Welcome to Gaia! ::

Keladry's eyes widened with shock as the turn of events came to pass. Relief settled as she learned that Zephyr was alive and well, but fear blew that away as soon as they reached their destination.

Her first view was of Saphira, a large cut was pourring blood from her stomach and she had already passed out. There was a man beside her, attempting to heal the great wound. She felt Tobias moving towards her before she saw it and was about to join him when she jerked to a halt.

"Serenity..." She whispered as sensed her elven friend.

She turned her feather-covered head just in time to see Serenity in the air, dark clothing melting away and pure anger and determination written on her face. She watched as Serenity burst through her magical barrier and gasped as the emence power began to surge through her body.

Keladry stood in awe and fear as the elven princess' actions continued. The cut on Drae, the leaping for the sword...the sword...Can she control it? With that much power coursing through her...it could easily kill her! It wasn't until Serenity smiled that Kel really became frightened, she could see what was about to happen.....and it hadn't happened to anyone in over 3 000 years....

::Algus smiled at Tobias, and he looked around. He saw Drae facing off with the other woman, a few griffons and then the elven woman in his arms. He held her close until the paw touched her body and mended her wounds, Algus looekd up and saw the griffon collapse. He held her close and finished his spell, which he slightly altered, to give her a fresh supply of blood. He was concentrating on something else now, a fresh link that had been made and he was slowly using his mind to cut it off from the woman in his arms.::

Drae still has her in his mental grasp, these chords I'm cutting should do the trick.

::The woman suddenly started to scream in his arms, and he tried hard to stabilize her. He managed to keep her from moving, which would help with the spell, and he saw Tobias was weak. He felt around for another chord to cut, and managed to find one. He softly cut it off and tied it off so Drae wouldn't notice at first what was happening. He focused on restoring Tobias, but realized there was something blocking his renewing magics for helping the griffon.::

Different kinds of magics require you to use that kind of magic to restore it. Of course, they use wild magic, something I cannot touch. I hope for the best with him.

::Algus continued with the simple breaking of the links to the woman's mind. There were so many he had lost count over the last few minutes. He was humming a small lullaby, and whispernig kind words into her ears. He was hoping she would use the words to lull her senses back into place, and that she would be able to combat Drae's spells.::

It's okay, you're safe. Just relax and everything will be allright.

Serenity maintained her smile as she prepared for what was about to happen. She held her magic, letting the tingling feeling course through her body, let the magic become one with her...let it become her. The sword she held gleamed in the dim light of the torches on the wall. She watched Drae, her eyes remaining on his, watching for the warning sign that he was to attack.

She couldn't see the weaves he was making... But she could sense them...could feel them. The humming sound coming from the pendant grew louder as the shaking continued.

She stared, stared into his eyes, waiting, watching.....And there it was...Her smile grew as his attack began...

Saphira smiled calmly in reply to the man. But her sapphire eyes widened when she suddenly remembered Serenity and Drae again. She sat up quickly and glanced around to see the elven princess facing off with Drae.

"Serenity broke off his spell!" She whispered out loud, more to herself than the man. She looked at the scene again. "But, what is she thinking??"

Saphira tried to get up slowly, but then felt a small pain from where the wound had been. She flinched slightly, but then brushed it off.

The torches lighting the grand hall extinguished when a large gust of wind raced through the room, pitching the space into sudden darkness. Serenity stood her ground as her hair was carried into the wind, a few stranded pieces blowing across her blank face. She could hardly see anything, only shadows, but she cared not...she didn't need to see. Her eyelids lowered, blocking out even the shadows.

Every slow beat of her heart pounded in her ears, every brush of hair against her face was amplified, and every shuffle of movement in the room was located. She loosened her grip on the sword, relaxing her fingers, giving everything she had to the development of the magic building up within her, magnified by the anger she possessed.

Drae's low, icy laughter reached her pointed ears. The hairs on her arm unintentionally lifted and a shiver went through her body. That laughter was nothing but cold... evil. Though her anger only built, her fear began to grow anew. She understood what failure meant. The life of her family, the life of her people. Saphira's kingdom had been lost out of ignorance, it wasn't her friend's fault, there was no knowledge of such a threat, no knowledge of the power that Drae commanded. There was no knowledge of the power Saphira commanded... Her kingdom had been destroyed and for what? For one elf to control and rule a forsaken kingdom?

