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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 huddled on the small bunk in her quarters. Her hands shook as she rocked back and forth attempting to calm herself. How was she ever going to face him again?
The door to Caellia's quarters opened and Kattath strode in a bit shakily. She momentarily leaned back against the door for support almost imperceptibly, gathering her wits about her from her ordeal with Nathavin. Looking over to Caellia she could see that the young Queen was faring no better than she had earlier. Kattath came away from the door and sat opposite of Caellia on the bunk. "Caellia..." She frowned when Caellia quickly interrupted her.
"I know." Caellia sighed morosely, not wishing to discuss it, but knowing that Kattath would not leave her alone. "I pushed him too far again."
"Yes you did! Caellia, you are playing a dangerous game with him." Kattath stated worriedly. "You have no idea how very dangerous it is." Kattath snatched Caellia's hands and held them tightly, in the hopes that somehow the physical contact would impress upon her how very serious the circumstances were. "Caellia, you must stop being afraid of him! He already knows what you are attempting to hide! Things cannot continue in this way any longer!" Kattath was desperate to make her understand.
"Kattath I'm not ready to tell him!"
"Yes you are! Your heart tells you that you are ready, yet you stubbornly refuse to trust it!" Frustrated Kattath growled out, "What are you going to do when we finally reach Rune and he takes you to complete your training?" She stared hard at Caellia. "I don't know what he's told you, but he intends for the two of you to train together, alone." Her voice dropped down to a lower tone. "There will be no one else Caellia. You will rely solely on him for your survival, and he will rely solely on you for his."
Caellia sat back, stunned. She'd always assumed that when she completed her training she'd do so with not only Nathavin, but Kattath and several of Nathavin's most trusted guards and healers as well. The possibility that he would want to train her alone had never crossed her mind. While she enjoyed and wanted time alone with him, training with him alone was not quite what she wanted. The idea of training alone with him made her inexplicably nervous. "Why? Why must it just be the two of us? Shouldn't we bring a small contingent with us? It would be beneficial if we could have…"
"He's doing this so that the two of you will have time alone with no interruptions from anyone." Kattath snapped at Caellia, her patience wearing thin. "It would be better if you were to have others go with you, but he wants the two of you to have time alone. He's insisting that no one go with you." Agitated, she stood up suddenly and walked a few paces away, "Caellia, if you pull something similar to what you did tonight while out training with him, there's no telling what he might do."
A heavy silence filled the room before she stormed back to Caellia and gripped her by her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "He's a dark elf Caellia! His patience with you will not last forever! It will run out! And when it does…he's going to demand that you admit your feelings for him, and he won't be gentle about it!"
Kattath stared into her eyes and said with a quiet fierceness. "He does love you Caellia, but his love for you is on a completely different scale than Goryn's love for you was. Goryn's love was tender and affectionate. I would say that it was downright tame actually. Goryn would never have made any demands of you. Nathavin's is an intense burning and passionate love, the kind of love that sets the blood and soul on fire. It is not tame and never will be. He will make demands of you. And he will demand that you admit your love for him, whether you are ready to face that truth or not. He will accept nothing less."
Kattath didn't know how else to make Caellia understand what she was doing to Nathavin. Caellia was slowly causing his more basic and possessive instincts as a male, and a dark elven male at that, to come to the surface. As scared as Caellia was already, Kattath felt sure that if she tried to explain that concept, explain the dark blood to her, Caellia would become even more afraid. Sighing she muttered as she opened the door to leave. "It's late, try to get some sleep."
Nathavin silently lurked in the shadows of the ship's narrow corridor watching the door to Caellia's quarters. He stood up straighter as Kattath opened the door and stepped out of the room, his eyes narrowing in barely restrained anger as she paused just outside the door to answer one final question.
Caellia nodded before asking tiredly, "When do you think we'll reach Rune?"
"By my estimate, we should be there in four days, maybe five." Kattath answered before she exited the door, shutting it firmly behind her. She tiredly began making her way to her own quarters.
