Et piiri pole õnnel,
poleks uskunud ma kord,
kuid nüüd mind valdab tunne,
et päikest täis on iga org.
Miks kurbust täiss on kogu maa,
ei oska öelda mina,
sest õnn on kerge tulema,
ning seda tead ka sina.
Ei pea sa kõrgustesse pürgima,
et lõppeks elu halvem lõik,
vaid pead sa südant järgima,
ning küll siis laabub kõik.
Kui tuju halb ja masendus peal,
ära lase sel end segada,
vaid koonda mõtted millelgi heal,
ja lase õnnel endasse trügida.
Kui sa leiad millegi,
mis sinus õnne vallandab,
siis seda just sa teegi,
ning ära vabanda.
Kui aidata saad kedagi,
siis seda kohe tee,
sest pärast karmat paigata,
on väga halb idee.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Ei tea veel nime
“Run faster, run, run, run,” was all he could think about. He knew his body should have collapsed from exhaustion a long time ago, but the fear of death kept him on the move, more agile than ever.
The hall- and stairways he passed seemed to be endless. It was as if there was no escape, like the building itself wanted to keep him hostage.
He dared not look back, for he was afraid to see the sad truth – that there really was no escaping them. But he could not help it when he was turning to go down the stairs. He saw shadowy things coming down from the stairway, across the ceiling and on the walls.
“Only a few more floors and I'm outside, safe from the darkness,” was the thought that comforted him. For a second he actually felt a ray of hope, dim as it was. He even deluded himself into thinking that he could really survive to live another day.
He could see the lobby through the glass door that separated the stairway from it. Salvation was so close at hand, but right before he managed to open the door, a shadow slipped past and materialized in front of him.
That was when Ren woke. He was trembling all over and was covered with cold sweat. His heart was beating so fast it felt as if somebody was trying to rip his chest apart.
Had it been a random dream or another one of his visions, he could not tell. He could only be certain that it had not been his own future he had just seen.
He flipped the light switch which was located just beside his bed. He had moved the bed near it to be able to get rid of the darkness at any given moment.
Ren looked around to make sure he was alone. Being sure of it, he sat up, put on his slippers and started walking towards the window. He passed a mirror on his way. He was startled at the sight, for what was looking back at him, wasn't him, at least not entirely. He saw a tired, old face instead of a young, careless one, full of joy. His body was still in shape, except for the fact, that his muscles had begun to get a bit saggy, for he hadn't been to the gym for almost a year. He didn't even stand up straight anymore, but was a bit hunched – nothing too serious though. He didn't stay in place for more than a glance.
When he got to the window, he saw a starless night sky and started to wonder where it had all gone wrong for him. He had had a happy, carefree life : a paying job, a girlfriend, no troubles to speak of. But since powers had begun awakening, everything had gone downhill. He couldn't believe that actually a year had gone to pass. A whole year living in fear and danger – that was certainly not the life he would have imagined for himself before.
Ren had always believed that human powers could not have been limited to the mediocrity of everyday life, but since there was no proof saying the opposite, he could not have hoped for greater power himself. At first, they were frightening and uncontrollable – enough so, to try and ignore them completely. But he had learned to live with them, to use them.
The vision was still troubling him. The place where it had taken place was awfully familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact location out no matter how hard he tried. He tried to remember if he had been thinking something in the vision, something to give away the identity of the location or the person owning the thoughts – he had come to learn over time, that when he had one of his visions, he was another person, experiencing everything his vessel was, as if they were the same soul, but the one thing he could not do, was to control the vessel.
Nothing particular popped in mind. The only thing he could remember was constant fear mixed with the will to live. Ren knew, that if he were to help the person out, he had roughly a fortnight – his powers allowed him to see visions of a possible future to come, if he did not intervene.
He glimpsed at his alarm clock – it was already five in the morning. He decided to try and get what sleep he could and hoped to reach a better conclusion of the situation in the morning with a clearer mind.
*
It was a day like any other, living in the rut that had been his sanctuary for the past decade. When his workday in his little office box ended, Voren walked out the building, sat in his car, went to the supermarket, went home, heated up some frozen food and sat down in front of the television. No sign of a wife, no social network to speak of – that was just the life he wanted, safe and without trouble; or so he liked to believe.
When he woke the next day, he didn't feel rested at all. He had had the strangest of dreams, he knew, but he could not recall about what it had been, not even in the slightest.
He made himself a cup of coffee, just like every day, but this time something felt different, something that could certainly not be labeled under sleeplessness. After finishing his coffee, he started getting ready for work, disregarding the feeling totally.
While driving to work, Voren had a strange sensation of someone keeping watch over him somehow, but the streets were empty; he put that thought aside.
He finally arrived to work, parked his car and went into the building. He got into the elevator and adjusted his tie, having seen it was a bit off from the mirror inside.
When the doors opened, he heard a familiar voice, shouting somewhere. It belonged to his boss, he knew. He had almost made his way to his box, when suddenly something grabbed his shoulder.
“Late, are we now?” a loud, angry voice asked him.
He turned around, only to see what was expected - his boss staring at him angrily. “Unfortunately so, sir.,” he replied in a voice as neutral as possible.
“Our company does not tolerate such things. Even the likes of you must surely know that!?”
“I'm deeply sorry, but there was an accident on the corner of 83rd and 6th, so I had to take a little detour.” It was an obvious lie, but he knew it would calm the boss down and leave him some space to breath.
“Very well then. Make sure it won't happen again, though, or there might be consequences.”
The little discussion made everyone who watched grin. That only for the reason that Voren was a big man – one that had to have his suits custom made - with a gruff voice. His face lacked emotion most of the time, almost making people think that he was unable to smile. His beard and head were always shaved, daily. Whereas his boss was a smaller kind of man, also bald, but not because he liked it so. But despite his appearance, Voren was completely harmless – friendly and helpful, the type that would never even hurt a fly.
After that little incident, he sat down at his desk and started another dull day at work, except it was somewhat different.
Usually, he did everything automatically, never giving anything a second thought – his mind totally blank through the hours of work. This time his mind wandered though, to places it had never been to before.
He had never thought of anything remotely supernatural, but today, his mind was full of fantasy. He had been perfectly fine with the lifestyle he had led until that day, but it seemed that whatever he had seen in his dreams that night had popped some kind of switch in him.
He was happy with his life, so it could not have been that he was trying to escape to some imaginary universe. The most logical explanation was that it had been just a fluke, something his body had needed to do, for he had lacked real dreams for so long.
The thoughts were overwhelming. Even thinking that all he had believed in could crumble down like a leaf made him dizzy. To imagine that life could be full of mysterious beasts and magic, demons and angels – it was way more than he could comprehend.
