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Treason	By : Dagian Category: +G through L > Lineage 2 Views: 832 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own nothing, NCSoft regrettably does, I make no profit off of this story that is based on Lineage2.

Chapter List
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Caellia watched in horror from the stairs of the temple as the two forces clashed with one another. Even this early in the battle it was obvious her kin were simply no match for Nathavin’s forces. Her people had not trained as hard or as fiercely as his own and it showed. She watched in fascinated alarm as his army began to push the light elves back, and advanced slowly into the village. A muffled curse caused her to swing around to face Asterios, the corner of her mouth tilted upward in a bitter grin. She had told them that they should not take Nathavin lightly. The grin however fell from her face as she remembered her duty. Sighing, she looked once more over the battle, searching for Nathavin.
            Asterios hissed as the battle progressed, he’d really thought they’d hold out better than this. He chanced a look at Caellia. She was watching the battle almost as if she’d known how it would turn out. Of course she would though, she’d spent time with Nathavin, grown close to him, had blindly fallen in love with him and didn’t even realize it. The foolish girl! His hand curled into a fist, how dare the little tramp fall in love with a dark elf after all he’d done to protect them from those traitorous heathens! After all he’d sacrificed! She was just like her father! He’d hoped she would be different from Lord Erenor, but she wasn’t. In the end, his blood flowed through her veins and she was weak like him. Unlike with Lord Erenor however, Asterios could control her somewhat being as young as she was. He nudged her slightly, “Go find Nathavin and inform him of the dissolution of this abominable alliance.”
            Caellia faced Asterios squarely, “And if he chooses to fight?”
            Asterios gazed blandly upon her face before stating in an unconcerned voice, “Then you will die.”
            Caellia flinched at his uncaring tone before turning away without a word and brushed past Nalia, knocking the woman out of her way. She further ignored Nalia as she heard the elf call out to her.
            As she approached the ongoing battle she listened to the startled exclamations of her kinsmen as they realized she was in their midst. She steadfastly ignored their warning cries and pleas for her to go back to the temple. How could she tell them she’d been ordered to go into the fray or risk losing her position? Holding her head high, she bravely came to the gates and stepped onto the bridge.
            Time seemed to slow and come to a standstill. The various combatants seemed to sense the slight shift in the atmosphere as their two leaders silently regarded one another from opposite ends of the bridge. Slowly the spells ceased and the swords fell still as their wielders looked on in quiet contemplation as Caellia and Nathavin faced one another.
            Caellia watched nervously as Nathavin slowly lowered his bow and brought it up to rest against his chest. He took an almost casual stance with his left leg canted slightly outward, while he rested his weight mostly on the right leg. She knew that no matter how he stood, he was far more dangerous than he appeared. Caellia noted how still he was. Except for the almost imperceptible clenching and unclenching of his hand around the bow, an indication of his anger. She refused to meet his eyes. If she did she’d lose what little resolve she had.
            Nathavin stared at Caellia, what would she do? She’d obviously come prepared to fight. There were plenty of arrows at her back and the large pouch of magic stones at her waist proved that theory, but would she actually attack him? He’d told her the consequences of that action. Nathavin watched her rock nervously back and forth, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. In the back of his mind he noted that she was wearing new armor, made from the same materials his was. She also carried a new bow. He’d never seen a bow like that before. Its design was like none he’d ever seen. Even though the bow was held loosely at her side as she contemplated him it was still impressive.
            Caellia blew air from between thinned lips and steeled her nerves before raising her voice and saying with a bravado she didn’t feel, “Nathavin I hereby abolish the allia…”
            His eyes narrowed to mere slits as he raised his bow and fired two consecutive arrows at her, cutting her off mid-sentence as they sliced the air on either side of her face. “Think before you finish that sentence Caellia.” He warned her. Even as he threatened her, something didn’t sit well with him.
