Post by killerinstinct on Sept 19, 2010 15:40:33 GMT -5
Prologue: The wound that will never heal
Cataclop cataclop cataclop...
The sound of hooves hitting the ground, as the horse galloped as fast as it could, echoed throughout the woods. And if the horse could go faster, its owner would have made it do so. The middle-aged cavalier didn't care the horse was getting tired or might not be able to hold on. No, he only had one thing in mind: get to town before it was too late.
Please, please don't let it be true...
Through the branches, the sun shone brightly, nearly reaching its highest point. And even if the weather couldn't be more wonderful, even if the sun was beaming, inside the man's head was a torrent of despair and darkness. He couldn't appreciate the beauty that surrounded him. His world was dismal, his world was crumbling.
His world was dying, and the last remaining straw of hope was slowly slipping away from him.
The scenery around him changed. He was no longer surrounded by tall trees. Instead, a vast green field extended around him, and in the distance, he could make out the outlines of a town. The town he had to get to. His horse hadn't slowed down since he got on it, and he wasn't planning on giving it a rest until he reached his destination.
Just a little more... please, don't let it be too late...
And soon enough, the rider and his horse finally reached town. He had to stop his horse abruptly, the latter letting out a neigh as it halted its galloping, as he wasn't allowed to lead it in the small alleyways. He jumped off, and ran as fast as he could. The townspeople didn't try to stop him, and would even move out of the way for him. After all, the breastplate, the sword at the side, and the cape with the Kingdom's emblem on it was proof he was part of the King's army.
Panting, sweat beads rolling down his face, the brown-haired man finally reached a house, circled with soldiers. The door was wide open, and one can hear the crying of a girl inside. He got into the house, and stopped at the door. No one. The crying came from upstairs. He immediately went up.
“Thalia! THALIA!” The man shouted out, calling out to the girl.
“DADDY!” Came a response, and from one of the rooms came out a little girl, about 10 years old, her brown eyes and hair resembling that of her father. As she ran towards him, and he knelt down to be at her height, a soldier came out right behind her.
“Hey, don't you move!”
But Thalia didn't seem to care, and threw her arms around her father's neck. She sobbed at his shoulder and breathed heavily, unable to say a word. The man simply put his arms around her and patted her back, attempting to calm her down.
“Tristan...”
He looked up, and his auburn eyes met with sapphire blue ones. Those eyes belonged to his beloved wife, Grace. The woman he swore to spend the rest of his life with...
Grace was being held by two soldiers. Her eyes expressed sadness, desperation. Never had Tristan seen so much sorrow in her beautiful eyes. He got up, carrying his daughter with him.
“Get out of the house. Now.” He said firmly, glaring at the three soldiers that stood in front of him.
“That wouldn't be possible. We were given orders to take away your wife and daughter”, responded one of them, seemingly unfazed by Tristan's frightening glare.
Tristan remained silent at first, holding onto his daughter tightly. His eyes shifted from one soldier to the next, and he gave furtive glances to his wife.
“I am your superior”, he finally started out, “and I'm ordering you to leave my wife and daughter alone. Now.”
“Except OUR orders come from the highest authority. His Majesty himself personally asked us to take them away.”
Thalia had calmed down by then, and when she heard what was being said, she looked at her father pleadingly. “Daddy, please! I'm scared, I don't want to leave!”
“No, no, don't worry, honey, you're staying here with mommy and I”, he gently told her, trying to sound convincing. His wife's gaze had turned to the floor, the sadness had plagued her entire face. She knew as well as he did that that wasn't going to happen. She knew as well as he did that there was nothing he could do, and he wasn't going to stop anyone from taking them away.
“My deepest apologies...”, a soldier finally spoke up, his voice surprisingly filled with empathy, “But, as much as I hate doing this, orders are orders. I promise you on my honor that no harm will be done to either your wife or daughter.”
“Daddy, please save us!” Thalia's pleading didn't stop.
“Escort the woman out.”
“Daddy, PLEASE!”
“Wait, wait, WAIT!” Tristan blurted out, interposing between the soldier and Grace, “where are you taking them?!”
“I'm sorry, I cannot divulge such information. But I assure you they will be in a safe place.”
“Daddy...”
Tristan was torn. He would have slain the soldiers, but he couldn't do that in front of his family. Perhaps he can bargain with them to leave them today, and they would go someplace far...