Hours flew by as his mind gave birth to countless fantasies; his working day seemed to have passed in a blink of an eye.
When he got out of the building, it was already pitch black outside.
While driving home, Voren felt more like his usual self, only wanting to get to the comforts of his own humble abode.
The road was full of shadows cast by the tall buildings standing on the side of the street. It had always been like that in the ghetto neighborhood from which he had to drive through almost every single day of his life.
He was almost out of the dark streets when he saw something pop out on the road right in front of his trajectory. He turned his wheel as hard as he could and hit the breaks with full force. He lost control of his car and spun around a bit before he crashed in to a lantern. The impact was hard and made him hit his head against the dashboard even though he had worn his seat belt. He was extremely dizzy and was loosing his vision. He was on the verge of passing out. Had he managed to evade whatever he tried to evade or not, he was not sure.
The hall- and stairways he passed seemed to be endless. It was as if there was no escape, like the building itself wanted to keep him hostage.
He dared not look back, for he was afraid to see the sad truth – that there really was no escaping them. But he could not help it when he was turning to go down the stairs. He saw shadowy things coming down from the stairway, across the ceiling and on the walls.
“Only a few more floors and I'm outside, safe from the darkness,” was the thought that comforted him. For a second he actually felt a ray of hope, dim as it was. He even deluded himself into thinking that he could really survive to live another day.
He could see the lobby through the glass door that separated the stairway from it. Salvation was so close at hand, but right before he managed to open the door, a shadow slipped past and materialized in front of him.
That was when Ren woke. He was trembling all over and was covered with cold sweat. His heart was beating so fast it felt as if somebody was trying to rip his chest apart.
Had it been a random dream or another one of his visions, he could not tell. He could only be certain that it had not been his own future he had just seen.
He flipped the light switch which was located just beside his bed. He had moved the bed near it to be able to get rid of the darkness at any given moment.
Ren looked around to make sure he was alone. Being sure of it, he sat up, put on his slippers and started walking towards the window. He passed a mirror on his way. He was startled at the sight, for what was looking back at him, wasn't him, at least not entirely. He saw a tired, old face instead of a young, careless one, full of joy. His body was still in shape, except for the fact, that his muscles had begun to get a bit saggy, for he hadn't been to the gym for almost a year. He didn't even stand up straight anymore, but was a bit hunched – nothing too serious though. He didn't stay in place for more than a glance.
When he got to the window, he saw a starless night sky and started to wonder where it had all gone wrong for him. He had had a happy, carefree life : a paying job, a girlfriend, no troubles to speak of. But since powers had begun awakening, everything had gone downhill. He couldn't believe that actually a year had gone to pass. A whole year living in fear and danger – that was certainly not the life he would have imagined for himself before.
Ren had always believed that human powers could not have been limited to the mediocrity of everyday life, but since there was no proof saying the opposite, he could not have hoped for greater power himself. At first, they were frightening and uncontrollable – enough so, to try and ignore them completely. But he had learned to live with them, to use them.
The vision was still troubling him. The place where it had taken place was awfully familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact location out no matter how hard he tried. He tried to remember if he had been thinking something in the vision, something to give away the identity of the location or the person owning the thoughts – he had come to learn over time, that when he had one of his visions, he was another person, experiencing everything his vessel was, as if they were the same soul, but the one thing he could not do, was to control the vessel.
Nothing particular popped in mind. The only thing he could remember was constant fear mixed with the will to live. Ren knew, that if he were to help the person out, he had roughly a fortnight – his powers allowed him to see visions of a possible future to come, if he did not intervene.
He glimpsed at his alarm clock – it was already five in the morning. He decided to try and get what sleep he could and hoped to reach a better conclusion of the situation in the morning with a clearer mind.
*
It was a day like any other, living in the rut that had been his sanctuary for the past decade. When his workday in his little office box ended, Voren walked out the building, sat in his car, went to the supermarket, went home, heated up some frozen food and sat down in front of the television. No sign of a wife, no social network to speak of – that was just the life he wanted, safe and without trouble; or so he liked to believe.
When he woke the next day, he didn't feel rested at all. He had had the strangest of dreams, he knew, but he could not recall about what it had been, not even in the slightest.
He made himself a cup of coffee, just like every day, but this time something felt different, something that could certainly not be labeled under sleeplessness. After finishing his coffee, he started getting ready for work, disregarding the feeling totally.
While driving to work, Voren had a strange sensation of someone keeping watch over him somehow, but the streets were empty; he put that thought aside.
He finally arrived to work, parked his car and went into the building. He got into the elevator and adjusted his tie, having seen it was a bit off from the mirror inside.
When the doors opened, he heard a familiar voice, shouting somewhere. It belonged to his boss, he knew. He had almost made his way to his box, when suddenly something grabbed his shoulder.
“Late, are we now?” a loud, angry voice asked him.
He turned around, only to see what was expected - his boss staring at him angrily. “Unfortunately so, sir.,” he replied in a voice as neutral as possible.
“Our company does not tolerate such things. Even the likes of you must surely know that!?”
“I'm deeply sorry, but there was an accident on the corner of 83rd and 6th, so I had to take a little detour.” It was an obvious lie, but he knew it would calm the boss down and leave him some space to breath.
“Very well then. Make sure it won't happen again, though, or there might be consequences.”
The little discussion made everyone who watched grin. That only for the reason that Voren was a big man – one that had to have his suits custom made - with a gruff voice. His face lacked emotion most of the time, almost making people think that he was unable to smile. His beard and head were always shaved, daily. Whereas his boss was a smaller kind of man, also bald, but not because he liked it so. But despite his appearance, Voren was completely harmless – friendly and helpful, the type that would never even hurt a fly.
After that little incident, he sat down at his desk and started another dull day at work, except it was somewhat different.
Usually, he did everything automatically, never giving anything a second thought – his mind totally blank through the hours of work. This time his mind wandered though, to places it had never been to before.
He had never thought of anything remotely supernatural, but today, his mind was full of fantasy. He had been perfectly fine with the lifestyle he had led until that day, but it seemed that whatever he had seen in his dreams that night had popped some kind of switch in him.
He was happy with his life, so it could not have been that he was trying to escape to some imaginary universe. The most logical explanation was that it had been just a fluke, something his body had needed to do, for he had lacked real dreams for so long.
The thoughts were overwhelming. Even thinking that all he had believed in could crumble down like a leaf made him dizzy. To imagine that life could be full of mysterious beasts and magic, demons and angels – it was way more than he could comprehend.
Hours flew by as his mind gave birth to countless fantasies; his working day seemed to have passed in a blink of an eye.
When he got out of the building, it was already pitch black outside.