            Caellia felt the fletching of the arrows graze her cheeks as they passed. She was not bleeding, but he’d made his point very effectively. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes before she blinked them away. Caellia readied herself as she withdrew a magic stone from the pouch at her hip and smoothly palmed it into the groove in the arrow that was designed for the stones as she withdrew the arrow from the quiver at her back before nocking it. Taking a shaky breath she raised her bow to firing level and worked to steady her quivering voice. “I am abolishing this alliance Nathavin.”
            Nathavin set his jaw. “No you aren’t, I won’t let you!” His soft, yet vehemently spoken statement, carried across the distance that separated them and was just as powerful as if he’d shouted it. “I won’t allow it!”
            “Nathavin please! Leave us be! Don’t do this!” Caellia begged him as she drew the bowstring further back, the bow creaking ominously. She began to choke on muffled sobs and her throat began to burn as if she were swallowing fire.
            “I will not let you go Caellia!” Nathavin hissed angrily.
            Caellia cried out in anguish as she released the arrow and watched it sail past Nathavin as he nimbly dodged it. She quickly repeated her earlier actions and sent another arrow at him, dodging one of his own in the process.
            The assembled forces watched in respectful silence as the two archers fought with one another. None interfered with the fight, they all knew that the two combatants would not welcome the intrusion and would very likely turn on whoever interfered. However, it was obvious that Caellia was under skilled. Even the other light elves could see that she was no match for Nathavin.
            Nathavin closed the distance between himself and Caellia, flinging his bow to the ground he reached for his dagger. It was more precise and there was less chance of him accidentally killing her with it than the bow. It also simply gave him an excuse to be closer to her.
            Caellia sidestepped Nathavin and tried to put more distance between herself and him. There wasn’t much room on the narrow bridge and she dared not go back within the confines of the village. She knew if she did he’d just close the gap and the dark elves behind him would follow and they’d steadily work their way into the village by slowly backing her up. Caellia raised the bow high in the air, risking a blow to her unprotected stomach, as she cast magic to summon a ball of flame to surround the tip of her arrow just before she released it.
The flames licked at Nathavin as he brought his arm up to shield his face. He smirked behind his raised arm, she was getting desperate. That shot, while impressive, was less harmful to him than her previous attacks. She was also getting tired from constantly drawing the string. He retreated back a few feet and studied her. She wouldn’t last much longer. Their fight had already lasted several minutes and she was reaching her limit. Soon she would make a mistake, and he’d be ready for it.
Caellia pulled the bowstring back again, ignoring her abused muscles as they burned relentlessly. Her vision blurred slightly and she shook her head weakly to clear it. She cursed loudly as the string snapped from her fingers before she was ready to release it and watched the arrow fly wildly into the crowd. Fumbling, she tried to nock another arrow as she backed away from Nathavin who was slowly advancing on her.
“Give it up Caellia!” He was tired of this foolishness. She was going to get herself hurt if she continued to attack him. He didn’t want to hurt her, but she was perilously close to forcing him to in order to protect himself. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Nathavin murmured softly as he continued to close the gap that separated them. He watched as she shook her head back and forth. “Look at yourself Caellia. You can’t even nock the arrow on the string. Give up.”
“No, I can’t.” Choked out Caellia between gulps of air. “I must…fight…I can’t…give up.”
“Why not? You can’t possibly win this fight. Even your own people can see that.” He advanced ever closer, he was just over an arm’s length away from her.
Caellia looked at him helplessly, unable to answer. How far could she trust him? She swung her gaze to the temple, where Asterios was watching them out of sight, before turning back to face Nathavin. Did she trust him enough to tell him?
Nathavin followed her gaze to the temple before returning his gaze to her face. She had turned back to him and the expression on her face perplexed him. Caellia looked afraid, but why would she be afraid? She was in her home. Caellia should have felt more comfortable here. Instead, she seemed more afraid now than when she had merely been his captive.
