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by Esther Westphal
Prelude- A beginning and an end -
A single breath of wind crossed the forest and found its way to where the two figures stood.
Both dressed in black ceremonial robes, their features not readily available to the would-be
audience of the forest. Shivering, the smaller of those figures attempted to push away from
the other.
"Please don't do this William, you know my heart doesn't belong to you....", a breathy
whisper escaped the smaller of the two in a soft feminine voice.
The man moved his finger towards his lips as a message to silence her. Her lips parted as if
she were going to continue the protest but closed when they found no will to push forth the
words, the words needed to stop what came next. His hands came to her shoulders and
slowly forced her down onto the forest floor. As if in response to his act the wind bellowed in
anger, raging down upon them. But he took no notice. As if it was a planned response to
nature’s fury at what he was about to do…a chanting sound lowly enshrouded the small
clearing of the forest. She recognized the words but did not grasp their meaning. Her heart
raced with each syllable pronounced from unseen mouths, unknown voices. There would be
no escape for her, this she knew yet cared not.
"Do not despair little one, I will take care of you....", a response echoed from him, but that
which was meant to be comforting twisted into an almost sinister threat.
Almost at once, she knew what was going to happen, and with no other way to escape it, she
started her own chanting. It was of a different type, more melodic in nature. This angered the
man even more and he let loose his fury upon her with a series of blows meant to close her
mouth. Even though he struck her, she made no move to defend herself but rather continued
on as if nothing happened.
"It ends now!" He screamed at her and recited the words that would truly end it all. "Haes
daecasus tu mayver"
Translucent chains ripped forth from the ground scattering clods of dirt and leaves into the
air… Waving like a snake about to strike, they hovered above her. She took no notice and
kept whispering her own haunting words.
Furious at the attempt to stave off her eventual fate he made the motion for the chains to
entangle her, and as if eager to strike they leapt upon her. Two to the ankles and then
another two to the wrists, one to her waist and one to her throat, they kept coming until she
was entirely restrained from head to toe. One of the chains had found its way to her lips and
forced its way between her teeth, efficiently silencing her for the moment.
He smiled noting the tears that now streamed down her face and motioned for his metallic
servants to bring her to him. With wild eyes she regarded him. He moved his hand closer to
her face and acted as if he was, almost, afraid to touch her and ruin the moment.
"Do not worry my dear little one, I will protect you and keep you forever...forever safe...you
will be at my side when the world lays in ruin...and we shall still go on...", he stopped to kiss
her forehead, "I will end this now, shackles are not befitting of my love."
Realizing that time was short she struggled against the chains, why had no one come to save
her? It was already to late. The small spell she had enshrouded herself with was not
enough. It could not stave off the demon that now held her in his grasp with those magic
chains. With one more silent prayer she telepathically reached out to someone...anyone who
would help her. As if in answer to her desperate cries, in her mind came the answer. The
chain links in her mouth became ghostlike, they were gone and yet there. She was able to
move her mouth for a very short time and used it to her advantage. Words spilled out of like
water, incanting a spell so old, so powerful that its true ancestry was removed from history.
Tears strained against her face as she tried not to cry out. The spell saved her, yet at the
same time doomed her.
The last words spilled from her lips just as the chains tightened and stilled her struggles. It
was ending, but in this ending was assured a new beginning. He would come and save her.
Who he was, she was not sure of...but only one could break the spells. One that entrapped
and controlled, and the other that made her mind go away until she could be rescued. She
slumped in the chains, the spell she let loose taking hold of her. Wisps of ghostly smoke
rolled off of her body and along the chains. As his spell and her own came to an agreed upon
end the smoke very slowly turned into blue fire. He motioned upwards to the sky like an
insane director and the chains, fire, and smoke all shot up towards the setting sun. An
unholy aura enveloped them both and grew outwards. Dazzling shades of blue and gray lit up
the dying light of the forest, and then died as quickly as they had come. And it was done.
Her body fell to the ground, its true purpose served. He moved to inspect it, ran his hands
almost vulgarly over it and found what he wanted. Her heart still beat slowly in a timeless
sleep. Moving away from her he shrugged his hand towards her general direction and the
earth moved to take the body away. It carried her far away at lightening speed, if she had any
consciousness left it was unsure, nor did it care. By the time they reached the final
destination for her resting place her body was half-naked, the clothing ripped and torn from
the ordeal. Gently hands made of earth reached out of the ground, lifting her up and then
setting her down upon a rock ledge within a cavern. Breath came and went as softly as death.
Here her mortal body would lie until the spell she cast was broken, if it ever could be broken.
Miles away he laughed, mostly out of glee for capturing what he rightfully believed was his.
Suddenly an amulet, shaped like a serpent wrapped around an icy blue stone, appeared in his
hand. Its texture shared the same quality as the magical chains in which she had been
entangled and gave off the same eerie, ghost fire glow.
"I will keep you safe little one, no one will ever take you from me...I will also bring death to
any who try.." he whispered to himself as he moved to leave the forest.