Part 1
My name is Jenna. No first or last name, just Jenna. And I'm a Vel, pathed into that of the warrior. Yes, I look like what some humans call an Elf, but that's what all Veles look like: tall, graceful, and keen hearing and eyesight, including the pointed ears. I'm about ninety years old, which is young for a Vel since we can live to be a thousand years old or more. I'm five foot four inches tall, and weigh a hundred twenty-five pounds last time I checked, but I know I've gained weight. Typically I don't think I'm very beautiful, but He does. I think for most Veles I'm terribly plain, considering I never had a boyfriend, well, except for Him, sort of. My hair is golden blond and hangs to the middle of my back. It's more of a pain than anything. It has always been dirty, or plastered to my face, or chopped, or burnt, ever since this adventure started. But He likes it that length. My eyes are hazel, and of course He thinks they're one of my best features. My skin is a pale ivory color, and unblemished. The only thing I dislike about my skin is how easily I burn in the hot sun. But again, He likes it. He thinks that it looks good when I blush, since it turns a pale pink color. Go figure. The rest of me is slim and built for speed, mostly. My chest isn't that big compared to others, but He likes it all the same. As if there is a part of me He doesn't like.
All in all, my life is about as chaotic as a Venetin High Priest on Pathoian beer. From what happened in my past to where I am now, life has been a continuous series of changes and unusual events. My life has changed three times during first half my adventures, the second and third being the most dramatic. At least I still have Him. But I digress, this is about those changes in my life... so where better to start than the very beginning.
My life started simply enough for a Vel. I grew up on one of Vel Homeworlds. The Homeworlds are really giant cities, full of Veles, beautiful buildings, and even people from other worlds, even the occasional human. I was born to Jinonia and Jenus, both of the Warrior caste. I went to school until the age of twenty, like all Vel children. From there I started my mentorship under Krenusa, the personal bodyguard to our Lord, and also a friend of my mother. Life was good. The only problem during those years was that my father was like any father, and didn't want me to join the Warrior path. He was worried I'd get hurt. Luckily, my mother had a heavy sway over him, and she could outlast him in battle too.
My mentorship ended at age seventy-nine, the start of my Year of Reflection. The Year of Reflection is one year before the Ceremony of the Paths, where all the Veles that turn eighty officially join their paths. The Year of Reflection is basically your last year to be a kid, and to get in trouble. The local Warriors all turn a blind eye to the youths. Being the good child I was, I didn't do anything during that time except hang out with my friends while they did stupid stuff.
By the last week before the Ceremony, all the Vel cities are in chaos with various pranks, parties, and tavern brawls. In fact, the Warriors don't really punish anyone during that week unless it's really bad. They typically herd all the kids they round up and dump them into one large cell, but even then it's just a break before hitting the streets again. I know since I was herded there once after a tavern brawl where I was watching out for my friends. The funny thing was, when I was in there, I saw some Veles that were a little old to be seventy-nine.
The week finally ended many taverns later. The Ceremony started as everyone gathered that day, separated into each of their paths by descending order, with the three Lords of the planet standing on a raised dias in the center of the room. All the unpathed walked in silently, including me. I was excited. I was finally becoming a Warrior. It began, with the droning of the Lords, the Elders for each path, and the Master of the paths, who ran the whole Ceremony. I waited eagerly as the names started to be called.
Then finally I was called. I walked forward, and they asked me which path I wished to join. I stated the Warrior path, smiling. They then called my mentor Krenusa, on whether she approved of my choice. She said she did, and also added that she thought I was one of the best students she ever trained. That was a lot coming from her. Hearing this sent a murmur through the crowd and cheers from everyone that knew me. I was shocked. I blushed a bright red all the way to the tips of my ears. She then continued, and gifted me my first suit of armor and an Ion Blade, the sword of the Warrior class. Then I moved up to where all the warriors were seated, and joined my parents as everyone applauded. At the ended of the Ceremony, my friends reported that there were whispers about me from some of the higher-pathed attendees.
From there life continued as normal until I was to get my first assignment. Apparently because of word from Krenusa, I was to be sent to the planet Earth, to the only Vel city in the country of Drexlar. I was to serve in the Lord's army, follow orders, and protect the city. It sounded easy enough, at least I thought so.
So I packed my things and left the day after getting the notice. Saying goodbye to my folks, I left for the space port and the shuttle ship. That would be the last time I ever saw them. I traveled with other young Veles to the planet, and landed secretly outside the city, then traveled on foot. The reason for secrecy was because the humans were deemed by the Council of the Chosen to never be allowed to gain the knowledge of space travel. Every race had to obey the Council, including the Vel Empire. Great pains had to be taken to ensure this secrecy. When we arrived, we were presented to the Lord for our instructions.
While he was in the middle of some long-winded speech, a Vel girl came running through the crowd, and fell in front of the Lord. She had obviously come from a fight. Her clothes were torn and she was scraped and bruised. "Your majesty," she said, "I've come from the northern village of Celerias, we are under attack by the Orcs and need aid." She panted, kneeling on the marble floor of the palace room. The Lord then began barking orders while the girl was escorted away. In the commotion, we were dismissed, but not before being informed to be ready to move in the morning to go to the village.
The next morning, I woke up, exhausted from the preparations made the night before. All the packing and drilling was enough to make anyone dead tired. Half-asleep, I got my things together, and stumbled out the door. For the rest of the day, I followed the others, still half-asleep. We stopped before evening at a clearing near a river to set up camp. As dinner was being prepared, I went to my tent to get some rest. That was when it happened.
There was a loud noise coming from the north of camp. I grabbed my sword and charged outside. There was a group of Vel warriors battling a man dressed head to toe in black, as he charged toward the tent containing our Lord. My mind was reeling. Whom did this guy think he was?! Well, I didn't have long to ponder as I decided that he was definitely after the Lord, so he had to be stopped.
I pulled my sword, and charged toward him. But as I got closer, the more I dreaded it. He was dropping my companions like flies, the bodies piling at his feet. Then I reached him, and we crossed blades. It was a stalemate. As I stood my ground, I could feel his eyes peering at me. Annoyed, I quickly pushed against him, and backed up waiting for his next attack. I continued to fight him, trying to find an opening that never appeared. And as he fought back, I could feel myself lose my footing and I stumbled. I fell onto my back and my blade went flying. Just great, some Warrior I turned out to be.
I could see him stare at me. It gave me the creeps. Wide-eyed, I looking back at him, his face hidden behind a black mask. As he raised his sword. I closed my eyes. This was the end. I'd die like everyone else. Hot tears rolled down my face. Why did it have to be now? Then his sword struck in the ground next to my head. My eyes shot open to see him kneeling beside me, a gloved hand wiping my tears. He was murmuring. It was a sleep spell. I cursed myself, then blacked out, falling into a dreamless sleep.
