Elaine.
I still remember the faithful evening I learnt of that name. A name that so beautifully surmounts the enchantment the owner possesses. The spell she seemed to have unconsciously casted on me is quite glaring and I don't even mind it.
From what Venice has gathered so far she seems to be the daughter of one of the maids of Lord Valor,one of the lords who were present at the the meeting. Venice gave me a quick rundown of her; her mother is the daughter of a noble family that fell into ruins during the Great War and she had to work as the maid for Lord Valor while being pregnant with Elaine. No one knows her father and her mother refuses to add any more information except that he was a good man and he apparently died during the war. Well, regardless of her background there was one thing I knew and it was that I wanted to see her again.
I realised I started to sound like a lovestruck fool even to myself but with that even I would not actively pursue her with fear of scaring her off so I did what any sensible lovestruck man would do,I sent my father on my behalf. A decision that I'd gravely come to regret. My father least to say was quite surprised when I brought it up,"This is the first time I'm seeing to you like this son, what brought about the good mood?". I told him everything about the boring meeting and how a certain girl had quite a ceremonious entrance into the hall, leaving quite an impression on me. He asked for her name and I told him, "Hmmm, Elaine, that's quite a beautiful but unusual name. Where's she from?". I told him all that Venice was able to gather but when I mentioned her mother working for Lord Valor I noticed a weird dark shift in his eyes, subtle but definitely there. He asked me what the colour of her hair was and I said they were silver and there it was,that little flicker of a feeling I couldn't exactly describe but as quickly as it showed it vanished so I decided not to pry. Whatever the case was he did seem genuinely interested in this new interest for me, going on and on about marriage and grandkids when I've not even met the lady but he promised if it was a meeting I wanted,my wish would be granted.
It was one bright morning, I woke up later than usual which was to be expected as I was part of a patrol team that had to deal with a few post war rebels . It was tough because the rebels were more used to the terrains of the outer city than we were so it turned to a battle of attrition. An especially difficult matchup was their leader, Aurburn. He fought in the great war as a mercenary which was glaring because there's no way a man moves like that without experience. His movements were sharp and precise and fully intended on killing his opponent. I saw him cut through some of our guards like they were made of paper but in the end he fell to my blade with one quick decision. He was late to parry an attack aimed at his neck so I adjusted from a slashing grip to a thrusting one and pierced his heart. Groaning from the aches of last night's battle,I stepped out of bed and made my way downstairs to the dining hall to get a glass of water. I almost choked on the water when I say a familiar face enter and it was no one else but Elaine. My mind went blank for a bit before it went completely haywire,"why was she here","I look a bloody mess","am I dreaming?". It took all my strength I could muster to let out a weak Good morning, she replied with a smile that just made me even more embarrassed at my complete failure at starting up a conversation with the supposed woman in my dreams. I quickly made my way to the family gathering room only to meet my father grinning. "What's she doing here?" I said as quietly as I could so Elaine wouldn't hear, " I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about son" he replied while smugly drinking water from his cup. "Ohh,you meant the girl. Well Lord Valor just decided graciously accept my request for the beautiful lady to assist you". This came as a surprise because I know Father and Lord Valor aren't exactly on the best of terms but it wasn't exactly an unwelcome surprise.
The breakfast wasn't anything spectacular but the surprise was enough to brighten the whole day's mood for me. Elaine was with the servants in a separate room which was indeed a shame but it was to be expected so I didn't see her again that morning. I went about my usual duties and meetings but I couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of going home and seeing her there. I couldn't exactly go home just yet,a fight seems to have broken out close to the gate separating the upper city from the lower city and it has escalated so my attention was needed urgently. I had to bury the disappointment of not being able to go home in time to see Elaine prepare dinner but my duty to the Kingdom comes first so I set out with the garrison.
What I arrived to see was a scene that entirely tore my heart apart,these weren't militants that banded together to break through the gates like the report stated but these were civilians banding together in multitudes,quite sparsely armed but extremely furious. They had that mad look in their eyes which themselves were hollow, years of starvation, scarcity and neglect could do that to a human. The issue was that this mob were going to stop at nothing to get into the upper city because the allure of a paradise existing right in front of hell was enough to drive them insane, so the guards were forced to use force but that only seemed to fuel the fire instead of quench it. One wrong insult aimed at the wrong person,a stone vase thrown at another and all hell broke loose. What was supposed to be a non-lethal dispersing of the mob turned lethal.
