The Delightful Pain 2

Luan was no longer there but somewhere else, where the pictures of the past flowed before him in a waking dream; fragments, colors and sounds. He was in a room, bare and clean. A single humongous arm chair stood solely in the middle of the room. A graceful woman sat on it, her legs crossed. She has a long shining hair, her shape was slim and lovely. Her face hidden in the shadow, her arms bare and white. She looked down at a boy who was kneeling on the ground.

"You have to get me the necklace Drazhan." Her voice was soft and lovely.

"Yes, My Queen." Said the boy and when he whirled, Luan saw his face. He had a frosty hair, his face unlined and handsome. His eyes were dark, clear and bright. When he smiled, he looked like a lost puppy.

The scene changed. Drazhan stood by a window. A girl with long black hair perched on the window sill. A silver ring gleamed on his hand as he reached to put his arms around her. With a jolt of pain Luan recognized the girl, it was Evangeline and her features soft and vulnerable. She was wearing a white nightgown.

"Do you have to go?" She asked.

"I have too, Eve." He said with a smile. "If I want to be with you, I have to go." He reached down and cupped her face with his hands gently. His expression full of love and hers as well, but there was something else in Evangeline's eyes; something that could not bear of him leaving her, as if he would never coming back and she knew it.

"Please." She closed her eyes and she reached out and twined her arms around Drazhan's waist. "Promise me that you will come back to me no matter what happen."

"I will." He said, bending down and leaning his forehead against hers. "Let me stay like this." He said when Evangeline was about to pull herself from him, he pulled her into his arms, chin rested on her head.

The night vanished and Evangeline stood facing someone Luan could not see. Her black hair straggled around her stricken, despairing face. "Why did you do that?" She said. "You know The King would never bargain anything over the necklace." Her shoulders shook. "You knew it very well of sending Drazhan there was like you sacrificing his life and you will never get the necklace-"

Evangeline vanished and Drazhan appeared, lying on his back on cold, damped earth, staring up at a sky full of stars and Luan followed Drazhan's gaze to the night sky. The sky was full of stars and it looked like a handful of silver pieces had been flung across its dark surface.

Drazhan's mouth was full of brackish liquid. He turned to his side and coughed, spatting the liquid out from his mouth. He gasped until he could breathe again.

A shadow cut across the sand, moving fast - the long black shadow of a man made wavering and indistinct by the flickering light of the torches. By the time Drazhan raised his head, he was already standing over him.

"Warrior boy." He said. "You took quite a risk coming here. Is your Queen fool enough of sending you here just to get this necklace from me?" He held a silver necklace and it dangled in the air.

"My King." Drazhan said. The shock of seeing the King was so enormous that it was almost no shock at all. He stared up at The King whose face hovered against the dark sky like the moon; white, austere, pitted with black eyes.

The King held a sword, lowering it. The tip of it hung, now just by Drazhan's face. "I knew that the Queen was sending someone fool and pretending to be my fellow man just to get this from me."

Drazhan turned his face away. If the King was going to kill him, he would rather look away than see his death coming.

"Say your name." He said. "And look at me."

"It's Drazhan Wylan." He said, staring at the Lake.

"Drazhan." The King said again. "Did you know that if you want this necklace, you have to sacrifice something for me?"

He said nothing and Luan saw The King was pressing the blade of the sword against Drazhan's cheek, trying to force him to turn his head toward him.

"Look at me if you don't want to live in regret for the rest of your life." The King said. "I have something that will gain your interest."

The sword bit farther into Drazhan's cheek. "Look at me, Drazhan. See what I have here." With that he snapped his fingers. There, stood Evangeline with her hands bound behind her back.

"Drazhan." Her voice shrilled with worried and he instantly jerked his head up to the side. The blood dripping in great fat drops down his face, splattering the sand.

"Now I have your attention." He said with a triumph smile spread his face.

Luan's heart sunk at the sight of Evangeline. Dried blood crusted the side of her face and there was a livid red mark at her throat. Her eyes shone like mirrors and in the moonlight they looked black.

"Evangeline. Are you alright?" Drazhan's eyes flashed. "What have you done to her?"

The look on The King's face was wary. There was a calculation to his expression that Drazhan did not like. He ought to feel more panicked than he had a moment ago. Luan would realized that The King was about to kill her.

"Now, what do you think I will do?" The King's eyes fastened on Drazhan hungrily.

"Don't do it." Drazhan took a few steps ahead toward The King and he kicked the sword out of The King's hand. It was so fast that Luan could not able to follow.

The King's eyes went wide. His gaze flicked down, fastening first on his bleeding hand. Luan could see from the King's expression that he had not heard Drazhan approach any more than he had.

"My, my." The King smiled, a dark sweet smile. "So hasty."

Drazhan's eyes fixed on The King. There was nothing in them. Only a cold disdain. "It would be much better if you let her go, My King."

The King looked stunned. "Alright." He pushed Evangeline toward Drazhan and he lifted his hands in the air as if he was surrendering himself in a war.

Drazhan pulled Evangeline behind him, and he picked up the sword on the cold ground. "Stay here." He took a step forward, nudging the blade an inch closer to The King's chest. "Now, give me the necklace. It was not originally yours.

You stole it from The Queen."

"I won't." The King's voice was steady.

"If you won't." Drazhan paused. "You left me with no choice." The hand that held the sword toward The King's throat was unwavering.

"I don't want to kill you. But I will." Drazhan's face was deadly in the moonlight. "After what you did to her."

"Don't do this." The King said. "Please, I don't want to die-"

"No one wants to die, My King." Drazhan lowered the point of the sword until it was rested over The King's chest. Drazhan's face was calm. "Do you have any last words?"

The King raised his head. His black eyes as he looked at Drazhan in front of him were grave. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm so sorry." He stretched out his arm and his shoulders shaken as he laughed. "Is that what you are expecting from me?"

The King's hand turned with palm up and the fingers opening. There was a silver flash and something flew by Luan in a flash in darkness. Luan felt displaced air brushed his cheek as it passed and The King caught it flawlessly.

A long silvery sword flashed once in his hand as he brought it down. The King drove the blade of it into Drazhan's heart.

Drazhan's eyes flew wide. A look of disbelieving confusion passed over his face. He glanced down at himself where the sword stuck grotesquely out of his chest and Luan could see it looked more bizarre than horrible like a prop from a nightmare that made no logical sense. The King drew his hand back, jerking the sword out of Drazhan's chest and he went to his knees.

Luan looked at Evangeline instantly and she stood there like a statue. Luan thought for a moment that she might be crying, but when she lifted her head, Evangeline's eyes were dry.

Luan saw how Evangeline stared at Drazhan; it was as if the world was crumbling apart and Drazhan just lying motionless on the churned, bloody sand. His eyes were closed, his face still. It was as if it weren't for the gash covered his chest, Luan would have think he was asleep.

The King whirled and he stared at her defiantly. "Evangeline." He said. "When you wake up from your sleep, you will live your life the lowest for the rest of you life." Was all he said before he clicked his fingers and Evangeline was gone like a dust.

The scene broke apart in fragments and Luan's vision faded and he caught glimpses of images now familiar to him. Evangeline was crying by the window sill. He reached out for her and for the first time a voice spoke in his head.

Please take care of Evangeline, Luan Winterlight.