Two weeks after the incident within Heavy Metal Dave and the bandits, and the vacation that Rothardan had wanted with Enelya seemed to be finally going well. They had been travelling along the road with no incident, both of them as happy as could possibly be. It had been extremely great for Rothardan as he was finally thinking about maybe retiring as a Paladin. He wanted to settle down and start a new life as a simple city man, no travelling around to fight evil and no more getting killed. For once, Rothardan could see his future and it looked good.

The caravan had stopped near the foot of the mountains because it was raining quite heavily. The rain began to patter against the caravan's roof as Rothardan was laying down inside, listening to the rain do it's work. It would be too dangerous to climb the mountains now as it would be slippery and Rothardan didn't want Enelya injured or anything. They would go when the rain cleared up and when everything was nice and dry.

Instead the paladin was laying there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the future. Maybe they would get a cottage together somewhere near the forests, a small farm where they could grow vegetables and tend to the animals. No more danger, no more monsters... it would just be about living life and growing old. A crack of thunder streaking across the sky made Rothardan sigh... for the rain was going to get alot heavier now. And sure enough, it did.

This was going to take a while...

The repetitive rolling of the cart’s wheels pattered out a relaxing rhythm, causing Enelya to slowly fall asleep, the smell of the leaves left in the cart eased her mind, and the rain didn’t make the situation any better. It was perfect. She lay next to Rothardan as he stared up at the ceiling. On her side, she looked up to him, memorizing his face. She had a horrible history of forgetting things… And she didn’t want to forget him; of all people, Gods forbid she would forget her love. The cart suddenly stopped, and Enelya sat up, pulling a few leaves from her hair. She poked her head out of the cart, raindrops falling against her face.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at the enormous mountains… They were beautiful. They had a magical glow to them as the mists surrounded the tops and the rain fell from them like giants shedding tears upon the world. A giant crack of thunder boomed through the mountain range, and Enelya hurriedly stuck her head back into the cart. She breathed in deeply and looked at Rothardan with a smile. “Did you see the mountains? They are so big! And they look so lovely with it raining outside…” She lay back down and sighed. “I love the rain…” She whispered. Enelya reached over and twisted a leaf in-between her thumb and forefinger.

It had been a lovely two weeks… Especially after the Heavy Metal Dave incident. Enelya had had several nightmares about him, suffocating him, and the fear that he would return. He was dead, and she knew that, but for a few days it had haunted her conscience. As it rained, it was almost as if Dave's memory was being washed away by their happiness. The thoughts of him were gone from her mind, and it was just the two of them; Rothardan and Enelya, and they were having a lovely time together. She loved how they could just spend time together, and not have to say anything, and share those wonderful silences together. Just enjoying the fact that someone she cared very much for was breathing right next to her was a wonderful feeling. Enelya closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the rain falling onto the ground making way into her ears and the smell of the wet Earth around them encased them within their carriage. Enelya sighed, loving the Earth unconditionally.

Rothardan smiled as Enelya woke up and looked at him, smiling.
"Morning gorgeous," he said, smiling back.
The heavy metal Dave incident had been tough on Enelya, whose powers had been used to help Rothardan kill the monster, and sometimes Rothardan had been awoken by his senses, to find that Enelya was tossing and turning in her sleep. She was such an innocent person, to be having nightmares of Dave and whatnot, Rothardan wished he could wave a magic wand and make the nightmares disappear for her. She didn't deserve them, not after all the people she saved.

Enelya took a look at the mountains and smiled at them in wonder, before popping her head back into the cart.
“Did you see the mountains? They are so big! And they look so lovely with it raining outside…”
Rothardan placed an arm on her hip and smiled at her wonder of such things.
"They're alot bigger than that... that's only what you can see at the moment. Get to the top of the mountains and you'll see there's more to climb. But it's inclimbable, if that's even a word, but you can't climb then unless you had win..."
The paladin broke off for a moment and realised what he was about to say. He missed his wings and wanted to take Enelya flying to the top of the mountains and so she could see the top of the volcano. But now he couldn't... he had no wings anymore. He didn't even know if they would grow back.

Rothardan shook his head and smiled again as if trying to get something out of his head. He touched Enelya's hand with his own and then gasped as his whole vision flashed. Suddenly, he saw visions of a tree sprite dying, her throat being cut, and then pictures of a baby that looked like... no... it couldn't be. Rothardan released his hand from Enelya's and gasped in pain. His head began to thump loudly from the use of his Greater Divination spell that had a mind of its own. Rothardan looked at Enelya and told her what had happened...

"Enelya... I think... I think I just saw a part of your childhood."

"Morning gorgeous,"

Enelya blushed, turning a bright magenta. She had never gotten used to compliments… They were so foreign to her. Of course, she complimented others all the time; she never thought about her actually receiving them. Though it didn’t really bother her, she’d never found herself beautiful, gorgeous, maybe a little cute, but simply just. She waved and yawned. “Morning…” She patted her mouth, trying to make the yawn go away so her words could be audible. “Did you sleep well?” Since the rain, Enelya had slept like a baby. It was the one thing that could always put her to sleep in an instant!

"But it's inclimbable, if that's even a word, but you can't climb then unless you had win..."

Seeing Rothardan falter slightly at his lost wings, Enelya rushed towards him, and kissed him, making it as if she’d cut him off, rather than the painful memory. She rested her hands on the base of his neck, bringing her towards him, trying to make him forget that something was missing from his back. She ran her hands through his hair, pulling away from him slowly, and looking deeply into his eyes. “I love you so much, Rothardan.” She whispered. Her hands rested on his shoulders, and she squeezed them, working her fingers into his muscles, as to give him a little massage, to relieve him of his loss.

