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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.

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Caellia stared into the dark water lost in thought as images of the past few weeks replayed in her mind. The wind ruffled her hair and the sea spray coated her in a light mist. Her eyes drifted closed as she thought about the most recent weeks and the fight that had ensued at her village. How Nathavin had protected her then, how he’d always been protecting her ever since Goryn had died. Could Kattath have been right? Could the dark elven Lord really love her? And if so, what were her feelings about him? Did she love him in return?

            As she thought back over the past few months she realized that she’d never truly felt alone when she was with him. Unsure at times, scared even, but never alone. She hadn’t felt alone in a very long time. He’d always been there for her whenever she needed someone.

            A warm blush suffused her face and a tightness coiled low in her belly as she remembered him carrying her in the forest when she’d tripped and injured her ankle. She’d fallen asleep in his arms while he’d carried her. This time, unlike all the other times, she didn’t push the feelings the images inspired down, instead, she let them surface.

She focused on when Asterios had forced her to fight Nathavin on the Western bridge of her home village. She’d been so afraid and sad, truly the darkest day in her long life. Betrayed by the one she’d regarded as a father, she’d never felt as alone as she had in that moment. Her eyes misted over at the memory and a tear slid down her cheek. Caellia had walked onto that bridge prepared to die facing Nathavin. Instead of death however, she found someone who was willing to listen to her, willing to help her.

She recalled that she’d asked him to help her, begged him to not let Asterios take what was rightfully hers away. More tears fell as she remembered being drawn into Nathavin’s embrace in front of both the light and dark elven troops and his whispered words to her. He had vehemently vowed to kill anyone who attempted to harm her. In that moment she had given her complete trust to him. She hadn’t realized then that, that one instant would forever change her. Caellia now knew, could no longer deny it, she had given him more than her trust in that moment. She’d given him her heart without even knowing it.

She lifted her face to the heavens, the question now was, did she dare let him know it? Her throat constricted painfully. Telling him meant that she was giving him a powerful hold over her. It would leave her vulnerable to be hurt by him in the future in more ways than she could count. He would have the power to hurt her more than Asterios had ever had if she were to tell him.

Caellia lowered tear filled eyes back to the darkened sea water as she thought of the night on the cliffs when Nathavin had slept with his head resting in her lap. She had never felt more peaceful as in that moment. They had stayed like that for hours. Caellia wished that night could have lasted forever. He had trusted her with much more than simply letting him know when the ships were ready to depart. He had trusted her to keep watch over him, to protect him. He had trusted her with his life and even though there had been no immediate threats in the area it still spoke volumes. Nathavin had never let his guard down before, always choosing to watch over both of them while she rested. She knew she could trust him with her life and had already done so on several occasions. But could she trust him with her heart? Could she trust herself to trust him with her heart?

Nathavin watched Caellia as she stood motionless at the bow of the ship. She was obviously lost in thought. The moon rays caught in her hair, making the gossamer strands seem to shimmer as they danced in the sea breeze. She seemed so delicate, so fragile. Seeing her like this made him all the more determined not to lose her to that human filth Asadar. His eyes narrowed in determination as he began to approach her quietly, that human would never set his hands upon her!

            So wrapped up in her own thoughts, Caellia didn’t hear Nathavin approach her from behind. She shivered from the cool ocean breeze and momentarily wished that she’d thought to bring a cloak with her. Just as she was about to wrap her arms around herself in an effort to warm up, a second set of arms wrapped themselves about her waist and pulled her back to lean against a warm chest. Caellia stiffened as she bit back a startled yelp.

            “Ssshh, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Nathavin hushed her quietly. He lowered his nose to her hair and breathed in deeply as he felt her relax in his arms. They stood in silence for a bit. Feeling her shiver, he looked down at her bare arms. “Are you cold?” His voice held a trace of concern. She didn’t need to be standing out here with no protection from the cool wind.

