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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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As Caellia walked into the temple and locked eyes with Nathavin she knew nothing would ever be the same again. The look he gave her was almost predatory. She felt the urge to run again. Her heartbeat sped up and her breath hitched in her throat. She had always felt like this whenever he looked at her, or whenever they had a confrontation. Now it was more pronounced and Caellia was afraid of it! She was afraid of him and the feelings he evoked in her! Taking a moment to calm down, she averted her gaze and turned to Asterios, who was staring coldly at her from his position on the floor.

“You have fallen Caellia.” He intoned with a deep hatred. “What you have done this day will be our downfall. Everything we have achieved will lie in ruins at your feet!” Asterios shut his mouth as Caellia sent him a frosty glare and made her way to the chest that housed all the sensitive scrolls. Sweat beaded on his forehead as she opened the chest and began to rummage around inside. He hoped that while she was looking for the scroll regarding the policies surrounding the removal of the King or Queen and the subsequent policies needed to reinstate them, she would not find the scroll outlining his part in the destruction of the dark elven lands.

Nathavin stood by quietly and watched as a tense silence filled the room after Asterios’ comments. The silence stretched out as Caellia continued to rummage about in the old chest without answering Asterios and he began to wonder if Caellia had any intention of answering Asterios at all. She seemed to find one scroll in particular of interest. A look of dismay and horror crossed her face and her hands began to shake as she read it. Intensely curious, Nathavin was about to question her on it when she began to speak to Asterios. Her voice was so soft at first that he had to work to hear it.

“How…How can this be? How could you have done such a despicable thing? Everything you ever taught me has been a lie. Everything!” Caellia shouted in an angry and hurt voice at Asterios, ignoring everyone’s flinch when she suddenly raised her voice.

“I did what I felt I had to do to preserve our race, to ensure its survival!” Asterios cast a poisonous glance at Nathavin. “However, it didn’t work the way it should have.”

Caellia was astonished, “Did your hatred really run so deep that you were willing to sacrifice what set us apart from them by resorting to the very thing you condemned them for?” Caellia glanced down at the scroll in her hands before looking back at Asterios. “I don’t understand. The practice was shunned when the most skilled magicians of the time couldn’t master it. Why did you attempt to use so complex a spell of that nature? Surely you, along with your followers, understood that there would be a high risk of failure?”

“It was deemed an acceptable risk under the Lord of the time. Your father would have done well to be more like him!”

“Our Lord, my grandfather, knew of this and approved it?” Caellia asked in a hurt voice.

“Oh he more than approved it Caellia. He ordered it!” Asterios bit out through tightly clenched teeth. “I am the only one who survived the battles that ensued and that age has not taken. I would not sit idly by and watch all the work I and others had done be torn down by anyone! Including you and your father!”

Caellia heaved an exasperated and remorseful sigh, “You were wrong. You were all wrong. This should never have been done.” She looked down upon Asterios, disapproval clear in her eyes. “But more importantly, because of this, you have purposely deceived me. You have gone to great lengths to steal my throne from me to continue in your task. A task handed down to you by a long dead Lord, a task that should never have been given at all!” She paused and carefully rolled the scroll back up and fastened it securely before looking back at him. “This scroll condemns you in the eyes of our people. It outlines every detail of your plot to steal my throne. With this I no longer need the ancient texts regarding the laws of our land to justify my reinstatement.”

Caellia began taking slow, measured paces to Asterios, stopping when she was a foot away from him. Leaning down she whispered to him, her eyes flashing angrily. “You hate them so much. And you taught me that hate. My mistake was in believing you without seeing the facts for myself. Your mistake was in keeping this scroll here.”

Caellia looked Asterios in the eye, seeing the comprehension register as he began to understand what she was going to do. “Our policy regarding traitors such as you is immediate execution. The fact that you are a wanted war criminal to the dark elves, who are our new ally, poses no great problem.” Her voice became glacial, “Handing you over to Nathavin will ensure that I fulfill my duties to both our people, and this alliance, as I highly doubt he’ll let you live.”

