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07-01-2006 02:52 AM
“So you know Daegal and his friend” Morrigan’s voice broke Hex’s concentration as she continued the conversation, “that white nymph woman?”
Pex immediately replied as Hex tried to play catch-up, “Oh yes, we both have become rather fond of Daegal. He is such a sweet giant thing. But as far as Grendealla goes… well I’m not quite sure what to make of her. She is pleasant in some aspects, and yet at times she is quite capable of making my skin crawl.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Morrigan began to reply until Hex blurted out his two cense.
“I think she is a wonderful person,” Hex shot a quick glance at Pex before turning his eyes back to Morrigan, “that has come through for us on several occasions. I have seen her kill several of those dark creatures that attacked us in the forest. And many of those savage beasts had had their eyes set on me when she killed them. So I know for a fact that she is beyond trustworthy… trustworthy is for those who you would trust to watch you while you sleep. She is the kind I would loose sleep to watch over so that nothing could harm her. Just as I would do for Pex or Daegal and yet no one else.”
Pausing momentarily Morrigan responded, “I meant to say that I know how such a creature as Grendealla could make a person uneasy. For it was I that found her the day she had been cursed by her own.”
“You knew her at one time then,” Hex asked with a bewildered look on his face.
“That I did and still do. It was an absolutely horrid day when I found her. And I say that with regards for more than just the weather that day. For when I came upon her there were five or six of those widows; along with Diomenia, hovering about her. Two were in the process of sticking needless in her eyes to inject white ink. Needless to say, it had been her cries that had drawn me to her that day,” Morrigan locked eyes with Hex as she talked. “Tears streamed down her face as she begged for them to stop what they had seemingly been going at for hours if not days. I could clearly see that they had used dull knives to gash her skin where her royal markings had once been. Because they were still injecting the white ink into her flesh too as I arose from the foggy forest shadows.
“I’ll never forget the look on her face as they punched her for crying through out the horrific ordeal. Even as I came into full view they still proceeded to take clubs to her knees and arms. Bashing the life out of her as they injected the “ghost” as they called the white fluid. It was a scene strait out of nightmare. I have never seen such cruelty being perpetrated on any living creature before or sense then.
“Her head was bald when I first saw her. For they had died her scalp and all the roots of her hair white. It was as though they were planning to make her die once and then live it forever after that. So I did what I saw as the only way to stop their sadistic little plan.”
“Oh dear,” Pex whispered as tears swelled in her eyes.
“Drawing my sword I realized that the four elf warriors that had been with me on our scouting mission were no longer beside me. They had seen Grendealla and assumed that if they could do this to her they would do it to us. I cursed them for their willingness to allow me to go in to that alone, but at the same time envied them. For at that moment Diomenia spoke. ‘Behold your sister in death Grendealla… sent to join you in the after life’.
“I froze,” Morrigan paused, as she seemed to sink inward. “My sword was no match for them. Like demons from some other realm they descended upon me. Their little knives and hard clubs broke my flesh like it was made of paper. But I fought harder than they had thought I would. I just couldn’t let them continue in on Grendealla the way they had. So every time the thought of retreat set in on my mind I just looked at her emaciated little body. That is what kept me fighting on.
“Soon they were gone and it was just me and her. I was bleeding from seven different wounds, but I couldn’t leave her. So I just sat there with her… holding her… pulling her close. She began to mumble things to me… things that I have never told anyone. For that night she turned that broken face of hers toward me and cried out ‘please kill me’. But that wasn’t all… because just as I told her how I loved her too much to let her die she replied ‘you don’t even know me’. So I assured her that it didn’t matter if I had known her before then I just wouldn’t let her go. But she continued on by saying ‘but I long to die… let me die’. That is when I pulled her hands up to my wounds and shown her the beating and the cuts I had sustained in her name.”
“What happened after that,” Hex muttered as he stared into Morrigan’s eyes.
“The four elves that had been by my side returned latter that evening,” Morrigan smiled as she continued, “each one pleading their case. All of them then began telling me that they had wanted to stay the course… but each one had another reason to flee. So I made them look upon Grendealla and see why I had chosen to stay. That is when they realized we had to get her to our doctors. And that is when a child strolled through the darkness trying to find his way out of the forest. I convinced him to climb the grass and see if he could flag down one of our dragoon fliers. So when he finally got one to dive low enough I cried out ‘you warrior of Trine… your princess calls upon you now to draw her and her men from this ghastly place’.
“That is how we got Grendealla to our city. That is how we came to know the wonderful white woman. That is how the white warrior learned to fire that bow she carries so well.”
As a tear inched down her face Pex whispered, “I would have never guessed that Grendealla had been through so much.”
Morrigan gently swept the tears that had formed in her eyes away as she replied softly, “I wish that I could say that that had been the end of her hardship. But as time went by she became more and more like an elf and less and less like a nymph. And that is not healthy for any of our kind. Because removing herself from their society… her culture… was exactly what Diomenia had in mind when she cursed her.