            “A little.” Caellia admitted, trying to keep her voice steady so as not to alert him to her emotional turmoil. She couldn’t help feeling as if he were scolding her though.

            Nathavin huffed at her in mild irritation. “Why did you come up here without bringing a cloak with you?” He felt her stiffen and attempt to pull away. “No.” He halted her movements and turned her to face him, encircling her with his arms again. He lifted her chin to gaze into her eyes. “I want to stay up here for a few minutes longer with you alone. I was not trying to upset you.” He noticed the tear stains on her cheeks even in the moonlight, though he was careful not to show that he had seen them. Whatever she had been thinking about was causing her a great deal of distress and she was obviously not in a mood to share what was troubling her. Letting her chin drop from his fingertips, Nathavin gauged the direction the wind was blowing from the hardest and then turned them so that his back was facing that direction, protecting her from the worst of the winds fury.

            Caellia stayed silent as she relaxed against him again, hoping he had not noticed that she had been crying recently. She pulled her arms up and placed her lightly fisted palms against his chest and leaned against him. Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she focused her hearing on his steady heartbeat. Every so often a traitorous sniffle would escape her despite her best efforts to keep them silent.

            Nathavin’s concern increased when he heard her quiet sniffles. “Caellia?” He tried to pull her chin up to look at him but she stubbornly refused to let him. “Caellia, look at me.” His voice was almost gruff, demanding that she look at him. He gripped her chin more firmly and forced her head upwards to stare into her eyes, trying to decipher why she was so sad.

            She couldn’t bear to look at him; her recent discovery was too fresh and raw to allow it and she tried to push away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

            “Caellia, tell me.” Nathavin insisted as he held her fast, not allowing her to pull away from him.

            “No!” Caellia knew she couldn’t pull away from him and instead hid her face in his chest.

            Nathavin was at a loss. Abandoning his efforts to get an answer, he squeezed her tighter, apologizing to her without words. He began to run his fingers through her hair in an effort to calm her down. Looking over the sea he wished he could speed the ships progress, they had been at sea for two weeks already and he knew that the lack of privacy was wearing on her nerves the same as it was him. There was literally no where they could go on the ship that didn’t have either the ship’s crew or a member of his forces nearby. She had grown increasingly melancholy the longer they stayed on the ship and had taken to spending as much time as she could alone, not bothering to speak to the ship’s crew or even Kattath.

He had been busy with his top commanders and generals that were onboard making plans for the fight against Asadar. This further limited their time alone together. He would often skip meals, which was their only time alone that was guaranteed not to be disturbed, as he made those plans. And although she never admitted it, the time they shared while eating alone was as prized by her as much as it was him and he knew it.

He’d missed tonight’s meal too, he thought guiltily. Nathavin wondered if this was also affecting her, causing her to be even more upset tonight. So lost in his own thoughts, he had almost missed her whispered comment, he was certain she wasn’t even aware she’d spoken. It confirmed that his missing tonight’s meal had affected her, but it wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her.

“I missed you.” Her tone was accusatory and full of hurt that she wasn’t even aware that she was conveying. Her fingers dug into the white leather of his armor, her voice trembling. “I’m so scared. I…” She trailed off, suddenly aware that she’d been speaking aloud though she hadn’t intended to do so.

“Why are you scared Caellia?” Nathavin asked her quietly. He noticed two of the ships crewmen approaching them and leveled a hard steely glare at them, warning them to stay away. Yet another example of how much privacy they lacked on the ship.

She stayed silent as she battled the whirlwind of emotions that were buffeting her. Once more she hid her face in his chest only to feel him grip both sides of her face in his hands and force her to look at him.

“Caellia why are you scared? What are you so afraid of?” He wanted to force the answer from her. His eyes captured hers, refusing to back down and refusing to allow her to look away from him. “Whatever you are afraid of, we will face together. I will help you!”