Though as he touched her hand, a whole new wave of terror flashed across his face, and she tilted her head slightly, curious. What happened? He’d never made that face, even when he was fighting Dave… Was everything alright? Was he alright? Why did he make that face when he touched her?

"Enelya... I think... I think I just saw a part of your childhood."

…Her… What? Enelya leaned forward a bit, trying to make sure she was really understanding what Rothardan was saying. “What… Do you mean…? You think you just saw part of my childhood…? I… I can’t remember my childhood…” She bit her lip. If that was the reaction of her childhood… Did she really want to hear or know it?

Rothardan tried to think of a way of explaining his power to Enelya, but it was difficult. When Enelya had said how much she loved Rothardan, and when she had started to give him the massage... he felt a strong feeling of love for her like none other. And it was this love that triggered his powers, the power to see into the past and future. It wasn't as glamorous as it sounded. Rothardan had no control over this power, and he had no idea why it was triggered... wait... yes he did. When he was back in Imythess, he had nightmares of the past because Xoco had filled him with fear. When attacked by Seele, the paladin was full of anger. When Enelya had massaged him and told him that she loved him, he was full of love.

Emotions. His emotions triggered the powers. Rothardan's fear made him see into the past, his anger made him see into the future. When he felt the love of Enelya, when he touched her... his powers must have run rampant and now he had seen a scene so grizzly and horrible that Enelya was looking at the paladin with a look of worry. Did Rothardan really look that terrified? Enelya leant closer and enquired about what he had meant...

It was time to tell Enelya the possibilities...

"I can... see into the future or the past... but I can't control it. Rothardan began, sweat coming down his brow, "I saw into the past, I don't know how far into the past, but it was your past. It must have been because I was touching your hand. I think... I think I can... oh jeez...

He had fought monsters and demons, and yet Rothardan was more scared of what he was going to say next.

"Enelya, I think I can see into the past and tell you where you came from. I don't think you have forgotten, I think your past was locked away from you somehow. Your past is like a large room and the door to it is locked. I don't have the key to the lock but I think I can break down the door and see what's on the other side."

And Rothardan waited for the reply...

Enelya listened to Rothardan explain his unusual power. She looked at him trying to process what he was saying. Seeing into the future… That was so strange. She didn’t mind, really, but it… she’d never heard of anything like that before. Though she wasn’t exactly one to talk, with her strange colorings and what not. She nodded slowly, as he explained he was unable to control it. She hesitated for a moment, unsure if he wanted to touch her again… But she couldn’t keep herself from not touching Rothardan. She grabbed his hand, intertwining their minds. “I think I can... oh jeez...” She squeezed his hand, reassuring him. “Just hold my hand. We’ll be fine, I…” She looked down at the grassy floor, then back up at Rothardan. “I can handle anything as long as you’re with me.”

"I don't have the key to the lock but I think I can break down the door and see what's on the other side."

Her mind like a big house of rooms and locks… She bit her lip slightly, a little afraid of what he was about to tell her. Obviously it wasn’t the typical mother and father, loving family, cheery friends… She nodded slowly though, she wanted to know. It had become a bit of an obsession before she had met Rothardan… but once she was swept up within his arms… Her worries melted away, and she hadn’t even considered finding out her past for even a moment since she’d met him. But now that he had seen it… Her heart started to race and she squeezed his hand again. “Please, Rothardan, tell me.”

As she thought about it, there was no one else in the world she’d rather be hearing her history from, for the better or worse…

“Please, Rothardan, tell me.”
Rothardan nodded and got ready to test out his theory of his emotion controlled powers. He thought about how Enelya made him feel happy and how he loved her so much, how he could see the future with her, how he wanted to be with her. Rothardan touched her hand and the whole world flashed before his eyes. He saw a group of wizards catching a forest nymph, killing it, combining it with a flower. He saw a baby stare blankly at the wizards, but she was no ordinary baby. Then the sprites companions appeared and turned the murders into trees.

Rothardan saw the past of Enelya, her carer and one of the wizards who created her watching her. Then there was fire and screaming, but Enelya was no-where to be found. And then... it suddenly warped to the future... Norwood Forest. Rothardan tried to go back into the past but he couldn't control his powers. He could see Norwood Forest, and a large tree. Infront of the large tree was someone... a powerful being that filled Rothardan with terror. Who was this being? Could it be a god or goddess... the god/dess of Nature?

Then Rothardan was brought back to reality and saw that he was staring at Enelya. He had seen the past and knew how she came into this world, and who cared for her. Rothardan took a deep breath, his mind began to swim. He had never used his power in such a way before, and it had drained him.

"Enelya... this is what your past was..."

And Rothardan told her about her past. He told her everything he had seen and everything he knew. Enelya was a creation from a flower and a tree nymph, and that was why she had been welcome in the Norwood Village... tree nymph's were sacred creatures. Yet if you damaged their forest, you were in trouble with them. One bone broken for every tree snapped, that was the rule. So killing a Nymph meant death...

Rothardan looked at Enelya, worried about how she would take the news. He didn't know what to say, instead he took her hand and placed it into hers and waited for some sort of reaction.

