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WoLaD: Birth of Hope Ch.24

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"Wars of Light and Darkness"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

Prelude: "Birth of Hope"

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Chapter 24: "Liberation"

   It was all but dark in Lulabei's bedroom.  Only a few candles remained burning, almost out of wax and wicks.  The wind from the storm outside blew open a window, which was little more than a heavy blanket tacked down over the hole in the wall to keep out the cold and rain.  The candles struggled to stay lit, only surviving because they were sheltered from the draft by the bodies laying on the bed beside them.

   Lying on the bed, Shadow and Lulabei were cuddled close to each other.  The black and red hedgehog held her as close to his body as he possibly could, wrapping his arms around her, his legs intertwined with hers as they were stretched out on the bed.  He was tired, not entirely exhausted, but worn out nonetheless.  The wind blowing above him roused him from his deep sleep, something he didn't want.  Later, he would recall this feeling, and express sympathy towards Arandor, remembering how Arandor didn't want to return from his night with Hailamei.

   All he felt now though was a slight chill on his exposed fur.

   Shadow opened his eyes.  Two candles behind him provided the only light, flickering wildly as they hung on to the wicks desperately.  His eyes were tired and he rubbed them, trying to ease their agony.  He felt the chill again, and glanced down at Lulabei, still resting beside him, getting all of her warmth from him as she laid there, still exposed from before.

   A sympathetic smile flirted with his lips.  A blanket draped over them had slipped down to their waists, and he eased his hand towards it, pulling up around both of them before getting comfortable again.  He kissed her head gently, brushing the bangs out of her face.  Smiling he closed his eyes again.  The wind had died down, but blew up again after a few moments.

   The candles went out with the powerful gust; the room was dark, and the wind wasn't stopping.

   Growling as softly as he could manage, Shadow pressed his eyes shut tighter and mumbled, "Wind, you had better stop blowing.  Wake Lulabei and you will feel my wrath come morning."

   Bending to Shadow's will, the wind died off again.  Turning his head to the burnt out candles beside him, he blew a quick breath at both of them in turn, lighting them up again as he commanded the element of fire.  He looked back to the window.  The blanket covering the window was finally still.  Calm fell over the room even as the storm raged outside.

   "That's better," Shadow muttered softly.

   He closed his eyes again.  He could feel Lulabei move a little beside him, getting comfortable as she slept.  He smiled again.  With the evening calm again, he relaxed and closed his eyes.

   "Lulabei…," he murmured softly.

   All was peaceful again, and yet again, for only a moment.

   "Shadow, please help me!"

   Much like Arandor that morning after he laid with Hailamei, Shadow growled softly and did nothing, short of adjusting his hold on Lulabei.

   "Forget it Arandor," he muttered, "You won't pull the same trick on me."

   Unfortunately for Arandor, it wasn't a joke, even as Shadow took it for one.  Arandor raced down the hallways, uncertain of what he would do, his entire plan blown out of the water.  He growled, and almost screamed, muttering, "Dammit Shadow, I will get you for this later, hard."

   Still, he would have to face Urlumin.  Hailamei was in danger, and now Arandor didn't even base the need to save her simply on so the Light could be passed on.  He worried for her safety; he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, even if it meant he would have to take them down in the hardest way possible.

   He would protect Hailamei no matter what.

   "I'm coming Hailamei!" he cried softly to himself.  He only hoped that Marlai would gather the troops as quickly as possible, and that Eserie and the other girls would keep the king busy, deaf to the fight that would soon be taking place.

   With not much further to go, Arandor, out of desperation, tried to forget his anger and begged for Shadow one more time.

   "Shadow!!  Please!!  This isn't a joke I swear!!  Help me!!"

   Nothing.  Arandor was alone.

   But he ran, so hard he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet.

   In Hailamei's bedroom, Urlumin was struggling with Hailamei.  Though she was afraid, she remained defiant of the prince who would be king, her heart set on a future with Arandor.  Because she had never suffered abuse before, she had not lost her courage, something that the other girls had learned to abandon, nothing but putty in the hands of Kulfos and Urlumin, like Lulabei, shy and obedient to a fault.

   And so she fought with Urlumin, who only allowed it to continue because it amused him.