I woke to the clashing of blades, and a clatter. Looking around, I saw the bodies heaped, showing the path of the black figure. As I continued to lay there, I heard voices. "There must be something I can do. I can't die like this!" That was the pleading voice of my Lord.
"It's too late for you, In the eyes of the Emperor, you are already dead." It was him, the man in black.
Then there was a swish, a wet plop, and the sound of footsteps. I quickly closed my eyes as the footsteps indicated that he was heading toward me. He did approach, and with each step, I became more nervous. What the hell did this guy want with me?! My mind screamed in terror, imagining what could have happened. I heard him kneel beside me, and again rubbed my cheek with the back of his hand. It was so creepy and I was so terrified that I fainted.
I awoke about an hour later, I think. Sitting up, I saw the man in black was gone. Viewing the devastation around me. Everyone was dead, except me. The tears welled up, then sprung free, hitting the blood soaked earth. Suddenly not feeling good, I stood and ran to the river next to the camp. I threw up. It was too much. I sat there crying. I should be dead? Why did this happen? Who was that guy? And why did he kill my Lord? Why didn't he kill me? What was I going to do now? These questions whirled in my head as I sat.
The only thing I did decide was to go back to the main city, and hopefully explain everything. With that I stood up, and walked back. Sniffling, I grabbed my things. Then I grabbed a bedroll, a tent, and enough food to last me for the trip. Packing these away, I left without looking back, and not looking where I was going. I was so tired from the morning that I forgot the way we came. I was lost. Hopelessly lost. As hard as I tried, I couldn't find my way back, and wandering the countryside. The whole time I was terrified that the man in black would find me and finish the job.
After many days of traveling, I ended up at a Church of Lyl, the goddess of life and patron of healers and doctors. The church was lead by the High Priestess Veronica Soft. She was kind and beautiful, and had an inner peace about her. But she looked sad. As gracious as she was, she let me spend the night there, even though the place was over-crowded. It appeared there was something afoot among the people, as if they were refugees. But I was so tired, I didn't care.
In the morning, I woke to the news that there was a dragon attacking a nearby village. Some groups of fighters were gathering to go and get rid of it. That was why there were so many people the day before. They were fleeing the village. Being as good-hearted as I was, I happily volunteered, wanting to finally stop wandering alone. Falling in with some other fighters, we left to the village. My adventures with these blasted dragons started that day.
We managed to seriously cripple the dragon before a man named Draconhurst, an official Dragon Hunter, finished it off. After cleaning up, he offered the assorted group a proposition. He was looking to recruit for a dragon hunting party. After seeing the skills we possessed, he thought we would fit the bill. All of us accepted, seeing that he was far more powerful than any of us.
If I had known anything that day, I would never have joined him. Yet if I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am today, so guess I should be thankful. Draconhurst was a very weird guy with a weird armor. We never saw him take it off. It seemed literally glued to him, and was engraved with a coiled dragon on the breastplate. He was an all-work kind of guy, and never took a break, and always had rules for the behavior of the group. He didn't allow flirting or fighting among the group members, and no carousing with anyone outside of the group either.
That day, I met four people who would be with our little group for a long time, even as others came and went. There was Justina Rascaren, a Genvan Priestess. The God Genva ruled justice and goodness, so naturally Justina had a humble but holier-than-thou attitude, which she probably deserved. Other than that, she was a nice person, obeying Draconhurst constantly, while seeming to have it in for me. To this day, I don't know why, but she and I were the only women in the group.
She was loved by a young man named Blade, who was the Scion of the House of Drexlar. In other words, he was the prince of the entire country. At first, the two of them didn't hit it off, but seemed to tolerate each other. At times I swore Justina detested him for how he always tried to impress her by acting heroic. But she was typically saving him. It wasn't until Justina and Blade were paired together for a time that they finally admitted to their feelings, but they never said as much out loud. But their relationship is a another story that I don't know entirely. Maybe later.
Blade had joined our group along with his guardian. His guardian was a man by the name of Thorn. To me he seemed like a true Pathoian. He was a thief, a gambler, and a womanizer. But he stuck to Blade like glue. He was saddled with the job of looking over Blade after he had previously been caught red-handed cheating in a game with the King. But seeing that Thorn, also a cheater, was very dedicated to service, the King made him an offer. It was either haning from a noose, or playing nurse, to the young princeling. Given the choice, I think he got the better end of the deal. He was given a title, which came with the job, and he used the title to court a lot of the young ladies in the court. But he didn't have much luck with the two women in our group.
Then there was Bradock, a Doravan berserker in their military. He was a tough little bugger, especially since he was a part of a curse on the group. If the little guy wasn't drunk or fighting, he was stuck under some fallen object. Usually it was a house or other building. We called it the House Fallen Curse. But it didn't plague just him, as I was stuck under a house one time. But he held the record for the most property damage.
After multiple dragon slayings, we traveled to the City of Goldrimar, hometown of Justina, as there were reports of it being attacked by a dragon. We arrived, and under contract with the Lord of Goldrimar, were sent to destroy any dragons attacking the city. That contract would be in effect for a very long time. Because we were skilled, and because the Lord and Draconhurst were old friends, we were able to stay in the palace for thre duration of the contract. We went to sleep that night, planning to kill the dragon in the morning.
The next day was when I met Him. The Him I keep speaking of is the Lord Kelladain Naidalis, the replacement of my old lord. He was visiting the City of Goldrimar on a diplomatic mission before the dragon attacked. At least that's what I heard. It was our first morning in the city, and Draconhurst had insisted on getting up early to chase the dragon we had spotted last night. Just as breakfast was ending, Lord Kelladain Naidalis walked in and stared straight at me. Not knowing what to do, I looked back and stared into the face of the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I couldn't tell, but he looked fairly young, but older than I was at the time. He was tall, had to be five-foot ten-inches. Tan skin, unmarred. His black hair was long, ending just above his belt. He kept it in long bangs at the front and sides while the back was tied in a ponytail. He had piercing blue eyes, the color of sapphires, framed with bushy eyebrows of dark brown, not black. The rest of his face was different from classical Vel beauty, as Veles were thin faced, and had a delicateness about them. That was my appearance, but Kelladain was different. His face was broad and well defined to his pointed jaw. He looked almost human. From his armor, I could tell his shoulders were wide and powerful as were his arms and his hands. His hands, unlike his face, were delicate with long fingers. I couldn't make out the rest of his body under the armor, but if it was like everything I had seen already...