Caellia brought herself to her full height and stated frostily. “High Priest Asterios, you are charged with treason for attempting to take over the throne for personal gain and a personal vendetta against the dark elves. You are stripped of your rank and title and are now in exile. However, as you are a known criminal to those we are now allied with, you will be imprisoned until such time as our allies can take you into their own custody.” Caellia then turned and walked back to Nathavin.

Nathavin, who’d been listening with rapt attention, had begun to understand what Caellia was talking about as the conversation progressed. By the time she was finished he already knew what was going on. His hand had begun to clench and unclench around his bow, unwittingly showing his agitation. His eyes focused on Asterios, he did not see Caellia as she quietly came to his side.

Caellia looked up at Nathavin, noting that his eyes had changed from their normal soft calm grey back to a dark and angry black. “Would you like to discuss this in private, Lord Nathavin?” Caellia wanted to allow him every consideration in this matter.

“No.” His eyes remained locked with Asterios’. “We are allies now. We keep nothing from each other, or our people.” Nathavin turned his gaze to her and even though he already knew the answer asked, “What have you discovered?”

Caellia took a deep breath and handed Nathavin the scroll. “High Priest Asterios was directly involved in the destruction of the dark elven homelands.”

Nathavin took the scroll from her hands and quietly opened it. The tension in the air grew thick as the minutes passed. Finally Nathavin looked up from the scroll and looked to Caellia. “His sentence is death. Are you quite sure you wish to release him into our custody?”

“His sentence will be the same if he remains in our custody.” Caellia replied solemnly. “But his crimes have affected your lands and people for many years. It is only right that I hand him over to you.”

“His actions have affected you and your own people for a great many years also Caellia.” He spoke in hushed tones so that only she could hear him. “Are you absolutely certain you wish to do this? I will be willing to allow you to have him executed for his crimes against you and your people rather than my own.”

Caellia looked into Nathavin’s eyes and understood that he was trying to be considerate toward her and her people, just as she was trying to be considerate to him. Shaking her head no she replied in an equally hushed voice. “He may have committed crimes against us, but those crimes were directly related to the crimes he committed against your people and your homelands. This entire situation stems from what transpired centuries ago.” Caellia looked at Nathavin intently and her sincerity showed in her voice. “By all rights Asterios should be released into your custody.”

Nathavin studied her for a moment in silence, giving her one final chance to change her mind. When he was certain that this was truly what she wished, he stalked forward toward Asterios and stood towering before him. Looking to the sword singers he muttered a curt voice, “Release him.” He looked down at Asterios as the light elves moved away and snarled, “Get up.”

As the two lighter elves moved away, two heavily armored shillien knights, who had silently entered the room unnoticed along with Kattath, moved forward to stand behind Asterios.

“Queen Caellia, I will be taking Asterios into our custody now.” Nathavin bit out as the shillien knights roughly grabbed Asterios by the arms.

“As you wish, Lord Nathavin.” Caellia intoned almost indifferently; glad to finally be done with Asterios.

In a voice twisted and nearly unrecognizable in his rage Asterios snarled while glaring heatedly at Nathavin. “May Eva see fit to cleanse you and your kind from this world in the future!”

Nathavin’s hand shot forward and gripped Asterios by the throat and squeezed hard while shoving the lighter elf against the wall. Putting all his considerable strength into squeezing Asterios’ neck, he leaned in close to snarl angrily in the High Priest’s ears. “Eva will not help you now or ever!” He hissed scornfully. “You are a war criminal of the dark elves. The evidence I have in my hand convicts you and your sentence is death.”

“You may kill me Lord Nathavin, but your lands will forever be cursed! There is only one way to break the curse and it will never happen!” Asterios croaked out his reply hoarsely, managing despite the crushing hold on his neck to slur Nathavin’s title with heavy sarcasm and hatred.

