Rose's Dilemma

Chapter 11: The Odds

Eddipus lay in his bed, a thick fur blanket draped over him and Hilda, providing warmth in the cool darkness of their longhouse. He stared at her as a gleam of moonlight pierced through a crack in the ceiling. His eyes never wavered from her form as he willed himself to sleep. Sleep would not come. Try as he might, Eddipus could not find rest.

Hilda gave a sigh, her lids fluttering open to find Eddipus curled up to her like an elven puppy. His eyes were wide and alert, like he expected danger. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Can't sleep?" she whispered lovingly.

Eddipus smiled, his eyes twinkling. "No, I can't." His voice was tinged with exhaustion. 

"The Winds whisper.""...and what do they foretell, beloved?" 

Hilda queried as she stroked his arm. "What could cause them to summon you from slumber?"

"They speak of a Tower," he said solemnly, as his eyebrows rose. "War is coming."

Hilda gasped, and laid a hand on Eddipus's shoulder, "A war?"

"They whisper that it is coming, Hilda," Eddipus murmured, his voice trembling with trepidation. He clenched his teeth nervously.

The early morning light cast a long, bright flare replacing the moon's gleam. Eddipus and his companion lay still on the large, blanketed bed. A chill ran down his spine, an unease that he'd never felt before. He could sense the Wind's in the air, a deep warning that something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite place it other than a war was coming. "Hilda," he mumbled under his breath.

"Yes," Hilda said, kissing his forehead, comforting Eddipus in a warm embrace. She looked him in the eye and pressed a hand over his heart. Eddipus pressed his lips against Hilda's in a passionate kiss. She returned his affections with a serene smile, yet something still seemed to trouble him.

"I can't help but feel scared," he confessed hesitantly. "It's been quite some time since I've felt like this."

"Listen to them for now," Hilda replied wisely. "The Winds have spoken. It means that the Master has intentions for you. If he does, then it can't be all that bad."

****

Samson's lifeless form was now cold to the touch, sprawled across the pile of leaves. The coppery scent of Rose's venom mixed with blood and berry. The smell seeped from the bite mark on his neck. His blue eyes, which had always been filled with such strength and vigor, stared blankly at the sky.

"No," Mirranda whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her grief. "Samson, please..."

Anguish clawed at her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She wrapped her trembling arms around his fragile figure, looking into his empty glass-like eyes, searching for any sign of life. But there was nothing, no pulse, no breath. The boy who had fought so bravely by her side, the boy who had shown her what love truly was, was gone.

"Please..." she choked, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "You can't leave me... I need you."The world around her stopped, mourning for her loss. The wind ceased its gentle dance through the leaves, birds fell silent in despair, and even the sun dimmed. As her sobs echoed bitterly through the clearing, the cruel reality of Samson's death settled upon her like a shroud.

"Samson!" Mirranda screamed, her voice raw with pain. "Don't go!"Her cries grew louder, filling the empty and exposed spaces between the towering trunks of the Forest's weeping timbers. As her despair reached its peak, she buried her face in Samson's cold chest, her heart threatened to shatter into pieces.

An oppressive darkness closed in around her, causing her to feel powerless. Her vision blurred, limbs growing heavy and weak. Tendrils of unconsciousness wrapped themselves around her mind. Unable to fight any longer, Mirranda surrendered to the darkness and collapsed beside Samson's unmoving body feeling scarred, helpless, overwhelmed and weak. Her tears soaking into his bright, blonde, beautiful hair.