Post by Soleil on Nov 6, 2008 11:00:13 GMT -5
. T h e. ocean was strangely calm. Its waves rolled slowly towards the shore as a snake quietly stalking its prey, only to be pulled back into the depths of the great sea. The gulls cried out loudly over the sea as they circled the shore, in search of food left in the sands for them. The sun was warm as it hung over Avalendor in the cool springtime day. And the shores were quiet and empty. Most people were busy preparing for the upcoming war. They were all too busy. All of them. The ships were being prepared to venture off just as soon as the enemy ships could be spotted in the horizon. The war was what all spoke of these days. And it was coming. It hung in the air like a thick fog. Much like the thickness of the humid air that hung over Avalendor. It was all such a haunting sight--the emptiness that appeared on the beaches of the isle. And the feeling that something was so out of place in that very moment. . .
There was a tree. A tree that stood surrounded by the rocky part of the shores. And there was something else . . .
Her eyelids fluttered open. She wasn't upon the beach any longer, but instead, inside of her dimly lit office, seated at her desk, the dark curtains blocking out any sunlight that tried to spill in. She slowly lifted her head from the palm of her hand, her elbow sliding off the edge of her desk. Green eyes moved around her office, a small look of confusion crossed over her features. There was something about that tree that seemed familiar to her. Not because it simply belonged to Avalendor and she had walked by it many times. But because it had appeared to her before, in a vision she had while at Kaleb's place after Moira had tended to her and the child growing within her.
Something didn't feel right to her. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Never before had Nemesis been visited by the same vision twice. Both times, nothing had really been revealed to her. Just the tree. And although she had not seen the real purpose of it, she could feel that whatever it was, it was there right now, waiting for her. Nemesis never really knew when her visions would actually happen. But now, it lingered in the air--the heavy, suffocating, thick air filled her lungs. And there was such a haunting silence. It was here. Now.
She sat quietly in her chair, eyes staring down at the surface of her desk as she tried to make sense of what it all could have meant. She had a feeling. She didn't want to believe in it.
Her stomach twisted in a knot and made her feel nauseous. Whether it was from the baby or just the bad feeling she had, it was hard to tell. What could be so important about a tree?
She didn't want to move. But it was as if she had no control over her body as it stood up from her chair and slowly moved out of the room. Her hand dragged along the wall as she took each step descending the stairs until she came to the door of her manor. She just stood there, staring at the door, knowing that the minute she opened it, she would be attacked by the bright sunlight. There was such hesitation. Whatever it was, she was afraid to see. The way in which her vision felt. How all of this felt now. And the way that she hadn't been shown the reason for the vision. . . She knew it was something bad.
Her fingers curled around the doorknob before it was twisted and slowly pulled open. She squinted from the light as she stepped outside into the humid, suffocating air that nearly took her breath away. Perhaps all of it was in her mind. She hadn't even bothered to slip her feet into a pair of shoes, or to throw a shawl over her shoulders. She would travel the distance from her manor to that spot along the shores where the sand turned to rocks, and that tree stood. The entire distance, barefoot.
Time was something that was on everyone's hands. She had walked very slowly, hesitantly, taking up a good amount of time. Though it had felt like only minutes to her as she finally spotted that tree in the distance.
The sand was hot and soft against the soles of her feet and her toes. Her eyes remained straight ahead of her, not paying much attention to where she was walking, but rather, what was directly in front of her.
The ocean was strangely calm. . . There was no one around. Where was everyone, anyway? Her arms moved around her slightly swollen stomach that she had not even bothered to cover up, either. Piercing green eyes looked behind her and all around. No one. There was no one. Her toes felt the change of texture as she stepped upon the rocks along the beach. The rocks were warmer than the sand had been, and they had begun to burn at her feet with every step she took towards that tree. This had been all that had come to her in her vision. But there was something on the other side of it.
Her steps were very slow and careful and her eyes remained on the leaves of the tree that had fully bloomed now that Spring had fully taken over the winter past. Bare feet began to cool instantly as she touched the rocks shaded by the tree, and felt the dampness of the darker water-stained rocks and the small pools of water that were trapped in every indent and crack.
