If it wasn't for Mal's strong heart and will to let the pains of the past die in peace....Pen would never had been able to return home and face the past he had so dreaded.
Shanra
Pen stands in the forest surrounding his village collecting ingredients for his mother, when a scream pierces the mid-afternoon air. He locates the source of the terrified cry and bolts in that direction. He runs as fast as he can, his legs pumping rapidly. He finally reaches the screams turned to whimpers, only to see a stranger brutally attacking a small girl. The stranger�s axe drives relentlessly into her small body, every blow followed by a small cry of terror, of indescribable pain. Her voice slices through Pen's soul, breaking his heart. He attempts to intervene, to stop this travesty, but fear holds him tight. He struggles within himself to move, to do something, anything, but to no avail. The stranger continues to hack at her body, his axe covered in a thick coat of blood, along with chunks of bone and innards. Finally, the girl�s screams die in a gurgle and her head lolls, her lifeless eyes stare straight at Pen. The stranger then looks around quickly, a deranged smile cracks his lips. He then looks back down at her bloody corpse, insane laughter spilling out. The stranger then meanders away, never seeing Pen in the thick brush. Pen watches him, then looks at the mangled corpse. His stomach heaves, and he wretches. Afterwards he approaches her defiled body, and kneels beside her. He gently closes her eyes and picks her remains up, holding her tight to his body.
"P-please...forgive me. I-I failed...y-you." Tears well up in his eyes...and roll down his face. He sobs for a minute, then regains his composure. "Shanra...sweet child...as God as my witness...I shall avenge you...I SWEAR IT!"
Pen carries her back to the village where a burial is held. Afterwards, he tells his story to the village Elders, and they hold a meeting to investigate. They never find anything about this "stranger," no trace, tracks, or clues. The villagers cry out for vengeance, and the Elders seeing this, fear an upheaval. So, after weeks of delegating they stand before the village and declare that since Pen was the only one who they were sure of at the scene of the crime, they could only assume he did it. The council came to a split decision though; not everyone believing Pen was capable of this. So therefore they banished him forever, or till he could clear his name�
Malandra sits by his side, watching as his body tosses back and forth, the anguish of whatever nightmare that haunted him etched clearly on his face. Suddenly his eyes flash open, as his body jerks into an upright position, his chest heaving up and down. Sweat runs down his body, flooding the already drenched blanket. He sits there for a moment; his eyes fixed on the gray stone wall that stands before him. As he turns to face Malandra, his right hand pushes back his long black hair, which is pasted to his face. As he pushes back his hair, his Elven features are revealed. His face is delicate, as are his pointed ears. His features are marred by a smooth scar, which runs from the top of his right eye down to the middle of his cheek. He finally looks at Malandra, his hazel eyes filled with sorrow, accompanied by immense pain and rage. He then sighs, and a slight smile cracks his chapped lips, as Malandra lays a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
�It was that nightmare again, wasn�t it?� She states more than asks, her voice reflecting her deep caring for him.
He nods his head slightly, taking in slow deep breaths. �Yeah, It was.�
Malandra stands up, and walks towards the open window, staring at the afternoon sun as it blazes radiantly in the sky.
�Pen,� she whispers, �When are you going to do something about it? You�re never going to rid yourself of these painful memories�but you can rid yourself of this nightmare.� She turns toward him, the sunlight flooding into the room making her appear angelic.
Pen stares at her, his jaw slackening. The way the sunlight reflected off her long silver hair, the way it danced across her smooth porcelain skin and the way her eyes sparkled captivated him, taking his breath away.
He shakes his head, as he returns to reality. He quickly recalls what she said to him and shrugs.
�I know, but what can I do?� His brow furrows. �It�s been a couple years�where would I start?�
Malandra crosses her arms, her eyes blazing with determination. �How about we start where the �incident� occurred?�
He sighs again, placing his head into his hands. �Mal, I�� He runs his hands over his face and through his hair. He then looks into her eyes, seeing her concern. �Maybe�maybe you�re right.� He stands, and crosses his arms over his chest. �Fine then, let�s go and find that murdering wretch.�
Malandra smiles and walks over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. �We shall find him, I promise. I�ll be outside by the lake. Meet me there once you�re ready.� She leans toward him and lightly brushes her lips against his forehead. She backs away and walks past him, heading towards the door. As she turns the brass knob and yanks the heavy oak door open, she pauses and looks over her shoulder at Pen.
