by Liara Woo
"The word you're searching for is magic," Acinoron told them. "Or, more specifically, elven magic. The power of the elves influences everything around them, leading to the purest air and the happiest trees in the world."
"It'd be hard to leave," Mrs. Smalls commented. "But it's cold out here; do you magic people have nice warm rooms?"
Joran nodded, and his expression grew somber. "Of course. But we must check on Halthren first, to see if… anything happened while I was away."
Katie swallowed nervously and her heart seemed to freeze. What if we're too late?
Joran led them inside, where they were greeted by a surge of warm air. Pale winter sunlight streamed in through the windows, lighting the alabaster walls and the murals painted in silvers, greens, and browns of trees and wildlife. Brackets were riveted to the wall; each one was full of Light, spreading heat and warmth throughout the castle.
Joran brought them to a massive room with a Light chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a massive central staircase built from marble leading to the second floor, with silver handrails. Mirrors lined the walls, making the room seem to go on eternally in every direction, and on the smooth, shiny floor were paintings of magical creatures, of unicorns, dragons, griffins, dwarfs, and demons. A jolt went through Katie's heart as she saw one of the images depicting three people riding on the back of a silver dragon, and another showing an elf raising a glowing white sword against a black shadow in the middle of a battlefield. The paintings tell the story of what we went through, she realized, a shiver going down her spine. She felt honored.
"Up here," Joran said gravely, walking up the staircase and turning left, into a hallway filled with Light brackets, without any windows at all. "Now… this might be a bit of a shock." Biting his lip, he opened the third door on the right and led the group inside. Katie hurried to the front and felt a chill run through her, freezing her to the ground where she stood. Her heart leaped into her throat.
Halthren lay on a bed, as pale as a corpse, his eyes tightly shut and his face a mask of anguish. His shallow breaths rattled in his throat and she could hear something gurgling when he breathed in and out. There was dried blood on his lips and chin, and fresh blood was seeping through the bandages on his bare chest—one over his heart, one across his abdomen.
Her throat dry, Katie raced over to the bed and sank to her knees at his side, grasping his limp hand firmly in her own. "Halthren," she whispered, tears streaming from her eyes. "It's okay; I'm here; I love you… I'm so sorry I left you…"
But he was motionless, lying almost dead on the mattress.
* * *
There was nothing. Nothing but pain, fierce and burning, ripping him apart from the inside. Nashgor won, he thought sluggishly. I'm done. I won't fight anymore. Death, take my life. Please. He was too weak to scream anymore, despite the agony filling his body and his heart. He longed for Katie, longed to hear her voice just once more. But she was gone, gone forever. He tried to speak her name, but he couldn't speak, and the blood in his throat already made it difficult for him to breathe. If he'd had the strength, he would have tried to cough it up.
Just end it, he willed silently. Have mercy on me. For the first time he was angry with Kylaras-why had her plan failed? Why did he have to live? He would have been spared so much pain if he'd died in battle five years ago… instead he was doomed only to more agony.
"Halthren…"
He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids-that was Katie's voice! She was here! Her voice felt like a soothing balm to his pain-wracked body, easing the anguish, if only for one moment.
Then a touch on his hand. Katie was touching him; she was grasping his fingers in her own. He couldn't muster the strength to tighten his grasp on her; he only hoped that she wouldn't let go.
Hope.
It suddenly occurred to him—that was what he needed: hope. He had to look forward, towards recovery and a better future, instead of gazing backward, at the pain and anguish of his past. He had to trust in the Creator that everything would turn out the way it should; he needed to hope for the best outcome.
He who hopes for peace-that is my name. I need to live up to my namesake and hope that I will find peace for myself.
And at that moment, he felt a slight pressure on his lips, gentle yet full of passion and concern. He felt two hands cradling the side of his face as a pair of lips caressed his own, easing the pain of his consciousness away until he finally mustered the strength to open his eyes.