   As he ripped her blanket away from her, she struggled to pull free of his grip.  Her mouth was uncovered for a brief moment, and she cried out, "You will have nothing from me you wretch!  I do not belong to you!  I belong to-"

   "Shut up!" he shouted at her, violently slapping her in the mouth.  Because she was talking as he did so, her lip was cut on her teeth.  Her adrenaline pumping, she bit down hard on his hand, causing him to cry out.  No other girl had ever fought him in this way.

   Hailamei was a child of Light, and wasn't going to go down as easily as he thought.

   However that had the unfortunate consequence of making him more violent.

   Ripping his hand free from her mouth, he rose up above her, taking his now bleeding hand and slamming it down hard on her throat.  This got her to stop struggling for a moment, closing her eyes as she cringed.

   "Damn you bitch!  You are mine whether you like it or not!" he shouted.  He put his full weight down her, most of it forcing itself on her neck.

   She opened her eyes.  The fiery defiance didn't leave them, even as fear hid behind it.  She looked away, continuing to struggle, ignoring the pain in her neck.

   She wasn't breaking.  He couldn't force himself upon her until she stopped struggling.  His rage continued to build.

   He pulled back a fist, punching her in the face below her right eye, before pulling back and throwing another jab for her forehead.  This caused her to struggle harder, trying to kick herself free using her legs, while her arms were pinned under his weight.  Arandor had taught her that females had stronger legs than males did, and so she used them to try and throw Urlumin off her.

   It was about to work too.  Almost thrown off balance while preparing to throw a punch, Urlumin threw himself forward to counter the motion of Hailamei's legs thrusting him backwards.  This caused him to put more weight on Hailamei's throat, as well as for another punch to land between her eyes, crushing the bridge of her nose.

   This stunned her enough to cause her to stop moving.  A rush of pain rolled through her, momentarily paralyzing her.  Her body finally noticed the lack of oxygen, and instead of trying to fight off Urlumin, her body instead focused almost entirely on getting her to breathe correctly again.  She cried out, gasping for breath, and Urlumin realized he was finally getting the advantage.

   He grabbed her mouth, his thumb on one side, his fingers on the other.  Pressing them together, he forced her mouth open, dragging her head up until she was looking at him reluctantly, still glaring, unwilling to show fear.

   "Fight as hard as you can, wench," he hissed, "It'll make it that much easier for me to rape you.  I'm stronger than you, and you know it.  I will break you, and this stupid optimistic spirit you have.  Father cannot save you.  Nobody can anymore.  You will learn what it means to know pain, and you will be subservient, doing whatever I command you to.  We can do this as long as you want to.  There's nothing you can do to stop it."

   There was a stand off for a few moments, Urlumin glaring at her angrily, with Hailamei matching it with an equally furious stare.  However, as he pressed down on her throat, she continued to feel weaker.  Her head began to swim, and she was desperate to close her eyes.  She felt defeated, for she realized she was running out of strength to try and fight him off.

   Her fiery gaze weakened, the fear shining through.  Unwilling to close her eyes, her body closed them for her as she suddenly began to cough, gasping for breath, struggling no longer to be free, but simply to breathe.

   She whimpered softly as she wriggled beneath him, trying to find air for her lungs.  His smile twisted wickedly, an evil gleam now in his eyes.

   "That's a good girl," he cackled, "Looks like you're finally beginning to understand me.  Perhaps we can make this easy instead of difficult."

   He let go of her face, but kept a hold on her throat.  He watched as her chest heaved up and down while she tried to breathe, her eyes clenching shut, tears leaking from the edges of them.  He waited.  He knew that soon she would run out of air, and would collapse.

   Finally, the whimpering stopped.  Hailamei's face relaxed, as did her body, no longer tense beneath him.  He could hear a heavy breath escape her as she fell limp.  No more did she struggle, her body fainting, shutting down so vital organs could function on what little oxygen was left with the reduced air she was inhaling.

   She had fainted.  This would be easy now.

   Pulling back from her, he cackled, taking notice of the bleeding bite mark on his hand.  He sneered at it in disgust, rubbing the blood away from it.

   "You'll pay for that later bitch, I promise you that," he growled.

