Pain flared in her arm and her decent came to abrupt halt. Salty sea air assaulted her nostrils and her eyes snapped awake. The crash of the waves was beneath her and the cool jagged rocks of the cliff pressed hungrily against her thin shift, seeking her fragile flesh. Her breath caught at the sight of the turbulent water far below and the outcropping her body had almost been dashed upon. Something was grasping her wrist tightly and she looked up with stark-white fear in her face.
Holding fast on the other end was Victor, sheer terror etched on his face. Feeling his grip on his precious cargo slip, his other hand flew down to renew the hold. Once again his knack for light sleeping had alerted him when Kats shrilling scream ripped through his ears. He saw her stumble back into the rail and to his horror, it had given way. Only his years of training had saved her from falling to her death.
"Let me go, Vic. I cannot stay here, not anymore."
Vic's eyes widened in surprise at her words. What was Kat saying?
"I can no more let go of you than leave you." His heart lurched as she physically fought against his pull. He strained with all his might and Kat slowly came back to their balcony. The railing she had crashed through lay in ruins and Vic quickly dragged her away from the splintered mess. Kat could no longer hold back her emotions and a flood of tears rained down from her eyes. She curled in on herself and her arms hugged her body fiercely. Vic knelt by her side, his hand resting on her shoulder.
Do no touch me! She ripped her shoulder from his grip. The hurt of her words etched themselves across Victors brow. He felt the welling of anger inside him and his body trembled from it. He had nothing but love Katrina since the day they wed. What had caused this change in her? No, he would not lash out at her. Something had caused this change in her and he aimed to find out.
Please, Kat, tell me what is wrong. I cannot help you if you do not let me. His words only furthered her convulsions.
Ye married me and ye still hold others in your heart. How can ye expect me to give myself fully to ye if ye can no do the same? Her eyes were glassy and her smooth rosy cheeks were caked from the salt in her tears. They held hurt and betrayal, the roots going deep.
I want nothing more to do with a man such as ye. Her country accent became thicker and her words were full of venomous hate. Slowly she opened from her fetal position like a flower welcoming the dawn. If ye want to keep all the women that ye hold -in a place that ye should only reserve for me- then release me. I will no be with a man who shames the meaning of being wedded. Who sullies what I am for his own needs and desires. I gave you all my heart and soul yet I know you will toss those to the winds when your next prize comes along.
You are wrong, Kat.
Am I now? Shall I recount the names to refresh your memory? Aleesha, Kedra, Belgaroth and a host more I am sure. I was a fool to think I could tame a rogue such as ye. Her feet were unsteady but she rose from the ground. Vic followed her up but kept his hands away even when his body cried out to pull her into his arms. His words failed him as she walked away. How could she possibly know these things?
She limped back into the bedroom, oblivious to the shards of glass that clung to her feet. The blood oozing from the new wounds left a slick wet trail behind her. Something else ebbed from her delicate form. Something never seen by the naked human eye but felt deep within the mound of flesh it called its home. Never complete until its other half is found and once joined, hard to separate. Matters of the heart are its core and when the invisible dagger buries itself deep, only true love can save it from being extinguished. To save this unseen force, Katrina knew she had to leave and never come back.
She didn't need much, just the possessions she came here with and nothing else. She looked at her pack tucked away in the closet, the door ajar from her hasty toss just earlier today. As Kat went to it, her footfalls faltered. Her pack spoke of many things... her hopes, her dreams. All of which she raised up in song. How hollow those words rang in her mind now. No, she would not take those belongings. To even touch them would take what was left of her soul. Instead she grabbed the two things that never failed her, that ever yielded to her caress. Her sword and bow. The keen edge of her blade cut deep into the floor as it dragged along the wooden planks. Her feet carried her forward as she marched without purpose, nothing but a shell void of life. Her lips twitched with every step and as she turned to the door, Victor stood in her way.
"I beg you let me go." Her words carried no emotion. The spark that once shined brightly in her emerald eyes was now as dull as a blade of grass. She was a carcass in search of a soul, a soul ripped from her leaving behind a leeching, bleeding wound never to heal but to fester until her body gave in to the darkness that beckoned. She heard the whispered lies buzzing in her head to give in, to cease to be.