That was nearly her undoing. “Nathavin, I…I…lo…” Her mouth snapped shut as her heart slammed into her chest at what she’d almost said. What she’d almost admitted.

            “Caellia,” His voice was harsh, barely above a whisper as he battled the call of the dark blood, “tell me!” He knew what it was she wanted to say, what she’d almost said! She loved him! Why wouldn’t she say it?! His grip tightened on her. “Caellia, tell me!”

            Caellia shook her head vigorously and began to fight against him in a desperate bid to pull away. She hadn’t meant to say that! What had possessed her to say that?!

            Nathavin sensed her mounting distress and agonizingly pulled away from her. The tense silence was unnerving. She’d clearly not meant to say that, but why? He knew that she loved him! What was holding her back?! He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. The dark blood, the embodiment of the darker, more primal nature of dark elves, had nearly taken hold of him. He couldn’t allow that to happen, but how long could he prevent it?

            Kattath watched from the shadows, reading their respective auras. It was time for her to intervene. Shaking her head sadly, she wondered when Caellia would trust herself. It was now obvious that, that was where the real problem lay. As she drew nearer to the couple she made sure her footsteps were rather loud on the deck so that they would hear her approach. She most certainly did not want to startle Nathavin just now. He was so tightly wound up with the dark blood surging in his veins that he’d most likely kill her before he realized what he’d done.

She cast a saddened look at Caellia, she and the young Queen were going to have a long talk before the night was through. It was time to stop playing. Nathavin had been pushed to his limits tonight. If Caellia did not admit her feelings, and soon, Nathavin’s natural instincts as a dark elf would take over. Kattath knew that Nathavin wanted Caellia to come to him of her own free will but the dark forces that drove all dark elven males would not be denied much longer.

            “Caellia, go below and wait for me in your quarters.” Kattath instructed, her voice leaving no room for argument. She watched as the light elf turned and practically fled. Turning her attention to Nathavin, she grew concerned at his expression. He was not pleased to see her, that much was crystal clear.

            “Why did you interrupt us?” The almost silken quality of his voice belied the intense anger that was hidden underneath.

            Kattath felt a frisson of fear slide up her spine. His aura was a deep dark black purple, and there were little explosions of gold sparks within it as his anger rose. She took a respectful step back and bowed formally. “I believed it would be prudent, Lord Nathavin.” She made sure that her body language conveyed her submissiveness and kept her tone of speech highly respectful. She’d unfortunately caused the dark blood to surge even further out of control by interrupting them. A circumstance she hadn’t counted on.

            “Prudent?” Nathavin lashed out at her. “Why would it be ‘prudent’ to interrupt me from a conversation with my future Queen?!”

            Kattath remained in her awkward position as she answered him. “I believed that your dark blood was in control and only wished to prevent you from inadvertently hurting Queen Caellia, my Lord.” Kattath bit her lip, realizing her error of speech too late as he stalked closer to her. She’d never before been quite this terrified of him. He was so angry at her that his aura was oppressive and she had to close her gift off to him.

            Nathavin growled at her, not even attempting to rein in his anger at Kattath. “Caellia is quite safe with me!” The very idea that Kattath believed he would hurt Caellia sent his anger to new heights. “In the future, you are not to interfere with us again!” He stalked closer to her. “Is that understood?”

            “Yes, my Lord.” Kattath answered him. She didn’t rise up, waiting for him to signal that she could. Once she received his permission to rise and leave she wasted no time and hurriedly left him.

            Nathavin turned back to the railing and swiftly buried his dagger deep into the wood, cursing violently, angry at having been interrupted and distraught by Caellia’s unwillingness to admit her feelings to him.

*****

            Asadar listened to his generals as they discussed the war plans brought to them by Hontas. He didn’t know why he kept them around. Honestly he didn’t. They were fools.

            “King Asadar,” the first general began, “these plans are highly suspicious.”

            “Lord Nathavin intends to attack us!” Asadar thundered, irritated. “That is why we must strike Goddard and crush him there!”