As ancient words poured from Rothardan’s mouth, explaining her history, telling her about how she came to be… her birth was created from a tree sprite’s death… But how she was rescued from the druids by other tree sprites and a nice Wood Elf named Idril. There was so much he was telling her it was almost hard to completely take in. The crazed druids, the fact that she was some experiment to pass their time, and that a sprite’s life was sacrificed to her benefit… She clutched her knees, holding them tightly, staring at the floor, and letting Rothardan’s words float into her ears. She did not look at him once during the whole thing.

It was not because she couldn’t handle it, or couldn’t look at him… It was just so much that she couldn’t help but completely zone, taking in the words and only them. She felt as if she should visit the grove of the druids… Would that change anything? Would that make her feel as if she had more control over her life? She had the feeling that those trees were probably filled with such vengeance that it’d be best not to… As Rothardan finished, Enelya looked up at him, her eyes were blank, and she wasn’t quite sure of what to say. “I, um,” she took in a deep breath, and made an airy laugh, trying to let it slide off of her shoulders, but it was strange. Her history just sat upon her chest like a heavyweight.

Rothardan looked so exhausted after seeing her future, that she scooted over to him, and wrapped her arms around him, holding herself to him. “I don’t know which is better… Not knowing and being bothered by it… Or knowing and feeling a sense of heaviness that I’ve never felt before…” Her voice was a bit shaken and soft. It was hard for her to speak, for she was having a difficult time grasping it. The thought of that poor tree sprite being murdered in her behalf was horrifying...

As Enelya came over and held onto Rothardan, the paladin did the same. Enelya was speechless, and who could blame her? Her past wasn't exactly sunshine and roses... bloodshed and flowers more like. The paladin tried to think of something to say, but as usual, he couldn't think of anything to say at all.
“I don’t know which is better… Not knowing and being bothered by it… Or knowing and feeling a sense of heaviness that I’ve never felt before…”
Rothardan closed his eyes and kissed Enelya upon the head, stroking her hair. Then he let the words pour out...

"You are the most incredible person I have ever met," he began, not even beginning to think about what he was saying, "I've told you your future and the first thing you do is come over and hold me before I swoon over and fall. You place others before you without a single thought of what could happen to you. You've helped saved lives and gave people hope...
"It isn't the past that defines us Enelya, it is our actions. And I know from your actions that you are an incredible person and every time I look at you, I feel like a new man. I'm sorry what happened to you in the past Enelya, I really am. I wish there was some way I could wave my hands and make a spell so that it would all be OK.
"But I saw the woman who took care of you Enelya, the one named Idril Norvayn. I know that if she were here right now, that she would be so proud of you and what you are today. I can say that with absoloute honesty... because I know I'm proud of you Enelya."

For a moment, there was silence. The rain had stopped and the sun began to come out through the clouds again, rays shining through the windows of the caravan. Rothardan looked at Enelya and smiled at her.

"I love you Enelya, with all my heart and soul."

Engulfed in Rothardan’s embraced, Enelya simply let him hold her. Nothing could touch her. Not even a past that was so rigid you’d think she would be a completely different person. But it was so strange to finally know… That she was created from the blood of a tree sprite, a strange flower, and druid magic. What would you call her? Even though she knew… She couldn’t quite pick out a race or a name for it. A magical thing? A creation? Those things were so trivial though… Names… They weren’t really good for much except for identification; and she had her name, and didn’t need a race to identify with when she had Rothardan to keep her company.

Then, the words that left his mouth were like pillows, and supports, keeping the heaviness off of her chest and making her feel as if she was going to be okay. She knew she was going to be okay… But Rothardan just made it all click. His hands going through her hair his sweet, sweet words… She couldn’t help but cry. Tears started flowing from her eyes like a waterfall, and the kept falling and falling, like each guilt she had for her existence, for Dave, for Rothardan losing his wings, for… everything. He called her incredible, admirable, he was proud of her… She wrapped her fingers in his shirt as he cried onto his chest, smiling, and blushing the whole time. His voice vibrating through his chest as she could feel his heart beating steadily within his chest. He was so calm, strong, comforting, supportive…

Enelya curled herself within Rothardan’s lap, let him hold her, let him protect her. She tucked her arms to her chest as he had his arms wrapped around her body. Idril… Idril had seemed like a nice person… she wished she could see her face and remember her; instead of being told about her. Having a stupid locked door, or whatever you wanted to call it. As she heart the rain cease, she looked up at Rothardan, greeted by his smile. She let out an airy laugh of relief and collapsed against him. “I love you…”

As Rothardan finished talking, Enelya began to smile and cry. The words worked, washing away any guilt or bad feeling Enelya had about her past, as she cried and buried herself within Rothardan's lap, curling up as she cried a river. All the paladin could do was look at her and smile, holding her tight as she let it all out. He held onto her, wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her, not whilst he had breath in his body.

The rain stopped and the sun shined. Yet Rothardan had no intention of climbing up the mountains today, he just wanted to be here with Enelya and sit the rest of the day out. They had both been through a lot and now, Enelya knew who she finally was. Yet there were still questions that he were in his mind. What happened to Enelya's mother? What happened to the one wizard who was spared?

...and who was the being that would become the Goddess of Nature? There was a war coming along, Rothardan had dreamt it. What side would the goddess of nature play on? Would she join darkness or light? Who knew?