While driving home, Voren felt more like his usual self, only wanting to get to the comforts of his own humble abode.
The road was full of shadows cast by the tall buildings standing on the side of the street. It had always been like that in the ghetto neighborhood from which he had to drive through almost every single day of his life.
He was almost out of the dark streets when he saw something pop out on the road right in front of his trajectory. He turned his wheel as hard as he could and hit the breaks with full force. He lost control of his car and spun around a bit before he crashed in to a lantern. The impact was hard and made him hit his head against the dashboard even though he had worn his seat belt. He was extremely dizzy and was loosing his vision. He was on the verge of passing out. Had he managed to evade whatever he tried to evade or not, he was not sure.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
bulubulu
For all the nights to come,
for all eternity and then some,
I swear to be right by your side,
I couldn't leave even if I tried.,
for without you I seem so lost,
like a castle with no host.
You are the etalon of beauty,
a disgrace would be to call you cutie,
I would not even be slightly modest,
if I said to me you are a goddess.”
for all eternity and then some,
I swear to be right by your side,
I couldn't leave even if I tried.,
for without you I seem so lost,
like a castle with no host.
You are the etalon of beauty,
a disgrace would be to call you cutie,
I would not even be slightly modest,
if I said to me you are a goddess.”
lambi luule
Mängimine mõnele puhub sisse elu,
nagu väikesele lapsele uus läikiv lelu.
Kuid sellel on ka miinuspool,
sest nagu ka valesti suunatud armunool,
võib see põhjustada palju paha,
mida keegi meist tegelikult ei taha.
Me võime seetõttu päriselust irduda,
ning selle koorma all pooleks murduda.
See võib saada meile kinnisideeks,
muutudes tähtsamakski veest.
Meist võivad saada lootusetud fanaatikud,
nagu piinatud geeniustest matemaatikud,
kes ei tee enam vahet halval ja heal,
arvates end kõrguvat kõigi kohal, peal.
Kuid ehk meid sest päästab me armastav pere,
kellega ka niisama aega veeta oleks tore.
Ei pea enam muret tundma sõltuvuse pärast siis,
sest pere keskis olemine on parim ajaveetmis viis.
Ja kui lõpuks peakski sa mängude peale tagasi pöörduma,
siis pead sa vaid panema ajupooled kokku hõõrduma,
et sa mõistaks elu mõtet tempos kiires,
ning mängiks edaspidi vaid mõistlikuse piires.
nagu väikesele lapsele uus läikiv lelu.
Kuid sellel on ka miinuspool,
sest nagu ka valesti suunatud armunool,
võib see põhjustada palju paha,
mida keegi meist tegelikult ei taha.
Me võime seetõttu päriselust irduda,
ning selle koorma all pooleks murduda.
See võib saada meile kinnisideeks,
muutudes tähtsamakski veest.
Meist võivad saada lootusetud fanaatikud,
nagu piinatud geeniustest matemaatikud,
kes ei tee enam vahet halval ja heal,
arvates end kõrguvat kõigi kohal, peal.
Kuid ehk meid sest päästab me armastav pere,
kellega ka niisama aega veeta oleks tore.
Ei pea enam muret tundma sõltuvuse pärast siis,
sest pere keskis olemine on parim ajaveetmis viis.
Ja kui lõpuks peakski sa mängude peale tagasi pöörduma,
siis pead sa vaid panema ajupooled kokku hõõrduma,
et sa mõistaks elu mõtet tempos kiires,
ning mängiks edaspidi vaid mõistlikuse piires.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The hand of Oreia
In the far north of the Winter Country, there lay the great castle of House Lightblood.
It was strangely busy, considering how severe the snowstorms were of late. There were servants up and about the whole castle, trying to attend to the needs of every important guest they had.
It came out that all the commotion was about finding the right suitor for Oreia, the oldest daughter of Lord Wann. Nobles from all over the country came for her hand. Some to try their luck, some to get their son married.
Even the commoners were more lively and active, going out to cheer for some nobles and to get a good look at some of the more famous ones.
At those times, love had little to do with getting married. The couple could be considered lucky if they fell in love afterward. Most marriages were arranged only for one half to gain hold of some land or gain the alliance of a House. But that wasn't the case with Oreia. She was determined to examine the suitors with absolute care.
Of course her father had a say in it too. She had made a deal with him – of all the suitors that were located in the castle, her father was to choose the three most likely to serve the intrests of House Lightblood. After that, it was all up to Oreia herself to determine who deserved her hand the most.
No doubt she could entice any of the chosen men with her long blond hair that fell to her back in curls. With her turquoise eyes that looked so deep and innocent, as if they could see right through you. With her soft little lips, sweet enough to make any man crave for them. With the cutest little dimple appearing in her left cheek when she blessed someone with her mesmerizing smile. And if that wasn't enough, she had the most perfectly proportioned body, surely making her the object of many fantasies and more. She was the kind that kings would marry to to princes - kind, smart and inexplicably beautiful.
It was a headache for lord Wann though, as he had to host a great number of visitors, keeping them all entertained and have dinner with the suitors one by one. It would have been an extremely easy pick if he could suppress the rebelliousness in his daughter. He wanted Oreia to marry Prince Karthos of the Royal House Bladewine – every Lord dreamed of getting into the Royal family. But Oreia would have none of it, she had inherited the strong character and stubborness of her father, for which his father could not fault her for.
An absolutely independent woman was a rare find, mostly because women were expected to obey their husbands and fathers. That made Oreia even more irresistible . She was like a puzzle. No one could figure her out, and that drove them crazy.
Oreia found herself quite pleased with the whole castle being full of people. It could get somewhat lonely in deep winter, so any company was welcome. It took Lord wann a month and a half of dining and hunting with the suitors to finally be able to pick out the three who would compete for Oreias approval. He even had them in order. Prince Karthos was undoubtedly the first choice. The second and third place were actually a tie between the two twin sons, Bellamy and Gory, of Lord Marc of the old and proud House Greymane.
At first, Oreia invited them all to dinner, to see how they acted while their competition was near.
Many nights went by like that, all to Oreias liking. All the suitors were very courteous, making it seem like they didn't even notice the others. They drank wine, jested and laughed. After a week it was if they were a group of very close friends.
Having seen how they acted in a group, Oreia decided it's time to get to know them a little closer.
She let the suitors know that she would see them personally, one by one, under their own conditions and in the order her father deemed appropriate.
Karthos was the first one to try and leave an everlasting impression and raise the bar to an unreachable state for the next two to overcome.