“Tristan...” Grace finally spoke up, her voice soft and low, “I... there's nothing you can do for now.”
He turned around and faced his wife, horror tainted in his eyes. “Grace...”
“We will be okay”, she told him, as her eyes watered, “for now, let's just do as they ask. We... we will be reunited again, I'm sure of it. I... I love you...”
Tristan did not say a single word. He was in too much pain to say anything, and all he could do was look at his wife, as her angelic face got stained with tears. Then, like a fleeting memory, she walked away from him, followed closely behind by two soldiers. He remained silent, his eyes following his wife's steps until she disappeared out of sight.
The last remaining soldier faced Tristan. “The girl...”
“No, no, NO!” Thalia screamed, holding tightly onto her father's neck. Tristan gently held her by the chin and looked at her.
“Thalia...”, his voice was only a whisper, but loud enough for her to hear, “I'm sorry, love. You'll have to go... You must be with mommy. She mustn't stay alone... I'll come back for you two soon. I promise.”
The little girl only responded by crying, but she let go of him. Tristan put her back on the ground, and the soldier took her away. He watched as his flesh and blood walked away. Thalia took one final glance behind her, her eyes meeting her father's. It only took a second, but the image was burnt in Tristan's mind.
And then, she was gone.
The once powerful man was reduced to nothingness. Tristan looked around him, at the deserted house. The only love, the only joy in his life, was now taken away, and he couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. He fell to his knees. His eyes were already filled with tears. In a matter of seconds, his world had gone black. In just a short moment, his life had gone from being heavenly to a total living hell. The only ones that he cherished the most, that gave him hope, and the joy of living... Gone.
“No...”, he whimpered out, and finally broke into tears, “No, noooooooooooooo!”
And there he was, on his hands and knees, crying over a pain that would never cease to exist. A pain that would poison the rest of his life. A pain that would eventually consume his sanity.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Ah!!!”
He sat up, soaked in his sweat, breathing loudly and hardly. The room was pitch black; dawn was probably far from coming. Tristan reached to the bed table beside him and grabbed the flask of water he always kept with him. Opening the bottle, he splashed water onto his face, and drank the rest.
“I was only dreaming...” he muttered out, as if to be sure he was awake.
Indeed, it was only a dream. A dream he had almost every night for a year now.
Cataclop cataclop cataclop...
The sound of hooves hitting the ground, as the horse galloped as fast as it could, echoed throughout the woods. And if the horse could go faster, its owner would have made it do so. The middle-aged cavalier didn't care the horse was getting tired or might not be able to hold on. No, he only had one thing in mind: get to town before it was too late.
Please, please don't let it be true...
Through the branches, the sun shone brightly, nearly reaching its highest point. And even if the weather couldn't be more wonderful, even if the sun was beaming, inside the man's head was a torrent of despair and darkness. He couldn't appreciate the beauty that surrounded him. His world was dismal, his world was crumbling.
His world was dying, and the last remaining straw of hope was slowly slipping away from him.
The scenery around him changed. He was no longer surrounded by tall trees. Instead, a vast green field extended around him, and in the distance, he could make out the outlines of a town. The town he had to get to. His horse hadn't slowed down since he got on it, and he wasn't planning on giving it a rest until he reached his destination.
Just a little more... please, don't let it be too late...
And soon enough, the rider and his horse finally reached town. He had to stop his horse abruptly, the latter letting out a neigh as it halted its galloping, as he wasn't allowed to lead it in the small alleyways. He jumped off, and ran as fast as he could. The townspeople didn't try to stop him, and would even move out of the way for him. After all, the breastplate, the sword at the side, and the cape with the Kingdom's emblem on it was proof he was part of the King's army.
Panting, sweat beads rolling down his face, the brown-haired man finally reached a house, circled with soldiers. The door was wide open, and one can hear the crying of a girl inside. He got into the house, and stopped at the door. No one. The crying came from upstairs. He immediately went up.
“Thalia! THALIA!” The man shouted out, calling out to the girl.
“DADDY!” Came a response, and from one of the rooms came out a little girl, about 10 years old, her brown eyes and hair resembling that of her father. As she ran towards him, and he knelt down to be at her height, a soldier came out right behind her.
“Hey, don't you move!”
But Thalia didn't seem to care, and threw her arms around her father's neck. She sobbed at his shoulder and breathed heavily, unable to say a word. The man simply put his arms around her and patted her back, attempting to calm her down.