"Kattath," Nathavin growled out after they had progressed far enough from Caellia's quarters so that they wouldn't be overheard, stopping Kattath in her tracks.
Spinning around quickly, heart in her throat, Kattath locked gazes with Nathavin. She hadn't noticed his presence. Since it was late and she was so tired, she hadn't been able to properly sense or see his aura. Judging by his cold, angry stare, he'd obviously been watching the doorway and listening to her conversation with Caellia. A silvery glint at his side hinted at the presence of his dagger. The overall effect was a brutal reminder of just how skilled he was and that he could've killed her easily if he had been so inclined. "Yes, my Lord?" She questioned with a shaky bow. Clearly he was still in a foul mood from her earlier mistake and was probably even more upset by her rather candid talk with Caellia just now.
"Leave Caellia alone." The words were growled out, his next sentence proving Kattath's suspicions. "Do not speak to her regarding this matter again." His eyes narrowed to slits and his chin dropped as he focused on Kattath. He purposely allowed the dark blood to take hold of him for a brief moment, knowing that she would read it in his aura, before locking it back down. "Have I made myself clear?"
"But Nathavin she needs someone to guide her. She is still very much afraid of what she feels and is having a difficult time letting go of that fear. I was only trying…" Kattath unwisely protested, trying to protect Caellia.
"I will guide her then!" Nathavin nearly bellowed, incensed. He snarled viciously at Kattath, "There will be no other way! No one else will help her!" If that was the only way he could get through to Caellia, then so be it, he thought to himself.
Kattath suddenly realized with blinding clarity that Caellia's stubborn actions tonight had indeed pushed him over the edge. She was actually amazed that he was still somewhat in control of the dark blood, able to allow it to surface briefly before tamping it back down. Starting now, everyone would have to guard themselves when speaking of, or to, Caellia. And Caellia herself would have to be careful when near him. Kattath had done all she could to help. Knowing it would be no use to try to talk to him now; she simply bowed and said no more. Caellia would now learn by experience what Kattath had tried so desperately to tell her.
Nathavin watched Kattath leave before stalking back to Caellia's door. He stared hard at it for a long time. He didn't know what to do. He knew Caellia loved him! He just didn't understand why she wouldn't admit it! Did she find the fact that she loved a dark elf so repulsive that she couldn't even admit to it?
His ears caught the faint sounds of her moving about. It almost sounded as if she was pacing the short length of the room. Long minutes passed before the sounds stopped. A few minutes later he heard the almost inaudible sound of her even breathing as she slept. A grim determination filled him, he would force her to face her feelings for him one way or another. Her stubborn refusal to face the truth would no longer be tolerated. Her fear to face the truth would not be tolerated.
Deeply hurt and confused by her refusal to admit what she felt, Nathavin snarled angrily at her from behind the closed door. "Rest while you can Caellia, your training, and more, starts the day we reach Rune." He stormed to his quarters, the dark blood surging through his veins.
*****
The next week passed tensely. Word spread quickly throughout the ship of Nathavin's ill temper. Anyone unfortunate enough to anger him paid dearly. He made certain that he missed no more meals with Caellia, although he ignored her questions about why Kattath was suddenly avoiding her. He remained polite and courteous however, not wanting her to sense that anything was amiss before they reached Rune. He didn't know however, that Caellia had already noticed his bad temper towards everyone else onboard.
Once the ship was docked he didn't waste any time. He gave Kattath strict orders to see to the ships unloading and told her to make her way back to Goddard castle quickly and take care of matters there. As Kattath quickly left to follow his instructions his thoughts turned to Caellia. Quickly scanning the harbor he saw her approaching Kattath. He watched them closely, noticing that Kattath looked quickly in all directions, obviously looking for him, as she tried to avoid Caellia.
Watching them it was clear that Caellia was not going to let Kattath continue to avoid her and was rather surprised to see her effectively corner Kattath. The pair argued for about a minute before Kattath raised her ever present staff and emphatically struck the ground with the end of it in an apparent attempt to drive her point home. He did not need to hear them to know that they were arguing about Kattath's sudden and unexplained avoidance of Caellia. When it became clear that Caellia was not going to back down he made his way toward them.