So, the rest of the day was spent simply lying in the cart, feeding Alatiel, clearing out the rotting leaves from the cart, and simply spending time together. They shared a comfortable silence, especially since after learning of her history, Enelya was a bit quiet, and was a little lost for words. Dusk came swiftly, and eventually, Enelya had fallen asleep. Her sleep was clouded with a strange dream about her past… The fires… The slaughter of her kin, the slaughter of the tree sprite that had her life taken from her for the existence of Enelya… The tree sprite’s body hung from a vine and spoke to Enelya, “you’re not real…Just a mere image of me…”

Enelya’s lingering fears would not cease their bothersome nightmares. First it was Dave, and now it was her past… Would she ever know a restful night? She sat for a long while in the cart, watching Rothardan as he slept, his chest rising and falling periodically… The occasional sleep twitch that endeared him so. She smiled faintly, as she pushed some hair behind her ear. Peering out of the cart, she noticed the sun rising, and crawled out of the cart slowly, careful not to wake Rothardan. Alatiel was also sleeping, probably dreaming of some mate-worthy mare. Enelya smirked, and walked a little along the gorge, looking up into the sky, watching the sun came up. She crawled upon a large boulder and clutched her knees tightly.

The morning pressed on, and the thought of Rothardan waking up, and worrying about her crossed her mind, but soon was clouded with thoughts of more pressing matters pushed it aside. From what Rothardan had told her… She was very loved, and cherished in the tree sprite village, despite the fact that one of them had been killed on her behalf. Were there any bitter about her existence? She imagined there were… And what of the druids? All but two had been transformed into trees, and she wondered about the two that hadn’t. Had they moved on? Obsessed about her absence? There were so many things that even though she “knew” she didn’t really know. The facts were there, but still she was indifferent towards how to feel about the whole situation. Flowers and blood, the creation of Enelya Norvayn. Great.

Enelya gazed into the gorge of the mountain as the sun poured through it like a river of golden rays and through it all, Enelya noticed a small, wiry man. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look of him. He was wrinkled, crippled, stared at the ground as he walked, and a long beard hung from his chin. The hair on the top of his head was thinning, and his eyes were dark, hiding behind circular bifocals, and intimidating to Enelya. He walked with a cane, almost past her, until he looked up and noticed her. He stopped in mid-stride, gazing into her lavender eyes. He opened his mouth, a few teeth missing, “there was only one other time in my life that I ever saw a lavender-eyed girl…” he said, his voice cracked, as if these were the first words he’d uttered in quite some time. He stepped forward towards Enelya, scrutinizing her features. “And that was a very long time ago…”

Rothardan's sleep was dreamless, he had been emotionally drained from everything that had transpired today. The rest of the day had been simply spent laying down and looking at the ceiling, recovering from learning the truth of Enelya's history. Rothardan didn't have any problem with Enelya being the way she was... a tree nymph with botanical propeties, but it didn't take a wiz to see that Enelya had problems with that.

Eventually, Rothardan managed to fall into a sleep that was so deep that he didn't have any dreams. He never felt Enelya leave hte caravan or heard anything else, he simply slept like a log. Eventually he awoke to look at Enelya and wish her a good morning, only to find she was no longer beside him. Rothardan got up with a start and began to look around feverently. No... wait... calm down... Roth shook his head and wondered if she was simply outside feeding Alatiel or just having a walk.

"Enelya?" Rothardan called, "Are you out there?"

No reply. Roth poked his head out of the caravan and then went straight back in, grabbing his bag of neverending space with all his equipment in it. Enelya wasn't there... and she wouldn't go off on her own. The paladin jumped out of the caravan and saw a set of footprints that were too big to be Enelyas, for she had petite feet and these footprints were too large. He couldn't see any other footprints... could Enelya have been kidnapped.

Rothardan reached inside his back and drew out his blade. If she had been kidnapped, then whoever was guilty was now living on Rothardan's borrowed time.

This man was strange… He looked older than a knarled tree, and he approached her, running his bony fingers through her hair. She pulled away a little, but he caught her head with his other hand, holding her with a hidden strength. There was something on his lips… Something green. “I’m an old man now…” His breath smelled like rotted animals and the green… It had to be some kind of herb that heightened his strength. She couldn’t quite name it under the mask of rotting flesh. Her lips trembled, as he started getting closer and closer until she finally put her arms against his chest, keeping him away from her and she scooted back along the rock.

The man yelled, grabbing her around the waist tightly and hoisted her over his shoulder. Enelya screamed and bit his neck, making him drop her. She winced as her body crashed onto the ground, and she wobbled slowly as she got up and attempted to run back to the carriage. However not only was this man stronger than he looked, but he was also faster. He slapped her across the head, knocking her out, and she fell lifelessly to the ground. “I’ll teach you to run from me… Ye damned plant.” Again, he hoisted her over his shoulder, as he grabbed a long tress of her hair, pulling it across his nose and smelling it. “Ye smell as good as ye did the day you were created…” And he trudged further and further into the mountains, where nothing else grew but small patches of moss. The maw of the mountain opened wide enough for a human to live… To live inside a cave. The man rubbed a piece of flint across the cave’s wall, causing sparks to fall upon a torch he had mounted upon it. He threw Enelya violently against the wall, tying her tightly with thick ropes that hung from loops in the ceiling, keeping her upright. All this was already set up… As if he was expecting her to come… Or perhaps it was simply his insanity, his revenge taking over that caused him to make such a contraption.