He decided to meet Oreia in the comforts of his own room. When evening arrived, Oreia was escorted to Karthos's room. When the guards left, she found herself alone in a room full of things from the Royal Treasury. On the walls there hung all sorts of antlers from different beasts. The floor was covered with rugs made from the furs of animals great and fierce. In the middle of the room lay a table with dinner and wine waiting on it.
Oreia felt out of place. She had no idea what she should do.
Then the door opened. Karthos entered the room, wearing clothes made of the finest silks. He had rings on almost all of his fingers, decorated by the most beautiful of jewels. They greeted each other appropriately, as highborn people were taught to do. Karthos suggest they sat down and have a bite. So they did, and that was when the night really began.
“Do you enjoy the food? It's bear meat,” Karthos asked with a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Yes, very much so. It is one of the best things I have ever had the pleasure to taste, if not the best,” Oreia replied politely, while deep inside hating the idea of eating a harmless bear.
Karthos was very pleased to to hear that. They exchanged some more pleasantries and then Karthos showed his true nature.
He started bragging about all the things he had achieved in his life already and he never let her forget he was of royal blood.
“Those antlers there, they are of the Great Elk from the Royal Forest, I killed the best myself.”
“That must have been a scary thing to do, most certainly.”
“It wasn't much for a trained man like myself.”
“You are very brave and fearless to say so.”
And so the night continued.
“...I entered my first tournament at the age of only twelve...”
“...I bet you were ready for it even sooner...”
“...some people already address me as king...”
“...only because you are fit to be one...”
“...will be the best king in history...”
“...you most certainly will...”
Oreia was having a hard time trying to say only the nicest things to the Prince and to keep a smile on her face.
“It's getting late and I must excuse myself, for a lady needs her beauty sleep. Specially at a time as important as this,” Oreia said with a sad look on her face, as if she didn't want to leave.
“Yes, of course. Then, I must bid you farewell.
He had left an everlasting impressions on Oreia, to be sure, butno tone he had hoped for. She had been afraid the night would have never ended, it seemed to have gone on forever.
The next day, when Oreia woke, she found a bunch of wintersweets in a vase waiting for her. A letter lay beside them. She picked it up and read it. Inside was only a request. In the letter she was asked to be in the garden at sunset. There lay no clue about who it was from, but it intrigued Oreia enough to go and find out.
She was excited about it all day. At breakfast she tried to figure out which on of the suitors it had been. No one gave anything away, everyone acted just as they always did.
So the day passed. As the sun sunk deeper and deeper into the ground, Oreia was with her maids, getting ready to meet the mystery man.
When Oreia arrived at the garden, she noticed two swings sitting idly, hanging from a branch of the great oak. That towered in the middle of the garden. She knew they hadn't been there before, so they must me set up by the same person who had written the letter, but strangely, she was there alone. Suddenly, she heard a voice from her back, saying : “I am truly sorry for being late, my lady, but I lost track of time. The thought of meeting you here has made me an airhead.”
Oreia turned around to find Bellamy standing there, with a face as sincere and apologetic as his voice had sounded.
“It's no trouble. You weren't late at all,” she said with a smile on her face to make Bellamy feel better.
It was obvious that he was pleased to hear that. Cheering up, he walked past her and sat on one of the swings and asked Oreia to join him.
She saw no reason to not do so. She sat on the second swing and gave herself a little push to get in motion.
As they swung, they talked about how their day had gone to pass. Bellamy didn't go in to much detail. “Breakfast, lunch, some time with the members of my House,” was what he limited his day to. Oreia did the same, not letting him know that actually she had been overly thrilled about the encounter.
They felt free in each others company. Both of them were constantly smiling and laughing.
The sun had almost set, sending the last rays of orange-red light to the garden. It was magnificent. The garden seemed to have come to life as the setting sun patted the wintersweets, viburnums, winter heaths and many more. The snow was glistening and a dim light shone on Oreia and Bellamy through the leaves of the Oak.
Bellamy thought the moment to be perfect for expressing his feelings towards Oreia. He asked her to listen closely and then he began.
“When your eyes on me you set,
it's as if through fate we met.
With you, track of time I seem to lose,
for being in the presence of my muse,
brings me endless amounts of joy,
I hope for you I'm not just a toy.
To the ends of Earth I'd go for you,
to hell and back if needed, too.
No sacrifice would be too big,
I'd even shave and wear a wig.
What you'd have me do, I have no clue,
but my love for you will still stay true.”
Oreia was absolutely speechless. She felt tears running down her cheeks. Never had anyone done something like that to her. And the way it was done, she knew that Bellamy had meant every word of it. Not even in her own imagination could she think of a sweeter thing to be done.
A silence surrounded them for quite a while. Bellamy was afraid to say anything. He thought that he might say something stupid to ruin the moment, for all he had actually planned so say, he had said already.
Oreia stood up, as if moved by an unseen force. She stepped in front of Bellamy and kissed him. The kiss was long and passionate. By the end, she was sitting in his lap on the swing, swaying slowly. He was holding her in his arms affectionately, afraid if he let her go, the dream would end.
Both of them felt as if in a fairy-tale. None of them had ever expected the night to turn out as it had - Oreia had never thought to feel the way she did for anyone, not to mention someone she barely knew and Bellamy had only dared to hope his feelings would be met.
They sat there for quite some time, in the silence and in the comfort of their own selves. When it was pitch-black, they both knew it was time to depart, but they chose to ignore it for just a while longer.
When it could no longer be denied, they parted with a kiss, both hoping to see each other again as soon as possible.
Oreia couldn't sleep well that night, she knew not what it was that had taken over her. The actions she had taken were not common to her, not as a lady or a woman. There was a lot on her mind. She undeniably had some feelings for Bellamy, but she felt as if she had not been her full self while with him, as if something greater had led the course of actions.
Come morning, she was still uncertain about what she felt or what she should do, but she decided to let things flow. She had to bear the meeting Gory and it would all be finished.
She didn't appear to breakfast that day.
Gory had decided to meet Oreia where she would want to meet him - she chose her own room.
When Gory entered, Oreia was already waiting for him, sitting at a table covered for two. There was no fancy dinner, just something small to snack. He greeted Oreia with ease, like he had been friends with her forever and moved to sit down. He was met with the same kind of greeting.
“I hope your feeling well. We all missed your presence at breakfast.”
“Nothing serious, I just didn't feel like eating,” Oreia said, amazed by how alike the two twins are.
“I know you had a meeting with my brother last night and I can tell you right away that I am nowhere as romantic as he is. He has been soft of heart since he was a child, while I have always been somewhat straightforward and insensitive. And if the loving kind is what you desire, I strongly suggest you pick him to be your husband. All I ask of you is just to have a pleasant evening with me.”