   The anger was replaced with lust as he stood back, looking her over from her face, to her breasts, and on down to her legs.  He felt the ecstasy, he felt the urge, the need to force himself upon her.  He could ignore his anger in favor of stealing her innocence.

   He was unchallenged…unopposed.  All he had to do was get rid of the dress, and he would finally have what he had been so desperate for during the past several months.

   It was this close.

   As he began to remove her dress, however, the calmness was chased away when the bedroom door violently flung itself open.  Light flooded the room, but not from the flickering candles.

   The Light about him showed itself in force as Arandor charged for him, his amber eyes glowing so brightly the pupils had all but disappeared.  As he leapt into the air, a violent scream escaped him.  He slammed into Urlumin, causing both of them to fly off the bed and into the nearby wall, creating a hole in it, joining the bedroom to the dressing room with a second entry.

   As Urlumin tried to recover and assess the situation, Arandor didn't let up.  A powerful thrust from his legs sent the prince flying through the air.  Arandor quickly leapt to his feet and chased after him.  Just before Urlumin landed, two powerful punches sent him flying into another wall, destroying the barrier between Hailamei's room and the one beside it.

   At last Arandor was able to calm himself.  He looked to Hailamei, seeing the damage she sustained from the struggle.  He crawled onto the bed, and though the bruises and bleeding angered him, he realized Urlumin had not yet gotten the chance to rape her.  The Light within her was safe.

   "Hailamei," he murmured.  He held one of her hands, and gently stroked her brow with the other.

   She didn't respond.  Her body had not had enough time to recover.

   Arandor hung his head.  Closing his eyes he felt the anger tearing through him.  He tried once again to get Shadow's attention.

   "Shadow, please, I'm about to fight Urlumin, and I…I don't know if I can kill him.  Please, he almost raped Hailamei!"

   "You…"

   Arandor opened his eyes, looking behind him.  Urlumin had struggled to rise to one foot and a bent knee.  Though stunned and injured, his own rage gave him strength.

   "Arandor you filthy traitor!" he shouted, pointing at him, "What in hell do you think you're doing?"

   Pulling a blanket over Hailamei, Arandor jumped off the bed, staring Urlumin down.  "You were about to rape a woman who does not belong to you.  She has given herself to another.  To rape her now warrants death, as it should anyway."

   Urlumin's eyes flashed.  "Lies!" he snarled, "She does belong to me!  Who has this bitch laid with?"

   Arandor's amber eyes softened.  He could not speak about his love for Hailamei with anger in his voice, even if it showed weakness.

   "Hailamei…has laid…with me."

   Back in Lulabei's bedroom, Shadow was woken up as the building shook, shockwaves rushing through it as Arandor and Urlumin broke down two of the walls.  As he woke up, he heard the cries in his head.

   "Shadow please!  He almost raped Hailamei!"

   His ruby eyes opened wide.  He knew Arandor wouldn't joke about such a thing.

   "Arandor!" Shadow cried softly.  Glancing at Lulabei, he gently pulled away from her.  On his feet, he bent over only long enough to kiss her, making sure she was warm, before he ran for the hallway.

   "Arandor, forgive me," Shadow muttered to himself, running as fast as he could.

   "You traitor!!"

   Urlumin shouted at Arandor violently, running for the Light Elemental, ready to fight.  Arandor took a breath.  He didn't know if he could hold off the prince on his own.

   Using what little of the Ancient Arts that Shadow had successfully taught him, the prince took swings at Arandor.  Pretending as though he were having a practice fight with Shadow, Arandor countered Shadow's unique moves with his own, and the brawl got started.

   The two were powerful fighters.  Arandor continually knocked Urlumin to the ground, only for the prince to thrust a leg back at Arandor, knocking him into a wall.  Shadow had moves that could counter Arandor's, and unfortunately, they were some of the few moves that the prince was able to master.

   The mansion rumbled.  The king noticed it, but all of his servants performed their best for him, knowing that if they couldn't keep him distracted that the guards would lose their courage, fearing punishment, and would refuse to go to Arandor's aid.

   The guards, spurred by Marlai's cries, rallied together.  Though this wasn't what was planned, as long as the king was not looming over them, they had the bravery they needed to help Arandor and Shadow take down Urlumin.  They gathered themselves together and raced for Hailamei's bedroom.