A green splotch formed on the back of Enelya’s head, where her blood was forming in the gash that had been made as her head collided with stone. She was still unconscious… Until he threw water on her. Her eyes blinked slowly, dizzy, seeing two of everything. “What…?” She looked dizzily around, not recognizing her surroundings. “Rothardan…?” The man laughed and grabbed her nose, twisting it around. “Oh you silly little thing. Did you think I’d never find you and you’d be happy and running free forever? Oh no my sweet, you’re mine, and now you’re finally home!” He pulled her head forward, seeing her bloodied head. “Aw, look at ye head… Green blood is it? Interesting…” He went over to a desk filled with parchment and quills, and took a scrap of paper, wiping it across the back of her head, smearing it with her blood. He took it over to the desk, and starting smelling it, observing it, and he even licked it. “Interesting…” He mumbled.

It was only small, but Rothardan saw it immediately and knew that the kidnap theory held water. A small clump of hair that had been caught on the side of a small bush that, on closer inspection, was Enelya's. The paladin immediately dug out his armour and, in a blue, had placed it on upon himself. Roth would go the abyss and back if he had to, he was going to find Enelya and punish the person who took her. Then he heard something... a scream from far away. Rothardan looked and saw it came from the mountains, and somehow he knew that Enelya had to have been taken up there.

The natural caverns made it perfect for anyone to in there, Rothardan would search there all day and night if he had to. Rothardan whistled and called Alatiel from the ethereal realm, mounting him once the steed had come from his call. Then Rothardan directed the steed towards the mountains, and rode off at top speed. The horse began to ride up the steep slopes, but soon Rothardan could see that the slopes were getting rockier and rockier for any animal to climb up. So he dismounted and told Alatiel to wait there with a single command.

Rothardan began to make the climb up the mountain, his plate armour weighing him down and making him sweat. His legs began to feel swollen as he continued the climb, but the paladin did not stop. Enelya was in danger and knew that there was every possibility that the kidnapper could even kill her if he didn't find her in time. The paladin would not let that happen. He concentrated on his pain, let it course through his body, learnt to deal with it... to master it... to ignore it.

Feeling the burn... burning the feeling.

Eventually, Rothardan reached to a part of the mountains where the terrain was smooth enough where he could walk normally. Then he saw something that made his blood freeze... a drop of green blood. Enelya... she was part flower... he saw in the vision that the nymph had green blood. Oh no...
With fear coursing in his veins, Rothardan looked around and saw a cavern, it was the closest one there was. Enelya must be inside, Rothardan somehow knew it.

Gritting his teeth, letting rage guide him, Rothardan entered the cavern and prayed he wasn't too late.

“I’m the Druid that created you…” He sang, almost lyrically, as if he had been singing it his whole life. “I created a being, a being that was plant and nymph!” He laughed manically and tugged on his beard fiercely. Still at the table, he poured a solution of crushed plants along her blood, watching the reaction: nothing. He growled, and threw the parchment to the floor. He turned around, staring at her intently. He took a knife from the desk, and approached her, taking in a long tress of her hair within his hands. Slicing it from her head, her blue hair falling to the ground below her. Enelya shut her eyes tightly, feeling the weight of her hair being released from her skull. Now just above her shoulders, Enelya could feel the cool air of the mountains against her neck; something she’d never felt before it her life.

The crazy old man danced around the cave, holding her hair in his hands and waving it around, singing something in some strange language that Enelya couldn’t understand. She watched him, her eyes wandered towards the mouth of the cave, trying to see if someone… anyone… was there… Tears streamed down her face as she felt so helpless, tied and in the hands of his crazed man. The old man threw the hair onto the ground, throwing fuming chemicals and plants onto the hair, and he crouched over it, watching for a reaction. Still… Nothing. He screamed and threw the things against the wall, against Enelya, she turned her head as he screamed at her. “Why doesn’t this work?! You’re supposed to be the ultimate form of medicine! And nothing reacts!” Her slapped her across the face. “Look at me!” She bit her lip, trying to spit the mixture out of her mouth. He took the knife from the table, and ran it along Enelya’s arm, her green blood pouring out like tears. She winced, biting her lip even harder now. She groaned at the pain. He wiped the blood off of her arm with his hand, he smelled it, licking it, swishing it around in his mouth. “Bah, nothing. You’re useless! You may have worked as a being… But nothing more. I might as well finish you off now…” He paced around the cave for a bit, trying to figure out the most efficient way to kill her. He couldn’t burn her or slice her up… That’d be too… Nasty.

Enelya cried, looking down at her bleeding arm, feeling her breaths become hoarse and distant… She was becoming so weak from the loss of blood, and not soaking up the sun’s rays in the morning. Her head hung limply as she fell in and out of consciousness.

The cave was dark. Rothardan was forced to resort to using his darkvision to see inside, with a quickness in his step when he heard crying in the cave. That was Enelya's voice, he knew that voice anywhere. The cave seemed to go on forever, but eventually he saw a small speck of light at the end of the cave and he heard a voice.

"You may have worked as a being… But nothing more. I might as well finish you off now…"

Rothardan's heart stopped as he heard what the stranger had said, and immediatley he rushed forward towards the light only to see something more shocking that anything he had seen in his life. Enelya was tied to the walls with thick ropes, half dead from either starvation or from the blood loss from the cuts. And then he saw the person who was responsible, a crooked old man dressed in robes who was holding a knife.

For a moment Rothardan stood there, shocked to the core with what he was seeing. Enelya was halfway to death, this druid was responsible, and if Rothardan didn't do something then he would lose the one woman whom he loved more than life itself. Rothardan gritted his teeth and spoke to the druid...

"You have no idea what you have done..."