She reached out a hand, touching the rough bark of that tree that stood before her, hiding whatever it was behind it, from her view. Nemesis felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She wanted to throw up. Her chest was tight and her breaths felt shallow and difficult. She was suffocating.
The wind had begun to pick up, sending a cool breeze through the air, brushing through her hair, sending wavy curls into her face and caused the black fabrics of her dress to wave lightly away and against her fragile form. She didn't want to move. But her feet, once again, pulled her forward, forcing her to slowly move around the tree, her fingers trailed along the trunk of the tree as she moved under its shade and around to the other side. She did not look down. She could feel whatever it was, trying to pull her gaze down. Whatever it was, it was down. She could feel it without even seeing it there. Her eyes slid shut on her and she once again, she just stood there until her body slowly lowered into a crouch, her hand remaining upon the base of the tree to keep her balance. Eyes remained shut and her other hand reached out in front of her, feeling around as a blind person would when trying to find something that they knew was right under their nose. She felt the icy cold waters sneak up onto the rocks, and washing over her bare feet, soaking the bottom of her black fabrics that clothed her. And then she felt it. Fingertips touched down upon damp cloths that clung to flesh. Instantly, her hands began to shake. She took a deep breath and shook her head. No. No. No. She wasn't going to open her eyes now. She couldn't..
But much like her body had been taken over, forcing its way here, her eyes quickly opened and forced their way down to glance at what was there right in front of her. The body of a man. A strong-looking man. Face down. Dark blondish-brown, long hair damp and covering over his face. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Already she knew who it was, but she did not want to believe it. He had gotten away. He had left for Scotland to avoid what she had seen in her first vision. No. This wasn't him. He got away. She had told him to leave Avalendor so that he would not be killed when the war came to the Isle, just as she had seen in her vision. And he had left. She watched him with her own eyes, off in the distance, as he boarded the ship without her there to say goodbye to him, as she had promised him she would. But she was there. She just could not bring herself to being there. He looked so disappointed, as if maybe he actually did care for her. And she watched as he climbed onboard and stood at the railing of the ship. She watched as the ship pulled away and finally came out of her view. He was gone.
She lowered herself from the crouching position and came down onto her knees, instantly feeling the water beneath her pierce at her skin and soak through her dress. Very carefully, she pushed the shoulder of the body, forcing him onto his back. Her fingertips brushed away the damp strands of hair, finally revealing the truth to her that she did not want to see. Brennus White. Nemesis stared down at him. This couldn't be real.
She shook his shoulder. "Brennus?" No response. She shook him harder. "Brennus, wake up...Wake up or I'll kill you..." She stared down at him, watching for any signs of movement or life. Nothing. She lowered herself down, laying her head down onto his chest and she listened for a heartbeat, whether it would be faint or not, she listened for anything. She couldn't hear anything. Nemesis sat up and shook her head, shaking his shoulder again. "Come on Brennus. Wake up..." She lowered her face down to his own, her hand moving to rest upon his cheek. "Please, Brennus..." Her lips carefully brushed over his own in a soft kiss and then she whispered quietly to him, brushing the strands of his hair away from his face with her fingertips. "Brennus. You have to get up now..." She pulled back, watching him. Waiting to see his eyelids flicker open and see the gorgeous eyes of his. But they never opened. Her eyebrows furrowed again and she shook her head, eyes squinting slightly and nose scrunching up as tears started to threaten to fall. She slapped him hard across the face. "Get up!" She shook him hard. Still, nothing. She spit into his face--something that had always gotten a response out of him. She wouldn't even care if he'd lash out and hit her. She just wanted something. Anything. But he did not move. He was playing a cruel trick on her. Nemesis began to grow angry. She started hitting him hard against the chest and she yelled out, trying desperately to get some life out of him. To get him to wake up. But then, she noticed the streak of blood that began to escape the corner of his lips and slip down his chin. Nemesis stopped and stared at him. She knew he was gone, she just did not want to believe it.
