#meldrene

As I quicken my step over to the chamber, heart racing, I can hear Meldrene’s voice. And someone else’s. As I come near the doorway, I recognize it with a lurch in the stomach. It belongs to Lord Tesaris.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, sire.” Meldrene says it steadily, politely. As if she was doing nothing wrong here. “I was just here to admire the Vaedoster, that’s all.”

“Admiring the Vaedoster, eh?” Tesaris drags out. “I don’t think that is what you are here for, dear, but regardless…”

I hear the slightest sounds of movement, and Meldrene hastily speaks up. “Please take your hand off of me, Lord Tesaris, I did nothing wro-” Her voice cuts off with a sudden yelp. And I decide to step in right there.

Tesaris has Meldrene flipped around, his arm around Meldrene’s neck. He betrays no expression as she beats at him and tries to get out of his grip. I see that she is pulling at the full limit of her power, the warmth of her considerable mana flowing furiously throughout her body. And yet, it doesn’t even budge Tesaris’ arm.

When they both see me, Meldrene’s lavender eyes widen and the 2nd most powerful Arallian lord’s face splits into a grin. I immediately let my mana flow inside myself, and I feel the heat spread throughout me as I get ready to summon my sword at any point. Neither I nor Meldrene are as powerful as Tesaris, but if it comes to a fight… 

“Sir Knight Myren!” He boomed, stepping closer with Meldrene in tow. “It’s truly a gift to see you today. I was actually looking for you here, you know?” His eyes gleam with a maniacal glow. 

As far as I know, Lord Tesaris holds a hidden, seething grudge against High Lord Elduin for various reasons. But I legitimately did not expect him to hate House Cyravel that much

“Lord Tesaris.” I say through gritted teeth. “Let her go.”

He blinks as if surprised, then looks down at Meldrene where she strains against his arm. “Oh, yes, yes, her.” His grip tightens even further, and Meldrene’s face turns whiter. “You know, on the topic of this fine lady right here, I was wondering something, Myren…” 

As I tense up even further and move my arms to potentially take my sword, Meldrene shakes her head. Her eyes bore into mine. Don’t start a fight, they seemed to say. As if on cue, Tesaris scowls. “Don’t provoke me, young man!” He snaps. “Step back or your lover girl here will pay the price.”

I freeze, taking in Meldrene’s face, then Tesaris’, which still has that disturbing fake grin plastered across it. Then, hesitantly, holding my arms up, I step back. “Please just let her go, sire.”

(WRITER NOTE: THIS PART NEEDS TO BE EDITED IN. THERE OUGHT TO BE A BIT OF A TRANSITION INTO THE PROPER CREEPY KILLY CONVERSATION)

He loosens his grip around Meldrene in response, and she bursts out with an exhale, panting loudly. “Right, as I was saying… About this fine young lady here, Myren, I wanted to ask you. Do you know how much her father loves her?” His face softens. “How much he cherishes her?”

“I’m sure he loves her a lot, sire.” I put on a placating tone, not wanting to provoke Lord Tesaris even further. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with… this.”

“You don’t understand, do you?” His eyes soften even further, taking me in. “Fair enough. I will have to make you two understand, then.”

From his other hand, he slowly manifests an item, an ethereal green glow that flashes and is gone in an instant. A small amulet rests on his palm. With surprise, I realize it is a crest of the Hvierdlain family.

“My son.” He murmurs, dangling the amulet over at me, in front of Meldrene’s head. She looks on at it in horror. “Taken away from this world, from me. Because of High Lord Elduin. Her father.” says the man with disgust as his face briefly contorts in pain. With belated realization, I recognize that expression. He has kept it hidden under a mountain of pretense for a long while, but it’s seeping out into the light now. All that grief and hatred, having grown further as it sat in a cave festering for over a decade. For the first time in years, a chill goes down my spine.

“I’m sorry, Lord Tesaris.” Meldrene whimpers. “Your son was a good man- I’m sure father never intended for him to d-”

“You were a CHILD when he died!” Tesaris snarls. “Died in a war your father started over you. Because some foreign envoy had the gall to say something mean about you.”

She goes silent and looks down. 

“I still don't understand,” he continues softly. “Why he had to do that to me. Why taking the High Lordship from the rightful family wasn't enough. Why did he kill my heir after that, Sir Knight? Why did he kill my only son?”

Silence dominates the glass dome. I stare at Tesaris with absolutely nothing to say, no words forming in my mouth despite my desperate need to. Meldrene is deathly quiet too, her lips trembling and her eyes boring into me. My earlier fury towards her from yesterday is completely gone. I just want her away from Tesaris as soon as possible, and then to hug her and tell her everything is fine.

With the two of us not saying a word, Tesaris decides to puncture the silence. His voice slices through it like a sharp blade through silk. “So I thought,” He whispered softly. “Why not make him feel what I do? Take away his only daughter?”

The two of us are equally stunned as we take in what he just said. He can’t actually mean it, could he? Mouth completely dry, I raise two placating arms to him. “Please, Lord Tesaris,” My voice takes on a begging tone now, and not a fake one. “Let’s see sense here. Meldrene is completely innocent. You can’t just harm her because of your justified vendetta against High Lord Elduin! Your quarrel is with him, not her!”

He shakes his head. “There is nothing I can do to Elduin.” he says hoarsely. “But her... I’m sorry, Myren.”

I am sure he is bluffing. This must be an extortion. There must be something he wants from me or her. If he kills her, Elduin will come for him with all his might and all his wrath. Surely even Tesaris wouldn’t dare to turn the most powerful High Lord in Eledore into his mortal enemy?

