Awakening Chapter One Rewrite

Two elves sat perched in a tree looking out at the clearing. One sat with her bow drawn as the other refused to look at her.

"He's late," he said, "we should continue on to the village without him Elania. We can find her without him."

"We can't move on without him," Elania said resting her bow on her knees, "Tirithon ordered us to wait for him her while he goes to the council. We need him to find exactly where your sister is Aranhil."

"Using his bond with her to find Marilla is wrong," Aranhil said angrily, "How would you feel if I did that to you? Wouldn't you feel wronged?"

"That is different," Elania said, "Tirithon and Marilla have not completed their bond, we have. Your sister cannot be left to herself with the forces that hunt her. We need her if we are to win this  war and end the cycle."

Aranhil turned in the tree and stared at her. He couldn't believe that she was condoning this.

"I am not going to sacrifice my little sister," Aranhil spat, "She won't be happy that we are allowing Tirithon to use his bond with her either. She will not trust us if we allow this."

"What other choice do we have Aranhil," Elania said angrily looking at him, "We have been searching for her for months. We get little rest from our search before they send us out for her again. I want to be able to sit and rest longer than a few days before having to go back into the wilderness again."

"That I do understand," Aranhil said, "but is there no other way. This isn't natural, neither is the way your cousin has been acting since Marilla left. You cannot tell me that you are not worried about him."

"How would you have me answer that," Elania replied, "Tirithon lost Marilla before their bond could be completed, let alone the first stage, then he lost most of his family when the Drimana attacked our village."

"Yes its tragic," Aranhil said, "but it is been decades since that has happened. It seems like he shut himself off from everything. It is not natural for a druid let alone the archdruid to act like he has no emotion."

"He is going through the motions of living," Elania said, "He had told Adaan and I that the only time he doesn't feel like he his dying is when he is in the wilderness. Marilla was his heart, Without her he will never be how he once was. I want my cousin back more than anything and I will bring your sister back at any cost if it means me having him back and not some shell!"

"Are you two finished," an elf said from where he sat on his horse, "I could hear you arguing from the road."

Elania and Aranhil stared at him before jumping down to him. Elania put her bow back on her back before they both bowed to the younger elf.

"You know I hate it when you two bow to me," Tirithon said without emotion, "You two do not need to bow every time we see each other."

"Tirithon," Aranhil said, "I beg you to not do this. She will hate us for this."

"We have no choice Aranhil," Tirithon said, "We have exhausted all other leads. We have been ordered by Prince Isélas to bring her back by force if we have to. The Queen's health is waning."

Elania and Aranhil looked at him in shock.

"But surely they can slow it," Elania asked, "We cannot lose her."

"They cannot," Tirithon replied, "If we cannot get Marilla to come back and heal her then she is lost."

"Can you feel her nearby," Elania asked.

"Tirithon please," Aranhil begged as the druid closed his eyes.

The two older elves could feel the magic flare around them as Tirithon used his and the bond to track Marilla. Elania grabbed Aranhil's arm as he moved forward to stop the druid. They waited several minutes before he was thrown back by something. Aranhil and Elania ran towards him as he sat himself up.

"Did you find her," she asked.

"She knows that we are tracking her," Tirithon said, "and that we are close. She is in the next village at the tavern. We need to hurry, she will try to leave before we get there. Get your horses."

Aranhil ran off to get the horses while Elania helped her cousin up from the ground. He handed Elania the reigns to hers before jumping up onto his own. They turned towards the road as Tirithon set off at a fast gallop, Elania and Aranhil following closely behind him.


*  *   *  *   *

Elania was walking up towards the tavern as Aranhil slowly made his way from the opposite direction, hoping to corner his sister before she could escape. The door to the tavern opened and a figure with a dark brown cloak came out. They stopped before looking at Elania who was the closer of the two. A flash of light from their hand had Elania ducking to avoid the dagger that went sailing by. Elania felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. She looked to see a dagger stuck into her left shoulder.

"Elania," Aranhil yelled.

Amber eyes met as Aranhil stood there with his hands up, showing the figure that he had no weapons to harm her with.

"Marilla stop," Aranhil said.

"My own kin stands against me," Marilla said glaring at him, "with those that would do harm to me?"

"You know that I always stand with you," Aranhil said taking a step forward, "but you know as well as I do that those that killed our mother are after you. We are only trying to keep you safe."

Marilla let her eyes take on a more orange hue as she let her magic flare.

"Marilla stop please," he said stopping a few feet away from her.

Fire licked around her hands as he took a step forward.

"Elania," Aranhil said not taking his eyes off of his sister, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Elania said hanging onto her injured shoulder.