I realized that my mouth hung open. I caught myself and I felt a blush sweep over me. I averted my eyes back to my plate as he walked over. I watched him from the corner of my eyes. He was confident and graceful, yet he looked nervous. I almost giggled and I blushed more. He walked straight to my chair and stopped. He looked flustered, puasing as if trying to find his voice as I smiled back. Finally clearing his voice, he said, "Good morning, Lady, I'm the Lord Kelladain, I believe you have heard of me?"
"I'm Jenna, and no I haven't. Should I have?" I was blushing brightly.
He looked even more flustered. "Well, I thought that you were one of my retinue, I ah . . ." he said as his voice trailed off. He must have been guessing from my armor, a sign that he was as new around here as I was.
I smiled back, and said, "Well, through a series of events, I came to be a part of the dragon hunter party. And when my time with them is done, I am going to find my way back to my city for reassignment." I blushed, well, it was something of the truth. I barely knew him. I just couldn't blurt out my life story.
"Well, if you don't mind, for your reassignment, I believe I would like to have you in my retinue."
My face still felt hot, and I smiled at him. "Well, you'd have to talk to my leader, Draconhurst, about that," I answered.
He glanced down the table toward Draconhurst who was looking crossed at both of us, as he was about to leave with the others. I guess he thought I was breaking one of his stupid rules. Kelladain flinched as I giggled. Then the rest of the group started heading for the door.
I stood and was about to follow them when Kelladain grabbed my wrist. I looked back at him and turned to face him.
He slipped a bracelet off his wrist and fastened it over mine, "Here, keep this till I see you again, I hope it guards you well."
I smiled and looked down and said softly, "Thank you."
Then I felt his lips brush against my cheek. I gasped, holding my breath. As he pulled away, I touched my fingers to my cheek and blushed yet again. I backed away slowly, and waved, being careful not to stumble.
I managed to catch up to the party and we walked out of the palace. I was met with glares from all of them and I blushed again. I then learned about him from Draconhurst, but the whole time I stared at the bracelet.
The bracelet he gave me was made of blue crystal beads with a small metal plaque engraved with runes. It had a definite magical aura. I guessed that's what he meant when he said it would protect me. From the stories I was able to piece together as I left the city, the bracelet had been with him since he was a boy. Obviously, I got weird looks from the Vels of Goldrimar because I wore his bracelet. Rumors circulated that I was the Lord's new girlfriend. When I heard that, I blushed. I wished he hadn't been so forward with me - yet part of me was happy that he was.
Later that morning, I met Drascal and Tempest. Drascal was a Vel Mystery Path or mage. For some time, I swore he was the man in black that had killed my lord. He was sneaky, mean, ruthless, and he hated my guts. I hated him right back, and I'm glad he never got to act on his words. I still don't know why he didn't kill me. He was also Kelladain's advisor.
Also, following Kelladain was an Elementalist named Tempest. Elementalists are funny. They devote their lives to a specific element and draw magic from it. Tempest was an Earth Mage, and did a lot of things dealing with nature, including summoning things. He was also a good fighter, and Kelladain's personal bodyguard. Though he also seemed slightly cursed. He often had to replace his equipment as most of was destroyed after every battle. He was assigned to the dragon hunters when we came back that night. It appeared that Kelladain had ordered him to watch after me. He was a welcome addition, and Draconhurst wanted to see how good he was.
We proceed that morning to the cave where the dragon resided. And in short order, turned the dragon into minced meat. Returning to the city that afternoon, all I could think about was Kelladain, and how he had walked into my life. In fact he was still on my mind when I reached my room, and then I saw him standing there in front my door. I smiled, saying my greetings, and asked him what he was doing here. He said, "After this morning, I thought it would be appropriate if we talked. Seeing as I know nothing about you, and you know nothing about me."
He smiled. I smiled back. He seemed sweet. I wondered why he had entered my life. Curious about him, I allowed him in without further ado. We continued to talk for the rest of the afternoon, til near dinner. I told him of my story. He seemed fascinated when I told him about the raid on the Vel camp and the death of the previous Lord. Yet I could tell it didn't trouble him as much as it did me. He then proceeded to tell me his story, which seemed rather simple compared to mine.
He had a quiet upbringing as an Elementalist, then became a Lord shortly after he was pathed. He had a comfortable job as the Lord of a distant civilized planet. After turning it into a wonderful agricultural planet, he was transferred to Earth and the city of Cele after the death of the previous Lord, my Lord. And that was how he came to be here. The conversation then moved onto more lighthearted things. Then we said our goodbyes, and he left for the evening. As I closed the door, the room suddenly felt empty. With that, I was about to take a short nap before dinner, when there was a knock on the door.
I opened it to see Justina looking frightened. She was as white as a sheet. I raised my eyebrow, asking her what was wrong. She said that there was something going on in the great hall, and that all the dragon hunters were to gather there. I quickly donned my armor, and walked back to the hall with her. We arrived sometime to the sight of everyone staring upwards into the sky. The room was dark, which was very weird considering it was summer. It should have been near sunset.
Then I noticed what they were looking at. It was a huge dragon. It was so big that it blotted out the setting sun. And all around it was a horde of smaller dragons, no less fearsome. I felt the color drain from my face, my jaw hung open. Did we have to fight that thing?! My mind screamed at the thought. It was impossible, and beyond lunacy. I looked to Draconhurst as the dragon passed overhead. The rest of the party was looking at him too.
He swallowed and said, "That is the Wyrm, I don't know everything about him, but he has the power to make other dragons rage. They flock to him, and do as he bids, either through the rage or by their own evil. That is why there has been a rash of dragon attacks lately. The Rage has started. He doesn't attack directly unless he has to, so we won't have to fight him."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then he said, "As of yet you won't... but there will be a host of dragons here by morning, I talked to the Lord, and he said that when he took administration of the city, he invested in guarding all the walls with spell wards. So they should stand a siege, but not forever. We are still under contract to th City of Goldrimar, so it seems that we will be here for some time. So get used to this place." After he finished, dinner was served. As the dragons continued to pass overhead, none of us had much of an appetite that night.
The following morning, the City of Goldrimar was under siege by a host of dragons nesting around the gates, just as Draconhurst predicted. I remember the siege vividly. I had seen many things during that time that tore my heart from my chest and danced on it. I was still paranoid about the man in black, even more so as I continued to think it was Drascal. It was also during this time that I felt more lost then I ever had in my life. I had lost Kelladain, but that's another story I'll get to. The dragons were trying everything to draw us out of the city, or to get themselves into the city. They tried making a volcano erupt under the city. They sent a dragon into the city to cause a plague. They even sent a dragon into the city to eat all the food stocks. Their favorite tactic was total destruction, trying to crash through the walls, and destroy anything that stood in their way.