   Shadow continued to scold himself for ignoring Arandor.  It would be he who arrived there first.  He was greeted by the wall beside the doorway blasting away, knocking him back and throwing him into the opposing wall.

   As he recovered, he looked up and saw Arandor struggling to his feet.  It was he who was thrown into the wall.  Urlumin gave him no chance to recover.  He brought down a heavy kick upon Arandor, right at his shoulder.  He cried out, falling back to the floor again.

   Shadow was pinned down under a section of the destroyed wall.  He struggled to free himself, watching as Urlumin stood over Arandor, holding him down with his foot.  Though Urlumin had the upper hand, he was badly injured from the fight with Arandor.  Blood ran down his legs, and dripped to the floor from his broken nose.

   "You may have laid with her, Arandor, but she is my woman!" he cackled.  "Now, I will kill you for sleeping with a woman who was not yours to lay your hands on!"

   "Arandor!" Shadow cried out.

   Urlumin glared at him.  "You will be next!" Urlumin shouted.

   Shadow glared at Urlumin.  "Arandor may be afraid to kill you, but I'm not!" Shadow shouted.

   Summoning his strength, Shadow pressed his hands up against the section of wall holding him down.  It began to rise, shaking as he struggled with it at first.  Urlumin paid no attention to start as he prepared to kill Arandor.

   Raising his hand, Urlumin prepared to beat Arandor to death, only to become distracted as Shadow cried out.  The Dark Elemental had risen to his feet, holding the huge section of wall high above him.

   "You will not lay a finger on my brother, or Hailamei, or Lulabei, or anyone ever again!" Shadow screamed.

   Urlumin's eyes widened in fear.  He stepped back from Arandor, trying to edge his way around so he could run away down the hallway.

   "Shadow…come on…stop it.  …How are you holding that thing?" Urlumin asked, his voice shaky, riddled with fear.

   "Shut up!" Shadow screamed.  His red eyes flashed brightly, hiding his pupils much as Arandor's eyes had appeared earlier.

   Arandor, slightly bloodied and beaten, struggled to his feet.  "Shadow," he murmured, cringing as he spoke.

   "You aren't getting away from me!" Shadow shouted.  He took a step towards Urlumin.  Somehow, the prince knew he wasn't getting away.

   He sneered.  "Don't do it Shadow!" he cackled.

   At that moment, the pack of guards rounded the corner.  Urlumin saw Shadow and Arandor glance at them, and took the opportunity to thrust a kick towards Shadow.  It connected, and as Shadow fell back, the section of wall began to tumble down, ready to crush him.

   "Shadow!" Arandor cried.  He ran for Shadow, grabbing on tightly to him to try and shield him from the wall.

   Halath was at the front of the pack of guards.  They watched in horror as the section of wall came crashing down on Shadow and Arandor.

   Whether spurred by bravery, anger, or fear, Halath cried out to them.  "Shadow!  Arandor!"  Without thinking, the rookie soldier took aim with his spear, and threw it.  It flew for Urlumin, who turned around when he heard Halath's cries.

   He couldn't speak.  The minute he inhaled a breath to, the tip of Halath's spear, now built to the standards of echidna spears under Arandor's guidance, pierced Urlumin's chest, punching a hole through his ribs, his lung, and finally, his back, the bloody tip showing, having completely skewered him.

   The guards were silent, gazing at the site.  Some had their spears raised, ready to mimic Halath's action should the need arise.  Others, including Lendred, who now stepped ahead of them cautioning them with his outstretched arm, simply stared.

   A nasty guttural sound escaped Urlumin.  Blood bubbled up his throat, trickling out of his opened mouth.  It sounded as though he were choking on it, gagging on the fluids, unable to breathe, his lungs not even trying to function anymore.  With what energy he had left, he brought one hand to his throat, grasping it, before moving it and his other hand to his chest.  Grasping the spear, he glared at them, until the color disappeared from his face, his eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground.  He didn't move afterwards.

   Urlumin was dead, killed by the spear of the brave rookie warrior, Halath.

   Lendred continued to caution his guards, finally running forward once Urlumin fell.  Halath ran with him.  Stopping by Urlumin's corpse, they bent over to make sure he was dead.  They noticed that one of his hands had deep bite marks in it.  They glanced into the room and put together what had almost happened.

