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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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Kattath cautiously opened the door of the wooden building and slowly poked her head inside, looking around warily for Nathavin. Sighing in relief when she didn’t see him, she continued inside, shuddering slightly in memory. Though it had been three days since he’d held a dagger at her throat, she could still vividly recall how the blade had felt pressed against her flesh. The mere memory of it gave her chills. Though Nathavin did his best to remain civil to her in front of Caellia, it was not lost upon Kattath that he was still angry with her. Kattath had tried to find time to pull him aside and apologize for her comments, but had been unable to find an appropriate time or place.

            Coming to a stop at Caellia’s bed, she looked at the light elf. She appeared to be sleeping, but her aura said otherwise.

            “Kattath,” Caellia said softly with her eyes still closed, “how can I convince him that my injuries are not his fault?” Her voice was tired and dejected. “I simply tripped and when I stood back up he was gone.” Her eyes opened, but they were distant as the events of that time played out in her head. “It was not his fault!”

            “In his mind it is Caellia, and there is nothing you can do to change it.” Kattath stated quietly as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.

            “But why?!” Caellia grew frustrated. “I wasn’t paying attention!”

            “Caellia he blames himself because he knows you can’t see as well as he can at night, yet he ran a good distance ahead of you. He was distracted and didn’t realize just how far ahead he’d gotten. He feels that if he hadn’t been distracted and had stayed closer to you that you would not have had to face the vampires alone. Out there he was supposed to watch over and protect you as well as train you.” Kattath paused for a moment gauging Caellia for a second. “He believes he failed you.” She watched as Caellia’s head jerked toward her and pinned her with a stare. “He wants to protect you so much Caellia. To see you hurt in any way upsets him deeply.” Kattath’s voice lowered as she fixed Caellia with a stare of her own. “He thought he’d lost you.”

            Silence filled the air between them as Kattath let her words sink in. “Caellia, I’ve never seen Nathavin so worried, so scared. He has never once in all the years I’ve known him shown fear. Nor have I ever seen him cry. But he did both while you were unconscious.”

            Caellia closed her eyes, allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks at Kattath’s words.

            “Caellia you love him. Whatever it is you are afraid of, let it go.” Kattath advised gently. “Your refusal to accept and admit that fact is slowly destroying you both.” Kattath did not want to think of what would happen if Caellia continued this. She knew that Nathavin would not give Caellia up, but if the two married with this matter still unresolved it would cause innumerable problems between them.

After watching Caellia’s aura for a few seconds, she decided to press the issue a bit more. “I know that you are trying to protect yourself by doing this. From what exactly, I don’t know. But please, think of him. I know you don’t want him to hurt, but he is, and you’re the cause of that pain. Is it fair for him to be hurt so that you will not be? Do you have the right to hurt him like this? To torment him?” Kattath knew she’d found Caellia’s weak spot as she watched the colors of Caellia’s aura shift from greens, browns, and blues. Each color representing uncertainty, doubt and most prominently: guilt. She paused for emphasis before continuing. “There is no justification for what you are doing Caellia. He has the right to know how you feel, to hear it come from you, to hear you voice it.”

Caellia couldn’t believe she’d been so blind. She had never once considered how he might feel. She’d been so wrapped up in protecting her own self that she had neglected to consider what she’d been doing to him. “I…I never…” She paused a moment to regain control of her voice. “Eva how could I have done this?! I never meant to hurt him!”

Kattath sat by patiently as Caellia berated herself. As serious as the conversation was, she couldn’t help but find it mildly amusing that Caellia was intermittently using curses she’d obviously learned from Nathavin. And even more amusing was the fact that she didn’t seem to be aware of it. If the situation hadn’t been so serious Kattath would have been laughing aloud.

After allowing Caellia enough time to calm down on her own, Kattath questioned her on the extent of the training. Her brow creased in thought, they had progressed farther than she had thought possible in the short amount of time that they’d been gone. She gave Caellia an assessing look before saying abruptly. “I need to have a talk with Nathavin.” She then left, leaving Caellia bewildered.