Making sure that only Asterios heard him Nathavin whispered smugly, his eyes gleaming with triumph. “You think I don’t know the only way the curse can be broken? I do. And it will happen! Caellia has all but pledged herself to me!” Nathavin listened to Asterios struggle for air for a moment before he continued. “She already sees me as her protector, you’ve seen that! How much longer do you think it will be before she sees me as more than that?” Nathavin waited the span of a heartbeat before answering his own question confidently. “It will not be long, rest assured!” He took a step back and released Asterios’ neck and watched with ill hidden contempt as the other elf gasped air into his lungs and massaged his throat.

Asterios continued rubbing his sore throat as he gasped in precious lungs full of air. His eyes flickered to Caellia. Rage contorted his face into an ugly scowl, “This is entirely your fault! Eva take you, you contemptible little harpy!” Spittle dripped from his mouth as he screamed his insults.

Excruciating pain bloomed in his right temple and fireworks exploded behind his eyes as Nathavin’s gloved fist connected with the right side of his head in a backhanded blow. His head snapped to the left, and blood trickled down his face from a cut left by one of the knuckle guards on the snowy white gauntlet.

Nathavin’s voice was almost unrecognizable as he grated out between tightly clenched teeth just inches from Asterios’ nose, “You will never to speak that way to her again! Never!”

Nalia moved to stand beside Caellia in a show of support. Kattath also moved to stand beside Caellia and the two flanked her on either side. Caellia stared at her former mentor and said with a heavy heart. “May Eva forgive you and cleanse your darkened soul.”

“Forgive me? I’m not the one who needs to be forgiven!” In an incredible display of power, Asterios brought forth an enormous crackling energy field around him from the ground, pushing back the two knights and Nathavin. Next, two great walls of water surrounded him before he sent them gushing at Nalia and Kattath. Asterios then ran forward, intent on ending Caellia’s life with his bare hands.

Nathavin recovered quickly and pulled an arrow from his quiver and set it against the bowstring and let go, cursing in every language he knew as he watched it sail toward the deranged elf.

Caellia let out a surprised shriek as she was doused in the spray of water as the powerful jets knocked Nalia and Kattath over. She felt Nalia accidentally knock the bow out of her hand as the temple knight tried to keep from falling over. Caellia looked up just in time to see Asterios lunge for her and behind him she could see Nathavin preparing to fire. Backpedaling swiftly she just managed to stay out of Asterios’ grasp. As she did so she saw the depth of his demented hatred. She’d never seen such hate before and could scarcely believe that hate could run so deep.

Asterios felt the arrow as it lodged itself in his back and the force of its impact sent him forward slightly as it broke through his chest. Blood dripped from the exposed tip of the arrow onto the floor. He determinedly reached out to Caellia before another arrow buried itself into his shoulder.

Caellia watched Asterios’ body shudder from the force of the arrows as they hit and she could clearly hear the grisly sound of them tearing into his flesh and imbedding in bone. Still she backpedaled away rapidly as his outstretched fingers continued to claw at the air for her.

Another arrow slammed into his back and blood began to dribble down his chin as he wheezed for air. His fingers continued to reach for her and Caellia came to a sudden and unexpected stop as she backed up against the wall. Fear lined her face as Asterios’ hand began to glow and spark with an unknown power. Caellia turned her face to the side, not wanting to see her end.

Nathavin’s harsh angry yell ripped through the temple, “You will not touch her!” He called forth his own magic and great golden arcs of blazing power began to encircle him as he crouched low to the ground. As he drew the bowstring back he infused the bow with powerful magic before letting the first arrow go. The instant the arrow left the bowstring and was on its way Nathavin drew out the magic he’d infused in the bow. This time when he pulled the bowstring back again, an arrow appeared without him having ever drawn one from his quiver. He released it too and watched both arrows speed toward their target. The loud percussive sound as the arrows tore through the air, propelled not only by the bow but also by the magic Nathavin had infused them with, was an ominous indication of how powerful they were. They met their target with deadly accuracy.

Asterios’ body convulsed twice as each arrow slammed into his back with brutal force before slumping lifelessly to the ground. Silence filled the room for several long seconds as everyone took a moment to register what had happened. The silence was broken only by the occasional sniffle from Caellia as she looked down at the fallen body. She jumped at the sound of Nathavin’s boots as he began to stride quietly toward her.