   Then they looked to the piece of wall that had fallen on Shadow and Arandor.

   "Lift the wall off of them!" Lendred cried.

   Two other guards joined Halath and Lendred in lifting the heavy piece of wall from where it pinned Shadow and Arandor down.  They toppled it over, and looked to see what had happened to their leaders.  Lying on the floor, Shadow and Arandor held on to each other, both of them trying to shield the other from the wall.

   "Arandor, Shadow…," Lendred murmured.

   Halath ran into Hailamei's room to check on her.  She had by now woken up, and after fitting her torn dress back on as well as she could, she rushed with Halath helping her out to the hallway.  Lulabei had also woken up, and after hastily putting her dress on, she ran in the direction of the noise.  Both girls arrived at the same time.  The warriors crowded around Lendred, as he checked for a sign of life from either of them.

   "Shadow!" Lulabei cried out.  She pushed through the crowd of guards to reach Shadow's side.

   The guards parted for Hailamei, who knelt down beside Arandor.  Her eyes were teary as she took one of Arandor's hands.

   "Arandor," she whimpered, "Are you really…?"

   Lulabei took Shadow's head and rested it in her lap, stroking his brow.  A tear fell from her eye and landed on his face.

   "Shadow…," she murmured.

   Though they were feared dead, suddenly, Shadow violently gasped for breath, though he didn't open his eyes, flinching heavily where he rested.

   Arandor's facial expression twisted into a cringe.  He took a staggered breath, trembling heavily.

   Hope filled the air as everyone breathed.  They were injured, but were alive.

   Hailamei and Lulabei looked to each other, smiling.  Lendred felt the joy, but realized the job wasn't over yet.  Courage painted itself on his face, and he rose to his feet, looking to his warriors.

   "We will finish what has been started!" he shouted, "We will liberate our women, and our village!"  He looked to Urlumin's corpse and said, "Take him to our king!  Either he will step down, or he will end up just like this by the time we are through!"

   Empowered by the death of Urlumin, the warriors all rallied together, spurred on by Lendred's battle cry.  Three of them picked up Urlumin's body, with the spear still sticking through him, and were ready to follow Lendred down the hall.  Halath rose to join them, but looked to Hailamei and Lulabei, and asked, "Will you be alright Lady Hailamei?"

   Her face was bruised and battered, but Hailamei smiled as she looked to Halath.  "We will be alright Halath.  We'll look after Shadow and Arandor.  Everything will be alright once Kulfos backs down.  Go with them.  You are the hero tonight."

   Halath blushed slightly as he turned to leave.  "Oh no ma'am," he replied, "Arandor and Shadow are the heroes.  Were I not afraid for their lives, I probably wouldn't have been brave enough to throw my spear.  They're the ones that liberated us tonight."  He bowed his head, and took off after the rest of the warriors.

   "Oh poor Halath, what a hero," Lulabei murmured.  She looked down at Shadow who continued to twitch in her lap.  "Hailamei, are you alright?" she asked.

   Hailamei stroked Arandor's hand as she held it, gazing at his face.  She looked to Lulabei, smiling with tear filled eyes.  "It looks bad, I know.  Urlumin attacked me, but he did not rape me.  He didn't have time to," she explained.  Her eyes drifted down to Arandor as she whispered, "I may have fainted, but I know that Arandor stopped him in time.  …The sweet angel.  Both of them have taken care of us.  Now we need to take care of them."

   "Yeah…," Lulabei murmured.  She smiled, and kissed Shadow's brow.  "We're gonna help you now guys.  You can relax now," she giggled softly.

   The warriors charged into Kulfos' chambers.  When the king demanded an explanation, Urlumin's bloody corpse was tossed to the ground at his feet.  Sickened, Kulfos wept, grieving the death of his son.  Lendred wouldn't give the king time to ask questions.  Holding a spear tip to Kulfos' neck, he was given the chance to step down.  If he didn't, Lendred assured him death would come to him as swiftly as it came to Urlumin.

   This was no longer his village.  No longer could he abuse women, both physically and sexually.  No longer could he take all of the crops for himself.  No longer could he reserve meats, cheeses, milk and wine all for himself.  No more could he banish the villagers to living in squalor and fear.  It was time for his reign of terror to end.