            “But, an assault on that castle would be suicide.” The same general protested.

            A second general spoke up as he rearranged his heavy multi-hued armor. “Is it possible that this is what he wants you to do?” He stood up and approached the table, indicating the mark that represented Goddard Castle. “This castle is a fortress built into the side of a mountain. Attacking it would not be wise, even though it’s been weakened by the previous siege King Goryn laid to it. Nathavin has likely fortified it since then, sealing up any weak spots and placing more guards around those he can’t.” He looked into the disturbing depths of Asadar’s eyes, seeing only demented madness staring back at him. “It could take weeks to siege Goddard effectively. It would deplete our manpower and resources too much.”

            Asadar laughed openly in the general’s face. “Goryn, inept fool that he was, laid a successful siege to it in the past! He brought it down in just a few days!” He stood up and glowered at the general over the table as his red hair fell across one eye. “Surely you’re not insinuating that I can’t do the same?”

            “Goryn had a contingent of dwarves Asadar.” The general bit out acidly. “If you haven’t noticed, Lord Nathavin has opened up his vaults to them, paying them to construct weapons and armors for his forces. The dwarves have already made it clear who they will side with.”

Asadar gave the general a wrathful glare. “You have already earned my dislike once by speaking out against me in the past. Do you wish to give me further reason to dislike you?”

            The general matched Asadar glare for glare before saying in a cold sure voice. “Goryn had someone he wished to protect locked inside that castle. Goryn was willing to trade his life for Caellia’s. Goryn, in the end, did trade his life for hers!” His nostrils flared in anger. “That was Goryn’s motivation for getting inside that castle! He did not lay siege to that castle for his own selfish reasons! His stunningly successful siege of Goddard was because of his undying love for Caellia! He would have died trying to claw his way past the gates to try to save her! His love for her gave him the strength of courage and conviction needed to lay siege to Goddard!” As his anger finally got the better of him he yelled rhetorically at Asadar, knowing already the King wouldn’t answer him. “What do you have to protect? What selfless, noble, reason do you have to lay siege to Goddard?!”

            The tension that filled the air was thick. Asadar’s jaw began to tick in anger as his face flushed a bright red. The large black cat that had been lying quietly at his side stood up and growled angrily, sensing its owner’s rage.

            The general never gave Asadar a chance to answer, instead choosing to answer for him. “You don’t have a good enough reason to siege Goddard, and you never will. You are a lunatic.” He finished with quiet conviction. “Lay siege to Goddard and you will fail miserably. You don’t have the strength it will take to lay a successful siege upon it because you do not siege it for the right reasons.” The general didn’t try to explain further, knowing that his explanation would fall on deaf ears.

He turned and walked out of the room and was already planning his next move. He knew that he needed to leave quickly while Asadar was still caught up in his blinding rage. It would only be a few minutes before Asadar calmed enough to send a squad to arrest him and he had no intentions of being inside the castle when that order was given. No, he intended to be outside the castle walls and well on his way to Goddard. The only chance of survival he had now was to defect. He would go to Goddard and swear his allegiance to Lord Nathavin if the dark Lord would allow it. If Lord Nathavin would not allow it, he would request Lord Nathavin to end his life quickly and with dignity.

As he moved quickly through the halls of the castle, he felt someone’s presence behind him. Turning swiftly he met the eyes of a human bishop in blue robes. The two eyed one another cautiously. He was surprised when the bishop began to cast spells upon him that would be of great benefit to him on his journey. “Who are you and why are you helping me?” The general asked, not able to hide the gratefulness in his voice.

Hontas had heard the entire argument as he hid in a room adjacent to the war room the general had just left from. He also knew intuitively that the general planned to defect, and to whom he would swear his new allegiance to. “A kindred in thought and allegiance.” He answered enigmatically before turning and disappearing quickly around the corner.
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Treason