We had managed to stop most of those plots before they could bear fruit, but there were heavy casualties. Every militia group in the city was called to man the walls. The Ready Blades: a hired mercenary group. The Purple Shields: a defense group that specialized in magical shields. Even the Gold Dragons: Goldrimar's elite knights, were manning the walls. The Official Dragon Hunters of Goldrimar, as we were known, had to man the walls as well.
Of everyone who was stuck in the city during that siege, it was surprising to see none other than Lady Veronica Soft. The high Priestess of Lyl and her band of Lylites had come to the city before the siege to help victims of the prior dragon attack. And now they were stuck like us. For most of our party, this was a pleasant surprise, and a comfort. The Lady had long helped our group, and had befriended most of us. The only person displeased by her stay was Draconhurst, who had a shouting match with her, asking her to leave the city and go back to the Church. We weren't surprised, as the two of them fought regularly when we visited the Church between dragons slayings. And at this point, we didn't know why, but Veronica was always in tears when it was over. Naturally, they avoided each other unless there was no other way around it.
But I digress, those were times that tried us. Once when the plague had hit the city, Blade and Thorn suddenly went missing. They tried to go to Castle Drexlar, Blade's home, and get aid. This was hard on Justina, who was coming to grips with her feelings for Blade. It was the day after they left that the plague started. A wounded rider who was last seen escorting Blade and Thorn out of the city, came back, collapsing just inside the gate. He reported that the both of them had been captured. We feared them dead. The rider died minutes later. Upon inspection of him, we saw brown boils. He was sick, and died from this sickness, not from any martial wounds.
That was how the plague entered the city. It was started by a Bone Dragon, a nasty little stinker that spread the plague. The Bone Dragon also controlled an army of skeletons raised from the city crypts after he took residence inside the walls. And when we went to fight him, it was discovered that he also had Blade and Thorn as captives. We managed to save them and kill the dragon, and stopped the plague. But not before many citizens had died from it. The only positive effect was that it brought Justina and Blade closer.
But the time that hit me the hardest was went both Kelladain and I nearly died. The day started simple enough. It was supposed to be our day off from manning the walls, so I was going to spend it with Kelladain. He had decided to join the party at breakfast. We were gathered round, eating peacefully til there was a message from the walls. The dragons were preparing an attack, and were already coming closer to the city. We grabbed our gear, and ran out of the hall, breakfast forgotten. Well, it wasn't forgotten by the Dorv, who had grabbed his plate and eat it while we ran.
There were multiple dragons attacking, twin reds crashing into the walls, an evil chaos dragon sitting on a warehouse and destroying everything it could reach. And a blue thunder dragon circling overhead, and more. Draconhurst decided to split us up.
Justina and others went after the chaos dragon because Justina's Genvan magic could be effective. With a squad of the Purple Shields, Justina managed to smite the chaos dragon. Tempest and another knight named Tristan were sent after the two red dragons. Tempest could hurt them with ice spells, while Tristan lanced them. Tempest did manage to ice one of them as I heard later, and it was right up its tail.
Draconhurst sent Kelladain and me to fight the blue dragon. He directed a nearby mage at us, and barked for him to cast flight on us, which he did. I didn't like the idea, but I went along with it since he was my leader. We rose into the sky, not really sure on how we were going to defeat the blue dragon. After a few attacks, there was no success. We didn't even dent him. Then we got an idea. We flew above the dragon and then dove down, landing on it's back and planting our swords there for anchor.
I had looked to Kelladain, and asked, "What now?"
He shrugged, and started to cast spells. Some worked, most didn't. I cast as well, but not doing as much damage as needed. Our flight spells would wear off soon. Kelladain and I were about to jump off and fly away, when the dragon suddenly banked, tossing both of us off. The funny thing about flying is that for you have to know which way was up. We were disoriented and were flying downward, falling faster than leaded weights.
I thought it was the end, and clutched myself against Kelladain as we fell. He hugged me back looking as frightened as I was. Then it was over. It was a sudden shock, the world went black. It seemed to remain that way for what felt like eternity.
Then I saw white light, and I slowly opened my eyes. I was alive, but hurting all over. A Lylite knelt over me, casted cure spells, and tending to my wounds. Soon I was able to sit up. It appeared as if the Lylite had resurrected me. Kelladain and I had landed in the middle of the destroyed bazaar. Kelladain looked pale. I looked worriedly to the Lylite and they just smiled. She said that he had a heart pin, a device that instantly resurrected the wearer if they died. Then he groaned and I sighed a breath of relief.
That was until Drascal arrived, escorted by two warriors carrying a stretcher. I look at him, trying to find out what he was up to. They loaded Kelladain onto the stretcher, and whisked him away. I was about to get up and follow, when Drascal blocked my way. "You have failed your job, Lady. Your Lord had died while you were protecting him. You won't be seeing him again for a long time. After this incident, I will be advising against any protest that he leave this rock and spend time on the Homeworlds. And away from you!" he said cruelly before storming off.
I gasped, trying to think of a way to get him back. The tears streamed down my face. Could he do that to the Lord? To Kelladain? It sure looked like he was. I wasn't going to see him ever again. After all the months I spent by his side and talking to him. I realized at that moment that I loved him, and now he would be gone. I wanted to scream, but wailed instead, throwing myself down to cry into the earth. There had to be something I could do. They couldn't leave the city still under siege. There was nothing I could do now, so I picked myself up, and walked back to the palace.
Upon returning, I talked to Tempest and explained what happened. He sympathized, knowing that his master cared for me. I went back to my room, alone, while Tempest went to serve Kelladain. He later told me that Drascal had Kelladain confined to his room, claiming that he was unwell and I was the cause. I was never allowed to see him as long as Drascal was around. I wanted to punch him. He was doing this to separate the two of us. Tempest also said that as soon as the siege lifted, Kelladain was going back to the Vel Homeworlds. So it would be a miracle if I saw him again. There was nothing I could do now. But Tempest volunteered to relay messages between Kelladain and I. With sad tidings I went to sleep and had a dreamless night.
The following morning was as normal as all others. I woke in the room shared with Justina, blinking in the morning sun. I cringed from the light, and rubbed my eyes. I wasn't exactly a morning person. I blindly looked around the room. Justina was gone, and her things neatly arranged near her bed. Something didn't feel right. I turned around, looking at my bed, and froze. A dagger was plunged into the wood of the headboard inches from where my head had been. I gasped, willing myself not to scream. It was the man in black and I knew it. He was in the castle and he was after me. Was it a warning or a threat?