   Kulfos, broken by the death of his son, his bloated and weakened body not built to fight, and unable to intimidate his warriors and women any longer, surrendered to them.  Much as Arandor and Shadow were bound when they were first arrested by the guards, Kulfos was bound and led out of the mansion.  Marched through the middle of the village, every man, woman, and child cheered wildly.

   Thrown into a prison he built for torturing his own prisoners, Kulfos was no longer a threat.  Urlumin's corpse was locked in the cell with him.  He would be dealt with later, given only bread and water, finally having to experience the hell the residents of Valordian had know for far too long.

   They were finally free.  Though Halath was the one that killed Urlumin, as he had before, he credited Arandor and Shadow with his bravery, and as all were excited for their new freedom, they turned their thoughts and concern to Arandor and Shadow, who all along had planned for this revolution, and as they promised, had made it happen.

   Though injured by the collapse of the wall, and Arandor by the fight with Urlumin, it wasn't that alone that left them drained and needing to recover.  Both had used massive amounts of power that night, Arandor wielding Light as he charged Urlumin, Shadow wielding Darkness to give him strength to raise the heavy stone wall, and both wielding what they had left to save their lives when the wall came crashing down upon them.

   Shadow infact used his Darkness to save Arandor, and Arandor, his Light to save Shadow.

   Still, everyone around them thought it was the damaged they suffered physically, and Arandor and Shadow woke up bandaged in every way they could imagine.  It tickled them to see this newfound spirit shared by all of Valordian.

   The oppression was over.  It was time to rebuild and move forward.

   The past needed to be buried first.  Urlumin's body was burned outside of town, Halath's spear, the spear that ended his life, preserved for posterity.  Kulfos, it was decided, would not be executed, but instead imprisoned until the end of his days, treated exactly like he treated his prisoners.  The rations of food and water were abysmal, and by his death many years later, he was much thinner, the thinnest that anyone could remember him being.  He used to have his prisoners beaten daily, and so each member of the town took turns whipping him, able to let out their frustrations, and justify at last some of the horrible things he had done to them.

   Some whipped him complaining about all of their crops that he would steal; others whipped him complaining of how he treated young women, and stole the futures away from young boys; more than a few, wept over the deaths of loved ones, including small babies, born without a chance to live because of the terrible conditions around them.

   It was the kind of justice that was both poetic and fitting.  It was better this way, as opposed to simply killing Kulfos.

   With the past buried, people looked to the future.  Arandor and Shadow were up walking within the first couple of days, quickly recovering their lost power, but feigning physical weakness to continue with the ruse, not wanting to expose their power.  People cheered, coming up to Arandor and Shadow and embracing them, gently, not wanting to agitate any injuries.

   The worst was behind them.  Not only had Valordian been liberated, but Hailamei was saved, and the Light was still within her.  Now they could actually begin to help Valordian, and not have to worry so much about the future.

   Everyone looked to Arandor and Shadow as their new leaders, although neither of them would let themselves be called kings.  The mansion was big enough to house every member of the village, even if in close quarters, and so all moved into it, living there as Arandor and Shadow began the work of repairing all of the damage Kulfos and Urlumin had caused.

   Time spent with the echidnas, and their experiences with them were the foundations for their work.

   Leading the Valordian hedgehogs, Shadow and Arandor showed them how to properly build a house, one that could withstand wind and rain.  Now that they had access to the proper materials, something Kulfos had once forbidden, this could be easily done.  Less would be sick, and fewer would die before their time.

   Everyone now received better food for their diets.  Shadow showed them all how to fish; Arandor showed them how to hunt, something only Urlumin could do before.  They carefully introduced the meat and dairy into the diets of the villagers, so their malnourished bodies could get used to them gradually.

   It was a slow start, but from the beginning, things began to improve.

   However, the village was large, and the work would take many years with just Shadow, Arandor, and the men and women of the village carrying it out.

   After the first month had passed, and the village got back on its feet, Arandor knew the time had come.  In order to help revive Valordian, he would need the help of his old family, the echidna tribe of the sea cliffs.  They had the resources he needed, and once he helped them overcome the language barrier, something he had started to do as Kashoku, preparing them for the day they would meet hedgehogs, the echidnas could help with the work.

