• Chapter one

    January 15th 1994

    The blade seemed to jump and dance as she fought him. She pressed forward hoping to fell him but never succeeding. He always managed to step just out of reach as she brought her sword singing over Her head and down towards his body. She cried out in frustration as a smile fleeted over his lips, he was playing with her, goading her into attacking.
    “Come now Lorthaniea” he spat her name as if it was venom. “My darling you’re so much better with a Blade than this, I should know you taught me”.
    He leapt smoothly backwards as she thrust for him with her blade.
    I have had enough no more games, no more frustrations she thought as she stepped back twirling her Sword behind her as she balanced on one leg, the other foot sliding slowly forward, watching him trying to calculate her, feeling a sense of cold smugness when she saw the look on his face. He hasn’t seen this before she thought. She balanced her sword hand gently on the small of her back, springing forward she put all of her Weight on her foot flipping forward she somersaulted over and straightened in the air as she landed she Slashed forward with her sword and sliced him from shoulder to hip, she closed her eyes as a light mist Of blood coated her face and clothes. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him grasping for his life in front of her. She walked round Him examining him as he struggled to stay conscious. She knelt down in front of him and held his face roughly in her hand.
    “You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment. I have held my self
    Together for so long Just so that I can rip you apart. You have no idea how much pain I am going to put you me through or how much I am going to enjoy it”
    She stood slowly savoring every moment. Making sure he saw her every move. She Slowly and deliberate cleaned her sword on his trousers. She dug the point of her sword into his shoulder and dragged it up towards his neck twisting it as it came to rest just below the hollow of his neck. Not this soon she thought it’s to easy he won’t suffer enough. She laughed inwardly. She found it slightly disturbing that she was enjoying torturing him so much. She caught him as he swayed forward.
    “Now we can’t have you fading out on me now can we. No that will not do.
    I won’t have nearly as much fun if you’re unconscious”.
    She held him up with hand while she took a small phial out of her pocket, she took Out the stopper and tipped his head back, emptying the contents into his mouth she Sat and waited for his pupils to dilate. When they did she pulled him roughly to his feet and thrust his sword at him walking Away a few feet she turned to face him.
    “So tell me, why did you come after me alone Shade?”
    She watched him struggle not to tell her but eventually the words came tumbling Out.
    “I came alone because I didn’t want the others to see”
    “See what” she waited patiently until he told her.
    “I had some things to say that I didn’t want the others hearing”
    She took a deep breathe fighting the urge to sit down
    “What did you have to say” she waited barley breathing while he fought to not reply. He paused, almost fell to the floor.
    “I had something’s to tell you. That I believed to be very important. This war was Started because I reacted badly to something that happened between us. To start With I turned to fight you, and get revenge, but as the war went on I realized I was Actually fighting to win you back, to try and show you I was the king you wanted to Be, but you never realized. You married him and never gave me a chance to tell you that even now, while I stand her bleeding to death by your own hand, I love you and never stopped.” His eyes rolled back and he fell to the floor, Lorthaniea strode over to His side and knelt holding his head in her hands she looked at him watching while he died. She sighed, to little to late; she raised her sword to level it with his throat, as she Plunged it down into him she started to cry.
    Too little to late.