Another nudge was given to his shoulder and she shook her head several times. The tears had started to fall now. She could no longer hold them back. "Brennus...Please. You cannot leave me here... Not like this. I need you... To get up. You have to get up, right now. Your son... He needs you to get up so that you can be a father again... He needs you... I need you..." The warm tears trailed down her face as she stared down at him. Her hands continued to shake as they moved to cover her face. She sobbed quietly into them. "You cannot leave me here like this..." She threw herself down on him, her face into his chest and she cried uncontrollably against him. "Oh, I hate you, Brennus! I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!!!" She screamed loudly and cried so hard. It was just now that she was starting to realize how she really felt about Brennus....How much he had actually done for her. How he had made her feel alive and not the dead person she had come to believe she was. She wasn't dead. He had proved that to her several times before. And now he was gone. All of it, gone. She felt herself begin to slowly die inside. The small bit of hope that she held within her, was flickering out, and burning down to nothing. . .The whole world was crashing down upon her, now.
Nemesis lifted herself off of Brennus and screamed loudly over the now crashing waves. The ocean was no longer calm. The sun was fading behind darkened clouds. The weather was changing, and it reflected the feelings that swarmed over her. Thunder rumbled through the sky. Something Nemesis perhaps could have conjured up. . . Or maybe it was just a coincidence.
She buried her face back into his chest again, her arms holding him tightly. She didn't know what else to do. And she could not control the tears and the sobs that shook her body against him. It was .o v e r .
-::- It hadn't been too often that he could take the time to walk and roam around the Isle lately. At first he didn't notice anything. The cool breeze from the ocean was welcoming compared to the heat that was casted down by the sun. The cloak had been discarded by the vest and shirt had remained as well as the weapons he always carried minus the bow and quiver. He was actually enjoying himself and starting to grasp the way he was before all this war talk when he heard the scream. He jumped having been startled by it before he'd look towards the shores.
He darted, jumping clear over fallen branches and rocks within the forest, dodging trees as he went till he skidded to a halt just outside the tree line that lined the shores. Gaze shifted down then up the beach till he heard another scream only louder and seemingly full of anguish. What was going on? Brows furrowed and he would dart towards where he heard the yelling and stopped just short six feet from the tree she crouched behind. He saw the flowing cloth just at the edge of the tree and slowly moved towards it. As he rounded he knew who it was, and the site of the body she crouched beneath caused his stomach to turn... The stench of death and sea water was thick in the air.. Was this Brennus? It had to be, who else' death would have such an effect on her?
He would slowly round the tree fully then and move towards her, but at the same time keeping his distance so she had room to breath. He didn't want to startle her. His chest heaved as he worked to calm his breathing back to normal, been a while since he darted a mile straight. His voice was soft and calm, spoken just about a whisper so he wouldn't startle her. Prepared for just about anything she might do, including attack or dart. -::- " Nemsis... " -::- It was all he could come up with to say, to at least let her know he was there. He wouldn't apologize for her lose, that was the last thing anyone wanted to hear when losing someone close, this he knew from experience. -::- " Is there anything I can do? " -::- He would offer his assistance for now.. -::- " Anything at all, just tell me and depending on what it is, it'll be done. "
. T i m e. went on for the rest of Avalendor. But for Nemesis, she felt as if time had slowed down and no longer existed. She was caught in the middle of the hourglass and the sands came rushing towards her just as soon as Thais's voice could be heard. She did not move at first. Her shoulders had stopped with their sobs and she remained still, her body still thrown over Brennus'. And she fell quiet, her cries calming down. She was no longer left alone in her privacy to cry. Slowly, she lifted her head up off of Brennus' chest and turned it to look up at Thais. Her tears streamed down her face. Her darkened beauty was flawed with the streaks of tears and the puffiness of her eyes. She glared at him, eyebrows lowering as if she thought he was stupid or something. What could he do for her? What could anyone do for her? Unless they knew how to bring someone back to life. . . To stop this war from causing any other deaths. . . What else could be done? She stared at Thais, not speaking a single word. Her head was lowered back down onto Brennus' chest and she spoke then. "Go away. Just go away and leave me alone..." She just did not care anymore. Thais had been there before. She had told him of her vision and of Brennus' foreseen death. She knew it would be coming. But there was that small piece of hope she held when Brennus left Avalendor to go to Scotland. A hope that he would make it and escape her sight of death. She had been very wrong. War was on its way. She could feel it coming. One of her hands, moved to rest against his side. Her fingertips could feel something a little different. Slowly, she lifted her head again and looked towards her hand, seeing that her fingers now were stained with blood. On his side, there was a large gash, as if he had been attacked by someone. The gasped slightly, and for the first time, she noticed the water around them was a slight reddish tint. She looked up, into the ocean, glancing around, finding the debris of a ship, clothing, rolled up maps that were now soggy and destroyed. It was obvious that their ship had gone down. Perhaps had been attacked first. But who had done this? Nemesis kept her eyes on the ocean, off in the horizon. There was nothing she could see. Just an empty horizon with a storm that was beginning to brew. But suddenly, her sighting changed to a completely different horizon. She saw their ships. Hundreds of ships, sailing together. The black sails of Saelis and all of their allies. The vision did not last long, and as she blinked, the empty horizon filled her sight once again. She shook her head, lips parting as a few breaths were let out in a worried expression. "They're coming. . . " Her words were spoken quietly, and she never glanced back behind her to where Thais was. Instead, she looked back down at the wound on Brennus' side. She could see it clearly now. Her vision had changed. She had sent him to his own death. The war was coming and Brennus was the first to cross its path. He had lost his life before the war ever touched ground. It was her own fault. She shook her head and stared down at Brennus' face again, her hand reaching for his own as she squeezed it tightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks again. She whispered softly. "I'm .s o r r y . . . " .