Bright green eyes and flaming red hair, rimmed in a halo of light. An angel, he thought, not for the first time, and surrendered himself to her kiss, letting it lull him to sleep…
* * *
Halthren didn't awaken again for weeks afterwards. He had lost almost too much blood to be able to survive, and the constant pain he'd had to endure had slurped the strength from his limbs as greedily as a dehydrated dog lapping from a bowl of water. Katie stayed by his side, hoping beyond hope that he would awaken and she could tell him how much she regretted causing him pain. But day after day passed in the beautiful castle, as winter went on outside, and Halthren remained in a comatose state, hardly breathing at all. But the Dark wounds in his chest stopped bleeding, and the color slowly began to return to his cheeks.
Spring arrived as winter melted away, giving way to new life as the land reawakened from its slumber. The trees opened their leaves, and the forests were soon green and blossoming. Birds sang, rejoicing in the arrival of spring. Rabbits and mountain lions roamed the woods, at peace with one another during this time of renewal. Wildflowers sprang up from the ground, and the snow sank into the dirt. The childlike dryads danced and played and laughed, filling the forest with their joy. Fairies fluttered around the castle, their tiny wings glittering in the sunlight.
It was in this time of renewal that Halthren awakened, weak and exhausted, unable to speak more than a few words at a time. Katie and Joran took turns staying at his bedside, keeping him company and spooning food into his mouth, nourishing him back to health. Katie didn't speak unless he did, terrified that he would blame her for his agony, that he'd be angry with her. At the same time she longed to spill out her feelings to him, to tell him how much she loved him, how sorry she was for what she'd done to him.
On midsummer's eve, the fairies celebrated. They gathered around any water source they could find and lit gleaming lamps that floated lazily over the water, glowing pink, blue, green, and purple. Katie watched them leave the castle from Halthren's bedroom window as they flew towards a small creek within the nearby forest. She stared after them longingly.
"Would you like to watch their celebrations?" Halthren asked. Katie turned to find him walking towards her, clad in a simple robe tied around his waist and revealing part of his chest.
"You're standing," she noted with surprise and relief. Then concern took its place. "Are you sure you should be doing this? Maybe you should go back to sleep; you're still recovering…"
Halthren smiled confidently at her. "Don't worry. I'm strong enough for this. Would you like to go with me?"
Briefly she glanced back to the departing fairies and nodded. "Yes; I'd love that. I thought I knew all there was to know about Allagandria. Now here I am, watching this, and I realize there is so much that I don't know."
Halthren slipped his hand into hers. "Come with me," he said softly.
Katie smiled and followed him out of the castle and across the small field between Joran's stronghold and the forest. The sun was setting, casting an orange-gray light over the tall grass as it gently swayed in the summer breeze. The sky darkened to purple while Halthren took her through the darkening forest, clasping her hand firmly in his own. The tall, bushy linden trees stood guard over young saplings, protecting them from any harm that could befall them, and the oaks grew in tight clusters, their uniquely shaped leaves whispering softly in the tenderly blowing wind. Bluebells dotted the grassy forest floor, and the last drop of sunlight faded away.
The first of the fair
y lights appeared. They looked like fireflies; small floating lights tinier than the fairies themselves, gliding lazily among the trees. At times they gleamed brighter and then faded, and then they would brighten again.
"We're close," Halthren murmured, gently squeezing her hand. Katie felt her heart begin to pound, fluttering within her chest like a trapped bird trying to escape. Not only was she about to see a fairy for the first time, but she was alone in the forest with Halthren. Her mounting excitement became almost overwhelming.
Soon she could hear the gentle trickling of the river as water whistled over the rocks of a small river. The fairy lights grew more numerous, and soon she could see the fairies themselves, slender people as small as grasshoppers with abnormally large heads, faintly glowing all colors of the rainbow, clothed in grass and leaves. Gracefully dancing in the air to unheard music, slowly flying and twirling in midair, they seemed to be telling stories…stories about magic, wind, rock, and water. Their delicate figures were perfectly flexible, like ballerinas, and as they whirled and spun, twisting with the light breeze murmuring through the woods. Their little lights were reflected in the small stream beneath them; as Katie gazed up she saw that it spouted from a small waterfall rushing down a miniature cliff. The entire scene was fairy-sized. I can see why they chose it.