“Just stop, Myren.” Meldrene’s voice cracks. “You don’t- you don’t have to do all this for me.” Even through the pain and fear she must feel, she has the strength to give me a smile. 

“Don’t say that.” I tell her, heedless of the madman listening from behind her. “Everything will be fine. We just have to get through it, like we did everything else. Just keep steady there, alright?”

Something flashes in his eyes, and Tesaris nods grimly. He looks at me, really looks at me for the first time today. “I thought you two hated each other,” he murmurs. Smiles. “But I think that was mistaken. You like her- no, love her deeply, don’t you? You are so madly infatuated that you are almost about to get on your knees to beg for her life.”

I can’t control my shaking any longer. My throat is completely dry. “Name your price, Tesaris.” I rasp shakily. “Name your price, anything, and I will make sure you have it.”

He smiles even wider.

“Can either of you bring back my son?” He asks.

Complete silence.

Tesaris laughs. “No, of course not.” he wipes a tear from his eye. “That is just not something anyone can do, is it? What an unreasonable thing to ask of you. You know, Meldrene, Myren, there is something else I would actually like to ask of you.”

“What… what is it?” I croak.

He grins. “I want you to say goodbye. To her.”

My stomach completely falls. There is nothing I can say as I gawk at the too-powerful lord holding the person I cared so much for. Bile rises in my throat. 

Meldrene takes a deep breath. “Before anything else, Myren, I want to say I’m sorry.” Her eyes are full of pain. “I’m the one who treated you like shit. It’s all my fault and-”

I shake my head vigorously. “Stop that!” I snap. “You have nothing to apologize to me for! If anyone did wrong, it’s me. So please, just stay there and I will solve this.”

Tesaris nods in approval. “Good, good.” he murmurs. “Make good use of this last chance, you two.”

I glare at him and take a step forward. “You are bluffing.” I say hoarsely, shakily. Then my voice strengthens and I glare right in his eyes. “You won’t dare!”

He smiles a coy smile. “I wouldn’t?”

A flash of green, and the amulet in his free hand is gone. A flash of blue, and suddenly, a short, thin blade is held in it. A beautiful, gleaming work of silver polished so smooth it looks like liquid metal. Inlaid in the pommel and in the middle of the blade are shimmering sapphires that thrum with mana.

A Steel Drake blade.

“You think they will blame me for her death, Myren?”

Meldrene slumps in his hold, resigned. “Run, Myren. Run and never look back.” She gives me a wistful smile. “And remember, I always did lo-”

She is cut off with a pained cry and widened eyes as Tesaris plunges the blade with a crack and a squelch into the base of her neck. This cannot be happening. This can’t be real. He covers her mouth to muffle her last cries as he twists the blade, then rips it out with a flourish. The beautiful silver blade is now marred in Meldrene’s own lifeblood.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m rushing forward at Tesaris with all my might and the familiar weight of sword and armor settling into my hands and body as he throws Meldrene’s body off to the side with a sickening grin. A guttural bellow erupts from my throat and I bring the sword down in a hard swing as the lord simply stands there.

I am yanked unexpectedly forward as he brings his hands up, catches the blade, and pulls it with me towards him. And a fist meets my chest harder than the blow of a mace. Crack. Vomit spills out of my mouth. I still turn around and strike at his throat anyways, manifesting a dagger into my left arm. CLANG. Tesaris’ silverine blade meets it with force enough to jolt my joints and send it flying from my grip. Then he grabs hold of my neck, lifts me up into the air, and then smashes me downward all the way into the marble floor.

All the wind is knocked —again— out of my lungs and I think I feel almost all the bones in my body and my skull crack from the force of it. I can’t breathe —Tesaris is leaning over me and holding my throat against the ground with one hand, his stolen blade on the other. My own sword has clattered far away to the ground now. Even then, I strain against his grip with all my might. I remain pinned. 

I throw a rapid gauntleted punch at his face as he leans in even closer and opens his mouth. That has caved many powerful mens’ faces in before, but Tesaris appears nearly unfazed as my fist clangs off his cheekbone, a scowl forming on his face. “Listen up, boy.” I strike his face again. “I really am sorry for doing this to you.” Another furious hit. Only my fist seems to hurt because of it. “But I still have a House, a land, a people to look after. I would confront Elduin on my own if I didn’t have all those trappings, but I’m a man with responsibilities, you understand?” More clangs. I feel hot tears dripping down my cheek. “So if you will just lie down there, take the responsibility for killing Meldrene rei Cyravel on your own hands, you can rest assured that I will… feel bad for doing it.”

“Shut up.” I rasp out, striking him more and more uselessly. “Be quiet, gods damn you!”

“I can say the same for you.”

As my broken hand flies at his face, he catches it with unnerving speed. Squeezes and brings it to the floor. Then he strikes, true and hard. I howl as my bones shatter. He lowers my other arm down to the ground and does the same. Then, getting up, he stomps on my knees. They crack and shatter, too. I can do nothing about it.

Then I feel my legs lifted up, and suddenly I’m dragged by my feet over on the bloody floor. There is no more mythril covering me anymore; it has faded away into my consciousness. Then I skid to a stop and Tesaris drops my legs.

“I will give you one last gift before I go, esteemed knight.” He has dropped every pretense of friendliness or goodwill now. “You can rest with the Cyravel harlot’s corpse before they find both of you together. Look at her, if you want.” 

I feel something cold placed into my hand. The sword handle, I realize. Tesaris tightens my broken fingers around it. “I wonder how Elduin will look at the Steel Drake who killed his beloved little daughter?” He laughs boisterously. “He will start yet another war for her, I imagine.”

I roll over to my other side and encounter Meldrene. Or rather, her body. The blood flowing from her back has made a slick red puddle now, blooming outwards like a flower.