Kattath noticed him approaching and silently prayed to Shillien that he would not become too angry with her. She had tried to avoid Caellia the best she could, but the young Queen had been quite determined today to speak with her. She opened her gift to him, his aura showed that he was still angry with her from earlier and that it was smoldering beneath the surface, but he was not angry with her over this current incident.
"Kattath," Nathavin intoned curtly, not managing to fully disguise his anger toward the spellhowler "finish seeing to your duties." His eyes though, were trained on Caellia. He watched Caellia as she glanced back and forth between himself and Kattath before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. Clearly she had noticed his anger toward Kattath despite his efforts to keep it hidden.
Waiting until Kattath was out of earshot Caellia asked carefully. "What was that about?"
"What was 'what' about?" Nathavin coolly replied, daring her to continue her questioning of him.
Caellia's eyes narrowed. "You know very well what I'm referring to." She glared at him accepting his dare. "Why were you rude to her?"
Nathavin matched her glare evenly, refusing to answer.
"What did Kattath do to anger you?" Caellia wanted an answer. Kattath had become a close friend despite their arguments and differences, and to her knowledge Kattath had done nothing wrong. His anger toward her was unwarranted. And she now suspected that Nathavin was behind the spellhowler’s sudden avoidance of her.
"Kattath knows what she did and is trying to atone for her error. That is what is important." He snapped out bitterly. "What she did is not necessary for you to know."
Caellia bristled at the obvious snub. "Nathavin…"
He quickly cut her off. "We leave to begin your training in one hour Caellia. Gather your supplies and meet me at the northern entrance to Rune at the end of the hour." He leveled a hard glare at her and said ominously. "Do not be late." He then turned and left quickly.
Nathavin knew that he was handling the situation poorly. But he was still so badly hurt by her reluctance to admit her feelings on that night that he couldn't think straight. It hurt to look at her and know that while she loved him, she apparently found the fact to be so horrible that she couldn't even admit it to herself, let alone him.
Staring at his retreating back, Caellia fumed. He had been needlessly rude to both her and Kattath. Her eyes narrowed in irritation at his warning about not being late as she went to get her supplies. He'd said that purely to anger her since she'd given him no reason to think that she'd be late. Huffing angrily, she hoped that he'd calm down in the hour they had before they left.
The hour flew by quickly and Caellia dutifully made her way to their arranged meeting place. Not surprisingly he was already there and waiting on her. She checked the sun’s position, while she wasn't exactly on time, she wasn't exactly late either.
"You're late." Nathavin pointed out coldly as he started down the path at a brisk pace.
Caellia stiffened as she defended herself, falling into position behind him. "Not by much more than a few minutes." She did her best not to sound offended even though she was.
Nathavin bit out acidly, "Why are you late?"
"It took some time for the warehouse keeper to locate the crate that had my belongings in it." Caellia explained, trying valiantly to keep her rapidly rising temper in check. "Apparently there was a mix up at the docks, and some of the crates were misplaced."
Nathavin snorted disbelievingly, but said nothing.
They soon came to a narrow but deep stream of water and he stopped. Turning to face Caellia he noticed that she was focused on the darkened path that led up and into the forest that lay just across the tranquil stream. "Your training begins now." He watched the expressions on her face as she stared at the darkened path before them as he continued. "This is known as the Forest of the Dead. We skirted past this area before, on our way to Rune from Goddard, though we stayed out of the truly dangerous places within. Now we will explore the darker recesses of the forest together."
Caellia gazed at the gloomy path in trepidation, her earlier anger with him forgotten instantly. Where she was standing now it was sunny and clear, but across the gently bubbling stream, the path and what little of the forest she could see, was dark and foreboding.
Nathavin turned away from her abruptly and waded across the stream without another word.