Nathavin glared at the dwarven girl. He did not think it took this long to get measurements for armor. As a matter of fact, he was certain it did not take this long. Before he could make his displeasure known to the dwarf for her delaying tactics, Kattath’s voice reached him.

“Lord Nathavin,” Kattath addressed him, reminding herself to use the honorific since she had angered him, “I want to have a word with you.”

One eyebrow lifted at her boldness and a hint of anger tinged his voice. “You ‘want’ to have a word with me?” Since when did she think his anger with her had abated enough for her to come in and say that she ‘wanted’ anything from him?

Cursing inwardly at her misspeak, Kattath revised her statement. “My apologies, I would like to speak with you, alone.” She shot a look at the dwarf before biting her inner lip and looking back at him. Had she grown so accustomed to their friendship while he was Lord that she had forgotten basic protocols?! It was a sign of disrespect to look to another when making a request, as well as all but demanding to speak with him!

Nathavin considered her for a long moment before deciding to let her slip up go unchallenged. The singular desire to be rid of the dawdling child-like dwarf was simply too great. He missed the look of jealous resentment the dwarf shot at Kattath as he dismissed her.

Kattath on the other hand had caught the nasty look the dwarf gave her, along with the snide comment. Checking to see if Nathavin was paying any attention, which he was not, she grabbed the dwarf by one of her bright red pony tails and whispered vindictively, not liking the dwarf at all. “You could never interest him.” At the dwarf’s false innocent expression she again whispered. “I know what you were doing,” her voice turned dark, “and so does he.” Releasing the dwarf, she refocused her attention on Nathavin, listening as the dwarf made a hasty retreat.

“I presume you had a reason for disturbing me and leaving Caellia’s side?” Nathavin started out icily as he glowered at Kattath. Just because he was grateful for her interruption of his ‘fitting’ session, it didn’t mean he intended on this being a pleasant visit for her.

“Yes I do.” Kattath stood straighter as she faced him. She got right to the point, not giving him any time to hurl insults her way. “I believe she is ready to take her final examinations.” Silence greeted her declaration. She cleared her throat and then continued. “From what both of you have told me, she is quite ready to undertake them.”

She opened her gift to him, noticing that the colors were strangely dulled and muted, as if he was purposely trying to hide his emotions from her. Respecting his wishes, she discontinued her efforts to interpret his aura. She hated to bring this up, especially without the benefit of her gift to help guide her questions and responses, it was a sore topic with him but it needed to be done. “I know that while you had started your own examinations, you were not able to complete them.” His lips thinned into straight line at her words and Kattath took a shaky breath. “I understand that the two examinations are similar, if not the same, for each of you. Perhaps it would be beneficial for you both to undertake them together.”

Silence reigned supreme for several long minutes as Nathavin considered her suggestion. The examination was grueling. The most demanding he’d ever had to undertake and he knew that working together would be of great benefit to both him and Caellia. “I will consider it.” He said at last.

Nodding, Kattath said quietly, “Please also consider taking help.” An awkward silence passed before she nervously broke it. Looking at him, she softly whispered. “Please, forgive me. I…I …You’re like a brother to me Nathavin.” Painful memories flooded her mind as she continued. “You helped me at a time when no one else would. When my mother was murdered and my own family turned against itself, against me, you helped me. You didn’t even know me, yet you helped me. I know how dangerous that examination is and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Anguish filled her voice. “You may not be my blood brother, but I regard you as such. I only want you to be happy. Seeing you so depressed hurt me in ways I could never have imagined. It made me nervous and uncomfortable. I wanted to help, wanted to somehow cheer you up. But I didn’t know how. As nervous as I was, I didn’t pay attention to what my gift was telling me when I made the remarks I did.” Her voice dropped even lower. “I’m sorry that it offended you. I have no excuse for my comments.” She waited for his reaction, nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

Nathavin could only stare at her, absently noting that she had picked up Caellia’s habit. He’d had no idea that she felt that way. While he knew she felt a strong sense of loyalty to him for the help he’d provided her long ago, he had never expected it to run so deep. Unable to find adequate words to express his own feelings, he said simply. “You’re forgiven.” Another awkward silence stretched between them after Kattath thanked him. Breaking it, Nathavin asked, deciding it would be best to change the subject. “How is Caellia?”