"If you walk through that door I shall die." His eyes searched her own and what he saw made him despair. "Do not leave me my love."
Those few words caused her heart to crash to the floor. My love. No! It was his trickery, his way of keeping his quarry. How could he possibly mean it? She closed her eyes against the tide of emotions wafting off of Victor.
"I gave you everything without a price, Victor. I can no longer do this. Many wounds I have taken in my journeys, be it blade or claw, and none have hurt me more than to know I was nothing but a conquest. Marry me for love not because of the burden of fatherhood. I have done well without a man in my life before and I can surely do it again."
"Damn you, Katrina! Heed my words! It is you that has shown me what it is to be truly loved, without want and desires, Anyone can make someone feel wanted and loved but to actually mean it with all their being, this is the gift you have given to me. No one resides in my heart but you and the babe you carry. No one. Do not condemn me with my past transgressions. Look at me now."
His hands gently cupped her face bringing up. His thumbs gently coaxed the tears off her cheeks and his warm lips pressed against her forehead. Her lips trembled under his tender touch.
"Whatever I must do, I will do it. The more you withdraw from me the more I feel it. If someone had told me this is what true love means, the blending of two souls together for eternity, I would have called them mad. No longer. You bleed because of me; now let me undo what has been done. Trust me, my dear sweet Katrina. You are all I need and nothing else."
Kat drew a shuddering breath and her head rested against Vic's bare chest, his musky smell once again bringing her senses alive. Her bow and sword clanked to the floor and her arms curled around him tightly. Victor returned the hug just as fiercely.
"Why must love hurt so much? Why must something so pure rake scars upon the soul?" Her words were barely audible, her face buried against his body.
He stroked her hair gently and said nothing. They both knew the answer to that. To love is to know pain for it is the only way to know it is real. Jealousy and hate are not part of it. Contempt and bitterness have no place in the rapturous joy of love. Temptation waxes and wanes but the strong of heart will turn it away, no matter how strong the pull. What lays in waste does not matter for those who try to break the bond of two who are meant to be deserve the retribution they receive.
"We are together, Kat. Now and forever. I will never let anyone come between us."
Holding fast on the other end was Victor, sheer terror etched on his face. Feeling his grip on his precious cargo slip, his other hand flew down to renew the hold. Once again his knack for light sleeping had alerted him when Kats shrilling scream ripped through his ears. He saw her stumble back into the rail and to his horror, it had given way. Only his years of training had saved her from falling to her death.
"Let me go, Vic. I cannot stay here, not anymore."
Vic's eyes widened in surprise at her words. What was Kat saying?
"I can no more let go of you than leave you." His heart lurched as she physically fought against his pull. He strained with all his might and Kat slowly came back to their balcony. The railing she had crashed through lay in ruins and Vic quickly dragged her away from the splintered mess. Kat could no longer hold back her emotions and a flood of tears rained down from her eyes. She curled in on herself and her arms hugged her body fiercely. Vic knelt by her side, his hand resting on her shoulder.
Do no touch me! She ripped her shoulder from his grip. The hurt of her words etched themselves across Victors brow. He felt the welling of anger inside him and his body trembled from it. He had nothing but love Katrina since the day they wed. What had caused this change in her? No, he would not lash out at her. Something had caused this change in her and he aimed to find out.
Please, Kat, tell me what is wrong. I cannot help you if you do not let me. His words only furthered her convulsions.
Ye married me and ye still hold others in your heart. How can ye expect me to give myself fully to ye if ye can no do the same? Her eyes were glassy and her smooth rosy cheeks were caked from the salt in her tears. They held hurt and betrayal, the roots going deep.
I want nothing more to do with a man such as ye. Her country accent became thicker and her words were full of venomous hate. Slowly she opened from her fetal position like a flower welcoming the dawn. If ye want to keep all the women that ye hold -in a place that ye should only reserve for me- then release me. I will no be with a man who shames the meaning of being wedded. Who sullies what I am for his own needs and desires. I gave you all my heart and soul yet I know you will toss those to the winds when your next prize comes along.
You are wrong, Kat.