�Try not to take too long�and Pen, take a bath.� She raises an eyebrow. �Nothing personal, but you stink.� She smiles and walks out of the door, shutting it firmly behind her, leaving Pen standing there, an amused smile on his lips.
As she walks out of the little stone tavern, the sun blinds her. She stands there a moment, allowing her blue eyes to adjust. Once her vision returns, she looks around, the beauty of this place calming her. The wind whipping softly through her hair, tossing it gently over her shoulders. She watches the waves lap onto the shoreline, gently overtaking it and then receding.
As she approaches the shore she looks up into the blue cloudless sky, songs of seabirds float through her head as the long waving grass soon dwindles, turning into the rocky shoreline. Upon reaching the shore, her body begins to shimmer, as her frame seems to slowly morph. Her Elven features disappear, her clothes melting into her body. Her body size becomes much larger, more reptilian. She soon becomes larger than the tavern, wings and a tail emerging from her altering figure. As she is changing, a large saddle appears on her back, obviously forming from her clothes. Soon the process is over, and lying curled up on the shoreline is a large silver dragon, her eyes closed as she sleeps.
Pen soon emerges from the tavern, his black cape concealing his body. As he approaches the sleeping dragon, his cape flutters in the breeze, revealing a black tunic. Beneath his tunic can be seen bright silver chainmail, accompanied by silver gauntlets that engulf his forearms. Around his neck he wears a silver pendant, intricately shaped like a dragon with rubies for eyes. His left hand rests on the hilt of an ancient longsword, which is sheathed at his waist.
Once he is standing before her he clears his throat, and crosses his arms over his chest. A giant cat-like eye slides open and Malandra raises her head, coming face to snout with Pen.
�Well�are you going to just stand there, or are we going to leave?� Her surprisingly angelic voice rings out. She then moves her left arm and rests it beside him, watching him in amusement.
�Yes, I�m coming. I was waiting for you to wake up.� He smiles, and proceeds to climb her scaly arm. Once he reach�s her back, he crawls over to the saddle, which is strapped between her wings. Once seated, he begins the process of strapping himself in, so that during flight he does not plunge to his death.
�All right Mal, we�re heading north. You�ll soon pass a large forest, and in the center of that forest will be a small lake. Now once you pass that lake, there�s going to be a small clearing�that�s where we want to go.�
Mal nods her head and then stands. Her muscles tense as her wings flatten against her body. She thrusts herself up and forward, her body springing into the sky. She flaps her enormous wings, building up speed and altitude. Once she feels she�s high and fast enough, she arrows her body, causing her speed to jump. Pen holds onto the saddle tightly, his eyes squinting from the stinging wind. His hair whips straight back, his cape cracking. The land below soon becomes a blur of color, everything seeming to melt together. They fly for an hour or so, Mal finally begins to slow, letting her altitude drop. Soon the land becomes a clear image, and Pen soon sees their destination. The clearing soon speeds closer, as if rushing up to meet them. At the last second Mal whips her wings out, a thunderous crack echoes. She then lands and lies down, holding her arm to the ground for Pen. Seeing this, he unstraps himself and then slides down her arm. Once his feet hit the ground, he backs away from her and nods. Once again her body morphs, the silver scales melting into porcelain skin. She soon stands before him, her eyes glimmering.
�You ready for this?� A look of concern crosses her features.