"Marilla," Aranhil said lowering his hands, "Please come with us willingly. I don't want to follow our orders."

"I am not giving up my freedom just because you have orders," Marilla yelled.

She threw a wall of fire up in front of Aranhil. He stepped back in surprise as he watched his sister jump over and try to make her escape.

"Tirithon," he shouted as he ran around the flames to Elania.

Aranhil helped Elania up before they ran after Marilla's retreating form. She stopped briefly at hearing the druid's name and started to run faster than she was before. Marilla darted around corners as she heard Aranhil and Elania continue to call for the druid. She used the sign of a nearby shop to vault herself onto its roof and took short shallow breaths. She waited as she heard Elania and her brother run by calling for her and the druid.

She stayed laying down on the roof for several minutes to make sure that they were not coming back in her direction. Marilla sat up and stared at the glow created by her fire. She smiled and let out a laugh at how dense her brother and Elania were. Their kind were lithe and had heightened senses; they couldn't even hear her above them. She let out another laugh and turned to walk along the rooftop. Marilla walked along a few of the buildings occasionally looking down at the alleys below.

Marilla topped and watched as the shadows began to move on the ground, becoming darker than they should with the lanterns and torches. She let the magical fire gather around her hands. Marilla launched it near one of the shadows and waited. Screeching could be heard as it hit the ground.

"Hellfire," Marilla said as she ran away from the sound.

She looked behind her to see figures emerge from the shadows. They were crouched down looking up at her as a final figure emerged. Marilla's face paled as she saw Yattien come into view smiling at her wickedly. She stopped and stared at him in fear.

"Get her," Yattien said, "I want her alive."

Marilla didn't wait to see if they had listen to him as she ran from them. She tried to run in the direction she saw Aranhil and Elania go, hoping they were still in the village. different forms of magic sailed past her as she fled.

She couldn't let them catch her. If they caught her than they would force a fate worse than death on her. Marilla could hear someone calling her name. She sprinted in that direction hoping that she could make it before they caught her. She jumped down into an alley in the hopes of losing them. She walked quietly towards the sound of her me. The vice sounded familiar, but she could not place where from. Tirithon turned around and stared at her like she was a ghost. he moved his staff in front of them as he shook himself free of his shock.

"Move," Tirithon said waving his hand behind him.

Marilla didn't argue, but nodded and ran behind him. The amber stone on his staff began to glow as his amber eyes turned to more of a bright gold color. Marilla looked towards the entrance of the alley. Screeching could still be heard loudly as the Drimana closed in on them. As the first of the Drimana jumped into the alley Tirithon raised his staff and brought it down on the cobblestone street. Light darted out from the glowing amber at the approaching Drimana. As beams of light hit each of the Drimana their body burnt away, their screeches slowly going silent.

Marilla didn't look at Tirithon as the last of them burned. She turned and tried to make her escape. A hand grabbed her arm and spun her back around. She took out one of her daggers and held it up to Tirithon's throat. His grip on her arm was gentle as it moved to holding her wrist in front of them.

"Release me," Marilla said coldly.

"I cannot do that," Tirithon stated, "I have been ordered to bring you back willing or not."

"You used our bond to find me," Marilla spat, "you expect me to return to a people that would see me dead to save them."

"I would," Tirithon replied.

"I die you die," Marilla said trying to pull her wrist free, "are you willing to sacrifice your life for them?"

"I am," Tirithon answered not letting her go.

"They would not do the same for me," Marilla yelled at him, "They would not do the same for you."

"The one for the many," Tirithon said pulling her closer, "or have you forgot everything your mother taught us?"

Marilla yelled before slashing at him with her dagger. Tirithon released her and dodged as she slashed at him wildly.

"It works both ways Marilla," Tirithon said using his staff to parry her attacks, "I die you die."

Marilla refused to listen as she pulled out a second dagger and continued her onslaught. Tirithon hit Marilla with his staff and pushed her away from him.

"Enough Marilla," Tirithon said, "You continue to go down this path. It will lead you to a place none can follow. It will destroy you.I cannot let you do that!"

Marilla glared at him mulling over his words. Neither moved as Tirithon watched her for signs of another attack. Her grip on her daggers tightened as she took a step towards him. Tirithon acted quickly and blew a purple powder into Marilla's face. She began to cough as she backed away fanning the air in front of her, trying to rid it of the purple powder. She fell against one of the walls coughing as Tirithon walked towards her.

"What have you done," Marilla demanded as darkness dotted her vision.

"Relax Marilla," Tirithon said kneeling down next to her, "Its just a simple sleeping powder made by my family. Don't worry nothing will happen to you in my care."

Marilla slumped the rest of the way to the floor as darkness took her.

