Love and Loss: A Legion Member’s story
Myst walked through the forest, bored and itching for something to do, something that involved action, bloodshed. She wasn’t picky. It had been at least 3 days since her last fight and she needed to work off some built up energy. That’s when she heard it, the sound that was like music to her ears. A battle! She turned stealth, and went to where the sounds were coming from. She stopped to study whether it would be worth her while to join, and which side she would help. What she saw was something she wasn’t going to let continue.
There lying on the ground, half dead, was a single man. Surrounding him were 7 dwarves and 9 elves. She used her telepathy to sense a good reason for these creatures to be ganging up on this one man but she could find none. She might be an assassin, but she wasn’t the type of person to kill an innocent man, nor would she let someone else do the same.
She withdrew her weapons as she came out of stealth with lightning speed. She slashed and cut off the heads of 4 elves before anyone even saw her. As she was making mincemeat out of elves, the dwarves thought they would be smart and sneak up on her. That was a mistake. Myst took her sword from the last elf and turned on the dwarves. Fire shot out from her hands, incinerating the dwarves where they stood. She stood there for a minute surveying her work. Not bad, she thought to herself. Then she remembered why she had done this.
The man lay on the ground motionless and near death. Myst knelt down and took off the crystal she wore around her neck. She placed it on his chest and held her hand above it. The crystal and her hand started to glow. The man started to stir. His wounds started to close. Good, she wasn’t too late. The man opened his eyes and stared at her. He tried to speak but she cut him off.
“There’s no need to try to thank me. I don’t let innocent people die. You’ll be fine now.” She got up to walk away. He stopped her.
“Who are you?” It was a simple enough question but she didn’t have a simple answer.
“That is none of your concern, since we won’t be meeting again.” She turned to leave.
The man refused to let this go. There was something about her, something fragile and delicate. Something hidden underneath the tough exterior she displayed. He wanted her to be more than a stranger. He turned her around and looked into her eyes. He found her staring back at him, uncertainty in her blue eyes. He lowered his head and kissed her.
Myst was shocked by the kiss. It was soft, delicate, and not intense. There was just a gentle pressure of his lips on hers. She let it happen. He started to probe the outside of her lips with his tongue, seeking entrance. She allowed him access and he sought her tongue with his own. Strange feelings washed over her.
She slipped back to reality. She pushed away from him. She stared at him, confused.
It was his turn to speak first. “I know you said you didn’t want me to thank you but I always give thanks when it is deserved. So consider that my thank you.” He stopped and surveyed his surroundings. “You are an assassin. And from what I can see, a damn good one, although you look a little young to be so good. I’m curious though, why did you help me? You said you don’t let innocent people die, but how do you know I’m innocent? I could be your worst nightmare.”
Myst almost laughed at that remark. “Nightmares? Me? I don’t think so. My age doesn’t concern you. I don’t let innocent people die. I knew you were innocent because, well, I just did. Besides,” she continued, “You didn’t have any weapons. You weren’t prepared to fight anything. Now, if you don’t mind I have places to be.”
He stood blocking her path. “You haven’t answered my question. I’m not going to let you leave until you answer it. Please tell me your name. Mine is James. Now you have to introduce yourself. To not do so now would be considered rude.” He paused and waited.
She turned around and looked James in the eye. “Very well, you may call me Myst. There, are you happy now? Can I leave now? Or is there something else I can do for you?”
Well, now that she mentioned it…”Actually yes, there is something else you can do for me. I would like to get to know you better, but I can’t do that if I let you go off alone. I wish to marry you.” He paused. ”I’ll tell you what. You allow me to accompany you for 3 months. If in that time, I cannot convince you to be my wife then I will leave you alone forever. If, however, I do manage to convince you, then you must accept my offer of marriage. Do we have a deal?”
She stood there and studied him. James was tall, about 6 feet. He had sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes. He had a complexion that was deeply tanned from lots of time spent outdoors. His hands were calloused and large. His torso was well built and well muscled. It made her wonder why he hadn’t been able to fight off his attackers earlier. He was clean-shaven and apart from the dirt and dried blood, his clothing suggested he was wealthy. He was definitely a handsome specimen if she ever saw one.
She shrugged. “Very well, but know this. If you wish to walk and travel with me, you do so at your own risk. I will not be responsible for your death because you chose this path.”
He chuckled. Myst definitely had spunk. Her eyes were like sapphires that sparkled in gleaming clear water. Her hair was the color of finely spun gold. She was petite at 5 feet 4 inches, but she looked every inch a woman. Her body was slim and perfectly formed.
“I accept responsibility for my own safety. Then I guess we have a deal?” She nodded. He smiled. “Very well, lead the way.”
She walked down the path she had been on before. He walked beside her. She wanted to kiss him again, but thought better of it. She really ought to try to discourage him from coming with her but in truth, she liked the idea of company. It kept her from being bored. She did have one other question though.
“Why do you want to do this? You are well off and handsome. I’m sure there are plenty of women out there willing to have you marry them.”
James shrugged. “In truth, none of them ever really caught my eye. You are beautiful, strong, smart and not dependant on anyone. I like that. Does that answer your question?”
Myst nodded and sighed. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say after that. No one had ever complimented her like that. She hid a smile as she walked silently beside James. If nothing else this would certainly prove to be an interesting 3 months.