Pen looks to the ground, and then into her eyes. �Yes, yes I am.� He sighs. �Let�s find him.�
Pen then turns to his left, and begins to walk into the surrounding forest, Mal following closely. Though he seems reluctant, a determined desire to face his demon wells within his soul. After ten minutes of walking, a scream pierces the air. Pen and Mal stop, locating the source of the scream. Pen then looks to Mal, and runs towards it. Soon Pen and Mal stand in a thick brush, the same brush Pen stood in all those years ago. They see a strange man standing over a small girl. A low growl emanates from Pens throat. This man, poised to strike the child with his axe, is the same man whom Pen encountered five years before. The stranger wears a black robe, a giant battle-axe raised above his head. His blonde, short-cropped hair sticks out from all sides. His skin is a pinkish hue, his nose resembling that of a pig, indicating that the stranger is a half-ogre.
Pen grits his teeth, his hands begin to clench tightly. This time fear doesn�t grip him, rage does. Mal leans close to his ear and whispers.
�Draw him away from the child. While you deal with him, I�ll see if she�s been harmed.�
Pen nods and bursts out of the brush, grabbing a nearby branch and swinging with brutal accuracy at the hollow of the mans knees. The strangers knees buckle, and he slams into the earth, his breath being pushed from his lungs. The enraged elf yanks his blade free of its scabbard, and swings it straight for the knave�s head. The stranger barely raises his axe in time to defend the blow, and then attempts to knock Pen to the ground by kicking Pens legs. Pen stumbles backwards but recovers quickly. The stranger jumps to his feet, charging Pen, and slams the butt of his axe into his gut. Pen doubles over, and the coward swings his axe, attempting to slice Pens head from his shoulders. Pen sensing this next move kicks the stranger in the groin. The man doubles over, and Pen kicks him in the face, the momentum from the kick flipping him backwards. While Pen presses his advantage, Mal rush�s to the little girl�s side, picks her up, and carries her out of harms way. She checks her over; noting that nothing seemed to be wrong with the child.
Pen swings his sword down at the man�s chest, attempting to cleave him. The man once again blocks the blow, and sweeps Pen�s feet with the shaft of his axe. Pen slams into the ground, while the stranger gets to his feet. The stranger then raises his axe for the final blow, when Pen snarls, and jams his blade into the mans stomach. The axe falls to the ground, the stranger�s eyes wide in shock. Pen then slowly rises, and yanks his sword out. His eyes full of rage, he raises his bloody sword.
�This is for Shanra, you beast!� His blade whistles through the air, and sinks into the stranger�s neck as he crumples to his knees, severing his head from his shoulders. The strangers head bounces off the ground and rolls, his body collapses, his lifeblood draining into the ground. Pen momentarily watches, then turns his attention back to Mal and the child.
�Mal, how is she, will she be all right?�
Mal looks Pen in the eyes and smiles. �Yes, she�s fine.� She then looks to the child and rubs her shoulders. The child looks at Pen and walks up to him. Pen kneels to the ground, setting his sword behind him.
�There�s nothing to fear now child, the man will never hurt you, or anyone else again.�
The small girl then smiles, her tear-streaked face bright. She hugs Pen tightly, and he holds her and thinks of Shanra. He then looks straight ahead of him, and sees Shanra standing there. She smiles at him and waves.
A voice echo�s through his head, Thank you.
She disappears before his eyes.
He blinks, and the little girl in his arms thanks him. He looks at the little girl, and is shocked to see how much she resembled Shanra. He asks her if she has ever heard of the name. Her brow scrunch�s as she concentrates. She then looks at him and smiles, saying she had. She then told him that her mother had once told her that she had a sister, and that her sister�s name was Shanra. Pen looks at her, his jaw drops. She smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder, and tells him that thanks to him, she would not suffer her sister�s fate. Pen looks at Mal, as a single tear streaks down his face. Mal walks up to him and lay�s a comforting hand on his shoulder. He smiles and stands, picking up the little girl and taking her home, to the place he once called home. The Elders of the village listened to all of their accounts, and welcome Pen back to the village with open arms. That night, while Pen sleeps, he sees the man standing over Shanra�again. As he raises his axe, he suddenly disappears. Shanra stands up and looks at Pen and smiles. No longer shall you suffer from these nightmares, sleep in peace. The dream then ends, and Pen rests� peacefully.
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