Lezard's Triumph

"Erm..." Rufus' brow furrowed, the half elf turning his head from side to side. Moans slipped past his lips, followed by a wheezing pant, the man caught in the grip of some horrible nightmare. "GAH!!" He was suddenly sitting upright, wide eyed as he stared straight ahead.

"Rufus!" Alicia came forward, bending down in front of him. She lifted her hands, manacles wrapped around her thin wrists, and touched his face. "Thank goodness..." She breathed, caressing his cheek.

Rufus rolled his eyes, looking at her, blinking as awareness seeped back into him. He went to move his hands and heard the clank of metal. Glancing down he saw similar chains on his wrists, made of iron and branded with an elven rune to prevent the use of magic. He let out a sigh. "Well, that didn't go too well."

"No kidding." Arngrim said, his voice coming from behind Rufus. The half elf turned, and gasped, seeing the warrior on his knees, heavily chained. He wore a thick spiky collar on his neck, with an iron ring from which loops of chains hung down to wrap around his arms. They forced his arms upwards, a thick bar of wood slid across his shoulders, the chains looped around it, his hands hanging limply over the sides.

Even chained and beaten, Arngrim's indomitable spirit shined through. The warrior was angry, and spoiling for a fight, occasonally flexing his muscles, testing the strength of his chains. "So now what?" asked Arngrim.

"You still have those lock picks on you?" asked Rufus.

"No." Arngrim said sourly. "They not only took our weapons, but our supplies too."

"No..."

"Yes..." Alicia nodded, dropping her hands into her lap. "Even the..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Dragon's Orb is gone."

"Well isn't this a fine mess you've gotten us into." Rufus muttered.

"Me?!" snarled Arngrim. "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"If you hadn't barged into the village half cocked none of this would have happened!" snapped Rufus. "We could have..."

"Could have what?!" Arngrim interjected demandingly. "Did you have a better plan for getting the flower?"

"I could have come up with something. Maybe snuck into the village by myself. I am an elf after all." Rufus retorted.

"In case you hadn't notice...all the elves are female...they'd be bound to notice if a male elf suddenly showed up in their midst." Arngrim pointed out. He suddenly smirked. "Unless you were planning on putting a dress on, and swinging your hips as you walked?"

"Now why couldn't you have come up with an idea like that earlier?" demanded Rufus.

"Hey, if I had known you wouldn't object to pretending to be a woman I would have!" Arngrim said, his voice almost shouting loud.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!" Alicia shouted, her voice angry and commanding. The two men ceased their bickering, turning to look at her. "We shouldn't be fighting." She said softly. "Not now...not ever." She sighed. "What are we going to do now?"

The men were silent, not knowing what to say to her. Alicia sighed again, and rose to her feet. "Where are we?" She gazed around their prison, looking at the stone walls, and iron bars. She walked over to the door, fingers curling around the bars, giving experimental tugs.

"We're under the Great Tree." Rufus said. "This is the Elves' dungeons...though it's hardly ever used." He shuddered, recalling the many times he had been held captive in these very cells.

"I take it elf crime rate is very low?" asked Arngrim.

"Try nonexistent" said a fourth voice. Alicia let out a gasp, backing away from the door. An elf stood on the other side of the doors, a severe beauty with shining green hair that trailed down to her ankles, inches short of touching the floor. She was clad in a plain dress of midnight blue, with gold adornments at her neck and on her waist. A circlet of silver was around her head, signaling her to be someone important. Behind her stood several of the warrior females, clad in gray chainmail that was over short brown tunics. Spears were in their hands, and they stood still, staring straight ahead.

"Melusitane." Rufus whispered.

"So...the prodigal son returns." The one identified as Melusitane said. She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side as she studied Rufus, completely ignoring the two humans. "Didn't expect to see you ever again."

"Frankly I didn't expect to come back." Rufus admitted.

Melusitane laughed humorlessly. "Why did you?"

"It's none of your concern." He replied.

"Ah but it is!" She said, anger seeping into her tone. "You brought humans with you! HUMANS!!" Her nails dug into her arms, the elf trying to calm herself. "The sacred sanctity of the village has been defiled by their presence...Humans were never meant to set foot within our village."