“Tristan...”
He looked up, and his auburn eyes met with sapphire blue ones. Those eyes belonged to his beloved wife, Grace. The woman he swore to spend the rest of his life with...
Grace was being held by two soldiers. Her eyes expressed sadness, desperation. Never had Tristan seen so much sorrow in her beautiful eyes. He got up, carrying his daughter with him.
“Get out of the house. Now.” He said firmly, glaring at the three soldiers that stood in front of him.
“That wouldn't be possible. We were given orders to take away your wife and daughter”, responded one of them, seemingly unfazed by Tristan's frightening glare.
Tristan remained silent at first, holding onto his daughter tightly. His eyes shifted from one soldier to the next, and he gave furtive glances to his wife.
“I am your superior”, he finally started out, “and I'm ordering you to leave my wife and daughter alone. Now.”
“Except OUR orders come from the highest authority. His Majesty himself personally asked us to take them away.”
Thalia had calmed down by then, and when she heard what was being said, she looked at her father pleadingly. “Daddy, please! I'm scared, I don't want to leave!”
“No, no, don't worry, honey, you're staying here with mommy and I”, he gently told her, trying to sound convincing. His wife's gaze had turned to the floor, the sadness had plagued her entire face. She knew as well as he did that that wasn't going to happen. She knew as well as he did that there was nothing he could do, and he wasn't going to stop anyone from taking them away.
“My deepest apologies...”, a soldier finally spoke up, his voice surprisingly filled with empathy, “But, as much as I hate doing this, orders are orders. I promise you on my honor that no harm will be done to either your wife or daughter.”
“Daddy, please save us!” Thalia's pleading didn't stop.
“Escort the woman out.”
“Daddy, PLEASE!”
“Wait, wait, WAIT!” Tristan blurted out, interposing between the soldier and Grace, “where are you taking them?!”
“I'm sorry, I cannot divulge such information. But I assure you they will be in a safe place.”
“Daddy...”
Tristan was torn. He would have slain the soldiers, but he couldn't do that in front of his family. Perhaps he can bargain with them to leave them today, and they would go someplace far...
“Tristan...” Grace finally spoke up, her voice soft and low, “I... there's nothing you can do for now.”
He turned around and faced his wife, horror tainted in his eyes. “Grace...”
“We will be okay”, she told him, as her eyes watered, “for now, let's just do as they ask. We... we will be reunited again, I'm sure of it. I... I love you...”
Tristan did not say a single word. He was in too much pain to say anything, and all he could do was look at his wife, as her angelic face got stained with tears. Then, like a fleeting memory, she walked away from him, followed closely behind by two soldiers. He remained silent, his eyes following his wife's steps until she disappeared out of sight.
The last remaining soldier faced Tristan. “The girl...”
“No, no, NO!” Thalia screamed, holding tightly onto her father's neck. Tristan gently held her by the chin and looked at her.
“Thalia...”, his voice was only a whisper, but loud enough for her to hear, “I'm sorry, love. You'll have to go... You must be with mommy. She mustn't stay alone... I'll come back for you two soon. I promise.”
The little girl only responded by crying, but she let go of him. Tristan put her back on the ground, and the soldier took her away. He watched as his flesh and blood walked away. Thalia took one final glance behind her, her eyes meeting her father's. It only took a second, but the image was burnt in Tristan's mind.
And then, she was gone.
The once powerful man was reduced to nothingness. Tristan looked around him, at the deserted house. The only love, the only joy in his life, was now taken away, and he couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. He fell to his knees. His eyes were already filled with tears. In a matter of seconds, his world had gone black. In just a short moment, his life had gone from being heavenly to a total living hell. The only ones that he cherished the most, that gave him hope, and the joy of living... Gone.
“No...”, he whimpered out, and finally broke into tears, “No, noooooooooooooo!”
And there he was, on his hands and knees, crying over a pain that would never cease to exist. A pain that would poison the rest of his life. A pain that would eventually consume his sanity.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Ah!!!”
He sat up, soaked in his sweat, breathing loudly and hardly. The room was pitch black; dawn was probably far from coming. Tristan reached to the bed table beside him and grabbed the flask of water he always kept with him. Opening the bottle, he splashed water onto his face, and drank the rest.
“I was only dreaming...” he muttered out, as if to be sure he was awake.
Indeed, it was only a dream. A dream he had almost every night for a year now.