Gorys confession came as a shock. Not in a million years would Oreia have expected such a thing right at the start of their evening. She hesitated for a second, actually thinking about canceling the evening, for the feelings she had for Bellamy were strong and promising – the loving kind was what she was looking for. But she decided to at least honor his request to have a pleasant evening.
There was no tension in the year because she didn't have to figure Gory out, for he had made the situation clear.
They talked about everything. Absolutely everything. Gory shared almost every detail about his life with her and vica versa. He talked to her about what he had planned for the future, about the nightmares he had been having and much more. They talked about their interests disinterests.
As the night went on, Oreia realized something. Her and Gory were practically the same person, when overlooking the fact that they were of different sexes. She had never enjoyed an evening as much as this one. She could share everything with him.
They had so much to talk about, as they took joy in the same things. Time seemed to fly by when they were together.
The time to depart came a lot sooner than expected. Or at least so it seemed. They went their own way with a little goodbye kiss on the cheek.
When Oreia was getting ready to go to bed, she was full of mixed emotions. He had a hell of a decision to make, deciding between the two twins. They were so much alike, yet so different. She had thought her feelings for Bellamy to be one of a kind, but the night with Gory had made her hesitant. She decided to sleep on it and hoped to be wiser in the morning.
It was almost noon when Oreias maids entered the room to wake her. It was way past her usual waking time. They found the room empty. Utterly empty – everything that had been hers was gone.
She hadn't been able to make the decision after all. She knew that she would have had a better life with Gory, that he could be the love of his life, the answer to all of her questions. But she could not bare the thought of breaking Bellamys heart. Had she chosen Gory, she couldn't have lived with herself, for every time she would have looked at him, she would have seen Bellamy. And all the worse, she would have torn the bond between the twins apart.
So she had sneaked out of her castle in the dark of night with a couple of her most trustworthy guards and left the Winter Country behind forever, for staying would have meant a broken heart or an unsatisfactory life for more people than only herself.
It was strangely busy, considering how severe the snowstorms were of late. There were servants up and about the whole castle, trying to attend to the needs of every important guest they had.
It came out that all the commotion was about finding the right suitor for Oreia, the oldest daughter of Lord Wann. Nobles from all over the country came for her hand. Some to try their luck, some to get their son married.
Even the commoners were more lively and active, going out to cheer for some nobles and to get a good look at some of the more famous ones.
At those times, love had little to do with getting married. The couple could be considered lucky if they fell in love afterward. Most marriages were arranged only for one half to gain hold of some land or gain the alliance of a House. But that wasn't the case with Oreia. She was determined to examine the suitors with absolute care.
Of course her father had a say in it too. She had made a deal with him – of all the suitors that were located in the castle, her father was to choose the three most likely to serve the intrests of House Lightblood. After that, it was all up to Oreia herself to determine who deserved her hand the most.
No doubt she could entice any of the chosen men with her long blond hair that fell to her back in curls. With her turquoise eyes that looked so deep and innocent, as if they could see right through you. With her soft little lips, sweet enough to make any man crave for them. With the cutest little dimple appearing in her left cheek when she blessed someone with her mesmerizing smile. And if that wasn't enough, she had the most perfectly proportioned body, surely making her the object of many fantasies and more. She was the kind that kings would marry to to princes - kind, smart and inexplicably beautiful.
It was a headache for lord Wann though, as he had to host a great number of visitors, keeping them all entertained and have dinner with the suitors one by one. It would have been an extremely easy pick if he could suppress the rebelliousness in his daughter. He wanted Oreia to marry Prince Karthos of the Royal House Bladewine – every Lord dreamed of getting into the Royal family. But Oreia would have none of it, she had inherited the strong character and stubborness of her father, for which his father could not fault her for.
An absolutely independent woman was a rare find, mostly because women were expected to obey their husbands and fathers. That made Oreia even more irresistible . She was like a puzzle. No one could figure her out, and that drove them crazy.
Oreia found herself quite pleased with the whole castle being full of people. It could get somewhat lonely in deep winter, so any company was welcome. It took Lord wann a month and a half of dining and hunting with the suitors to finally be able to pick out the three who would compete for Oreias approval. He even had them in order. Prince Karthos was undoubtedly the first choice. The second and third place were actually a tie between the two twin sons, Bellamy and Gory, of Lord Marc of the old and proud House Greymane.
At first, Oreia invited them all to dinner, to see how they acted while their competition was near.
Many nights went by like that, all to Oreias liking. All the suitors were very courteous, making it seem like they didn't even notice the others. They drank wine, jested and laughed. After a week it was if they were a group of very close friends.
Having seen how they acted in a group, Oreia decided it's time to get to know them a little closer.
She let the suitors know that she would see them personally, one by one, under their own conditions and in the order her father deemed appropriate.
Karthos was the first one to try and leave an everlasting impression and raise the bar to an unreachable state for the next two to overcome.
He decided to meet Oreia in the comforts of his own room. When evening arrived, Oreia was escorted to Karthos's room. When the guards left, she found herself alone in a room full of things from the Royal Treasury. On the walls there hung all sorts of antlers from different beasts. The floor was covered with rugs made from the furs of animals great and fierce. In the middle of the room lay a table with dinner and wine waiting on it.
Oreia felt out of place. She had no idea what she should do.
Then the door opened. Karthos entered the room, wearing clothes made of the finest silks. He had rings on almost all of his fingers, decorated by the most beautiful of jewels. They greeted each other appropriately, as highborn people were taught to do. Karthos suggest they sat down and have a bite. So they did, and that was when the night really began.
“Do you enjoy the food? It's bear meat,” Karthos asked with a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Yes, very much so. It is one of the best things I have ever had the pleasure to taste, if not the best,” Oreia replied politely, while deep inside hating the idea of eating a harmless bear.
Karthos was very pleased to to hear that. They exchanged some more pleasantries and then Karthos showed his true nature.
He started bragging about all the things he had achieved in his life already and he never let her forget he was of royal blood.
“Those antlers there, they are of the Great Elk from the Royal Forest, I killed the best myself.”
“That must have been a scary thing to do, most certainly.”
“It wasn't much for a trained man like myself.”
“You are very brave and fearless to say so.”
And so the night continued.
“...I entered my first tournament at the age of only twelve...”
“...I bet you were ready for it even sooner...”
“...some people already address me as king...”
“...only because you are fit to be one...”
“...will be the best king in history...”
“...you most certainly will...”
Oreia was having a hard time trying to say only the nicest things to the Prince and to keep a smile on her face.
“It's getting late and I must excuse myself, for a lady needs her beauty sleep. Specially at a time as important as this,” Oreia said with a sad look on her face, as if she didn't want to leave.
“Yes, of course. Then, I must bid you farewell.