She looked up at Halthren, who was gazing at the silent celebration with a gentle smile upon his lips. The fairy lights illuminated his fair elven face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He looked at her, confusion etched in his dark blue eyes, deeper than the ocean. "Why?"
"For leaving you. For not saying goodbye. I think it was because I didn't want to end my friendship with you, and part of me thought that if I didn't say goodbye, it wouldn't end…" She clasped both of his hands in her own and gazed up, into his eyes. "Halthren…I missed you so much. I can't even begin to say… I was always thinking about you, and I always regretted leaving you, but…"
"I've missed you too," Halthren smiled at her. "For these past few months I've wanted to speak with you alone…but there never seemed to be any time. You don't need to be sorry for anything."
"When we were in the tower at Vernisgard… when I said that I thought I loved you…that wasn't true. I'm positive now that I love you, Halthren."
Halthren's smile faded to his usual solemn, perceptive expression. "I love you too, Katie," he promised with all of the sincerity in the world. "And I have ever since I saw you above me as Loriina carried us in her paw back to Velana. I thought I was dead, and an angel had come down to take me to the sky."
Katie blushed and looked back at the dancing fairies. The moon had risen, and tonight it was full, a gleaming silver orb hovering above the peaceful forest, casting pure white light upon Kylaras. The stars glimmered above them, and Katie thought she could see the two stars so close together that they were almost one…they were the stars that were Halthren's parents. She remembered him telling her so at one point in their journey, though because of the time that had passed she couldn't exactly remember the circumstance-only his words, and his voice, deep and strong and light. Glanced sideways, she saw that he was also gazing at the sky, and the stars and moon illuminated his chiseled features. He seemed sad, and as she looked she saw again the shadow of pain in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"Katie…I hardly remember what it's like to have parents. I'm glad that you have yours, and I don't want to separate you from them. If I did, I'd be no better than the demon that killed my own parents."
"Halthren, you could never be anything like a demon," Katie protested, resting her hands on his shoulders, feeling the warmth radiating up from his skin through the thin material of the robe he wore. "Besides…Acinoron agreed to take me back to Earth twice or three times a year for a week or two to visit them. That's about how often my parents see their parents. No one would be separating me from them. And even when they die… well, most children eventually see their parents die, although hopefully it'll be a long time before that day comes. And I'll see them in heaven someday."
Halthren smiled. "Then—if this won't be cleaving you from your family forever—may I ask you something?"
All at once he seemed nervous as he gazed into her eyes. Katie felt her heart jump within her. "Of course," she answered, thinking she knew what he was going to say. Excitement blossomed within her heart.
"Would you marry me?" he asked.
A quiet, gentle form of the purest joy she'd ever experienced filled her soul and she smiled gently. "Yes," she murmured. "Yes, I will." She stepped nearer to him and relished the sensation of being so close to such pure goodness. Katie closed her eyes and rested her head against the exposed skin of his firm torso, a shiver of delight coursing through her as she felt his chest rise and fall with every breath. Then, feeling his hand gently caress her cheek, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him. "Oh, I love you," she breathed.
"I love you too," Halthren whispered back. "I always will."
And he leaned forward, closed his eyes, and his lips met hers in a long, tender kiss.
The pain of Halthren's scars vanished as the curse was broken for eternity, and he knew he'd never be afflicted by any pain again in all of eternity. He held Katie close, happier than he'd ever been before in his life. At last, he could breathe knowing that he was no longer cursed with agony…and Nashgor's last cruel plan had been thwarted by love.
* * *
Thanks for reading! Check out these other stories from the author:
Aegis Uprising
Last Rebellion
Outworlder’s Adventure
You might also enjoy these works:
The Magic Book
The Tome of Desire
Fury’s Stewardess