   It would be his first chance to see his children again…nearly five years later.

   Sitting outside of the mansion one night, Arandor was looking out over the village.  There were campfires burning as the people built two houses at a time.  Already four of them were up.  Nearly twenty more needed to be built, including other buildings for cows and goats, as well as storing crops.  The fields for the crops needed to be tilled before spring came and time came to plant the crops.  Orchards were springing up, another luxury Kulfos formerly kept for himself.

   It was slow progress, and while encouraging, it wasn't moving fast enough, and there was much left to be taught.

   Arandor hung his head, sighing as he rubbed his neck.

   "I need your help, Acadiar…Galaden…Prodamis.  You must trust me when I come to you.  These people need your help."

   "They will help you."

    Arandor looked up and saw Shadow sit down beside them.  "I'm certain you know they will help you, Arandor.  What is it you really fear?" he asked.

   His smile was weak.  Shaking his head, Arandor chuckled and said, "Must you ask?  It is seeing them again, and not just the villagers.  My children…Sutei and Alamalie.  Mitsukai said they would see their father in my eyes.  I…I don't worry what I will say, I just…I wonder how that will play out.  They are only children, how do I explain myself to them?"

   Shadow smiled, patting Arandor on the back.  "You said it yourself Arandor.  They are children.  Children can believe and understand what adults cannot.  They can be led to believe things that make no sense, only in your case, they strangely do.  Tell them the truth, tell them to keep it a treasured secret, but to make sure the family never forgets how precious their blood is, and also to keep the Valordian hedgehogs close to their hearts, for it will be important to keep these two tribes together, for however many centuries need be."

   "I know Shadow…I know…," Arandor murmured, hanging his head low.  Shadow smiled wavered; he knew how hard this was going to be on Arandor.  Tomorrow, they would travel to the echidnas, seeing them for the first time in over four years.  Though Arandor had healed perfectly, neither of them knew how the meeting would go.  It would be difficult for Arandor to go through, no doubt, especially when he would come back to Valordian, and one day have a child with Hailamei.  Though he loved her, it would be hard on Arandor at first, to try and bind his past and his present together, in order to ensure the future would be safe, and free from Mukot's terror.

   Two sides of his life, and his heart, would be what saved the world.  Not him.

   Still, he had to make sure it would happen.  He had to find that strength within him to see it through to the end.

   Shadow hugged him, trying to console him.  "The heart is resilient Arandor.  I know you have it in you to love Hailamei, and embrace the other side of your heart, bringing it all together.  Once both sides can coexist together, I know you will find peace.  Think of how wonderful that will be when Sutei and Alamalie can be friends with Hailamei's child, and in secret, know that they are connected by one wonderful father.  I think they need to know.  It'll help you feel better, and it'll ensure that they take the steps to keep that alliance strong.  Take heart Arandor; you cannot falter now."

   Another sigh escaped Arandor, but he looked up at Shadow, smiling.  Shaking his head he chuckled and answered, "Perhaps you're right Shadow.  I'll only be lost if something happens to you."

   "Oh please," Shadow murmured, "It is I who would be lost."

   "You survived for four years didn't you?"

   "Only barely…and I never want to go through that again thank you."

   Arandor laughed, shaking his head again.  "Okay, okay, fair enough," he laughed.  With a sigh, he looked out to the village along with Shadow.  "They're making progress Shadow, but we need the echidnas to help it along.  We can't live cramped in the mansion forever, and even with control over the elements, this winter isn't going to be kind to us."

   Shadow nodded.  "Indeed," he murmured.  After a pause, he stood up and said, "Take rest Arandor.  We should leave as early as possible."

   Rising to his feet, Arandor asked, "You're gonna miss Lulabei aren't you, even for such a short time."

   The Dark Elemental stopped, but didn't turn around.  "If I can't survive a few days without her, what hope do I have to survive eternity?" he asked, looking back to Arandor.  "I'm not like you Arandor.  I love, and I love truly, but I…I'm always ready to say goodbye.  I'm not strong like you.  I'll never survive unless I'm prepared."  Looking away he whispered, "I love her to death…and one of these days, I'll pay for it.  Yet…I'll never apologize for it, nor would I trade a clean slate for never loving her.  Indeed Arandor, I will miss her.  I dread the day I lose her, cherish every day with her, and take a short day without her, as practice for an eternity alone."

