Swords and Staffs

13. A calm and relaxing death

Alistair:

I wake up as the sun shines through my tent, and into my eyes. I begin to feel uncomfortable because of my lack of sleep (because of crying) and soggy pillow (also because of crying). I get up from my bed and rub my sore, tired eyes. I sit there for a minute absorbing the facts of my life. My fiancée was now my ex-fiancée, my best friend was now my ex-best friend, my mother had now fallen out with me because I had upset my (so called) 'bride' and I now refuse to leave my room under any circumstances just in case I run into anyone that wants to talk to me which would probably be everyone.

I had just enclosed myself in my own little hole, my own little world. I had isolated myself completely inside my tent, locked myself away from the world of torment, grief, and misery. Basically, all the words that described an Arlene-less world. It had been at least a month now. I hadn't heard from Arlene since the fight. I guess I had just given up on life. And she had just given up on me. After all, life is not worth living without Arlene. At least in my opinion. In fact, what was the point in living? If I don't have Arlene, I don't want anything. I don't want life. And I was going to do everything in my power to fix that!

For the first time in weeks I stepped out of my tent, everything looked so new, so fresh, different. It was nearing the end of autumn for the trees were almost completely shed of their leaves. Provoking the mage's at the camp would do. The idea of people killing me with magical sticks sounded more of a peaceful death than, for example: staying overnight in the forest to eventually get eaten by wolves, getting slaughtered by bandits with swords and axes or jumping off the nearest cliff and dying from impact. It sounded much more of a calm and relaxing death than the others, it may even be less painful.

Standing outside of my tent, I try to remember which way the mage's camp was. My mind had become so numb over time that I had completely forgotten where she lived. What I didn't understand was how it had escaped my mind in a matter of three to four weeks. After all it's not that long.

The forest! It had finally come to me. The mage's camp was through the forest!

I then followed the path of my hazy memory and eventually found and located the place that I was looking for. The mage's camp stood prouder and taller than I remembered it to be. Then it hit me.

"What if Arlene's there?" I whispered to myself, flinching at the sudden pain of her name. I shook the sudden fright off and approached the fortress. "She will be better off without me..."

"Oi! What do you think you're doing here Templar? The lord mage has no business with you! You must have a death wish!" the guard screeched from the lookout tower.

"My name is Alistair Penteghast, son of General Penteghast! I am here to give you what you want! All you ever want is a nice Templar to take out your anger on, all you ever want is to fight with the Templars and forge a wall between us!" I bellowed. The guard looked at me, befuddled.

"Well I am sick of it! Having to keep this secret kills me. It kills me knowing that I can't tell anyone that I love the most amazing person in the world! It kills me not being able to be proud of who I am, and who she is! It kills me that I am supposed to hate the one person who turns my life around! But do you know what kills me the most? Not being able to see or have that one person I love because there is always that one little thing that is keeping you away! And that is horrid!" I said, my eyes forming tears.

"'Mage's and Templars don't mix,' they say! 'Mage's and Templars are meant to be enemies,' they say! I'm sick of all of it! I can't keep all of this up so now I'm going to put an end to all my misery! Go ahead, kill me! Do me a favour! At least I wouldn't have to continue living this dull, depressing life! Because I can't and won't live without her!" I yelled, tears still streaming down my face. I stood there, looking up at the sky for the very last time.

The clouds were so beautiful at this time of day. The sky was a peachy orange blended with a mauveine purple, white smudges dotted around it. I reminisced in natures beauty and the wonderful world that Aaldin had create. Knowing that this would be the last time I ever laid eyes on it.

"I don't know what you are rambling on about but since you're offering, I have something even better in mind," the guard answered grinning a malicious grin. Before I knew it, two mage guards came through the fortress gates. They charged towards me. I stood there, arms in the air, notifying my surrender, ready to die. I was ready for them to kill me on the spot, but they didn't. Instead they stood either side of me and grabbed one of my arms each. I decided that I should stay calm and let them drag me into the fortress. Despite everything, what was the point in struggling?

Arlene:

I received a letter from the local messenger one morning. I was scared to open it for it was from that...girl. Juliana Bennet. I wasn't still staying in the church, I eventually decided to stop hiding and come home.

Sat on my bed, brushing my hair, I find several tissues crumpled up in the corner of my bedroom. I must have left them there after the incident with my father. I remembered sitting there crying my eyes out and then I think of... him. Sat there comforting me when really it was all part of his silly game. Pretending that he cared for me. Looking at the used tissues, I notice that my eyes had begun to well up with tears.

"Stop it Arlene! You're over him and he's over you! He doesn't deserve you!" I scolded to myself trying to recover from the recent memory.

"Maybe I should open the letter, anything she says it not going to change anything...it still happened and there is no going back from that." I told myself, so I did.

I opened the letter from Lady Juliana Bennet. I find that it was written weeks ago. Around the time of 'the split up'. I gasp at the sudden mention of his name (Alistair) at the beginning. That's what he used to call me. Then I read.

As soon as I finished reading, the tears began to come back. It was what I hoped it would be! A total misunderstanding! I was so relived and so happy! But then I began to feel guilty for all the terrible things I had said about him. That he was an inconsiderate swine, that he had purposely tortured me, that he had gone behind my back and started seeing another woman, that he was a filthy and selfish liar and that was only some of them! I said so many things about him that I now regretted. I felt evil. And what about Juliana? I called her a blond freak, a witch, and many other things behind her back.

It was all for nothing. She didn't do anything; he didn't do anything, and I felt like I was the freak. I was the monster that had upset them and had caused all this just because I had overreacted. All because I assumed without asking. I believed the false facts that I had made up and they had to pay the price for my paranoia. I was the witch.

I decided that I had to find him!

Just as I was leaving through the gates and heading towards the forest, my father called me in.

"Arlene! Come here!" he ordered. I decided that I should obey him, I didn't want a repeat of last time. My father was always an angry drunk.

"Yes father?" I questioned wanting to get this over with.

"The guards need help watching a newly captured prisoner in the basement! I was helping them, but I have to collect some supplies. Help the guards watch the prisoner now!" as soon as he says that I think 'A small please wouldn't hurt...' However, I decide not to get on his nerves for now for he seemed quite angry.

"Yes father. Is it a Templar?"

"Never you mind what the prisoner is! All you need to know is that you need to watch it! Now go!" he ordered again. I obeyed his request and ran to the basement as fast as I could, my plan would have to wait.

I gaped in surprise as I entered the basement and looked at the prisoner.

"What have they done to you?" I asked...