A week later, Myst and James were laughing and talking as though they had known each other forever. They had stopped by a brook to eat some lunch. She had caught a small rabbit and was now roasting it over a fire. James had actually proven quite useful. Today he had gathered the wood for the fire and even started it. He was boiling some water for coffee and getting out the plates and utensils to eat with. Not once had James mentioned the deal they had made. She wasn’t going to mention it.
A faint stirring in the trees caught her attention. Then there was another stirring in a different place. Myst reached out with her telepathy. There were a dozen armed warriors surrounding them. She couldn’t tell what race, but she suspected that it might have something to do with someone she had killed a while ago. Fine, she could use the exercise. But what about James? She hadn’t been in battle since having him tag along. Now she’d become used to him being there. She didn’t want to see him get hurt!
She called out to him telepathically. ‘James, you must seek cover. We are about to be attacked.’
Before he could even respond, battle cries were heard from several different directions. He barely ducked out of the way in time as an armed soldier rushed towards him with a long sword. With grace and ease of knowing what he was doing, James quickly relieved the man of his sword and used it against its owner. He fought off 4 more before he was able to get in a glance towards Myst to see if she was alright.
Myst was more than alright. She relished this kind of battle. Fighting against huge odds made her blood soar. She looked over at James to make sure he had gotten to safety. She saw instead James fighting off his own share of attackers and doing a splendid job of it. His movements were graceful and sure. He knew exactly what he was doing. She quickly finished and went over to him to lend a hand, but it was not necessary. He was finished by the time she got there.
“I see I didn’t need to worry about you after all. Where did you learn those skills?”
James shrugged. “As you said, I am a noble. I learned these skills as I grew up. I haven’t had the chance to use them for a while though. I wasn’t able to defend myself that day in the woods because they had attacked from behind. By the time I knew what was happening, it was too late to try. They already had me on the ground at that point. I thought for sure I was a goner. That’s when you showed up. By the way, how did you get your voice inside my head? Are you a telepath?”
Myst nodded. “I’m more than that but I really don’t know exactly what I am. I have a mysterious past, so much so that I don’t even know most of it. I have other abilities as well, but it’s ok. Are you alright? I mean you aren’t hurt or anything, are you?”
James shook his head. “No, I am injury free. However, your concern tells me you’re starting to open up.” And before she could say or do anything, he kissed her again.
She positively melted all the way down to her toes. She had hoped he would kiss her again, but he’d been the perfect gentleman till now. Now she found herself wishing he wasn’t a gentleman.
He stopped then, looking down into her eyes. The confusion was there, but so was something else. She desired more than a kiss. But James was a gentleman, and like it or not, he was not going to take advantage of this woman before she was his wife. That was still 11 weeks away. “Shall we eat? The food should be done by now.” He walked away towards the food leaving her wondering what had just happened.
They sat and ate in silence. Every so often, Myst would look over at James. She sensed nothing, and he did not return her stares. She shrugged it off. Isn’t this what she wanted anyways? Didn’t she want the deal to go in her favor so she wouldn’t have to marry him? She was beginning to doubt her own feelings, and she didn’t like that. They packed up their belongings and headed out. Not another word was spoken about the kiss.
As the weeks went by, Myst and James resumed their friendship. With each passing day they spent together, their feelings grew, whether Myst wanted to admit it or not. Myst especially did not want to admit her feelings. The conversations were easy going and carefree. Any battles or fights they encountered they fought side by side. They laughed and talked, joked and walked, not once distrusting or misleading the other. Life was good, happy. Myst had never felt such happiness, such caring. Was it possible she was falling in love? Is this what love felt like? James was so easy to get along with. He was caring, friendly, and strong, not to mention handsome.
It was two days before the deadline of their deal. They were sitting enjoying an evening meal around their campfire. It was a quiet, pleasant evening. They were getting ready to bed down for the night. James caught Myst staring at him. He gave her a sideways grin.
“Something on your mind?” he asked with curiosity and amusement.
“I was just thinking, the three months is ending soon. You haven’t mentioned the deal we made or anything. Are you regretting having made the deal?”
He stopped and looked at her. “If I had regretted the deal, I would have told you so. I don’t regret any of the time I have spent with you these last few months. Are you regretting your decision to go through with this deal?”
“No, just the opposite. I can’t explain it but I have developed feelings for you, deep ones. These are feelings that go beyond the boundaries of just friendship. I think,” She paused, “I think I am in love with you. There I said it.” She caught him staring at her. “Did I say something wrong?”
He walked over to her and took her in his arms. “No, you said everything just right. Myst, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” He lowered his head to kiss her softly. She accepted the kiss.
The hiss of a arrow broke the silence. Pain seared through James’ body as the arrow pierced his back, lodging itself in his spine. He slowly fell to the ground. Myst was in shock, but only for a second. Fury and rage overcame her. She reached out with her telepathy and discovered 6 elves. Armed with her anger, lightning flew from her fingertips, shooting at the elves, the trees, everything. Her energy spent, she knelt down, half sobbing, half exhausted. She reached out one last time to make sure she had gotten all the elves. Then she went over to James.
He lay motionless. She took the arrow out as gently as possible. The tip of the arrow had been made with a poisonous plant. Tears rolled down her face as she turned him over. His skin was ashen, lifeless. She buried her face in his shirt and cried. James had perished.
“I swear this day James I will avenge you. I will not rest until every last elf is dead.” With that she buried him and took her weapons and walked away.
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