“So when the day came that the elves had to go all our war with Diomenia it was understandably difficult for our warriors to fight alongside Grendealla. They had grown to except her as one of our own, but something inside her became a point of contention. Aife believed that the level of ferocity that Grendealla practiced in battle with the sprites was uncalled for. It was Aife’s opinion that our side of the war should show mercy when the enemy surrendered.”
“What did Grendealla do to cause Aife to be uncomfortable with her,” Hex interrupted in an attempt to force Morrigan to her point.
“In a battle just outside the nymph city Fate, Grendealla was fighting alongside Aife. And after thirteen straight days of combat the enemy gave way,” Morrigan explained, “and began to fall back on the city for protection. The elf mission there was to force Fate out of the war. And due to the Tear of Blood regiment being nearly crippled… we assumed the city was of no threat.
“But Grendealla had a different take on the battle. She rallied the remaining elf troops into a bloody butchery of any nymph that remained outside the city walls. That being not only sprite warriors but also nymph battle field doctors and even wounded soldiers. All of them were fair game in Grendealla’s eyes. All of them had to pay the same bloody toll that she had paid years earlier. All of them, in her mindset, had to be forced to that point were they longed to die… but she never allowed them too.
“Instead she stood over them and almost seemed to relish in their pain. She tormented a woman nymph to the point that her body could take it no longer. That woman nymph faded away after hours of savage attacks. This being a great disappointment to Grendealla; so much so that the fit she fell into drove off all of the elves who had stayed alongside her.”
Hex’s eyes shown a look of disgust but only for Pex and Morrigan’s benefit, for in his heart the story lit a fire of pride and lust. A part of him envied Grendealla for what she had done. Thus his heart swelled with pride.
“Later that night my royal council drew questions… the sort that they only draw before the trial of a elf warrior. So I did what I could,” Morrigan continued to recall, “and that was to get to Grendealla before the royal snobs did. But she wouldn’t listen to me… she was convinced that nothing wrong had happened. That entire night we argued about that one sick sad event; an event that in my culture was enough to condemn any warrior.
“So by morning we came to the conclusion that she had to escape. And the best road out of Trine was that which you two came here by. That same road leads to the troll camps just beyond the dessert sands. And that is how she found her way to Daegal. Whatever happened after that I couldn’t tell you. I just know that after that happened she was forever attached to that giant troll.”
all rights reserved by author
“So you know Daegal and his friend” Morrigan’s voice broke Hex’s concentration as she continued the conversation, “that white nymph woman?”
Pex immediately replied as Hex tried to play catch-up, “Oh yes, we both have become rather fond of Daegal. He is such a sweet giant thing. But as far as Grendealla goes… well I’m not quite sure what to make of her. She is pleasant in some aspects, and yet at times she is quite capable of making my skin crawl.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Morrigan began to reply until Hex blurted out his two cense.
“I think she is a wonderful person,” Hex shot a quick glance at Pex before turning his eyes back to Morrigan, “that has come through for us on several occasions. I have seen her kill several of those dark creatures that attacked us in the forest. And many of those savage beasts had had their eyes set on me when she killed them. So I know for a fact that she is beyond trustworthy… trustworthy is for those who you would trust to watch you while you sleep. She is the kind I would loose sleep to watch over so that nothing could harm her. Just as I would do for Pex or Daegal and yet no one else.”
Pausing momentarily Morrigan responded, “I meant to say that I know how such a creature as Grendealla could make a person uneasy. For it was I that found her the day she had been cursed by her own.”
“You knew her at one time then,” Hex asked with a bewildered look on his face.
“That I did and still do. It was an absolutely horrid day when I found her. And I say that with regards for more than just the weather that day. For when I came upon her there were five or six of those widows; along with Diomenia, hovering about her. Two were in the process of sticking needless in her eyes to inject white ink. Needless to say, it had been her cries that had drawn me to her that day,” Morrigan locked eyes with Hex as she talked. “Tears streamed down her face as she begged for them to stop what they had seemingly been going at for hours if not days. I could clearly see that they had used dull knives to gash her skin where her royal markings had once been. Because they were still injecting the white ink into her flesh too as I arose from the foggy forest shadows.
“I’ll never forget the look on her face as they punched her for crying through out the horrific ordeal. Even as I came into full view they still proceeded to take clubs to her knees and arms. Bashing the life out of her as they injected the “ghost” as they called the white fluid. It was a scene strait out of nightmare. I have never seen such cruelty being perpetrated on any living creature before or sense then.
“Her head was bald when I first saw her. For they had died her scalp and all the roots of her hair white. It was as though they were planning to make her die once and then live it forever after that. So I did what I saw as the only way to stop their sadistic little plan.”
“Oh dear,” Pex whispered as tears swelled in her eyes.