"Relax..." Rufus said. "Arngrim's an einherjar and Alicia is the host for a Valkyrie spirit. Neither one is exactly human, so I've broken no taboos."

Melusitane pursed her lips together tightly. "You've broken plenty!" She hissed through gritted teeth. "Leaving the forest was expressly forbidden to you. Yet you attempted such a thing time and time again!" Rufus was quiet, having no answer for her. "Now you are back...and we won't ever let you go...You will fulfill your role as vessel to Lord Odin."

"Lord Odin is no more." Alicia spoke up.

"Your lies won't save him...won't save any of you!" Melusitane retorted, not bothering to look at Alicia.

"It's the truth!" The princess insisted.

"Rufus! Silence your human pet or I'll do it myself!" She snarled.

"You'll do no such thing!" Rufus shouted angrily.

"How dare you raise your voice to me!" Melusitane snapped. "When I treated you like the son I never had!"

"Only so long as I was good..." muttered Rufus.

"How could you leave us?" Melusitane asked, her demeanor calm. "After all we did for you!"

Rufus burst out laughing. "All you did?" He arched an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten the beatings? The torture?!"

"Only because you tried to leave us!" She protested.

"That doesn't excuse it...not any of it, not at all!" He shook his head, eyes blazing with anger.

"We treated you like royalty...every one of us..." Melusitane said stiffly. "You were son to us all, beloved of the village. If only..." She sighed. "If only Silutea hadn't told you of your destiny. Everything would have continued as it were. You would have been happy."

"Happy until Odin came to claim my body." retorted Rufus.

"Perhaps that day would never come..." Melusitane said sadly. "We prayed that Lord Odin would not have need of a new body."

"And now he doesn't." Rufus couldn't help snickering. "Now not even his soul remains."

"You still persist in such fanciful stories?!" She asked.

"It's not stories." Rufus said, then made a disgusted sound. "What's the use, you'll never believe us!" He slumped down to the ground, sitting cross legged with his back to the cell door.

"Rufus!"

"You're dismissed." He retorted, not bothering to turn around.

"I'm not finished with you!" Melusitane shouted. Rufus ignored her, and Alicia looked back and forth between the two elves. Another elf approached, the princess' eyes widening in recognition of the item she carried.

"Hey that's my bag!" Alicia exclaimed. The elves ignored her, Melusitane turning to hold a whispered conversation with the new elf.

"Really? Interesting..." Melusitane took hold of the bag from the curly haired elf, carefully opening it. An orange glow could be seen emanating from inside, and the gathered elves gasped. Melusitane dipped her hand into the bag, gingerly removing the Dragon's Orb. "It really is the orb..." She breathed, staring at the orange ball. "But what are you doing with it?"

"I'm the guardian of the orb!" Alicia exclaimed. Melusitane began to laugh. "It's true!" The princess insisted. "It was entrusted to me!"

"First lies about Odin, and now tall tales about the Dragon's Orb? My you have fanciful tongue indeed little one."

"I'm telling you it's the truth!" Alicia snapped, finally getting annoyed.

"She really is." Rufus spoke up.

"Oh?" Melusitane arched an eyebrow. "Are you willing to risk her life to prove it?"

"What do you mean?" Arngrim asked, feeling all but ignored.

"We have a way of proving whether someone speaks the truth or not. However...if one is lying, the penalty is death." explained Melusitane.

"If I..." Alicia began hesitantly. "If I take this test...and prove to you I am honest...would you let us go? Rufus too?"

"If Odin is really dead, then there would be no need to keep Rufus imprisoned. But are you sure you want to risk it?" asked Melusitane, eyeing Alicia with interest.

"Yes."

"Alicia no!" protested Rufus.

"It'll be all right Rufus." Alicia smiled. "My heart is true."

"It is decided then." Melusitane nodded, gesturing to the guards. They stepped towards the door, one of them unlocking it. Alicia willingly walked towards them, allowing them to take her by the arms.

"Alicia!" Rufus sprang to his feet, running after her. One of the guards turned, the woman kicking him in the stomach.

