The Shieldmaidens Lover Pt. 02

"I can not stay with you Marcus. Its not safe for either of us."

"There is no place safer then this villa with my personal guards all around" He said, the anger shining in his eyes.

"Your guards distrust me and you risk them distrusting you by being with me" she said in a soft voice.

"Do you really think they would disobey me if I granted you amnesty in my home? They have seen me in battle and do not wish to have my temper turn on them."

She shuddered and pulled free from his grip holding her against the door and pushed the blade closer to his throat without breaking the skin. "I have seen you in battle I wont see you turn that inward against your own men because of me." Her words were firm but held a harshness that sent his blood cold.

"When?" he thought back "Caerelon? Doer Malter?"

She shook her head no and whispered in a barely audible voice. "Ennonlai."

He looked down and spoke in a hushed voice. "I was younger then, just earned my command." He looked up and towards the wall, staring into nothingness. "Do you know how the war started? Not what is said but what really happened?"

She smiled a bitter sweet smile and looked down as she spoke, moving the blade from his throat and resheathed it at her waist. "A very young nobleman was with his new young wife in the forest DarNereth. They didn't know they were trespassing, and they were challenged by one of the Elven scouts. The fool tried to fight, he did well, taking down two. But when one of the scouts shot his bow the young man should of died. The mans wife dove in front, to push him out of the way, and the arrow took her instead. The Young man enraged charged the bowman, taking two arrows in the chest, killing the scouts. If she was anyone else war might not have happened, but she was the kings niece, Siana, thus war broke out a bloody war of vengeance between the men of Adam and the Forrest for the past fourteen years."

He looked at her, his mouth open, outwardly in shock. He shook his head to clear it for a moment and merely stared at her trying to find words. After several long moments of silence he managed to croak out "I..I had forgiven your people long ago for what happened to my wife. The fires of hate quenched in more blood then I can remember. King Earlar will stop at nothing to keep the war going." He shuddered as he spoke, his body shaking slightly. "But...how did you know?"

She closed her eyes and whispered "It was my business to know"

His eyes glistened with something between anger and awareness and he moved his hand to her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What is your real name?" suddenly realizing that Diana had to have been a pseudonym.

She tried to turn her face from his, struggling for several brief moments which only encouraged him to tighten his grip and hold her still as he used his weight to press her against the door. "Tell me..." he said in a deadly voice.

"Elwyn" Her voice was shaking as she whispered "I saw you from the balcony of the citadel when your troops road up." She let the silence grow as she watched his face as the puzzle pieces clicked into place, realizing she was the heir to the throne of his kings enemy.

He pulled away from where his arms still held her trapped against the door and moved over to the window, bracing his hands on the sides and letting his head fall down and he swore. "Mirthras God of war how you must hate me."

It seemed all the anger had gone out of her voice, as if she knew it would do no good to either of them. She remained near the door, her hand moving to the handle as she spoke. "I do not hate you. You are not the man you were that day."

He turned and walked back towards her and sternly said "You must not tell anyone. Not until I get you home, your life would become a chip in Earlar's game."

"There is nothing left of my home" she swallowed against the lump in her throat "You have not been back to see the ruin."

"But the War. Your people fight because of you. Earlar's health is failing and you should be at the head of your armies." He turned his back to her gazing back towards the window as if there were some answer there between the moon and starlight.

"I have not been their princess for a very long time Marcus. The years weigh heavy on me. I don't intend to go back to them."

"Then where would you go?" he asked softly.

She walks over to him and stands a shoulders width behind him, looking out the window with him as if she could see something he could not. "Somewhere across the sea. Somewhere where it is still green and bright where blood has not soaked the earth to a crimson glow."

He looked over his shoulder at her and whispered, "I would never see you again..." he said more as a statement then a question. To that she had no answer. He turned fully and took a step forward closing the distance between them and looked down into her pale blue eyes. "Is this truly what you want Elwyn?"

She let her eyes close and savored the sound of her name on his lips for a few moments. "It is too dangerous for you if I stay" she said.

"I don't care about danger!" He said half in anger half in sorrow, moving forward to grasp her arms as if she would disappear through his fingers. "I care about you even though I am not worthy of you." She looked up at him and she felt her heart skip a beat with his words. She held his gaze and managed to force out the words that nearly caught in her throat.

"I want to leave Marcus." She asked herself why her heart felt like it was breaking as she said the words. His grip tightened on her arms for a moment as if he was going to force her to stay. Marcus reached for the blade at her waist pulling it from its sheath, the sharpness of the blade reflecting the moonlight that spilled in through the open window. He raised his arm and brought his sword swiftly towards her, aiming for her neck. She stared into his eyes as the blade cut thru the thin collar around her neck, letting the material fall to the ground, leaving her unharmed. He handed the blade back to her.

"There. You are free." he said in as neutral a voice as he could manage. He then turned back to the window, knowing that he would not be able to hide the emotions from his eyes as she turned to leave. She bit her lower lip and turned towards the door.

Her hand rested on the handle opening the door a crack before she paused and spoke, unable to leave it seemed without being honest to him. "Any other time...any other place Marcus." She turned and looked at him "I would gladly stay and spend every night in your arms." She began to open the door when she felt his hands on hers, turning her to him. He could not hide the ragged emotions on his face.

"Then stay Elwyn. Stay." he beseeched holding her hands in his over his heart.

"I cant..."

"No one will know you here. No one will expect to look for you here. This very well could be the safest place for you."

She looked up at him and felt a lump rise in her throat. "You want me to stay that much?"

He looked down into her eyes and she could see the answer clearly in those depths. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her deeply. She felt herself melting in his arms. Goddess help her, but she wanted to stay. She could find no strength to pull away from his arms and she found she could not deny herself the only thing she had ever wanted for her own selfish reasons. Her arms wrapped around him and his hands removed his cloak from her shoulders. He led her back to bed and drew her into his embrace, holding her to him as if he never wanted to let her go. Neither of them realized when his door silently shut and a smiling Bronwyn continued to walk silently through the villa as she extinguished the candles along the halls that were still lit.