I pulled the dagger free, staring at it with curiosity and fear. It was entirely black, even the metal blade. It was also hot, almost burning in my hands. With a yelp, I dropping it to the stone floor with a clatter. It glowed white, then disappeared. I starred at the spot on the floor where it had been. I clutched the bedsheets, burying my face. Now what was I going to do? Silently, I prepared myself for the day and left to join the others. I was too frightened to even think about it let alone tell anyone.
Weeks passed as the siege got worst. We had a major battle, and were forced to retreat into the Noble Quarter. The dragons had breached the outer walls, and were making their homes in the ruined buildings. The night after that attack was filled with screams of people in those buildings. Though some managed to escape and join us. Moral was at a low. Food was running out. Hunting parties had to crawl through the sewers to get outside the city and hunt what little game was left.
I didn't see Kelladain at all, even to make a presence and support the Veles of this city. The looming threat of the man in black still weighed on me. What was more depressing was that Draconhurst was near death after that attack. His armor wasn't regenerating him. Veronica, Master Healer and High Priestess of Lyl, had been able to close his wounds, but he was unconscious. She blamed herself for his state, and remained by his bedside. That was until she snapped.
It was a normal afternoon, a week after the battle. We had managed to defeat a dragon that was trying to get in through the sewers. Everyone was depressed as Draconhurst wasn't there to fight, nor to even hog the glory. The party had taken to sitting outside his room, only leaving to get meals or relieve themselves. I left at times, as did Tempest, to check on Kelladain, and to try and find a way to see him. But every time Drascal had stopped me, threatening me to stay away for my own good.
We were gathered that afternoon, each of us as sullen as the other. That was when the door opened, and a very distraught Veronica walked out. She said something about deciding that it was time for her to fight on her own. We looked at each other, pondering what she meant. Lylites aren't suppose to fight, they lose their healing abilities if they even injure someone. That's why most Lylites used stun rods. She didn't stop to explain as she walked in the direction of the battlements.
We ran after her, and arrived in time to see her transform into a dragon! She was pure white with feathery wings. Her scales were fragile, looking like they'd chip from the slightest hit. She was perched on the battlements looking elegant and determined. We realized that she was about to leap off the wall, into the maze of dragon lairs in what remained of the outer sections of the city. She seemed sad as she sat there, almost like she had lost her will to fight. We tried to talk her down, but to no success, until Justina arrived.
I don't remember most of her speech, but it was really beautiful, and managed to talk Veronica off the wall. But as she was about to climb down, there was a huge gust of wind and the sound of wings flapping. A large dragon rose behind Veronica and grabbed her in taloned hands. He introduced himself as Draconhurst's uncle, and gave us a message, "If Draconhurst ever wanted to see Veronica again, he had to deliver the eggs!" We were confused by this, looking at each other. Then he flew off, Veronica in his clutches like a defeated bird.
We walked back to Draconhurst's room, expecting him to still be comatose. But he was fit and risen, and was already questioning us when we opened the door. He told us that he couldn't wake while he was in the presence of a dragon. Then we explained Veronica's transformation and capture. He didn't look too happy, cursing in some weird language. He then decided to explain what was going on.
Apparently he and Veronica were both dragons that had turned into humans. All dragons could do so. They were pursued by Draconhurst's uncle, who had killed his mother and father and wanted Draconhurst's unborn siblings. But Draconhurst had taken the eggs and fled. His uncle held Veronica prisoner, and wanted the eggs in exchange for her. Draconhurst fought him, and managed to escape with Veronica and the eggs. But he was badly wounded, they separated. He found a cave, in which was the petrified skeleton of a dragon and another skeleton of a man in armor that was engraved with coiled dragon on the breastplate. It was the armor of a famous dragon slayer. Wearing it, the armor healed Draconhurst and gave him regenerating powers, but at a price. While he wore the armor, he wanted to kill every single dragon he could find, including Veronica, whose real name was Veronica Softscales. Only his determined willpower, and his love, kept him from killing her. But he had to remain away from her, less the urge finally consume him. He pretended no affection for her, yet she still loved him. Now he wanted to go back to his uncle, and finish what they started that many years ago. We all agreed to help free Veronica and fight his uncle.
We were teleported and arrived in Draconhurst's homeland. It looked barrenand the lanscape was only made of rock. Then we heard a loud laugh coming from the distance ahead. I had heard that laugh before, it was the sound of a dragon laughing.
Draconhurst led us to a giant cave. Within was his uncle, a brown dragon who was laughing loudly as we entered. Coiled around him was a female dragon, with emerald green scales and crystal wings. The party slipped in and stood in the stone hall, starring at the pair and four stone columns that surrounded us. Veronica lay before the two dragons, unmoving.
"Come out Draconhurst! We know you're here!" the brown dragon bellowed.
Draconhurst emerged, sword drawn. We followed, weapons ready. Tempest stood next to me on the far right side of the party, both of his Earth Strikers drawn. Blade and Justina stood together on the left flank, Justina holding her War Sword while Blade held the Lord's Sword of the House of Drexlar. Bradock stood behind Draconhurst, two axes in hand. The rest of the party stood behind. I noticed that Thorn was no where to be seen. I impatiently thumbed the trigger of my Tri-Las Blaster, glancing around suspiciously. Krenusa not only trained me in swordsmanship, but also in gun, bow, throwing dagger, and hand-to-hand combat.
"I have what you want. Give her back!" Draconhurst yelled across the hall.
"I will, when you're dead!" the brown dragon roared.
The words of the dragon echoed through the hall, reverberating against the stone columns. One by one, from each column emerged a giant stone warrior bearing a heavy axe, four in total. Draconhurst cursed loudly, charging up the center as the rest of us were left to deal with the stone warriors. I aimed my gun at one lumbering stone figure was he walked toward us. The Elementalist had already engaged him, avoiding an axe swipe before scoring a hit on it's knee.
Tempest cursed loudly, "He dented my sword!" Furious, he hit again, embedding his sword in the stone guardian's leg.
I let loose a volley of laser fire, hitting the stone guardian in the chest, generating a cloud of powdered stone. As the dust cleared, Tempest stood among the pile of stone rubble, covered in a powdery white layer of dust.
"I think you got him," Tempest smirked.
I grinned and scanned the rest of party. Blade and Justina destroyed another guardian, both of them covered in white powder as well. Bradock was hacking away at another stone warrior. And Draconhurst appeared to be engaging his uncle. That was when the green female lunged into the center of the hall, crashing into the last stone warrior before she opened her maw to attack with her breath. Not wanting to wait and see what that might be, Tempest grabbed me and we hid behind the nearest column.