Nathavin saw her slight jump and softly ordered the knights and sword singers, “Remove the body and dispose of it.” To everyone else he simply said. “Leave us.”

The shillien knights and sword singers carefully went and picked up the fallen body of Asterios, paying careful attention not to further upset Caellia. The shillien knight nearest to her noticed that she had begun to slide down the wall as her legs gave out on her and quickly moved to ease her down gently. He prayed that Lord Nathavin would not take offense. The knight knew that Nathavin’s dark blood would be roiling just beneath the surface and anything that could be perceived as another threat to Caellia would trigger it.

Nalia scrunched her face up at Nathavin, insulted at being ordered out. “No, she needs to be surrounded by her friends!”

Nathavin glared stonily at her. “You will leave us.”

Nalia didn’t back down and angrily replied back, daring to take two aggressive steps forward. “I will not leave my friend in her time of need!”

Face tightening in anger, Nathavin’s voice rumbled lowly in warning, “Do not try my patience Nalia. You will regret it. I wish to be alone with Caellia. It is my right to be alone with her. ”

“Queen Caellia.” Nalia snapped back, correcting him as the stress of the past events overrode her judgment. “And just what gives you that ‘right’?”

Kattath began to quickly gather everyone and hurry them out of the temple, knowing trouble was brewing.

Nathavin took three swift strides to her and his face came within inches of her own. “I will address Caellia as I wish!” He half whispered and half snarled harshly at Nalia, still trying to avoid upsetting Caellia anymore than was necessary. “You’re still alive only because of your last minute decision to help return Caellia to the throne and prevent a needless battle! I have not forgotten about your actions in my homelands that brought about this entire skirmish and you shall still pay for those actions! Remember your place and do not anger me further!” He leaned back in satisfaction as horror flickered across Nalia’s face as she realized her error.

Swiftly dropping into a low curtsy she muttered apologetically. “I…Please accept my apology, Lord Nathavin. It was not my…I meant no disrespect…” Realizing that her words were only serving to make him angrier, she shut up and endured his furious gaze mutely.

After a moment he was satisfied that Nalia had groveled enough and said with an angry and aggravated snort. “Get up.” Looking over his shoulder at everyone who hadn’t made it out of the temple yet Nathavin ordered, “Leave us, now.” He watched with a hardened gaze as everyone quickly filed out of the temple. Once they were gone he closed the doors. Once the doors were closed his anger dissipated rapidly and he turned to face Caellia who was still sitting on the floor shaking in horrified terror.

He walked over to Caellia and knelt down beside her. “Caellia look at me.” He felt badly for her. A pang of sorrow shot through his heart as she raised her pain filled ice blue eyes dejectedly to him. The day had been stressful on her and had clearly taken a heavy toll. Risking her rejection, he reached out and softly gathered her to his chest. “It’s over now. He will never harm you again. No one will ever harm you again.” His fingers began combing through her long blonde hair.

Caellia shuddered as she sobbed quietly into his chest. His soothing words acted as a balm on her badly frayed nerves and eventually her breathing slowly evened out and her muscles began to unwind as he continued the calming motion. Gradually Caellia leaned into him further, enjoying the feel of his fingers running through her hair as her delicate nose picked up on his unique scent. All of this served to relax her and she shifted slightly, bringing her even closer to him, unconsciously pressing her nose closer to his chest to more deeply breathe in his slightly spicy smell. Her eyes slowly drifted closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

Nathavin listened to her breathing and smiled to himself when he felt her go limp in his arms as her breathing evened out. They stayed that way for an indeterminable amount of time and his thoughts turned toward Asterios. He shuddered as he remembered how close he had come to losing Caellia. A soft sigh had him looking down at Caellia as she shifted slightly. An amused expression crossed his face as she breathed his name unevenly in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. He pulled her tighter to him and whispered fiercely to her before his lips brushed hers in a tender kiss. “I love you Caellia Kennyrmitore.”