" There's nothing you could have done to prevent this and I know they are coming that is why the Isle is on a lock down and I can not leave you nor his body here. Rather you fight and or curse me I will not leave you alone without the company of another. You weren't even supposed to be out this far to the shores. " -::- After such was said he turned to look out over the sea. Noting the debre he shook his head... A merchant ship he was on no dout, lives were lost already and the war had not yet begun.. He turned and looked back to Nemesis.. The sorrow was gone and replaced with that of nothing but serious.. He'd be as stubborn as need be she didn't need to stay along the shores and commit suicide in waiting for what was to come. -::- " We have to move him, he deserves a proper barrial... I won't apopgize for his lose for I know that's not what you need. You don't need anything now but time to grieve but grieve out of harms way.. " -::- He would urge but not force anything of her. -::- " We have to imform the queen and everyone else to be prepared now even more than before. Come with me Nemesis, help me move him to a safer place the anmials won't try to get to his body. The blood has no dout already caught the attention of every predator within a mile if not further no telling how long he's been here... "
. N e m e s i s. slowly lifted her glance back up from Brennus' face and towards Thais. She didn't agree with him. Perhaps she could have done something to prevent this. Maybe instead of telling him to leave, she could have had him locked away in the dungeons, perhaps, to stay safe and away from the war. They would not have had a trial for him until after the war, and he would have been safe by then. She shook her head, ignoring Thais at first. Her eyes glanced back down at Brennus' lifeless body and the blood on her hand. She touched her palm against the red tinted water, washing the blood from her own skin. She knew Thais was right. They would need to move his body so they could give him a funeral of sorts. They needed to inform the queen and the people of Avalendor that war was coming and more deaths would soon come after. She slowly moved off of his body, but remained knelt down beside him. Not wanting to move. She felt frozen there, stuck in place, and unable to .m o v e .
-::- He would wait till she started to move before he'd come any closer to her. He knew she must have been feeling a whirl wind of emotions so he didn't bother to try and read them.. He knew of two women now who lost love to death and he'd never expierienced such but watching over them both he knew it must have been devistating.. He couldn't even imagine losing Alexandria.. He would slowly start to move towards her and around the opposit side of the body as her. Looking down over the man he never really got to meet but knew some how he must have been a good man to capture the heart of such a woman...He looked to Nemesis.. -::- " Are you alright? " -::- Perhaps it was a stupid question and he shouldn't have asked but he didn't like the dead silence.. Rather she lashed out at him or not at least it'd be some sort of sign of life from her. -::-
. N o t. too many had perhaps gotten to know Brennus. Nemesis knew this much, for sure. He was much like her in a lot of ways, and she knew others would feel the same about her if it was her life that had been lost. Not too many knew her personally, and she wondered if anyone would really care, just as no one would probably care for Brennus' death. She stared down at his body, even as Thais moved to the other side of the body and asked her if she was alright. Yes, it was a stupid question. And how could she really answer it? Her light green eyes had darkened slightly and they slowly lifted to glance up at Thais now. No words were spoken. She just looked at him, with such an expression that showed she wasn't really alright but there was nothing that could be done to fix or change that. Her hand moved to her slightly swollen stomach and she winced in pain. Eyes fell shut and she shook her head slowly with disbelief. How had she let all of this happen to her. . . again? You'd think a woman would learn after the first time. Yet she had let someone in, and now she had to suffer because of it, again. No. Not anymore. Nemesis was done with it all. She'd slip right back to her old self. Distant and left in the dark, away from any that would try to get too close. Her eyes did not linger upon Thais for too long. She looked away and back down at Brennus. "He meant well... despite whatever wrong he has done, or planned on doing. He should have a knight's funeral..." Strands of her long wavy hair fell to the sides of her face as she lowered her head, her hands still holding onto one of .B r e n n u s ' .