The dragon let out a sonic cone of magic. Her screech reverberated through the hall and anyone not holding their ears welcomed a world of pain. We covered our ears, but it still hurt. Vel ears are more sensitive than humans. Then we felt the column shake from the blast. We peered around to see part of the pillar crumbled from the shockwave. I aimed my Tri-Las Blaster at the green dragon and fired. Of the three shots, two bounced off and the last one slammed into her chest. That got her attention as she roared, and began to charge us.
"Now you pissed her off!" yelled Tempest as he grabbed my arm and we darted to the nearest column.
"And what would you do?!" I yelled back.
There was loud crash as she slammed into the pillar we had hidden behind, creating another cloud of powdered stone. She turned and roared. Tempest sheathed his swords, and pulled out his own gun, the Twin Laser. Just as we were both about to fire we heard the dragon scream in pain. Justina's Battle Spirit had sliced the dragon. The Genvan Battle Spirit, when summoned, is a etheric double of the casting priest. We did not delay our aid, and fired. The laser blasts tore through the dragon's crystal wings, reducing them to tatters. She collapsed, dead.
Breathing heavily, I checked my gun, and scanned for the rest of the party. There was an explosion from left side of the hall, where Draconhurst and his uncle were fighting. Smoke billowed, but I could see the fleeting figure of Thorn, running stealthily. What did the bloody gambler do now? The smoke cleared and we saw Draconhurst locked with his uncle. He was caught between the dragon's claws, slowly being crushed as he held onto the dragon's head. His uncle looked a little worse with various cut and burns from the explosion.
"Time to die, nephew... along with all your friends." the brown dragon grunted.
"Not yet!" yelled Draconhurst. He pulled on the dragon's head, slowly turning it sideways. He looked like he was in an unbearable amount of pain as he twisted his uncle's head.
There was a loud snap and both of them then crashed to the ground. The dragon was dead. We pulled Draconhurst away from the corpse, relieved he was still alive. Justina and I patched him up. He slowly woke up, groaning in protest.
"Is she alright?" he asked wearily.
"She'll be fine, just sleeping," reported Justina as she nodded toward Veronica. We smiled at each other for a moment with unspoken congratulations.
Veronica slowly transformed to her human shape, sleeping peacefully as Thorn and Blade carried her out. As we were about to leave, Draconhurst stood over the corpse of his uncle, and threw six brown colored eggs at it, cursing with each throw. Then we left, and were teleported back to th City of Goldrimar.
When we arrived, all the dragons were gone. The siege was over. Now this was cause for celebration. Too bad that had to wait.
After saving Goldrimar from the dragons, we had to save it now from the Bone Dagger of Thacklos. The dagger was the property of a long dead and evil necromancer named Thacklos. During the siege, the dagger had found its way out of one of the dragons' hordes, and into the body of its unwilling victim. It then spawned the Cult of Heckco, turning citizens into possessed followers. They were secretly planning to overthrow the Lord, and take over the city. They almost suceeded.
We killed the one possessed by the dagger, but we were not able to destroy the dagger itself. During the fight, another warrior was killed. Bradock went to aid the fallen warrior. As it turned out, the warrior was the First Guardian of Drexlar, the Unknown Soldier. We should have known since we couldn't see his face during the whole battle. The warrior passed his ward onto Bradock, who then became the First Guardian of Drexlar. He retrieved the dagger, preventing it from possessing anyone else. Bradock told us that we had to take it north to the temple in the volcano, which was maintained by the Second Guardian of Drexlar.
With the month-long siege finally over, and the city being rebuilt, our contract was over. We would leave for the temple the next day, at the request of Justina and the Unknown Soldier. Draconhurst, who was acting more civil after the defeat of his uncle, was against it, but reluctantly agreed. The country was still under attack by other dragons, including Castle Drexlar.
Leaving the City of Goldrimar meant I that had to leave Kelladain. I just wanted to say goodbye. Miraculously, Drascal had recently departed for some reason and I had a chance not only to say goodbye, but to see if we could see each other again.
On the morning of our departure, I sent Tempest ahead to tell Lord Kelladain that I had arrived.
I waited patiently outside his guarded door while his Warriors gave me dirty looks. I don't think they liked the idea of their Lord in a courtship with one of his Warriors. It was taking too long, I thought to myself. I was afraid Tempest had failed, and my Lord didn't want to see me. Fearing the worst, I called out his name. Lord Kelladain came out and smiled. Then he kissed me. It was the first time he kissed me. It was sweet, feeling his lips brush against mine, but I wanted more. Just as I was going to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.
"Jenna, I know you have to go, when this is all over, please come to Cele. You can find me there," he said and went back to the room.
I was speechless. I stood there shocked. It was the first time I had seen him in months. It was the first time he kissed me. And that was all he could say?! He didn't even admit that he liked me, let alone love me. Maybe I was hoping for too much, but before I never saw him again, I was determined to have my say.
I stormed past the guards and into the room, and kissed him again. I could tell he was shocked, as he tightened his grip on me. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, wanting to savor the taste of him. He groaned in surprise, before he pulled away. When our lips broke, I motioned for Tempest to leave. He was near the door and watching us in awe. Kelladain got the hint.
He shook his head, blushing, and said, "Jenna, no, not here."
"Then when?!" I retorted, my paranoid self acting up. I was like that after the death of my Lord, always worried what would be coming around the corner. Naturally I was worried I would never see Kelladain ever again.
"We'll see each other again soon enough," he said.
I looked to the floor, feeling miserable and disappointed.
He went over to a dresser and pulled out a small bundle, handing it to me.
I gingerly unwrapped it and saw a stone shaped like a heart. "What's this?" I asked.
He explained that it was a heartstone. It would get warm the nearer he was, or even when facing the direction toward him.
I kissed him again, trying to stay with him as long as possible. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to. Soon enough we parted as Tempest and I left. Feeling it was the last time I'd ever see him, I clutched the heartstone and wept softly.
We left that afternoon, starting our journey for the temple. We camped in the woods that night, setting up watch for fear of lurking dragons. In the middle of the night, there was rustling in the wood. The sentries on duty woke everyone and we grabbed our weapons. We waited, ready to strike the dragon as it came closer. That was when I felt something warm against my leg. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the heartstone. It was warm, almost as warm as flesh. Kelladain? As I held it in the direction of the rustling, it grew even warmer. It was him! Just as everyone was poised to strike, I ran forward, holstering my gun. That was when Kelladain appeared, tumbling to the ground as he emerged.