Grateful for the new line of conversation, Kattath answered immediately. “She is fine.” She cast a sideways look at Nathavin. “It will not be long Nathavin.” Please Shillien, don’t let it be long, she prayed. “I believe that the conversation I had with her today helped a great deal.” She held up a hand to stop him from interrupting her, likely to remind her that he’d specifically told her not to interfere anymore. “She was incredibly despondent and needed someone to talk to. She’s the one who actually began the conversation. I wouldn’t have said anything at all except for the fact that she looked so sad.”

Nathavin nodded as he looked in the direction Caellia was in. The question foremost on his mind was, now what? He looked back at Kattath. “What do you suggest?”

Kattath was overjoyed, he truly had forgiven her! “She’s on the verge of breaking Nathavin. It should only take a small nudge from you.” She thought back to what Caellia had told her about their stay in the forest. How she’d sounded and the way her aura had acted when she’d described Nathavin taking care of her injuries. “Nathavin, give her affection. You were correct to tend to her injuries and be gentle towards her while out in the forest. That was breaking her resolve little by little. After our conversation earlier, I believe that her resolve is almost completely gone.” She stared at him. “It is up to you to give it that final push and break down her barriers.”

Nathavin nodded mutely, mulling over her words. After a minute he looked at her, saying, “Thank you,” before walking away.

Kattath didn’t answer him, knowing that his mind was already elsewhere. Smiling contentedly, happy that all had been forgiven and they were on even better terms than before, she set off to find the dwarven female. A devious smile crossed Kattath’s face as a plan to torment the conniving spawn of an atrox formulated in her mind.

Nathavin slipped quietly into the room and slowly approached Caellia. He could hear her faint breathing, indicating that she was dozing. His hand reached out and trailed through her hair, smoothing it out so that it fanned on the pillow. “Caellia?” He asked after a while when it became apparent that she was not going to wake up.

Roused from her nap, Caellia stretched and yawned, cringing only slightly at the pain in her back. She moved experimentally and found that her sides no longer hurt, but her back was still sore and stiff. Ignoring it for now, she looked up at the source of her wakefulness.

“How are you feeling?” Nathavin kept his voice lowered as he watched her movements with a clinical eye, noting that her back seemed to be giving her trouble.

“A little sore.” She admitted and then continued. “The healer says that I’m fine though and that the wounds have healed. I just have to loosen the muscles up.” Looking down at her side, she muttered somewhat darkly, “Though it looks as if I’m going to have a few nasty scars.”

He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. She had barely survived a deadly attack and was worried over something as trivial as scarring? Her sharp look at him only made the situation that much more comical.

“What do you find so funny?” She asked with a suspicious look and dark undertones.

Deciding that it would probably not do to tell her that he was laughing at her reaction to being scarred, he quieted his laughter immediately and evaded her question. Instead of answering her, he asked if she wanted to walk around outside. When she answered yes, he held his hand out to her and helped her up.

They toured all around the fortress and Caellia insisted on going up the steep ramps on central tower. Nathavin did not want to let her, fearing it was too soon, but reminded himself that she needed to exercise to build her strength back up. He resigned himself to following her closely, determined that if she showed any sign of tiring he would call a close to her little excursion. Once they reached the top, he ordered the guards there to leave.

Caellia leaned on the protective wooden railing and closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air deeply. She could just detect the briny tang in the air from the nearby Swamp of Screams. It was enough to notice, but not enough to be unpleasant. She felt Nathavin come up behind her and allowed him to pull her back to his chest and the two stood together looking out toward the swamps.