What ensued could only be described as a blood bath, the gore of which could make even the most experienced veteran's stomach churn in disgust. I found myself thrown in the midst of this sudden battle field and even though I tried not to use lethal force I ultimately was forced to because it appeared that even amongst the mob there were mercenaries,an odd sight but I didn't have the time to process it before I got engaged with a group of them.
I made quick work of most of the mercenaries since I didn't get my rank of commander for nothing but there was a man that was particularly difficult to dispatch of,he seemed to be their leader. His movement were snake-like and unpredictable but sharp and precise,he attacked in a way that I knew he was reading me trying to see my strength and my weaknesses. I knew instantly that the longer this battle raged on the lesser my chances of leaving the battle alive so I had to make a quick decision, if he was taking time to read me I should just make it so that he doesn't have time to process any information he's getting. So I rushed forward,my toes dug into the ground to push me forward,I went for an upward slash but he was quick to parry so I switched my grip to deliver a diagonal slash but I left my right side unprotected and in that split second he landed an heavy kick to my abdomen which got me stumbling backwards. I quickly regained my balance and rushed forward, trying to see if I could catch him off guard. I unleashed a fury of quick attacks in succession going from slashes to thrusts to feints ,he seemed to be getting a little tired and agitated so I used that to my advantage and increased the speed of my attacks. I made a quick upward slash which he was late to react so he couldn't fully counter,I was able to make a cut on his right eye which caused him to stumble to the floor. I saw this as an opportunity so I lunged forward to deliver a quick final blow but in my rushed decision I didn't notice his fistfuls of sand which he hurled at my eyes,I was too slow to react and in that quick second I was blinded. Panic set in as I tried to quickly get my bearings but it was too late,I felt a sharp sudden pain in my chest. Stumbling backwards I coughed out what seemed to be blood. The man seeing this left out a deep growl and cackle,his victory was all but assured in his eyes so he didn't rush to finish me off instead he walked slowly as I fell down to my knees. His eyes full of glee and murder intent like a predator stalking a wounded prey,his steps heavy and assured of victory suddenly he lunged forward but in his victory blinded state he let his guard down and I mustered the last of my strength to deliver a quick slash aimed at his neck. That split second was all I needed to coat the edge of my blade with his blood,his eyes wide open in disbelief as his head slowly slides of his shoulders, finally he was dead. The rest of the mercenaries were taken care of and the mob, seeing their imminent defeat at hand dispersed and scurried away, I'd lost too much blood and I was losing consciousness but the only thing on my mind was that I wanted to see her again,I mustered enough strength to get on my horse and kicked her. She sped off way faster than she has ever moved before,maybe she sensed the urgency in my voice or it was the hallucinations from the blood loss but all I could think about was that I need to see Elaine.
I must have lost consciousness because next thing I could see was I was on some flower bed in what appeared to be my garden and a female figure running towards me,I couldn't quite make out who it was until she came closer. "Elaine!" What was supposed to be an excited exclamation came out like a weak dying cry. As she crouched closer,she was frantically saying some things and I could see genuine concern in her eyes but I couldn't make out what she was saying but her figure just seemed to be all the more enhanced by the silver rays of the full moon tonight,a true beauty that has no sort of earthly comparison. Even with her worried look she was still so beautiful, her skin glistening in the moonlight like a goddess has deemed me worthy her presence in my final moments.
I raised my hands to touch her cheek which seemed to startle her at first but she relaxed when she felt my touch like she accepted it,that only made my heart ache. This is the woman of my dreams and I never even got to know or spend time with her or tell her how I felt,what a waste!!. I made the decision to keep it to myself so as not to burden an innocent lady with my feelings seeing as I was sure I was going to die anyways.
My eyes were heavy and drowsy,I whispered under my breath before I lost consciousness,"Beautiful fairy shining under the moonlight".