He had left an everlasting impressions on Oreia, to be sure, butno tone he had hoped for. She had been afraid the night would have never ended, it seemed to have gone on forever.
The next day, when Oreia woke, she found a bunch of wintersweets in a vase waiting for her. A letter lay beside them. She picked it up and read it. Inside was only a request. In the letter she was asked to be in the garden at sunset. There lay no clue about who it was from, but it intrigued Oreia enough to go and find out.
She was excited about it all day. At breakfast she tried to figure out which on of the suitors it had been. No one gave anything away, everyone acted just as they always did.
So the day passed. As the sun sunk deeper and deeper into the ground, Oreia was with her maids, getting ready to meet the mystery man.
When Oreia arrived at the garden, she noticed two swings sitting idly, hanging from a branch of the great oak. That towered in the middle of the garden. She knew they hadn't been there before, so they must me set up by the same person who had written the letter, but strangely, she was there alone. Suddenly, she heard a voice from her back, saying : “I am truly sorry for being late, my lady, but I lost track of time. The thought of meeting you here has made me an airhead.”
Oreia turned around to find Bellamy standing there, with a face as sincere and apologetic as his voice had sounded.
“It's no trouble. You weren't late at all,” she said with a smile on her face to make Bellamy feel better.
It was obvious that he was pleased to hear that. Cheering up, he walked past her and sat on one of the swings and asked Oreia to join him.
She saw no reason to not do so. She sat on the second swing and gave herself a little push to get in motion.
As they swung, they talked about how their day had gone to pass. Bellamy didn't go in to much detail. “Breakfast, lunch, some time with the members of my House,” was what he limited his day to. Oreia did the same, not letting him know that actually she had been overly thrilled about the encounter.
They felt free in each others company. Both of them were constantly smiling and laughing.
The sun had almost set, sending the last rays of orange-red light to the garden. It was magnificent. The garden seemed to have come to life as the setting sun patted the wintersweets, viburnums, winter heaths and many more. The snow was glistening and a dim light shone on Oreia and Bellamy through the leaves of the Oak.
Bellamy thought the moment to be perfect for expressing his feelings towards Oreia. He asked her to listen closely and then he began.
“When your eyes on me you set,
it's as if through fate we met.
With you, track of time I seem to lose,
for being in the presence of my muse,
brings me endless amounts of joy,
I hope for you I'm not just a toy.
To the ends of Earth I'd go for you,
to hell and back if needed, too.
No sacrifice would be too big,
I'd even shave and wear a wig.
What you'd have me do, I have no clue,
but my love for you will still stay true.”
Oreia was absolutely speechless. She felt tears running down her cheeks. Never had anyone done something like that to her. And the way it was done, she knew that Bellamy had meant every word of it. Not even in her own imagination could she think of a sweeter thing to be done.
A silence surrounded them for quite a while. Bellamy was afraid to say anything. He thought that he might say something stupid to ruin the moment, for all he had actually planned so say, he had said already.
Oreia stood up, as if moved by an unseen force. She stepped in front of Bellamy and kissed him. The kiss was long and passionate. By the end, she was sitting in his lap on the swing, swaying slowly. He was holding her in his arms affectionately, afraid if he let her go, the dream would end.
Both of them felt as if in a fairy-tale. None of them had ever expected the night to turn out as it had - Oreia had never thought to feel the way she did for anyone, not to mention someone she barely knew and Bellamy had only dared to hope his feelings would be met.
They sat there for quite some time, in the silence and in the comfort of their own selves. When it was pitch-black, they both knew it was time to depart, but they chose to ignore it for just a while longer.
When it could no longer be denied, they parted with a kiss, both hoping to see each other again as soon as possible.
Oreia couldn't sleep well that night, she knew not what it was that had taken over her. The actions she had taken were not common to her, not as a lady or a woman. There was a lot on her mind. She undeniably had some feelings for Bellamy, but she felt as if she had not been her full self while with him, as if something greater had led the course of actions.
Come morning, she was still uncertain about what she felt or what she should do, but she decided to let things flow. She had to bear the meeting Gory and it would all be finished.
She didn't appear to breakfast that day.
Gory had decided to meet Oreia where she would want to meet him - she chose her own room.
When Gory entered, Oreia was already waiting for him, sitting at a table covered for two. There was no fancy dinner, just something small to snack. He greeted Oreia with ease, like he had been friends with her forever and moved to sit down. He was met with the same kind of greeting.
“I hope your feeling well. We all missed your presence at breakfast.”
“Nothing serious, I just didn't feel like eating,” Oreia said, amazed by how alike the two twins are.
“I know you had a meeting with my brother last night and I can tell you right away that I am nowhere as romantic as he is. He has been soft of heart since he was a child, while I have always been somewhat straightforward and insensitive. And if the loving kind is what you desire, I strongly suggest you pick him to be your husband. All I ask of you is just to have a pleasant evening with me.”
Gorys confession came as a shock. Not in a million years would Oreia have expected such a thing right at the start of their evening. She hesitated for a second, actually thinking about canceling the evening, for the feelings she had for Bellamy were strong and promising – the loving kind was what she was looking for. But she decided to at least honor his request to have a pleasant evening.
There was no tension in the year because she didn't have to figure Gory out, for he had made the situation clear.
They talked about everything. Absolutely everything. Gory shared almost every detail about his life with her and vica versa. He talked to her about what he had planned for the future, about the nightmares he had been having and much more. They talked about their interests disinterests.
As the night went on, Oreia realized something. Her and Gory were practically the same person, when overlooking the fact that they were of different sexes. She had never enjoyed an evening as much as this one. She could share everything with him.
They had so much to talk about, as they took joy in the same things. Time seemed to fly by when they were together.
The time to depart came a lot sooner than expected. Or at least so it seemed. They went their own way with a little goodbye kiss on the cheek.
When Oreia was getting ready to go to bed, she was full of mixed emotions. He had a hell of a decision to make, deciding between the two twins. They were so much alike, yet so different. She had thought her feelings for Bellamy to be one of a kind, but the night with Gory had made her hesitant. She decided to sleep on it and hoped to be wiser in the morning.
It was almost noon when Oreias maids entered the room to wake her. It was way past her usual waking time. They found the room empty. Utterly empty – everything that had been hers was gone.
She hadn't been able to make the decision after all. She knew that she would have had a better life with Gory, that he could be the love of his life, the answer to all of her questions. But she could not bare the thought of breaking Bellamys heart. Had she chosen Gory, she couldn't have lived with herself, for every time she would have looked at him, she would have seen Bellamy. And all the worse, she would have torn the bond between the twins apart.