-::- He could tell from the shadow that lingered around her now that she was building that wall back up and half of him didn't blame her but half of him wanted to stop it. But there was nothing that he could really do.. He sighed softly and shook his head as he listened to her finally speak. -::- " No.. I can do better.. He should be treated as the Military Commander he was. With honor and respect that he deserves. I can see to it myself, as well as promise you that and swear it on my honor to be carried out... " -::- He looked from her back down to the body. The smell was starting to get to him but he'd endure.. He wouldn't try picking him up yet no.. He'd give her, her time and when she was ready then he was step forth.. For now he'd just linger nearby.. -::-
. N e m e s i s. remained kneeling beside the body, a slight nod was given to Thais as he spoke his promise to how Brennus' death would be honored. She kept her eyes down on him. Inside, she was still screaming and crying with agony. But since her privacy had been broken, Nemesis had willed herself to calm down. A few more tears rolled down her cheeks, but they were the last. One hand let go of Brennus' and raised to wipe her face free of the tears. The expression upon her face, and in her eyes changed to a sudden coldness, as if she no longer cared about anything anymore. But even still, she could not will herself to get up or leave Brennus' side. She just wanted to be left alone there with him. To cry and lose herself further in her own sorrow. Either way, all of this was not good for the .b a b y .
Kaleb had come as soon as the private had told him of what he had seen. A body..the military commander and the ambassador. She looked to be crying. He had known. Somehow he had known who it would be before he even arrived to where they were. Approaching slowly, he looked to Nemesis for recognition before he would speak. When she said nothing he looked to Thais. He spoke with his eyes alone, the apprehension in them apparant.
He could sense the presence of another and would glance up to watch as Kaleb approached.. The look of the body wouldn't be none to pleasant since the large gash in the side of the torso and the paleness from the ride of the sea to the shores..A soft shake of his head and he would rise to his feet briefly. -::- " Brennus White, the former Military Commander.. I'll need your help with her.. It wouldn't be good for her to be left alone, neither for what she bares.. " -::- He was speaking of the baby but would say it out right. He could only assume Kaleb knew and if not it was obvious in the swell of her stomach she was with child. No all the dispare and grief was not good fo the child and he feared for both of them. -::- " I'll worry about the body.. Just promise me you'll look after her as much as you can. "
Kaleb nodded and looked back to the body. "I know who he is..though we've never met." His words were soft and respectful. His eyes moved slowly to Nemesis and he spoke as the new Commander had done..as if she were not listening. "I'll take care of her..though..I'm sure she'll protest. She's...been through a lot." He took a deep breath before kneeling beside her and speaking even softer. "Nemesis.."
" Yes I know.. and it'd be no surprise if she does protest. " -::- He spoke with a knowing tone. He'd delt with her before and in doing so try to help her out to get her to release some of what she was feeling and for the time being it had worked..He would crouch back down again beside the body but wouldn't move it or anything till Nemesis had moved. He wouldn't disturb her. -::-
.T h e i r. words were nothing but echoes to her. She knew they were speaking about her and about what was needing to be done. But she chose to ignore all of it, her eyes never moving away from Brennus as his lifeless body remained where it was. She wouldn't move. It was almost as if she thought the longer she stayed there staring at him, the more of a chance there would be that he was just playing a sick joke on them all and he'd open his eyes again. She watched his chest, waiting for it to move. Kaleb crouched down beside her and spoke her her, though she never moved her eyes to look at him. She blinked several times and shook her head. "No. . . He's still alive. His chest just moved. He's breathing!" She pointed at his body, at his chest. But it wasn't moving at all. She was starting to imagine things. Her brain was beginning to play tricks on her. She had watched and wanted to see him alive, willing herself to believe his death was not true, that her mind actually started to believe he wasn't. She shook her head and moved away from Kaleb, leaning back down over Brennus' body. Her hands moved to his shoulders and she began shaking him lightly. "Brennus, wake up! Stop doing .t h i s ! " .