Drae had turned the beautiful city of(piece of crap, why can I never remember the stupid name?...wait does it have one? I thought she gave one to it...but I can't remember...anyways...it's saphy's city ha ha) into a dark and dormant wasteland. Serenity hated her mother for what she had done to her, but she would never condemn her to death by one such as Drae. She wasn’t that heartless. Besides, not only would her mother suffer, but the rest of the country would share the same fate as well. She shivered inwardly at the thought of what the dark-elves would do to the poor elven women. She had seen enough of the remnants of war to know what the soldiers did. She refused to stand by and watch as her kingdom shared the fate of so many others.

Her eyes remained shut loosely as Drae’s laughter grew. She felt the chilling force of his magic radiating from both him and the sapphire pendant. His voice calmly lifted from the shadows. Serenity could envision the smile that was placed across his lips while he spoke. “Life is but a trifle Serenity. Life can be snuffed out in an instant. The world of the living is only temporary; it is only for a few brief years. True, the elves do not feel the full force of mortality, but we will all die, just like the rest of them. Humans are particularly vulnerable to mortality. They do not think about the consequences that their actions bring upon them. They rush foolishly to fight out of passion. They will sacrifice themselves if only to save another. Even though the other will die no matter what they do.” Another chill went down her spine as he laughed to himself. “Love… Love is for the weak-minded. For people like Deryke…”

Serenity’s body froze, every muscle tensing up. Her breathing had stopped; it seemed like the world had stopped. The only thing that she could focus on was Drae’s words as he continued to speak.

“Deryke gave his life out of love. He cared only that the one he loved stayed alive. But his sacrifice was in vain, for I will kill his love tonight. All he did was delay it.”

Serenity’s lip quivered as she opened it. Her mouth was dry as she tried to form words. The only thing she could let out was in a quiet whisper. “How do you know that name?”

Drae’s roaring laughter deepened Serenity’s fear of the situation she was getting herself into. “His name? I know more than merely his name Serenity. Oh… I knew him very well. He was a despicable and worthless human.”

Serenity’s whole body was shaking. Her eyes had long ago open and were wide with shock and fear. It seemed as though the darkness couldn’t hide the look on Drae’s face from her. “How did you know him?” Her voice was trembling with her body.

“My, my… Did you not know?” Serenity could see his gleaming teeth in the darkness as he smiled. “Why… It was I who killed him…” Serenity’s heart felt as though it had been wrenched out of her body. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t move. “He took weeks to die. His fight with the torture was impressive. He refused to tell me anything of what I wanted to know, all he ever spoke of was his love…” Serenity flinched and shut her eyes, tears welling up in them. “For you…. It grew tiresome. So I ended it. I told him that his love for you was worthless and a waste of time, that it didn’t matter what he did, he was going to die if he didn’t tell me where you had run off to. He refused to his last dying breath. The last words out of his mouth consisted of his love for you. It was disgusting…”His voice had halted her thoughts as he spoke, only to bring a flood of memories forced back into her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sun was beginning to fade as Serenity stared out to the forests and farms that stretched to the horizon. She could hear someone walking towards her, their boots quietly stepping on the grass. Her eyes smiled as she felt Deryke crouch behind her. His fingers silently moved her long blonde hair to the side to allow his lips to come in contact with her neck. Her smile grew as she took a deep breath.

“I’ve missed you…” he whispered into her ear. She let out a small laugh as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to lean against him.

“Missed me? I saw you this morning!” She spoke the words out to the horizon as he kissed the side of her neck again.

“Mmmm yes… but that was far too long ago…” She giggled as his lips made their way around her neck. She turned her head to look at him. “Much too long ago…” He leaned his head towards her, pressing his lips against hers and squeezing her tightly.

As always, her heart skipped a beat. When he pulled away, she smiled up at him, resting her head back against his chest. “I think you’re right Deryke… this morning was forever ago.” Her body raised slightly as she took a deep breath in. Her green eyes seemed to be lost in thought as they stared across the scenery. The silence that hung between them was filled with only the sound of their breathing. She could feel his chest expanding every time he inhaled, and she could smell his scent.

“Do you think that love is real?” Her question was a soft whisper that escaped her lips.

Deryke was silent for a moment, as though deep in thought. “I know that love is real…”

“How?”