He had feinted. He looked like he was in a battle, with clothes cut and bloodied. I was worried. As Warrior trained with some field medicine, I instinctively began checking his wounds. I was relieved to see nothing serious, and I began to bandage his cuts. He was probably exhausted. Kelladain slowly came around, groaning as his head rested in my lap.
"You ok?" I asked and looked at him worried.
He nodded weakly, looking around as everyone crowded over us. Tempest moved them back to give him some air.
"What happened?" I asked the one question that was on everyone's mind.
"You were right. He exists," he said in a detached voice.
"Who does?" I asked.
"The man in black," he said painfully before closing his eyes, "He attacked my retinue, killing all the Warriors accompanying me. I barely escaped, but my horse didn't - dead on the road a ways back, with all my gear. But I saw him, Jenna, you were right... it was Drascal."
I hated being right. And the man in black, Drascal, was after not only me, but Kelladain and my friends. This was all my fault.
As I was about to speak, Draconhurst cut me off, and said, "Well, the watch is changing, Jenna and Kelladain, take this shift. Everyone else go to sleep. We'll sort it out in the morning." He muttered "if we live" before returning to his tent.
Everyone quickly dispersed, leaving the two of us. We sat quietly, saying nothing to each other. I glanced at him as we sat. He neither acknowledged my gaze, flinched, or looked back. He seemed detached, oblivious to my presence, almost cold. I blinked and looked away, before I broke the silence. "Are you going to be ok, with what happened?" I asked.
"I'll be fine," he said coolly. I placed my hand on his, trying to give him some comfort. He quickly withdrew his hand from my touch, and looked further away. I pulled my hand back and looked away, a little too hurt to look at him. Had it been that bad that he didn't want my comfort? Or was he upset at me for being the cause of this? I pondered this till our shift was over, then fell into a dreamless and fitful sleep.
By the next morning it was official, Kelladain was joining the Dragon Hunters. He didn't have a choice. He couldn't show his face in Vel society. After the attack, everyone would assume he was dead. Kelladain retrieved his things, and after breakfast, we were traveling again.
Journeying to the temple, we had to travel through the northern mountains, home of Orcs and other nasties. We had to camp one night at a ranger station in the mountain. But all the rangers were murdered before we arrived. The strange part was that it was very familiar to the murders at the Vel camp one year ago. Kelladain even said it was familiar to what had happened to his Warriors. At least that was what we thought. We managed to clean the place up to make it fit to stay for the night.
That night we were attacked. Someone planted a bomb on the side the cabin. Justina and Tempest went to check it out while the rest of us guarded the door. Several daggers, light spells, and a disarmed bomb later, whoever it was had vanished. The only casualties were Justina with a dagger in her leg, and Tempest's armor. Whoever was out there threw a coil at Tempest. It latched onto his arm armor and dug into it. He barely managed to pull the breastplate off before it cut through. We remained on watch the rest of the night.
The following morning started like any other. Everyone woke and readied to move. Breakfast was cold due to the haste of our flight. Most of us waited in the main room for Kelladain and Tempest to join us.. That was when the building shook, followed by the sound of splintering wood, and the clashing of swords. It was him, it had to be!
I bolted for the stairs, only to be blocked by Justina, who got there first. I arrived just in time to see Drascal put a sword in Kelladain, and start searching him. Screaming, I bounded over the railing and shot at him with my Tri-Las Blaster. Surprised, the blast hit him and the concusive force pushed him out the window. I was about to run to Kelladain when I heard Bradock yell that Drascal was downstairs. I looked to Justina as she knelt over Kelladain.
She looked up and yelled, "Go!"
I bolted down the stairs in time to see Drascal turn blue and collapse. Someone had cast a death spell on him, but no one fessed up to it. But it was finally over. He was dead. The man in black was dead. But I felt as if it wasn't over, like there was someone still out there, as if I was wrong and the man in black was still out there. I looked back to the steps to see Justina helping Kelladain as they walked down. I rushed over to him, looking concerned.
"I'll be ok," he said as he starred coolly and walked past.
I blinked and furrowed my brow. This wasn't like him. He was acting as cold as he was the night he was attacked. In fact he had been acting like that since I left his room that morning in Goldrimar. He was acting like he didn't care about me. He should have hugged me or something? I decided not to worry about it right now since we were getting close to the temple.
After burying Drascal we continued up the mountain to the temple, and arrived the next day. The temple was made of white marble, and hovered inside the volcano, held in place by so many heavy chains. The only way down was a magical staircase that only appeared to those permitted access. The Unknown Soldier was with us, and we were to be able to get in. We met the Second Guardian of Drexlar, the Arch Lich. Now before you start calling me crazy let me say that again. He was an Arch Lich. But he wasn't evil. He looked ugly with a black skull and bones, and purple flames, but he was on our side. Part of being a guardian is having to live a long time, or having a way to pass on your wards, so hehad turned himself into an Arch Lich. Go figure.
He took the dagger, and destroyed it with some special box that absorbed it's power. He then offered to let us stay the night. Over dinner we explained our story. He then told us about the Wyrm. The Wyrm was the Third Guardian of Drexlar, sworn to protect the King of Drexlar after he was conquered by the prior King of Drexlar, who strangely enough was also named Blade. The Wyrm, a red dragon, was getting very old, and wished to end his existence. But there was still a need for the third Guardian. So an egg was produced to become the new guardian. But during its transport to the temple, it was hijacked and lost. The Wyrm was so enraged that he mounted an army of dragons to destroy Drexlar as revenge.
The Arch Lich said that there was a second egg out there somewhere. So he charged us with finding it, and doing some other things for him along the way. He said that two remaining artifacts of Thacklos were surfacing in the country. Since we had successfully brought him the dagger, we had the skills to get the other two. Justina, the champion of good, happily agreed for us to get the remaining artifacts, the Skull Staff and the Fang Cloak. And to ease our worrying minds, he teleported Veronica, Blade, and Thorn from the battle front at Drexlar Castle to the temple.
After the joyous reunion with our other friends, we were teleported the following day to a location near the first artifact, the Skull Staff. It was somewhere in a secluded but inhabited valley in Drexlar. We stayed in the local town, hearing rumors of a dragon attacking surrounding villages. Then talked to the local king about the staff. He said he didn't know anything, but we didn't believe him. We investigated one of the ruined villages the following day, finding that it wasn't a dragon attack, but zombies. We even found some in one of the remaining buildings.
On our ride back to the town, we were attacked by the personal guards from one of the local magistrates. Just as we were about to be captured, the weirdest thing happened. A red dragon flew out of the sky and incinerated the guards. It was also ridden by a girl, the princess we had seen the day before when we were talking to the local king. After the ambush was defeated, we learned that the princess was in love with the boy who was the dragon, and also a local fisherman. Of course, her father strongly disapproved. He had arranged for her to marry a local magistrate and wealthy man. It was his guards that had attacked us. She also said that the king was acting strange one day after the village was attacked, holding a staff.