Enelya’s head was spinning. The cavern walls went around and around and she couldn’t focus on anything. The old man… The patches of her hair scattered along the floor… The desk… The parchment… Rothardan… The man… The hair… Rothardan!? She blinked several times, trying to focus. “Ro…Roth…” Her lips were dry and she was having a hard time forming the words on her lips. The syllables merely fell off her lips hopelessly. She tried to lift her head, but it felt like a ton of jagged boulders on her neck; it swiveled from side to side, but still, to no avail, it hung limply.

The man turned his head sharply, staring at the man in armor wildly. His eyes seemed to burn with an inner rage. No… No one was going to steal his creation from him! The wrinkled man grabbed a handful of Enelya’s hair, and threw it at Rothardan, laughing manically. “You want her? You want her? Have her! Have her!” He danced around, throwing some oddly shaped leaves into his mouth and chewing them; spit and green mash falling from his lips as he spit it upwards like a fountain. The old man danced towards Rothardan, knocking on his armor like a big tin can. “What are ye all bundled up for? Are you her…” He batted his eyes, giving Rothardan a disgusting toothy grin. “Knight in Shining Armor?” He cackled, dancing around once more.

"You have no idea what you have done..."

The crazed man stopped his dancing, cackling and froze for a moment. He turned around, and stared at Rothardan for quite a long time. “No… No idea?” A wicked grin split his face, almost in two, “actually… I have every idea of what I’ve done!” He then fell to the floor, spinning around in circles, cackling, drooling, and making a complete nut of himself.

The kidnapper began to roll around on the floor laughing and drooling in front of the paladin, and Roth could only stand there and watch. Where had he seen that face before? Who was he? Rothardan walked over to the man and grabbed him, picking him up by the neck and looked deep into his eyes. He was a ragged man, he had only skin on his bones and very little muscle. His eyes were sunken in and he had rotten teeth with a large beard with bugs and other things caught within it. But it was the eyes that Rothardan remembered... the paladin suddenly felt a great wave of pity for this man.

It was the wizard who had taken Enelya to her adoptive mother, the only survivor of the massacre. He had gone completely insane having seen his friends turned to wood, having killed a tree sprite, having known all his life what he had done. It was enough to drive any man crazy... but this man had gone completely over the edge, and as a result, he had kidnapped Enelya and forced Rothardan to make a choice. Rothardan wanted to break this man in two, but this man was insane... Roth had sword never to harm those who couldn't defend themselves, and this man could not defend himself at all. To kill this man now would be... sinful... wrong.

So Rothardan threw the man back, not hard enough to break his back but hard enough to tell him not to get back up... to retreat into the corner. The wizard landed against a wall... and his back hit something. It was a small panel that was hidden by the naked eye, a switch that opened a secret door within the cavern. When the door opened, Rothardan thought he saw... no... it couldn't be. The Paladin walked up to the secret door and drove his blade into the hinges of the door, cutting them both. The door fell flat, and could not be shut upon Rothardan to trap him.

What Rothardan saw was enough to drive even him insane. The room large and full of tables and upon each table was a large flask> In each flask was a green pod of some sorts. Each pod had a face upon it, but the faces were deformed, not even human. Some were missing eyes, some had eyes were there should be ears, some were missing chunks of flesh. Insane or not, this man was wrong. He had been experimenting, trying to find out how he had made Enelya. But an insane man couldn't have done this... and Rothardan suddenly put two and two together.

The druid wasn't insane. He was faking it.

If he was found insane, he would be thrown into a ward and given a cushy life. The wizard must have thought he would strike fear into Enelya by acting insane, for he knew she was new to the worlds ways. The rules had changed, this man was not insane... he was evil. He had to be brought to justice. Rothardan turned around and faced the druid with a glint of anger in his eyes.

"Are you insane?" he asked, "Or is this a ruse? Are you trying to escape justice?"

As Rothardan grabbed up the man, he just sat there and laughed, drooling, his eyes in a completely different world. His arms trembled and his cheeks flushed brightly. If this were to be the end… so be it! He had nothing else to live for… he had no means of defending himself… he was just a simple druid gone mad within the depths of the mountains, scrounging for some source of meaning in his life. Once he had found Enelya again… she had given him meaning once more. Though, it was not a valid meaning, but meaning nonetheless.

“Kissssssss herrr…” He wobbled his head around in Rothardan’s grasp, his voice hissing like a snake. “You want her don’t you? She’s all nice and tied up!” The old man threw his head back and laughed even more. Oh, this would be a day to remember! Especially if he were to die now. A big toothy grin spread across his face as he knew he was probably enraging Rothardan… her knight. “A little plaything just for you…She’ll never age or die! That’s why you keep her, isn’t it? She’s far too gullible for anything else…” He reached out to touch her face, but Rothardan’s grasp prevented him for any moments whatsoever concerning his limbs.

The crazed man was hurdled through the wall… Then he started to scream. “No. No. No. Why’d you do that..?” He hissed and spat, enraged that Rothardan fond his room… His secret room… Where everything took place… All his mistakes, here they were, for him to see, he clawed at the ground, trying to get away… He scrambled up, throwing his body against the mistakes, the wronged experiments, trying to hide them… But Rothardan merely cast him aside, making him weep in the corner.

"Or is this a ruse? Are you trying to escape justice?"

Screaming, the man hollered and rolled on the floor. “Failure… I’m a failure… Kill meeeee…” No… He wasn’t crazy, but he suffered internally about so many things that made him appear crazy. The dissatisfaction of his entire clan being wiped out, the inability to recreate one of his masterpieces, the inevitable doom that hung over his head… that, drove him crazy. What was the point? Rothardan was going to split him in two, take his girl, and live happily ever after while he either rotted, died, or suffered until death. Either way… There was no happy ending for him. Why even attempt sanity.