Kaleb could see that she was going to be hard to convince. She had just begun to regain her strength, this was definately not going to be good for her recovery. Despite his hatred for the man he would never have wished this on Nemesis, he could care less for the dead man in front of him. His eyes widened in horror when Nemesis exploded to life. Moving quickly behind her he slipped his arms gently round her. "Nemesis NO!..he's dead..he's gone..stop this, stop this now." He pulled her away from him slowly, careful of her belly.
-::- This was starting to take a turn for the worse and he needed to get the body away from her as soon as possible. Assuming Kaleb had a good hold of her he moved to bend over the body and wrap his arms around the torso to get a good grip. Once a good enough grip was established without damaging the body more he'd heave it up over his shoulder. Thankful he hadn't gotten to know the man or it'd of been worse on his part. He would shift the body to get a better hold of it before he'd back away from Nemesis with Brennus over his shoulder and turn to head towards the treeline. He'd take the body somewhere else, somewhere he knew it'd be safe till they could have a proper funeral for the man. -::-
. N e m e s i s. felt Kaleb pull her away from him. Her hands clung to the body's shoulder, but he was able to break her away and hold her back while Thais moved to quickly lift the body. She struggled against Kaleb's hold, trying to break free from his arms and she screamed out loudly. "No. He's not dead! He's not gone! I saw him breathing!" But Thais was walking away, taking Brennus away from her. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to believe that she really did see his chest rise and then fall, but deep down, she knew that it hadn't. Once Thais was out of sight, Nemesis stopped her struggle against Kaleb's hold and she started to cry again. Something, perhaps, that Kaleb had never once seen before or probably imagined he'd ever see Nemesis .d o .
Kaleb held her gently while he watched Thais take Brennus away. When she started to cry he had no idea what to do. How many times had he held a woman while she cried, it had been easy to be the comforter..but now..he had no idea how to comfort her..she didn't want his comfort. He knew that..but he would do what he could. Turning her in his arms, he wrapped her tightly against his chest and laid his cheek against her head. All he could do at this point was hold her.
. N o t. too many people ever had to deal with seeing Nemesis cry. And when it happened, it was different and huge. The woman rarely showed any emotions, and when she did, it was like the worst of a severe thunder storm. She felt Kaleb turn her around and take her into her arms again. Her face naturally lowered down into his chest, burrying into him. Her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly as she held onto him and cried against him. She did not know what else to .d o .
Resting a large hand on her back, he pulled her to him tighter slowly. He would say nothing until it was time..Kaleb knew that some moments were not made for words. She felt so fragile in his arms, he struggled to keep from holding her even tighter, to take the world away from her.
. N e m e s i s., while she typically worried about allowing others to see her emotions, just didn't care at this point. It was as if Kaleb didn't exist there with her at the moment, even though she could feel him holding her there. She felt like she was in her own small , world... the walls crashing down upon her and all she could do was cry. Long moments would pass by as she stayed in his arms and cried against him. Her whole body felt as if it were breaking down, crumbling into his .a r m s .
As the darkness of the evening threatened to fall on them, he lifted her as he had before and moved slowly toward her manor. He knew she was no longer aware of her surroundings and it pained him. How could he make her see that life was not over if she would only let it move on her.
. S h e. felt him lift her into his arms, and she curled up against him, keeping her head down on his shoulder. She had stopped her crying and fell into a deep silence as he moved towards her manor. The door had been opened slightly since she had left it, not even bothering to check that her house was shut and locked .u p .
Nudging the door open further with his foot, he carried her inside, glad that the embers still glowed in the fire place. It meant the house was somewhat still warm. Carrying her to the parlor, he laid her gently on a chase by the fire. He would stay until he was sure that she would be alright.