What Nathavin did not and could not know was that Caellia had woken up the moment he had pulled her tighter to his chest. She had heard his softly whispered declaration and felt his lips as they brushed over hers but he couldn’t possibly have meant it. Could he? Caellia stayed as still as she could and felt him adjust again to a more comfortable position. Within minutes she heard his own light breathing, signaling that he’d fallen asleep. Slowly so as not to wake him, she gently rolled out of his grasp and looked at him. Really looked at him for what seemed like the first time in ages.

His face was relaxed in sleep, making him seem less threatening. She frowned slightly as she noticed the deep circles under his eyes indicating that he had not slept well in quite some time. As she continued her quiet inspection she realized that the feeling she always got when around him was still there. She still felt frightened by him but not as much. She assumed that was because he was sleeping. Nor was she frightened of him in the way she would have expected. She knew he was a powerful archer, but that wasn’t what she feared about him and she knew now that he would never hurt her intentionally. Her fear ran deeper than that. It was a fear on a more primal, basic level. But what did that mean?

Her eyes traveled to his lips as the memory of his gentle kiss flooded her mind. Caellia flushed a bright crimson and looked away, unable to look at him even while he slept. A strange tightness blossomed low in her belly and she grew slightly faint as her fingers rose to her lips as a different memory surfaced. This wasn’t the first time he’d kissed her. The first time had been back at his castle. He’d kissed her then to get her to be quiet. The second time he’d kissed her was in the abandoned stronghold building. The kiss had been anything but gentle but it had affected her in ways she didn’t understand. She had been filled with a strange and exhilarating excitement when he’d kissed her then.

Caellia hissed softly under her breath as she realized that she felt the same way now that she did then when he’d first kissed her. That strange feeling of excitement, the odd thrill she’d felt at that moment in time, had never truly gone away. It changed slightly depending on the circumstance, but it was still there. She realized that the feeling would become more intense when Nathavin would become focused on her. The feeling would also change slightly depending on his relative mood and how he was responding to her. She looked back at Nathavin as she remembered different times he’d looked at her. There was no denying it. There were times when he’d been distinctly stalking her. Almost like a predator stalking its prey and those were the times the feeling was the most intense.

Her eyes grew slightly unfocused as she became further lost in thought. Kattath had asked her if she loved Nathavin. The only person she had ever loved before was Goryn. But she had never felt anything like this when she was around him. But Goryn had never stalked her as Nathavin did. Nor had she gotten that strange feeling in her belly. Caellia had always felt comfortable around him because he’d always been gentle with her. He had never risked pushing her outside of her comfort levels. They’d never even kissed. So what did the strange new feelings mean? And why would she be feeling them? Nathavin was a dark elf, and whatever the new feelings were she shouldn’t feel like this, should she? It was wrong. Wasn’t it?

A slight rustling sound reached her ears and she looked at Nathavin again. He’d once more shifted position. This time he leaned back against the wall, one leg stretched out slightly in front of him and the other bent at the knee, and he had let his chin fall to his chest. This caused some of his hair to fall over his left eye. Without thinking she reached up and pushed it back, her hand lingering briefly over his face. So focused on his hair she didn’t notice that he was now awake and watching her.

As she brought her hand back she stifled a startled cry when his hand wrapped around hers and tugged her back down to him. As he did so, a quick flick of his wrist had her turned neatly mid-tug so that her cheek pressed against his chest and his arms quickly encircled her while he brought his legs up behind her back, effectively trapping her in place with her half sitting and half lying against him.

Caellia began to struggle to get up and get away, embarrassed that he’d caught her staring at him. And even worse, that he’d caught her pushing his hair back from his face. Her struggles were in vain as he clamped down with a vice-like grip though he was careful not to hurt her.

“Stop,” Nathavin told her calmly. After a few seconds she quieted down although her body was still tense. Gradually he let up on the pressure and began to stroke her hair again, knowing she would eventually relax. He continued long after sleep had taken her. He’d seen the look on her face and in her eyes when she’d thought he was asleep. As he too slowly drifted back to sleep he knew that it was only a matter of time before she realized what he’d already come to know. Neither of them could change what fate Shillien had planned for them, and he didn’t want to.
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Treason