Deep humiliation and fear coursed throughout her. Caellia hated having to ask him for help. But she could see no other way. There was nowhere and no one else she could turn to. Asterios was holding her title above her head if she didn’t do as he said. He also believed that they alone could defeat Asadar with only a fraction of the armies of the dissatisfied and rebellious King of Giran and the Queen of Dion. Asadar had killed Goryn and intended on destroying her people. Nathavin himself had kidnapped her and had intended on merely using her to gain control over her people with the ultimate goal of destroying them.
But, after Goryn’s death, he’d changed. He’d begun to protect her. Even when she’d refused him, he’d helped her. Nathavin had begun to treat her with a measure of respect. Of course, he’d still been irritable and easily provoked to anger, but he’d never actually hurt her on purpose. She’d known many times he could have easily hurt her and hadn’t. Looking into his dark eyes, turned a smoky grey from his turbulent emotions during the recent fight, she studied him.
Squelching down her pride, Caellia breathed deeply and began to speak in a low voice, “Nathavin…I…” She broke off with a sob and a curse. Caellia hissed in frustration as tears momentarily blinded her and a lump rose in her throat, making it impossible to speak. She couldn’t do it! The dark elves had been her enemy for so long! How could she ask them for help?! She’d agreed to the alliance because it would right a wrong done to them so many years ago, but could she, or even should she, ask them for help?
“What is it Caellia?” Nathavin stepped up to her, completely closing the distance between them. He hated seeing her this way. Even when he’d been the cause of her frustration and sadness, she’d never looked like this. He was stunned by the look of such pure sorrow in her blue eyes as she turned her face up to his. The look in her eyes brought him physical pain, as if he’d been run through with the jagged blade of a Damascus sword. It made him angry that anyone could cause her such emotional pain. He wanted to hold her. Bring her close to him and tell her he would make everything all right, that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. He wanted to offer her his help, but he couldn’t, not here and now. Instead, he simply stood in front of her, wishing he could find a way to make things right. Wishing he could make her pain go away.
Caellia looked up to see Nathavin far closer than he had been previously and took a skittish step back to regain the lost distance between them and looked away from him. She flinched as he followed her. She took another, larger step back, uncomfortable with his close proximity to her. To her amazement he didn’t follow this time. Instead, he took an equal size step to hers backwards and away, doubling the amount of distance she had placed between them.
“I will wait here until you decide to tell me whatever it is you need to tell me Caellia.” Nathavin worked to keep the disappointment out of his voice. If she needed space, he’d give it to her. Anything he could do to help alleviate her fright and fear he would do. He kept as still as he could, only moving to sheath his dagger.
The gathered fighters watched them in a strained quiet. They knew something had transpired between Nathavin and Caellia. It was obvious that Nathavin was allowing Caellia to come to some sort of decision since he had adopted a pose of wait-and-see. The assembled factions watched each other warily, each waiting for the other to strike, each half expecting and half wanting the other to strike.
Asterios looked on in outrage. Caellia was not fighting Nathavin! She was standing there with her bow held limply at her side and her head down in apparent defeat! His grip tightened on his staff, what was the little fool thinking? He couldn’t declare her unfit yet, she’d done nothing so far yet that he could do it safely. If he declared her now, the other elves would not follow him. He leaned back and watched, letting his anger dissipate slowly. He would have her crown yet, he just had to wait for her to make a mistake.
Time passed painfully slowly as the two stood on the bridge. Hontas watched each in turn. He had watched the entire fight out of view and out of the way, hidden in a small space between a magic shop and the rail that surrounded the village. Nathavin was clearly not going to back down, although he had given Caellia some personal space that was the only concession he’d made. Asadar was a fool. Nathavin was never going to let him take Caellia. It was obvious to anyone who wasn’t blinded by petty prejudices that Nathavin loved Caellia. And Hontas believed deep down that Asadar’s time in this realm was growing short.
Caellia fidgeted under the suns hot rays. The crickets and cicada’s chirped loudly in the background. She had calmed down somewhat, but only barely. Chancing a look at Nathavin she shut her eyes and looked away when she met his calm grey ones. Caellia realized that he had no intentions of moving, and there was no hope of him letting her off the bridge without explaining why she had started to speak and then stopped herself.
