to follow you, unsure of where you would go then. I was so stupid…" she sighed.
"And in my search, it seems you had been defeated. I heard word of it from the clan; they were informed by some goblins. And since then, I've been looking for the stone, to revive you. Because I know, the Bethmora clan shall not last for much more years without a leader."
"And how can we continue to live on?" he asked her accusingly. "With the monstrosity that is man continuing to destroy our home?"
"There are places, my lord, to where we can travel. There are still green fields, and we must preserve those places. We can worry about man later, but for now, I think we should find those few lands and preserve them." Alvara told him.
He glared. "If you think I shall sit by while they continue to destroy-"
"I'm sorry, prince, but if you have not noticed; during your exile the world has gotten worse. Weaker and weaker, with no one being able to preserve it because of the truce. You were the only one, but you were in exile. Now we need to do so, and deal with the humans after wards." She said.
He did not falter in his glare. "And what of my sister?"
"I shall go out to find her and bring her back." She said. "But you shall need to stay here. I'm sure whoever had her will know of your return as well and I will not risk you being hurt, your highness. I will just need to find out who it was who took her."
"Abraham." Nuada said simply.
She looked at him, confused.
"She will be the one called Abraham. She seemed to acquire a new link while I was after her." He told her.
She realized what he meant. "Well then, I will bring her back."
"Are you sure she will come back willingly?" he asked her.
She did not answer. "I shall return, Prince." She bowed and he watched her leave down the stairs.
And once she was gone, his mind was reeling as he thought. He had returned and he was not going to sit by. He was going continue his past plans, to destroy mankind. He just needed to find out how to do so.