"UFF!" The breath was knocked out of him, the half elf falling on his ass. "Al...Alicia!" he shouted as the door swung shut with a heavy clang. The last he saw of the princess as she was being dragged away, was the girl glancing over her shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile.

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Smoothing her hands down the front of her skirt, Lenneth looked at herself in the mirror. She was clad in a light blue dress, with spaghetti straps forming a spider web pattern over her back. The skirt's hem fell down to the floor, sapphires dotting the satin material. Translucent sleeves of a paler blue covered her arms, and the bodice was low cut, a perfect frame for her breasts. Her hair was loose, and she still wore the flower from the bathtub over her ear. She looked lovely, and yet she sighed, depressed.

"Don't you like your dress Lenneth?" Lezard asked anxiously, coming up behind her. He too had changed his clothes, garbed in a loose fitting blouse of gray silk. The top two buttons of his shirt were open, flashing a hint of his chest. Tight fitting black trousers were on his legs, a navy blue sash around his waist.

"It's fine." She answered dully.

"Then why the frown?" Lezard asked, concerned. She merely shrugged her shoulders in reply, turning away from the mirror. She let out another sigh, going to move past him. Lezard reached out, catching her around the waist. "Lenneth please...I want to know what's wrong...?"

"Besides the obvious?" She asked, arching her eyebrow. He nodded. "I'm bored."

"Bored?" He blinked slowly.

"There's nothing to do around here." Lenneth said plaintively.

"I can think of a few things to alleviate your boredom..." He said huskily, leaning forward. She placed her hand against his face, stopping him from kissing her.

"Besides THAT!!" She said snappishly.

"..." Lezard was quiet, his mind turning over as he thought about her complaint. He realized she was right in a way. He had left her with little to do. "I realize you must have led an active life before coming here..."

"Before you kidnapped me, you mean." She reminded him harshly.

"But..." He said, ignoring her interruption. "Surely I can find something to occupy your mind for when I am otherwise indisposed." He waved his hand, bookcase after bookcase appearing in the room.

Lenneth looked at them with mild interest. "I suppose reading is better than nothing."

"Then what do you suggest?" Lezard asked, truly interested.

"...Nothing you can give me." She said at last.

He exhaled, affronted. "There is very little I cannot do." He rubbed her arm encouragingly. "Tell me my dearest, tell me and I shall grant it."

"I miss my friends." She said softly.

"Ah...is that all.." Lezard ignored the way she narrowed her eyes into a glare at him. "Fear not beloved, I am working on that even as we speak."

"You are?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yes...When we move to Valhalla, you will have access to all your old friends. Not that you have need of them." He said quickly, feeling a flare of jealousy at the thought of sharing Lenneth with anybody. "But I suppose it's good to have some time apart from each other..." He mused out loud.

"It won't be the same..." Lenneth said. "They won't be the same people I knew...they won't have gone through the things that shaped them into the people they will become." But Lezard seemed to be ignoring her words, taking her by the hand and leading her across the room.

"You'll just have to make new friends..." He said absentmindedly. He reached the bed, sitting down on the edge, and pulled a reluctant Lenneth onto his lap. She sighed, expecting him to misbehave and start pawing at her. But instead he held up his right hand, glowing with power. She blinked, and a small ball about the size of his fist lay in his hand. The crystal gleamed, and she peered closer at it.

"Is that...?"

"Yes." Lezard nodded. "The philosopher's stone."

"And just what do you plan to do with that?" asked Lenneth, truly curious.

"I was thinking of using it to locate the missing Dragon's Orb." answered Lezard.

Lenneth made a disgusted sound. "Aren't you satisfied with three of the four sacred treasures?"

"One can never have too much power my dear." Lezard said. "Even with two of the treasures, Bloodbane with his one proved irksome. I'd rather avoid the Dragon's Orb falling into experienced hands."

Lenneth seethed at the subtle jibe, knowing Lezard thought it was a joke how none in her party had been able to use the orb effectively to stop him. "And what if you can't find the orb?" She asked.