They stood that way for a long while, watching as the sun slowly set on the horizon. And they would have stayed that way even longer if a twinge of pain had not shot up Caellia’s back. Though she managed to stifle her curse at the first sudden twinge of pain, she could not help the small whimper that came with the second burst of pain.

Immediately Nathavin turned her to face him so that she could hold onto him for support as the pain tore through her. While he was no healer, he understood that her back muscles were cramping and needed to be relaxed. As she held onto him, he began to slowly knead the muscles in her back with his fingers, searching for the source of the cramp. He knew he’d found it when she stiffened sharply before sighing in relief as he loosened the sore muscles, coaxing them to relax under the gentle pressure of his hands.

He continued to rub her back soothingly, content to enjoy the feel of her cuddled close to him. Even though night had now fallen, she made no attempt to pull away from him. When he made to pull back to look at her, she pulled him back to her. Though puzzled at her action, he made no move to pull away again.

Caellia bit her lip nervously as she thought on Kattath’s words. She was right, Caellia had no right to hurt him the way she had been. Though she was terrified of being hurt again, she could not continue to overlook the fact that she was hurting him. With a shaky, small voice, she began to speak.

“Nathavin,” she started, “I…I…owe you an explanation.” Caellia ground her teeth; this was going to be harder than she thought.

Stiffening slightly, Nathavin asked her hesitantly. “About…?”

“I’m…I’m sorry for hurting you. I honestly didn’t intend to. I had no idea, it just, I just…” Caellia shook her head wearily and sighed, “I just didn’t want to be hurt again.” She didn’t look up at him when she felt him pull away. “I’ve been hurt so much already.” Her voice was full of sadness.

Nathavin stood completely still, not knowing where she was going with this line of discussion.

“My life became so complicated so quickly after I first met you in that abandoned building in Giran.” A small, sarcastic laugh escaped her. “I was afraid of you then, knew you had the ability to defeat me.” She paused for a moment, letting the memory take her before she began speaking again. “Then, when you ambushed us and nearly killed Goryn I hated you. That was the first time I’ve ever known what true pain was, when I saw Goryn nearly dead.”

Though Nathavin knew that the hate she spoke of was a past hatred, it still hurt him nevertheless. But he also knew that at that time he had deserved her hate.

“Then afterward, when Asadar betrayed us, I had to leave Goryn behind.” Caellia leaned forward, resting her forehead against Nathavin’s chest. “I hated you even more when you showed up at the old stronghold and Goryn didn’t. Hated that you’d lived, and he’d died.” She sucked in a shaky breath, “His death hurt me so much.”

“We returned to the castle only to leave for your homelands not long after. There was that time you chased me in the forest and I despised you for that. Then we reached your lands and Nalia tricked me.” Now Caellia’s voice turned bitter, “Asterios,” she hissed out with venom, “I trusted him and he betrayed me more than anyone else!” Not wanting to revisit that particular memory, Caellia fell silent for a few minutes.

“But somewhere along the way in all of that, underneath it all, my feelings toward you began to change.”

“You were trying to protect yourself from greater harm, weren’t you?” Nathavin asked dully. Finally, the pieces were falling into place. “That’s why you wouldn’t tell me?”

“Yes, and I was afraid of those feelings and didn’t want to examine them, didn’t want to have them. So I pushed them away.” Caellia felt like such a fool. “I…I…”

“You didn’t understand them.” Nathavin said with finality.

The tension in the air grew thick as neither said anything for long moments. Finally he broke the silence. “Say it.” His voice wasn’t forceful, nor was he angry. “You know that I won’t betray you, nor will I hurt you. You know this. You have nothing to fear from me Caellia. I will never hurt you.” He drew her into a fierce hug, inhaling the soft scent of her hair. He felt her arms come up and tentatively wrap around his shoulders. With his voice a mere whisper, he begged her, “Please, I need to hear you say it! Please Caellia; I need to know that you love me as much as I love you!”

Her resolve shattered. “I…I love you Nathavin!”
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Treason