“Serenity, what I feel for you, there is no other way to describe it other than the word love. The emotions that flare through my body every time you are near can be nothing less. I have done for you what I would have thought I’d do for no one.” He paused, taking a breath, “And I would do anything to see you happy. I would die for you if you asked…”

Serenity was holding her breath, she could feel her heart pounding inside her chest. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, blurring her vision. “I love you too Deryke…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Serenity could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as her most feared memory pushed its way into her thoughts. Her eyes were squeezed shut, only allowing more tears to find their way out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night was dark, the clouds covering the moon and leaving the earth below in complete darkness. Serenity sat on the grass beneath a tree; her back pressed up against it. Her pointed ears could hear the grass swaying with the wind, and the swish of her horse, Skysong’s tail as she grazed nearby.

A chill went down Serenity’s spine as the night continued. She shook her head; “Nothing good will come of this night…”

She had been on the run from her mother for the past month and a half and was closer to the palace than the army could ever suspect. She had decided to stay just outside the city, in a place where she and Deryke used to come whenever they wanted to be alone. She was supposed to wait there until Deryke came for her, then they would go as far from the palace as possible.

There was only one problem however, Deryke was late. He said he’d only be two weeks. He didn’t want to leave with her so that he could gather more supplies, and find out information about where the army was going to look. He promised he’d come, promised he’d be there… But he wasn’t…. He hadn’t…

There was something inside Serenity that wouldn’t let her leave their secret spot. She wasn’t leaving without Deryke, she couldn’t. He was everything to her. No one approved of their love, because Deryke was human, and she, the next in line for the royal elven throne. It was just not allowed, she was supposed to marry a good respectable elf, and produce an elven child for the throne. But that wasn’t what she wanted… all she wanted was Deryke… that’s all she cared for.

She let out a gasp as a sharp pain pierced her heart. Her hand gripped her chest as she began to heave, her breathing labored. He was dying…

She wasn’t sure how she knew until the trees began to fade into the darkness and she saw herself looking at Deryke’s face, contorted in pain. She stood up and took a step towards the vision, fear plain on her face.

There was blood dripping from a large wound in his forehead. And one of his blue eyes was swollen shut. His curly brown hair was matted down with sweat and blood, and the only eye that was opened looked at her with sorrow. He stared straight at her and opened his mouth to say, “I love you Serenity… I’m sorry…” His face then stretched in immense pain, a scream coming from the depth of his soul. It lasted only seconds before there was silence and his head dropped, hanging limp.

“NOOO!!!” Serenity screamed as she felt the tears pouring down her cheeks. She fell to her knees screaming, before dropping her hands to the grass, her tears falling to the ground. “no….”

He was her love… he was her life!… He was all she had to live for… and he was gone… gone forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Serenity felt her knees hit the stone floor, her hands following. Her breathing was labored as she stared downward. The world had come crashing down on her that day, and now… after so many years of trying to forget… it came crashing down once again, this time… harder.

Drae laughed again as he heard her reaction. “Humans… They are a waste of time. And Deryke was one of the weakest I have ever met. He could have gone so far by human standards. And yet, he took the weak path… he chose to give his life… to waste his life… for the life of a pathetic little elf.” Drae sighed as though not concerned. “No matter, you will be with him shortly…”

Drae thrust out the pendant in Serenity’s direction. A bolt of black lightning burst from the sapphire centre aimed perfectly at the elven princess.

Serenity shut her eyes, calming her breathing. Deryke was dead, he was gone. The pain of him leaving this world still haunted her. She was willing to give up, to let Drae kill her, if only to be with Deryke, to end her pain. But then it hit her…

Deryke died for her… He died saving her life. He wouldn’t have wanted her to give up… he should not have had to die. He should be with her. She opened her eyes, anger plain upon her face. It’s Drae’s fault I’m not with him…

The lightning seemed to dissolve as it hit Serenity, not harming her at all. Drae’s surprise escaped his control and showed clean across his face. “But..how…”

A glowing green light emitting from Serenity’s body interrupted the darkness in the grand hall. She lifted her head, her eyes piercing daggers as she looked at Drae. Her grip on her sword made her knuckles white as the green grew brighter. She stood up and took her stance… “I will not submit… I will get my vengeance…” She glanced over to Saphira as she lay on the ground with the man. “We will not surrender….you shall win no more…”

Her head turned to allow her eyes to stare at him again. “You are to die this night Drae… And no mercy will be bestowed on those who give none…”