So she had sneaked out of her castle in the dark of night with a couple of her most trustworthy guards and left the Winter Country behind forever, for staying would have meant a broken heart or an unsatisfactory life for more people than only herself.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Lugu
It was a normal winter night. The moon was shining bright in the sky, the wind was howling and everything seemed to be peaceful.
A simple stableboy wandered into The Forest of Nightmares, searching for safety from the tracking hounds and town officials for the crime he had commited. While running deeper into the forest, he began to notice weirdly shaped shadows behind and in the trees. He began to hear the crunching sound snow makes when you step on it closing in on him from every angle. Not long after, he saw the feared tracking hounds closing in from the east, but to his misfortune, that was the least of his problems. From other directions came monsters as bad as your imagination can possibly make up. Having all those eyes on him, he still had the feeling that something greater, far more malicious than the creatures surrounding him, was watching his every move. Suddenly, having lost all hope of survival, the scenery changed. He was back in the town, yet something was different. He heard the distant sounds of battle and saw flames rising from the far end of the town. He was struck by fear as all of it seemed too much like the night his parents were killed. He rushed to his home as fast as he could. He saw his parents there, trying to hide their only son. Seeing his thought-to-be dead parents again after twelve years left him an emotional wreck. He didn't understand any of it, yet it was as real as anything. When the soldiers had made their way up to his house and were about to attack his parents, he threw himself at them in a desperate try to save his parents. It got him nowhere, a soldier stabbed him through the guts with a spear. The soldiers then left him there to die and went on to his parents. And then he was back in the forest again, this time without the creatures, but the wounds he received remained. He was in excruciating mind-numbing pain. Realizing he has to get out of there, he screamed as hard as he could, hoping for someone to come and help him. As he was slowly crawling towards the exit of the woods, he left behind a bloody trail, marking his almost non-existent progress. He suddenly felt the weight of the malicious eyes again, rendering him unable to move his body even an inch, not even able to manage a scream. The fear was already running too deep in him. And as fast as the wind, something was on him, crushing his skull right after he got a glimpse at the weirdly beautiful non-human shape.
A caravan had just gotten to the crossroads where one way lead into The Forest of Nightmares, which usually only beings driven by fear or desperation entered. The other way was a detour around the forest, long yet safe. Even though the caravan was guarded heavily by skilled knights and marksmen, they dared not enter the forest. While moving along the safe route, they heard the most horrifying scream coming from the forest. Immediately all the guards got into formation, but nothing came from the forest, nothing but a heartsickening wave passing through them all, numbing their limbs and reaching for their souls.
The officials, together with their tracking hounds, had just about entered the forest when the wave hit them – none of them survived.
At the caravan there was total panic. Half of the guards were unconscious and the other was unable to move a single muscle. But there was one who remained untouched by the monstrosity that had just happened. He was an elderly man with white hair falling to his shoulders. His face was lean and hard from what you could tell from under his great white beard. He bigger and more muscular than an average knight. He was wearing armor of silver and a majestic piece of craftmanship, hammered by the finest smiths there are. Under his left arm he was carrying a helm in the shape of a king-cobra. In his right hand he was holding a greatsword with a snake-shaped pommel. On his back flapped a golden cape with the sigil of the legendary Captain Komamur – the commander of the Royal Fleet of the late king.
He started giving out orders immediately, while at the same time trying to reassure the soldiers that there was nothing threatening their life. After some time, the soldiers regained control over their bodies and carried out the orders given to them. They lifted their unconscious comrades onto the caravan and continued their journey around the forest.
A fortnight later they arrived in the village of Archigo. The villagers were very weary of them – of anyone after the forest incident. After proper introduction, the folk was much friendlier, as they found out they have Komamur's vice-captain Barthol in their humble village.
It came out Barthol was traveling through the kingdom to make sure no wrong came to good people – it had been the last wish of his captain. Having heard that, the village-chief gave them a full briefing about the current situation in the village.
Barthol and his crew decided to answer the villages prayers and check out the forest and get some clues about what it was exactly that was causing all the commotion. They stayed the night and left for the forest at dawn. When they had almost arrived to the forest, Barthol told his men to put up camp and wait for him there no matter what happened.
He entered the forest with sheer determination to put and end to whatever madness was waiting inside. He felt something powerful keeping and eye on him right from the start. The aura those unknown beings emitted would have left any normal man unable to move or breathe properly – but that wasn't the case with Barthol. He continued deeper into the forest, all the while strengthening his resolve to keep his mind and soul safe from the rising pressure the aura left. By the time he was deep inside the forest it felt as if he had claws ripping at his very being, craving for an opening. It grew darker in the middle, where the trees huddled closer together.
Barthol was already so used to the atmosphere around there that he could make out three strong sources for the aura not more than fifty feet away and dozens more far off, scrambled around the forest. He unsheathed his greatsword, ready to fight at any given moment.
Suddenly one of them came at him head on. It was a creature of magnificent yet disturbing beauty. It was mostly human shaped, except for its demonic head and gigantic claws instead of hands. Its eyes were the red of rubies, yet so very full of hatred and hunger – he could see himself reflecting from them. It had no ears nor a nose but the mouth was a wile grin, with every second tooth as sharp as a dagger – it covered half of his face. It was twice the size of a normal man. But what made it beautiful was the fact that its body was an almost translucent dark shade, the little remaining moonlight giving it a mesmerizing glow.
It moved faster than anything ever should, but Barthol was no normal man. He spun around, evading the rush attack. He slashed at the creature while it was still in motion from the rush. He felt some heavy resistance, but the sword cut a long inch deep wound on its back. There was a deafening scream which distracted Barthol for a moment. Fortunately he was able to recover right before a second creature was at his backside, trying to claw at his neck. He dropped down, the second creatures claws flying over his head. He put down his left arm, pushing himself towards the first creature legs first, while at the same time cutting off the second creatures arm with his sword. Barthol hit the first creature, who had turned around to attack him, right in the chest and sent It tumbling backwards. He then struck his sword into the ground to stop his momentum and get back his balance. He got back on his feet swiftly. The moment he got his sword out from the ground, both of the creatures were on him, much fiercer than before. He parried the clawing of the first creature with his sword, but couldn't evade the blow of the second creature. The hit was monstrous, but left only a scratch as penetrating the armor took the most of the blows power. He was now able to get into a position where he could see and fight both of them properly. But the creatures were not to be fooled, they both moved to flank him from different sides.
Barthol had no choice but to finish one of them off quickly. He turned to the one with only one arm left and charged, hoping Its defenses were lowered enough due to the lack of an arm. He drew a dagger from his belt and threw it at the creature. When It lifted Its good arm to block it, Barthol had already stabbed his sword into Its guts and slid it so that it came back out at the side.