Am I now? Shall I recount the names to refresh your memory? Aleesha, Kedra, Belgaroth and a host more I am sure. I was a fool to think I could tame a rogue such as ye. Her feet were unsteady but she rose from the ground. Vic followed her up but kept his hands away even when his body cried out to pull her into his arms. His words failed him as she walked away. How could she possibly know these things?
She limped back into the bedroom, oblivious to the shards of glass that clung to her feet. The blood oozing from the new wounds left a slick wet trail behind her. Something else ebbed from her delicate form. Something never seen by the naked human eye but felt deep within the mound of flesh it called its home. Never complete until its other half is found and once joined, hard to separate. Matters of the heart are its core and when the invisible dagger buries itself deep, only true love can save it from being extinguished. To save this unseen force, Katrina knew she had to leave and never come back.
She didn't need much, just the possessions she came here with and nothing else. She looked at her pack tucked away in the closet, the door ajar from her hasty toss just earlier today. As Kat went to it, her footfalls faltered. Her pack spoke of many things... her hopes, her dreams. All of which she raised up in song. How hollow those words rang in her mind now. No, she would not take those belongings. To even touch them would take what was left of her soul. Instead she grabbed the two things that never failed her, that ever yielded to her caress. Her sword and bow. The keen edge of her blade cut deep into the floor as it dragged along the wooden planks. Her feet carried her forward as she marched without purpose, nothing but a shell void of life. Her lips twitched with every step and as she turned to the door, Victor stood in her way.
"I beg you let me go." Her words carried no emotion. The spark that once shined brightly in her emerald eyes was now as dull as a blade of grass. She was a carcass in search of a soul, a soul ripped from her leaving behind a leeching, bleeding wound never to heal but to fester until her body gave in to the darkness that beckoned. She heard the whispered lies buzzing in her head to give in, to cease to be.
"If you walk through that door I shall die." His eyes searched her own and what he saw made him despair. "Do not leave me my love."
Those few words caused her heart to crash to the floor. My love. No! It was his trickery, his way of keeping his quarry. How could he possibly mean it? She closed her eyes against the tide of emotions wafting off of Victor.
"I gave you everything without a price, Victor. I can no longer do this. Many wounds I have taken in my journeys, be it blade or claw, and none have hurt me more than to know I was nothing but a conquest. Marry me for love not because of the burden of fatherhood. I have done well without a man in my life before and I can surely do it again."
"Damn you, Katrina! Heed my words! It is you that has shown me what it is to be truly loved, without want and desires, Anyone can make someone feel wanted and loved but to actually mean it with all their being, this is the gift you have given to me. No one resides in my heart but you and the babe you carry. No one. Do not condemn me with my past transgressions. Look at me now."
His hands gently cupped her face bringing up. His thumbs gently coaxed the tears off her cheeks and his warm lips pressed against her forehead. Her lips trembled under his tender touch.
"Whatever I must do, I will do it. The more you withdraw from me the more I feel it. If someone had told me this is what true love means, the blending of two souls together for eternity, I would have called them mad. No longer. You bleed because of me; now let me undo what has been done. Trust me, my dear sweet Katrina. You are all I need and nothing else."
Kat drew a shuddering breath and her head rested against Vic's bare chest, his musky smell once again bringing her senses alive. Her bow and sword clanked to the floor and her arms curled around him tightly. Victor returned the hug just as fiercely.
"Why must love hurt so much? Why must something so pure rake scars upon the soul?" Her words were barely audible, her face buried against his body.
He stroked her hair gently and said nothing. They both knew the answer to that. To love is to know pain for it is the only way to know it is real. Jealousy and hate are not part of it. Contempt and bitterness have no place in the rapturous joy of love. Temptation waxes and wanes but the strong of heart will turn it away, no matter how strong the pull. What lays in waste does not matter for those who try to break the bond of two who are meant to be deserve the retribution they receive.
"We are together, Kat. Now and forever. I will never let anyone come between us."
Willow and Wind
Fortune may prick ye sometimes but
misfortune follows ye like a shadow
more oft than not
Fortune may prick ye sometimes but
misfortune follows ye like a shadow
more oft than not