Meanwhile, Enelya let out a discomforted cry as she tried to get out of her bindings. She was tired of simply hanging there, dying, losing all of her blood, helpless. She shifted, the ropes rubbing against her skin, causing a burn, and she closed her eyes, leaning her head limply against the wall, trying to find some sort of consciousness. But her head was still spinning, and all she heard were the voices of the crazed man and Rothardan. She could not make out words, or phrases, just tones and volume.



[[OOC: Blah...]]

Rothardan looked at the wizard with the utmost disgrace as he rolled upon the floor and begged for death. Rothardan looked at the man, his eyes blazing in anger, then spoke to him once:
"You don't deserve the release of death..."
Rothardan cracked the wizard once over the head with the pommel of his blade and watched as the wizard dropped down unconscious. How Rothardan wanted to beat him, how he wanted to punish him for everything he had done to Enelya... he wanted to make sure that the wizard would suffer for all his transactions that he would forever be in pain. But he could not do that, Rothardan had sword to uphold life and justice.

Rothardan walked towards Enelya and cut down the ropes, catching Enelya as she fell from her confines. She was weak, her hair had been cut, she was close to death. But Rothardan knew what to do... he placed a hand upon her forehead and began muttered an ancient celestial command word, his whole hands glowing a golden colour as he did this. His greater heal spell would take effect and heal Enelya of any wounds she had suffered physically. But something told Rothardan that Enelya would be scarred for life from something like this.

Rothardan looked at the wizard once more and saw he was still in the room with all his "failures". The paladin raised his hand and, using his telekinesis, shook the roof of the hidden cavern's entrance with all his mental strength. The cavern entrance began to crumble and soon it would be blocked by boulders and rubble. The whole cave would be blocked by cave and rubble once Rothardan had exited it. It was a disgusting place where evil festered... it should be removed.

Rothardan looked at Enelya, taking off his helm so his eyes could meet hers, and said:

"Let's go home..."

With the druid unconscious, sealed within his misery, away from the world, things were slowly coming together. Rothardan had approached Enelya, and sliced the ropes, causing her to fall lifelessly into his arms. She sighed as the tension was off of her, unable to move any part of her body, she simply hanged in Rothardan’s arms. Enelya, barely able to open her eyes, looked up at Rothardan, tears streaking her face. He was so beautiful… Her savior… Her love…

He rested his hand on her forehead, causing her to close her eyes. His touch took away her pain, her bleeding, her hurt. She took a long deep breath when he removed his hand, instantly growing stronger and more conscious. As he removed his hand, Enelya opened her eyes slowly, tears still spilling over as his own eyes met hers. She reached up and touched his cheek, nodding slowly at his inquisition. Her body had been healed, and though she felt no pain physically, her heart ached for the crazed druid. He would be confined within that compartment of the mountain for the rest of his life, staring at his failures, and starving to death.

Enelya said little, and simply wanted to remain within Rothardan’s arms. She wanted to reach up, and kiss him all over, thank him for his courageous efforts, but her consciousness, though it had returned, was very fragile. She touched his metal breastplate, her arm not wanting to stay upon his cheek. She rested her hand back on her own chest, and breathed deeply, her tears slowly drying on her cheeks. It was all calming down now, and home sounded like a wonderful thing. But, for now, just being within Rothardan’s arms was enough.

And so they returned to the cart, both Rothardan and Enelya. Rothardan used his blink spell to teleport past places he would need to climb, but couldn't since he was carrying Enelya. When he reached the bottom, he saw a mountain guard looking at the paladin and Rothardan told him about the druid trapped in the mountains and also advised to bring backup. Though the druid was evil, Rothardan wouldn't let him starve to death... he would be thrown into prison like all murderers and kidnappers should. It would be a few days later when a carrier pidgeon would deliver the message from the guard, that there was no-one in the mountain anymore and instead, there was a wooden statue of a wizard who was looking in horror at something.

Rothardan smiled at the message and knew that those forest nymphs were good and even though the Paladin had tried to seal in the wizard and stop him from running into them, the nymphs had found him in the end.

For now, the paladin was looking at Enelya whilst he was sitting in the cart. It wasn't fair that she was dragged into this, it wasn't fair that she was apart of Rothardan's world of blood and evil. All he wanted was for Enelya to be safe and to be happy, but instead she had been kidnapped and almost tortured. All Rothardan wanted was for Enelya to be safe. Was she really ever going to be safe when around Rothardan? Probably not. So the paladin looked at Enelya and brused a hand through her hair, wondering what should he do to make things right again.

Once back inside the cart, Enelya mumbled a few words of distress. It was not anything major, but she still ached a little from hanging from the ropes for so long. She lay in Rothardan’s arms, him brushing his hands through her hair, soothing her mind of the demons that were now tainting her soft innocence with the horrors of the world that she would have never ever dreamed of. There were crazed druids, starving merchants, metal people with so much anger built inside of them… That made this world such an unsettling place to live. Only now did Enelya realize how isolated from the world she really was. It wasn’t until Rothardan had come along, shown her so many things she had been blind too.