   Shadow walked away, and Arandor felt his heart sink.  He knew that Shadow had already made a conscious choice, a choice he could make, and one Arandor could not.

   Once Lulabei was gone, Shadow would make a solemn vow, to never love again.

   Looking back out to the village, Arandor closed his eyes.

   "Maybe, once Hailamei is gone Shadow, we can both make that choice.  Once all of this is over, our only job left will be to guide and protect the world, just as we have rescued Valordian."

   He put a hand to his chest and felt his heart racing.  He was tired, and walked inside the mansion so he could go find Hailamei and rest for the day to come.

   "My heart can't take falling apart again.  I will bring the two sides together, so that even though I will never love again, I won't need to, for what my heart has put into this world will always be around me.  My heart will never break again."
Wow, I really want to keep the momentum going. It's the only way I'll ever finish "Birth of Hope"

We're actually nearing the end here. Once Arandor's time with Hailamei is done, we will take one more journey with him and Shadow before "Birth of Hope" is finished, and the first "Interlude" begins. I'll explain how the Interludes will work later.

Anyway, WHAT A CHAPTER! You start off with a tender moment with Shadow and Lulabei. Poor Shadow, I don't blame him for thinking Arandor was teasing him, but then poor Arandor. Arandor is like UnLight...he doesn't really have it in him to kill.

(Btw, Shadow blowing the candles back on was inspired by a movie called "Practical Magic" Bonus points if you know what I'm talking about.)

HOWEVER both of them can be spurred on to if the conditions are right, and Arandor I think was ready to kill Urlumin if he had to. He had the desire in him to, even when before he was against it, after he saw what Urlumin did to Hailamei.

Poor Hailamei. She's a fighter, but wow he beat her badly. Thankfully, Arandor stopped Urlumin before he stole her Light away. YES Arandor was wielding the Light, something he doesn't like to do infront of other people in fear of exposing his power. But hey, Urlumin was gonna die anyway so what was the difference?

Shadow finally gets that it's not a joke and goes to help. Arandor is nearly killed, and Shadow almost crushed by a wall.

Now, the walls in this mansion, remember how far back in time we are. These are walls made entirely of stone. They are so heavy it took four hedgehogs to lift it off Shadow and Arandor, and they could only do that because Shadow's and Arandor's bodies, along with rubble, served as fulcrums for them to pivot the wall on.

So Shadow summons the Darkness which he fears, though he doesn't show it save through his glowing eyes, to lift the heavy wall by himself, and over his body to throw at Urlumin. That proves he was using his powers, and not sheer strength, since he probably never could without his special power. An echidna probably could, but not a hedgehog.

But before he can throw it, the guards distract him. Urlumin kicks him, and the wall falls on Shadow and Arandor, who use what power they have left to save the life of the other, Shadow saving Arandor, and Arandor saving Shadow.

Now, Halath is only 14 years old, quite a young one, but man, does he save the day! Everyone was so worried about Shadow and Arandor, and really they were just starved for power!

Umm yeah, that turned into a synopsis of the story. How about that victory?! YAY!

Now, Arandor and Shadow must take the step and return to the echidnas to ask for help, and forge an alliance. Because Kashoku asked them to remain open and give help should it be asked for, they're hoping this will be an easy journey.

And yet, getting to see his two children again will be the real thing to see upon their return.

Wow, poor Shadow...swearing he'll never love again. Hmm, seems like that'll make it harder for Rouge eh? NOW maybe you get where I'm going with this. Shadow isn't just gonna fall in love with somebody. It's gonna be something built on trust and true admiration. Gonna make for lovely scenes later <3

Anyway, yeah, it's late and I'm going to bed XP Enjoy chapter 24, and Urlumin's death, and Kulfos' torture XD

All characters belong to me, except for Shadow, though this non-gun wielding, sweeter more affectionate, and awesomer version does XP

~ Camillia :rose:
© 2010 - 2024 ReverseTheEclipse
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QueenLeaShanneen's avatar
ANother great chapter