Caellia took a deep breath to calm herself before crossing the stream after him. As soon as her feet hit the opposite bank she felt the air temperature drop dramatically. The distinctive evil energy in the air was oppressive. The forest was unnaturally dark; no sunlight filtered down through the trees. A hazy mist of fog enshrouded and obscured everything even though it was the middle of the day with the sun blazing down. Caellia unknowingly took two steps backward, this place was evil. She could sense it clearly and did not want to go any further.
Noticing her retreat Nathavin said grouchily. "You're fine, just stay with me and do exactly as I tell you." Turning around he started up the path, leaving her no choice but to follow him.
Grudgingly she followed him up the path and as they rounded a bend further up she saw a broken down wooden carriage decorated with many skulls. Nathavin didn't slow down, and as they passed by the carriage she saw a large black cauldron that was sitting above an unlit fire pit. A strange human, a wizard by the looks of his blood red robes, called out to them, beseeching them to help him get rid of a ghost. Still Nathavin didn't break his stride, completely ignoring the mysterious wizard. Caellia followed him as he took the path that led to their right and led to a ramshackle, broken down house.
Before they entered the yard of the house, Nathavin stopped and pointed at an eerie figure half hidden by the fog. His anger with Caellia was replaced with a cold detachment for the time being while he focused on her training. "That is a bone collector. They collect the bones of travelers to use as decorations and for their idea of 'religious' ceremonies." He spoke quietly so as not to alert the creature to their presence.
Caellia eyed the grotesque creature in front of her with revulsion as it swayed unsteadily on its feet. She could see a small, shrunken skull hanging from a leather strap looped around its neck. It carried a simple wooden staff that was held together by pieces of age worn leather in places where the wood had apparently splintered. While still staring at the repugnant being, she listened as Nathavin explained further.
"Do not be deceived by their awkward gait and appearance. They are skilled casters and they have a fire spell that is almost as good as any human sorcerer's spell. They also have a spell that will hold you in place, among others." He cautioned her. "I will demonstrate first and then I want you to copy me."
Nathavin cast the few spells he knew for protection and strength on himself and watched her do the same. After they were done he raised his bow and fired, killing the unsuspecting creature quickly and efficiently. He repeated the process several times in rapid succession before allowing Caellia to try. "Now it's your turn, I will be here in case anything happens."
Caellia breathed deeply and took aim at the target she'd selected. The arrow flew true when she released it, hitting the target in the center of its chest. However she didn't land a killing blow, allowing the creature time to launch fireballs at her. Caellia stood her ground in the face of the scorching heat, allowing her spirit barrier to absorb and deflect the force of the magic’s power. Finally, after several more shots, the creature clutched its chest and sank to the ground. She listened to Nathavin's encouragement as she gratefully accepted a few potions he handed to her to soothe the burns the bone collector had inflicted. It did not escape her attention however that his encouragement was a bit forced.
After several hours Nathavin called a stop to the training. Nightfall was fast approaching and he insisted that they take refuge in the broken down remains of the house. Since they had not brought striders that could help carry extra items they each carried a simple lightweight blanket. Caellia settled herself in a far corner as comfortable as possible.
Nathavin watched her from the corner of his eye as he settled himself into a seated position. He would watch over them at night since he knew that her eyesight was poor in darkness. He began to explain to her the plans he had for her training in detail. They would train by day and by night, alternating them when possible and resting the day between the swap so that they were not up for two consecutive days. She would learn to stealthily hunt all of the indigenous creatures of the forest; from the bone collectors to the fear inspiring vampire warlords.
Caellia listened raptly as he explained all of the creatures in detail, shuddering as he explained the demonic vampires. She feared them the most. Nathavin's voice as he spoke calmed her though, and eventually she fell asleep, the day's hard training catching up to her.
Nathavin heard her even breathing and turned to face her. His anger toward her had abated somewhat throughout the course of the day, though he was still depressed. After a few minutes he stood up and stealthily approached her and then settled down next to her, watching her sleep. Throwing caution to the wind, he pulled her to him and laid her head gently in his lap, much the same way she had held him on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in his homeland and asked her in a softly pained voice while unknowingly shedding a solitary tear. "Why can't you let yourself love me?"
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Treason