“Drawing my sword I realized that the four elf warriors that had been with me on our scouting mission were no longer beside me. They had seen Grendealla and assumed that if they could do this to her they would do it to us. I cursed them for their willingness to allow me to go in to that alone, but at the same time envied them. For at that moment Diomenia spoke. ‘Behold your sister in death Grendealla… sent to join you in the after life’.
“I froze,” Morrigan paused, as she seemed to sink inward. “My sword was no match for them. Like demons from some other realm they descended upon me. Their little knives and hard clubs broke my flesh like it was made of paper. But I fought harder than they had thought I would. I just couldn’t let them continue in on Grendealla the way they had. So every time the thought of retreat set in on my mind I just looked at her emaciated little body. That is what kept me fighting on.
“Soon they were gone and it was just me and her. I was bleeding from seven different wounds, but I couldn’t leave her. So I just sat there with her… holding her… pulling her close. She began to mumble things to me… things that I have never told anyone. For that night she turned that broken face of hers toward me and cried out ‘please kill me’. But that wasn’t all… because just as I told her how I loved her too much to let her die she replied ‘you don’t even know me’. So I assured her that it didn’t matter if I had known her before then I just wouldn’t let her go. But she continued on by saying ‘but I long to die… let me die’. That is when I pulled her hands up to my wounds and shown her the beating and the cuts I had sustained in her name.”
“What happened after that,” Hex muttered as he stared into Morrigan’s eyes.
“The four elves that had been by my side returned latter that evening,” Morrigan smiled as she continued, “each one pleading their case. All of them then began telling me that they had wanted to stay the course… but each one had another reason to flee. So I made them look upon Grendealla and see why I had chosen to stay. That is when they realized we had to get her to our doctors. And that is when a child strolled through the darkness trying to find his way out of the forest. I convinced him to climb the grass and see if he could flag down one of our dragoon fliers. So when he finally got one to dive low enough I cried out ‘you warrior of Trine… your princess calls upon you now to draw her and her men from this ghastly place’.
“That is how we got Grendealla to our city. That is how we came to know the wonderful white woman. That is how the white warrior learned to fire that bow she carries so well.”
As a tear inched down her face Pex whispered, “I would have never guessed that Grendealla had been through so much.”
Morrigan gently swept the tears that had formed in her eyes away as she replied softly, “I wish that I could say that that had been the end of her hardship. But as time went by she became more and more like an elf and less and less like a nymph. And that is not healthy for any of our kind. Because removing herself from their society… her culture… was exactly what Diomenia had in mind when she cursed her.
“So when the day came that the elves had to go all our war with Diomenia it was understandably difficult for our warriors to fight alongside Grendealla. They had grown to except her as one of our own, but something inside her became a point of contention. Aife believed that the level of ferocity that Grendealla practiced in battle with the sprites was uncalled for. It was Aife’s opinion that our side of the war should show mercy when the enemy surrendered.”
“What did Grendealla do to cause Aife to be uncomfortable with her,” Hex interrupted in an attempt to force Morrigan to her point.
“In a battle just outside the nymph city Fate, Grendealla was fighting alongside Aife. And after thirteen straight days of combat the enemy gave way,” Morrigan explained, “and began to fall back on the city for protection. The elf mission there was to force Fate out of the war. And due to the Tear of Blood regiment being nearly crippled… we assumed the city was of no threat.
“But Grendealla had a different take on the battle. She rallied the remaining elf troops into a bloody butchery of any nymph that remained outside the city walls. That being not only sprite warriors but also nymph battle field doctors and even wounded soldiers. All of them were fair game in Grendealla’s eyes. All of them had to pay the same bloody toll that she had paid years earlier. All of them, in her mindset, had to be forced to that point were they longed to die… but she never allowed them too.
“Instead she stood over them and almost seemed to relish in their pain. She tormented a woman nymph to the point that her body could take it no longer. That woman nymph faded away after hours of savage attacks. This being a great disappointment to Grendealla; so much so that the fit she fell into drove off all of the elves who had stayed alongside her.”
Hex’s eyes shown a look of disgust but only for Pex and Morrigan’s benefit, for in his heart the story lit a fire of pride and lust. A part of him envied Grendealla for what she had done. Thus his heart swelled with pride.
“Later that night my royal council drew questions… the sort that they only draw before the trial of a elf warrior. So I did what I could,” Morrigan continued to recall, “and that was to get to Grendealla before the royal snobs did. But she wouldn’t listen to me… she was convinced that nothing wrong had happened. That entire night we argued about that one sick sad event; an event that in my culture was enough to condemn any warrior.
“So by morning we came to the conclusion that she had to escape. And the best road out of Trine was that which you two came here by. That same road leads to the troll camps just beyond the dessert sands. And that is how she found her way to Daegal. Whatever happened after that I couldn’t tell you. I just know that after that happened she was forever attached to that giant troll.”
all rights reserved by author