*   *    *    *    *

Aranhil poured the healing potion into the wound on Elania's shoulder making her jerk away from him.

"Watch it that hurts," Elania's bit out.

"It is healing it is it not," Aranhil said raising an eyebrow.

Elania's grumbled of her affirmation. He poured the last of the vial into the wound as they watched it slowly close.

"It has stopped bleeding," Aranhil said, "but you need to be careful with it."

"Don't we have more," Elania asked, "I won't be able to use my bow like this."

"Then use your sword or go buy more," Aranhil replied putting the empty bottle back in his pack, "we are out."

"Aranhil do not be like this," Elania said as he walked away refusing to look at her.

"She is my sister,"Aranhil yelled as he spun around to look at her, "if we were in their shoes what would you have me do?"

"We are not," Elania said, "I would expect you to do what you had to."

"Even if it meant your death," Aranhil asked, "If it meant mine as well?"

"I cannot answer that," Elania replied, "I do not know what I would do."

Aranhil opened his mouth to say something when they noticed Tirithon walking towards them carrying Marilla in his arms. Aranhil ran up to him and inspected his little sister for injuries trying not to wake her.

"What did you do to her," Aranhil demanded.

"It is a sleeping powder," Tirithon said, " She would not come willingly. Drimana were here as well. I did not see their leader."

"Come on," Elania said standing up trying to hide her wound from her cousin, "we should not linger."

Tirithon raised an eyebrow to his cousin.

"Your lady," Elania answered, "back when we tried to corner her."
Tirithon blinked as they made their way to their horses.

"Why did you do that," Tirithon asked, "I told you to find her, not scare her."

Elania got on her horse as Tirithon put Marilla on his horse. Aranhil stopped him with a hand on the saddle.

"She rides on mine," Aranhil said.

"Do you think that she will be safer with you," Tirithon asked, "Nowhere is safe for her as long as she is alive. What does it matter whose horse she rides on?"

"If any harm comes to her," Aranhil warned.

"Than you may kill me yourself," Tirithon answered getting on his horse, "For what the bond will put me through will be the cruelest torture."

Aranhil stared at him before helping him sit Marilla up against him.

"Keep her safe," Aranhil asked getting on his own horse.

"I will," Tirithon said, "Scout ahead of us Aranhil; we make for Ilara."


*    *    *    *    *

Marilla awoke laying against a tree. She looked around the area where the others set up camp. Aranhil and Elania were sleeping across from her. Tirithon was a little ways from the camp staring into the night. She assumed he was keeping watch for the Drimana.

She moved to grab one of her daggers and stopped. Her weapons belt was missing. She tried to silently stand up and back into the woods surrounding them. She turned and ran as fast as she could away. Marilla ran looking behind her before she ran into something hard. She fell to the ground.

Marilla looked around with fear coursing through her; afraid that the Drimana had found them or worst, Yattien. She turned to yell for help to see Tirithon a few yards away.

"What is wrong," Tirithon asked, "it is only the four of us in the area. The Drimana are still searching around the town."

"Something would not let me move farther from camp," Marilla stated, "I thought we were caught."

Tirithon looked at Marilla and took a few steps forward. She stepped back towards where she had been thrown from. She looked down and stepped over the log that was near where the barrier was. When she looked at Tirithon, guilt plagued his face. He held up his wrist and moved his hand in front of it. A golden thread of light went from his wrist to Marilla's.

"You cannot go far," Tirithon said looking away from her, "The beauty of being a user of life and earth magic. You can tether someone to yourself. I cannot risk you coming to harm."

"Why," Marilla demanded, "why now? I have taken care of myself for the last two hundred years?"

"I cannot let you die," Tirithon exclaimed.
Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Marilla's arms and legs. She tried to pull herself free as Tirithon walked towards her, his anger causing the magic around them to crackle.

"I made your mother and father a promise when we realized our bond," Tirithon said angrily a foot away from her, "I told them that as long as  you held my heart that you would be safe; that I would end this so that you could live the life that you deserve."

Marilla stared at him as the vines coiled tighter around her arms in his anger.

"I would rather die myself then let anything happen to you," Tirithon said, "I will not let them kill you, but I will not allow this land to fall into ruin either. There are good people in this world Marilla, innocent people that do not deserve to have their live plagued like ours have been."

"Do you promise that I will return safely," Marilla asked not sure if she could trust him, "Can you promise me that I will live?"

"No one can," Tirithon answered.

Hurt passed over her face. The vines holding her vanished into the ground. Tirithon walked towards Marilla and held her head in his hands. He looked into her eyes softly.

"I can promise you," Tirithon said, "that I will try my hardest to make sure that you survive."