She took another look at him, this time struggling not to tear her eyes away from his. He had allowed her to take her time with this, shown her respect by taking the step back and doubling the distance the between them, instead of following her. Caellia took a deep breath and took a solitary, albeit uneasy, step forward.
Nathavin stayed still, he wanted her to close the distance between them. Only then would he know that she fully trusted him. He watched Caellia through narrowed eyes. Schooling his face into an unreadable mask, he watched as she shifted apprehensively, bouncing from one foot to the other. Still he said nothing, determined to make her do this.
Caellia watched him, distressed that he wasn’t coming toward her. Had he changed his mind? Had she been wrong? There was only one way to know for sure. Gathering her rapidly shrinking courage, she took the final step that brought them within inches of each other.
Caellia had never noticed before just how much taller he was than her. She had to tilt her head back quite a bit to look at him properly. The effect was…unsettling…and yet caused her heart to race excitedly in her chest. It was not a wholly uncomfortable feeling, just one she didn’t understand why she was having. Caellia took a brief moment to quell her nerves before speaking in hushed tones, so that only Nathavin could hear her. “I…I need…“ She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. “I need your help. Asterios will declare me unfit to rule if I continue with our alliance.” She said in a quick and hushed tone.
Her voice broke, and quivered as she reopened her eyes to look at Nathavin. “I have no one else to turn to.” Tears began to fall down her cheeks, leaving wet trails in their passing. “Please, please help me. Don’t let him do this to me.” Her shoulders shook, “You once said…you once said you would always protect me, whether I wanted it or not.” Caellia nearly broke down in sobs as she continued her heartfelt plea, “If ever there was a time I needed your protection it’s now!” Unable to control her hysteria any longer, Caellia broke down. Lowering her head in shame, she cried brokenly, waiting for his response.
Nathavin stood motionless for several long seconds. He was elated that she had closed the distance on her own and had confided in him and had asked for his help. It filled him with a happiness and contentment the likes of which he’d never known. The thought that someone, someone she had trusted, was threatening to take her position away from her because she chose to ally with him, angered him beyond measure. Uncaring of how it looked, he gathered her in his arms in a fierce embrace. Her hair tickled his nose as he gently nuzzled it against her ear, the sweet smell almost causing him to forget where they were.
The dark elven forces stood in momentary shock at the sight of Nathavin embracing the light elven Queen. It was against everything they had ever been taught. But this was their Lord, and if there was one thing that they had learned above all else, it was never question their Lord. To do so meant death.
Kattath nearly let loose a victory cry when she saw Nathavin embrace Caellia. She contained herself, but only just. She noticed that some of the light elven forces were preparing to come closer to Nathavin and Caellia and motioned their own forces to step forward slightly in unmistakable warning. The light elves could not be permitted to interrupt Nathavin and Caellia.
The light elves could not believe what they were seeing. Why was Caellia crying? Why wasn’t she fighting back? Surely she couldn’t want this. Surely she couldn’t want Nathavin to embrace her. Could she? A few of them took several steps forward to try to check on her to make sure she was alright and pull her out of Nathavin’s grip but halted when the dark elven forces, led by Kattath, took their own warning steps forward.
Nathavin pulled away from Caellia just long enough to look at her even though she still wasn’t looking at him, before he crushed her to his chest again burying his face in her sweet hair. He growled out his answer next to her ear, “They will not harm you! I will not allow it!” His voice took on a ferocious, almost animalistic quality, “No one threatens what is mine!”
Caellia cried tears of relief against his chest as the bow fell from her limp fingers. He understood and was going to protect her! She kept her face angled down when he pulled away to look at her. She didn’t want to be let go and stepped closer to him, causing him to pull her against him again. Caellia shivered at his fierce voice as he promised to protect her and unconsciously she raised her hands and placed them on either side of his neck, hugging him back and never wanting to be let go.
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Treason