Chapter 11: All for Love



Elizabeth and Darien were fighting, just like old times. The only difference was that Elizabeth and Darien were never out of each other's sight for one moment.

Darien and Elizabeth were getting cornered, and were outnumbered. They were fighting as hard as the could, but there were too many. Darien was trying to fight off knights, and protect Elizabeth, and she the same for him. One man was taking a swing for Darien but Elizabeth shot an arrow to his heart. She knew that only Nathaniel wore the fairyscale armor. Fairyscales! She clasped her necklace.

"Zelkova I need you!" she thought with all her heart.

Just like that there was a sillouette in front of her. There was a big bright light, that came with a sword ringing sound. The light dimmed and Elizabeth could see the Star Kingdom knights fly onto their backs. Zelkova turned around and nodded to Elizabeth. She smiled. Zelkova sent another blast of silver and white light into the crowd of knights, swung his large sword at a few more, then dissapeared into the crowd.

"It's the fabled forest Guardian back from the dead!" cried some terrrified soldiers.



Darien looked at her with a tired, surprised face.



"How?" he said.



"I will explain later." she laughed.



They started fighting again. She had not felt this rush for a long time. The swiftness of her limbs. The feeling of moving her muscles. Her agility in dodging the swords. She had never felt so alive! The only thing that saddended her was that she was killing people whom she knew. She recognized the faces of the men she killed, which sickened her. It had never been this hard to kill before. She had never really thought about it. Elizabeth hadn't seen Nathaniel, and she feared he was going to die of a broken heart. Damn these emotions! She then realized that she couldn't kill these men. Yet she had to. Why was she doing this? Was it her duty? To her kingdom or to Darien? In confusion, she grabbed her dagger from her boot and ran out of the crowd until she was entirely alone. She stumbled and fell to the ground. The dagger had fallen to the ground about two feet away from her. She ran to pick it up, and held it in the air. She ripped off the necklace, and spun the dagger's silver tip towards her chest. The sharp tip was seconds away from piercing her heart until a strong hand stopped her. Darien gave her the most angry and sad look. They were both silent as Elizabeth faught against his grasp so she could end it all and free herself of this pain. Seeing his green eyes stopped her. She couldn't leave Darien alone again. Tears started welling in her eyes, and she let out a cry of frustration. The dagger dropped with a muffled thud on the grass. She looked at the necklace, and put it back around her neck. Darien violently turned her towards him, pulled her so close that it hurt, and he kissed her. It was the most sentimental and passionate kiss Elizabeth had ever felt. It pulsed throughout her entire body. In that one kiss, she felt five years worth of pain, suffering and heartache. She could feel his pain in that kiss. She didn't want it to end. Soon her hands curled into his soft black hair. She lost all control of who she was. She felt as if she were kissing Nathaniel and Darien at the same time. She was torn in two.

Darien finally pushed her away, and they were both panting.



"Don't ever try ANYTHING like that again." he said between pants, still holding her close to him.



"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." she repeated over and over.



"Elizabeth, I've missed you terribly. After you ran away from me, I could never forgive myself for what I had let happen to you. This is all my fault! It's all ym fault. I should be the one who takes the dagger to my heart, not you. You don't deserve it."



"Darien, I'm sorry. I betrayed your love, because I also love Nathaniel. I'm so torn between you both. I.. I can't-" she choked and started to cry again.

She collapsed in Darien's arms just like the night the King died.



"Elizabeth, oh my Elizabeth. Don't cry, don't cry." he whispered.



Elizabeth composed herself after a few long minutes and looked up at Darien again.



"Run away with me." he said.



"What?"



"We could run away from all of this. Give up this tangled life. As of now, I resign myself as King. We can live on the countryside. Just think of it!" he said excitedly.



"Wh- Run away? What about the kingdom? Everything your father built? You're going to let that fall all for me? Iw ont let you do it. I won't--"



"Elizabeth the kingdom is dead. I've done nothing but make it plunge into depression. I've brought nothing but destruction to it, and right now, I'm losing hope in it. The only shred of hope I have for happiness now is to run away with you by my side! Please run away with me!"



Elizabeth silently considered this, until she decided.



"I will. Darien I will run away with you!"



Darien picked her up by her waist and kissed her again. He swung her around, and her feet were soaring above the ground.



They found the closest horses they could find and rode back to the caslte, leaving all their troubles behind them. As soon as they got to the castle, they grabbed all the money they could carry, and with the clothes on their backs, they rode off into the Dark Woods.



***



After that long battle, the Star Kingdom conquered. They took over the castle of Abyss and all the land was at peace. Nathaniel had taken over as King and married a local maiden named Margarat. Darien and Elizabeth left no trace behind them, and everyone was convinced they were dead.



Nathaniel and Margarat have been married for about eight years now, and Nathaniel was happier than ever. He and Margarat were on a walk down the village square. There was a group of small children playing. They were laughing and singing. When they saw the King and Queen, the boys bowed and the girls cutsied.



"Good morning your magesties." they all said at different times.



Margarat smiled.



"Good morning children." she said.



They walked on. Nathaniel couldn't stop looking at her. She had wonderful curly red locks, deep hazel eyes, and pale skin. She was an angel sent from heaven, just for him. Nathaniel's stare was stopped by something bumping into him. He looked down and he saw a little girl with raven-black hair. She looked up at him, and her eyes glowed of green.



"Excuse me, your higness." she said in a sweet heavenly voice.



She curtsied and started to run off.



"Excuse me little one," he said



The girl turned with a look of innocence in her big green eyes.



"What's your name?" he said gently.



"My name is Evalene." she said with a smile and a giggle.



Evalene ran off with a bounce in her step. Nathaniel couldn't believe it. He watched that little girl run away until she dissapeared behind one of the little houses. He tilted his head to one side. It couldn't be true!



"Is something wrong darling?" Margarat asked.



Nathaniel shook his head, and turned to her. He smiled.



"Nothing, my love. Nothing at all." he said before he kissed her.



The two of them walked back to the castle, and all the while Nathaniel couldn't stop thinking about little Evalene. She looked exactly like her mother.



***



Conclusion



And so, good triumps over evil. Light over dark. Angles over demons.. or so it would seem in this story. But is it really easy to say who really won this war? By obvious standards, yes the good kingdom triumphed over the evil kingdom. But, the real story here isn't a war story, but a love story. A love story for the ages. You see, love is the best part of any story. It gives us security, and assurance that our lives have meaning when someone cares about us. No one has ever been able to assess the exact definition of love. All that we know it that it's stronger than any force on earth. It is deeper than the corners of space. It is more forgiving than the most compassionate person in the universe. Most of all, it is the truest of all emotions, and is cherished by all who fall into it. Love is everywhere, and love will never, ever die. As the old saying goes: "Life may pass, but love will go on."