He turned to face the second one, when a sudden pain surged through his entire body. It left him unable to block the incoming attack. The blow sent him flying twenty feet in to a tree. Half of his helm was torn to pieces but the claws didn't get to him – not this time. Barthol realized that the pain must have come from the scratches he had gotten before, but how. “It must be poison,” he thought. “The creatures could already immobilize most of their prey by only being near them, but in case the prey fought back, they had inhuman strength as well, and to top it all off, they had poison – they were the perfect hunters,” he thought now with a slight touch of fear in him.
Having spaced out for a moment, his mind started to wander to places it never should, but he managed to get his focus back just in time. He got back up, focusing his eyes on the foe ahead. He took a clearly defensive stance to make sure he didn't suffer from any more poisonous wounds.
In a flash, the creature was in melee range. They exchanged a flurry of blows, each one making it harder for Barthol to hold his own. The poison was slowly but surely spreading through his body – he was in no condition to allow this fight to carry on much longer. He had to use some of his hidden strength.
He started channeling energy through his body, slowing the advance of the poison as well powering himself up a little. He dodged the next attack with ease and was already at the back of the creature, cutting off Its head.
Having won the battle, he had a brief moment of relaxation. He sighed and sat down, trying to think of a way to counter the poison flowing through him.
That didn't last for long. When his Adrenaline level had decreased and his senses started to clear, he had a terrible realization. He had only fought with two creatures – there had been the presence of three nearby.
Barthol focused as hard as he could, concentrating on sensing the whereabouts of the enemy. He didn't get even the slightest of clues. He got up on his feet, ready to fight. He was anxious, picturing the enemy coming at him from any direction. This suspense didn't last for long though. The last creature stepped out from behind the trees about sixty feet from him, right where he could see It.
The creature let out a shrill shriek, letting Barthol know of Its killing intent. It was immeasurable and insatiable. It felt for him as if the gravity had just tripled. And worse of all – it was growing. He had no more time to waste, he could not let this go on. He charged the creature, finding It bigger and more deformed than the first two. By the time he reached It, he was barely able to keep his sword from falling to the ground due to the immense gravity. The creature didn't even seem to notice him, not before he hit It as hard as he could with the intention of cutting the creature in half. The sword didn't even leave a scratch, it just stopped the moment it connected. Barthol was at a loss for words.
Then the creature became active. It hit him flat in the chest, destroying the armor and sending him flying. Before he could even hit the ground, he got hit in the back, this time with the claws. They pierced his armor and penetrated into his lower back, leaving four holes in him. The creature disappeared into the forest right after the hit.
Barthol hit the ground hard. Even though the creature had disappeared, Its presence hadn't. He could hardly breathe with such wounds and gravity, but he had to do something. He took off his armor as it proved to only limit his movements since it didn't stop the attacks. As he tried to stand up, he fell back to the ground. He could feel it was the poison in him. His eyesight got blurry and the world started spinning around, then his eyes fell shut.
When he opened his eyes, he was on a bunk in what seemed to be a ship. He heard all sorts of screaming coming from the outside. He stood up and began moving towards the doorway, but it all seemed too familiar to him. He was on his ship, and the screams belonged to his former crew members. He hurried outside. There was fighting everywhere, the ship was surrounded by an enemy fleet. He held his sword as best he could, trying to make out the situation better. He saw Komamur fighting up ahead, back to back with his vice-captain Barthol. He realized what was gonna happen next, it had been the day he lost his captain and the whole crew, the day they lost their first and only battle. He didn't want to go through those feelings again. He knew it couldn't be real, he felt something tampering with his mind, it all had to be an illusion. He broke free of it, fending of whatever was in his mind. He opened his eyes again. Seeing the forest again made him even somewhat happy.
Barthol still couldn't move. His pain from the wounds, the poison, the gravity, none of them seemed to cease. He had to use his last resort if he were to beat his enemy. He had sworn to use it only in the greatest of difficulties. Already using the technique could kill him, but he was dead if he didn't anyway. He knew he had only used about ten percent of his strength to slay the last creature, but he had to go all out for this one. He started to channel his energy. It put great strain on his body, hurting more than any cut ever could.
He felt the creature closing in from the back, and this time he was fast enough to block the blow. It attacked again, pushing Barthol back step by step, and even though he was able to block the blows with ease, he couldn't find a way to counterattack. They exchanged blows with immense speed. Both of them seemed to possess the strength and speed of a dozen men. Each time Its claws and his sword met, a burst of energy broke free. Suddenly Barthol jumped a few feet back and then jumped at It, thrusting his sword out like a spear. All of this happened in only a second, but the creature was able to jump to the side. It kicked Barthol in the stomach, rocketing him towards the sky and then jumped to follow. He saw It passing and was swift enough to block the blow coming from above, but the impact still sent him crashing to the ground, cratering the ground in a ten feet radius.
Barthol threw up blood when he tried to stand up. All the wounds and poison had taken its toll. But he had no time to recover, he knew that taking down that creature would be the last thing he ever did. He had felt the presence of many and more throughout the forest, so there was no escape for him, not in that condition. He saw the creature coming from the sky like an arrow. He jumped aside and slashed at it. This time the hit was a success, it left a deep wound on Its chest. That only seemed to make the creature fiercer.
He jumped at It once more, identically to the first try. Again It jumped to the side, trying the same trick as before, but Barthol anticipated it and struck Its leg to the ground with his sword. He then put down both legs and jumped as hard as he could, all the time holding on to the pommel of his sword with both hands. The creature tried to block the sword with both hands but failed in the attempt. The sword was not to be stopped, it cut of Its claws and cut it open from toe to throat. Upon landing, Barthol felt weak and numb, he was about to fall but managed to stick his sword in the ground for balance All of his energy reserves were used up. He was too feeble to fight the poison and wounds any longer. He crumbled to the ground beside his sword, never letting go of it. His last thoughts were of his glory days in the service of Captain Komamur.
Barthol had been absent for an hour when his crew started feeling uneasy. They all had the same feeling, some kind of telepathy that let them know that their captain met his end.
None of them would believe it. They had to go and check for themselves. They remembered their orders, but what good did obeying them do if the one who gave them wasn't among the living no longer.
They were at the entrance of the forest when they felt the presence of Barthol. A ghost appeared in front of them. It was him. He admitted defeat by the hands of the creatures that inhabited The Forest of Nightmares, but denied access for further investigation. He told them to go live the lives they had always desired, to be with their wives and children if they had any. His only wish was for them to spread the word that no one is to enter this forest, not at any cost.
So the ghost of Barthol lives on in the forest, warning everyone who has either not heard of the warning or has decided to ignore it. His spirit trapped in the forest for as long his sword remains in the grounds of The Forest of Nightmares.
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