That confirmed the location of the Skull Staff. We went back to the king to acquire the staff, but not before losing one of our companions, a druid named Kenny. He was of a tribe of Terrains, those that worshiped Terra the Goddess of Nature, who were called the Rutabagas. Kenny was strange, but he was also surprisingly powerful. He died trying to stop a horde of zombies as we entered the tower with the staff. It was a hard blow for the group considering that he had been around since the siege of Goldrimar. It made me realize my own mortality. Even though I was a Vel, I was still mortal like the others, and that scared me, as I still had the feeling that the man in black was pursuing me.
With the Skull Staff under guard by Bradock, we buried Kenny with the seeds as he had directed us, and said our goodbyes to the princess and her dragon. We decided to stay at the temple for the night after our return, and depart to search for the Cloak the following morning. That night and the following day, my life changed forever.
The night started like any other. After dinner, I went to the room I shared with Justina. I sighed as I entered, flopping on the bed and thought of Kelledain. I just couldn't understand. At Goldrimar I could have sworn he loved me. He kissed like he meant it, and even the first time he saw me, I swore he felt something. But now he acted like I wasn't even there. My paranoid self kicked into high gear. Maybe he didn't love me? Or maybe he never did? He never said the words. But he kissed me. He must have liked me at least a little. Maybe I was just pushing myself at him? Maybe he hated me? Maybe there was another woman? I wanted to cry.
He loves me and I know it, I repeated over to myself. I grabbed the heartstone out of my gear, and looked at it. I was sure that he hadn't given it to me without reason. I placed it on the bed, thinking of my next move. Now what was I going to do? I couldn't stand another night like this with all the worrying. Then the feeling that the man in black was still out there came over me. He was out there. I knew it. And he would come back for me. I choked just thinking about it. I knew what I had to do. I had to go over there and say I loved him before anything happened.
As I was moving to get off the bed, I remember what had happened ealier that day. The death of Kenny reminded me of not only my own mortality but Kelladain's as well. We could die tomorrow couldn't we? The thought was like a thunderbolt. This could be our last night together. I was now more determined then ever to not only confirm my love for him, but show him what he meant to me as well.
As I was about to head out, I saw myself in the mirror, and grimaced. I looked terrible. My hair was a mess, and my clothes weren't in great shape either. I couldn't go like this. I looked out the window and into the sky. There was still light, but I had better go fast. Stripping, I ran into the bathroom, and took the fastest and most abrasive bath in my life. All wrapped up, I sprinted out and looked through my clothes. Everything was in need of a washing or was torn. I couldn't wear any of it. Fretting, I decided my next move. The answer was simple. I needed a dress. Now where would I find one?
If I asked Justina, she'd know what I was up to, so that was out. And Veronica wasn't my size. No way any of the guys would have a dress. There had to be a dress somewhere in this place. Then I got an idea. The Arch Lich. He had a ton of artifacts and stuff. Someone could have given him a dress. Smiling brightly, I bounded off the bed and quickly dressed in the cleanest thing I had. I opened the door, and padded down the marble floor, trying not to attract too much attention.
I peered into the rooms as I went, trying to find him. Then I noticed a doorway with a purple glow on the white marble walls. It was him. I knocked softly on the wooden door.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Um, it's I, Jenna," I said nervously.
"Enter," he called back.
I opened the door, walked through, and closed it softly.
He looked at me, his jaw half opened, his way of smiling. "Now, what can I do for you, Lady?" he asked as he relaxed in a chair.
My natural reaction was to blush. "I don't know how to ask this, but I need a dress, just for tonight?" I asked looking down.
"I believe I have something you can use," he stood and walked to a large vault and beckoned me to follow.
I was floored, I really didn't expect that he'd just give me one without a series of question. He was nicer than I thought. I obediently followed him.
"It was the property of one of your own people," he continued as he looked through the racks, "It belonged to a Vel Queen, and she left it one night... along with other things."
I blushed. A Vel Queen? There was no such thing. Most likely it was a Lordess.
"Ah, here we are," he said pull out the gown.
And I nearly had a heart-attack. There was only one word to describe it, radiant. It was a simple design. Long-sleeved, a scooped neck, and looked like it clung to upper body before falling in cascades of fabric at the hips. But the really fascinating part was the material. The neckline and wrist were banded in woven solid gold thread, and encrusted with sapphires and rubies. The rest of the dress looked and felt like silk, but the way it glowed pure white light, I knew it had to be something else. As he handed me the dress, I looked closer at the fabric. It was made of diamonds, woven diamonds.
"This is..." I asked, my voice trailing off.
He nodded, and said, "Nothing a little enchantment can't do."
I smiled, and held the gown against me, seeing if it would fit. It looked like it would fit like a glove. I almost screamed with joy. "I don't know, it seems a little too nice for me," I said looking at the dress in my hands.
"Lady, there is a lonely man down the hall waiting for you, now get going," he said.
I blushed. He knew? I blushed further, all the way to the tips of my ears. He smiled to me in his own way, looking very pleased with himself. I smiled back, and said my thanks as I was about to leave.
"I didn't mean now! Ohhh! You don't have anything to go with it!" he yelled at me.
I turned around and giggled. We walked back into the vault. Stopping at a jewelry chest, he pulled out a diamond collar and a pair of diamond earrings, and handed them to me. He then took a pair of white slippers from a rack. A row of small diamonds traced along the top, as the ribbons tying them were shot with silver thread. I thanked him again, and with these treasures, walked back to my room, feeling a lot better.
Luckily by the time I was back, Justina was in bed and fast asleep. Hurriedly I changed into the gown, and placed on the jewelry and slippers. Before I left, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a princess, but I didn't feel any different. The butterflies in my stomach were going at max flutter, hoping this would work. I looked back to Justina in the bed. She was lucky. She didn't have to win her man, hers was as loving as a puppy, and proved it on a daily basis, even if she didn't show him back. I sighed as I looked back into the mirror. Was I sure about this? This night could make or break my relationship with Kelladain.
I silently said a quick prayer to Nanai, Goddess of Love. Breathing deeply, I opened the door and looked out. No one, which was good since this dress would shine like a beacon in the darkness of the hall. Moving ever so quietly, I walked down the hall to his door. Was I ready for this? Did I know what to say? Now wasn't the time to be frightened. I was going to do this. With all my courage, I knocked.
Continued in Part 2
If Only for a Night - Part 1
Next Story:If Only for a Night - Part 2
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