However, it wasn’t all bad… Though her eyes had been opened to suffering and pain… They had also been awakened to love; something that Enelya would have never known otherwise, without seeing his face. She ran her fingertips softly against the metal of his breastplate, tracing the curves slowly. She rested her hand upon his chest, closing her eyes, and she murmured softly, “hold me… I promise I won’t let go…” She took his hand that was near her, and held it softly.

As she kept her eyes closed, she saw a golden lion upon a hill, let out a mighty roar, and had come to her rescue. Enelya then began tracing it slowly into his breastplate with her forefinger, humming softly a lullaby she had always had in her head. Her cheek was pressed against his ribs, and she reached up with her other hand, noting the drastic change to her hair. Rothardan hadn’t said barely anything to her since he’d left the cave, and she was a bit worried about him. Was he okay?

Rothardan cradled Enelya in his arms, wanting nothing but for her to rest and sleep. His mind whizzed through what he had seen, and what had happened to Enelya over these past few weeks. He had only wanted to spend time with Enelya, not to get into all this trouble. As a result, Enelya had been tied and tortured. Her beautiful long hair had been cut short, a reminded of what had transpired. Though justice had won, Rothardan didn't feel as if he had won anything. All he could do was stare at Enelya and wonder why all this kept happening to her, to him... to the both of them. Was the world against them or something?

Rothardan couldn't bare to see his love like this, exhausted and weak. His eyes began to water as he looked at her laying there, murmuring words barely audible. How had this happened? Hopefully, now that the wizard had been caught by the nymphs and punished, things would slowly return to normal. No-one from Enelya's past would try to hurt her again, Rothardan wouldn't allow it. Enelya's hand rose up and Rothardan looked at her startled. She was OK? The paladin smiled as she began to move her hand in curves, tracing a shape across the metal of his breastplate.

Then she stopped and placed her hand upon the metal platemail cuirass, and murmered, “hold me… I promise I won’t let go…”
Rothardan placed a hand near Enelya, who somehow found it and entwined it upon his. He closed his hand, his fingers making sure they wouldn't let go. Rothardan leant down and kissed her once upon the forehead, his tears dropping down upon Enelya's skin like raindrops upon a beautiful flower.

"I'm so sorry this happened Enelya..." he whispered.

With his strong arms around her, Enelya feared no more. She was able to simply lie there, holding Rothardan’s hand, letting him hold her. She was so happy… Despite her state of exhaustion. Sure, new things came with their relationship… Things that she’d never dreamed of… But there had to be a balance to everything, right? When a creature died, another was born, and when you find great happiness, you must also experience great loss… That was just the balance, and nature of things. She felt his lips press against her forehead, along with tears as well. Enelya looked up, and guided his lips softly to her own. She pressed her lips onto his for a long while, until she finally broke their kiss. “Rothardan… Don’t cry… I’m right here, love…” She reached up, stroking his cheek, wiping his tears.

"I'm so sorry this happened Enelya..."

A small spread across Enelya’s lips as she opened her eyes. She looked at Rothardan’s somber face, and lifted his chin slightly, so that he would look at her. “Why? Why would you be sorry for something that was inevitable? Because you were there…” She took a deep breath, resituating herself and swallowed, running her hand through his hair now. “I’m okay…” Her fingers washed through the threads of his hair, falling back slowly onto her chest as she was able to take another deep breath, and close her eyes, with a smile.

She was happy, and nothing would change that. Not the cutting of her hair, not the scar that was left on her arm, not even a crazed druid from her past would tarnish the newfound love she had experienced. Even if she had died, Gods forbid… The only regret she would have had would have been that she wasn’t able to spend more time with Rothardan, her knight. But now she was back, safe, and tired… But healing quickly. Once the sun had risen the next day, and she was able to lie in it, letting her body heal itself… She’d be good as new. Tomorrow morning… That’s all she needed.

As Rothardan listened to Enelya, he smiled as the tears stopped flowing. What she said was like a cure to his pain, Enelya seemed to have changed in the face of danger. She seemed to be standing up against those who would dare try to ruin everything. Nothing would bring her down, and Rothardan couldn't help but admire her as she healed him with her words. How would he have ever survived if Enelya wasn't here, how would he have ever smiled again? Using his telekinesis, Rothardan closed the enterance to the tent so it was sealed, and then unstrapped his plate armour so he could take it off. It was getting too hot, so Rothardan placed the armour somewhere to the side. Now he had nothing but his vest covering his top half of the body.

"I love you so much Enelya," Rothardan said.

He looked deep into her eyes and bent down to kiss her passionatley, one hand stroking her hair whilst the other was placed upon her side. He adored Enelya, wanted to be with her. Nothing like this would happen again, Rothardan promised himself that. But right now, he didn't want to think of such things... he just wanted to be with his love and spend the rest of the night with her. No more adventuring for the day... for now they would rest and wait for the new day.

"I love you so much Enelya,"

Enelya smiled, rested her head upon his chest, rather than the cold metal breastplate. "Even though I have a knack of getting myself into trouble?" But soon he bent down, and kissed her passionately, which made her let out a small noise of pain, but wrapped her arms around Rothardan's neck, as to not let him go. She knew he'd feel bad about making her hurt, but it wasn't his fault, and such a kiss would wash away any pain that she felt. She kissed him back, keeping him close to her, not wanting it to be any different.

Though her fatigue finally got the best of her as she released their embrace and kiss, and simply rested upon Rothardan's rising chest as he breathed. She loved the beating of his heart, and the rising and falling of his chest. It reminded her that he was still alive... Still real... and still with her. Soon she fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed of things that were happy, and joyful, bringing her a peaceful slumber.