"Nonsense." scoffed Lezard. "The philospher's stone knows all!"

"So then where is it?" questioned Lenneth.

"..." Lezard was concentrating on the stone, his eyes narrowed into two little points. Words flowed to the surface, zipping by faster and faster, the speed making it impossible to read. Lezard continued to stare, hand turning the stone this way and that, catching the light, peering at things Lenneth could not see. Seconds turned into minutes, and still he did not speak.

"Well?" Lenneth prodded impatiently.

"It...does not say..." Lezard was frowning, staring at the stone as though he had never seen it before. "But that's impossible...!"

"Nothing is impossible..." Lenneth said softly. "You and I both know that first hand."

"Yes yes..." Lezard murmured, not really listening to her. "Excuse me Lenneth...this...bears further research." He loosened his hold on her waist, allowing her to slip off his lap. The wizard rose, and still mumbling to himself walked away, philosopher's stone clutched tightly in his hand.

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They had dragged Alicia into the great hall, the princess staring around in wonder. The hollow inside of the tree was coated with glittering minerals, the walls made of frozen sap that was amber in color. Alicia craned back her head, glancing upwards, seeing moonbeams shining down through gaps in the tree's shrubbery. Where the moon light touched the floor, it sparkled like diamonds.

A great chair was carved into the wall of the tree, gnarled wood that had tiny pink rosebuds growing all over it. They led Alicia towards that chair, the guards pushing her the last few steps forward. She stifled back her protests at this treatment, turning around to look at Melusitane. The elf smiled, a cold empty expression devoid of all pleasant emotions.

"Sit little one." She gestured at the chair.

"H...Here?" Alicia asked, wide eyed with astonishment. The elf nodded, and the girl moved forward, sitting nervously on the edge of the wooden throne. She let out a gasp, the rose buds coming to life, their stems growing, become long ropes of vine, wrapping around her, tying her to the chair. Vines went across her chest, across her belly, even her thighs and knees were strapped into the chair. What's worse was a vine wrapped itself around her neck, choking tight.

Alicia couldn't keep her body from trembling, and she began struggling as best she could, feeling the thorns of the roses dig into her skin, drawing pin pricks of blood. "What is this?!" She demanded.

"Part of the test." Melusitane said, not offering any further explanations. "Now we will see...You will be truthful or you will die, little one." She walked forward, holding the hem of her skirt up, striding closer to Alicia. The curly haired elf followed, holding the Dragon's Orb. "What is your relationship to Rufus?"

"He's a friend." Alicia said, and gasped, feeling the vines tighten around her.

"Ah ah ah." tsked Melusitane. "You are not being entirely truthful. I'll ask again. What is Rufus to you?"

"I told you..." Alicia gasped, feeling the vine rope around her neck dig in against her throat. "He's a friend." The vines were writhing, tightening around her. "A dear friend!" She cried out desperately.

"Such a pity." sighed the elf to her companions. "This human can't even be honest for such a simple question."

"I...I..." She was gagging, desperate for air. "I LOVE HIM!" She all but screamed, and suddenly the vines stopped their constriction, slowly loosening around her. She could breathe better, but she was still being held down by them.

"Love? A human and an elf?!" Melusitane's eyes were shocked. "Tis a rare thing. It's only happened two times before...and never with a halfling. But no matter. Is it true Odin is dead?"

"Yes." Alicia said, relieved when the vines did not begin constricting around her.

"How?" demanded Melusitane. "How could such a thing happen?"

"It was a human...a wizard named Lezard Valeth. Using the power of SIlmeria and the philosopher's stone, he melded Odin's soul to his own and claimed Gungnir." The vines loosened even more on Alicia, and the thorns stopped tearing at her skin.

Melusitane had a hand over her mouth, hiding her shock. "I see...and are you a host for a Valkyrie?"

"I was." answered Alicia.

"One more thing. This Dragon's Orb..." She reached out to caress the crystal ball. "Are you really it's keeper?"

Alicia licked her lips, nervous. She had never had the Dragon's Orb entrusted to her officially. She didn't even know if she was really meant to have it. But she nodded her head, risking the vine's wrath by answering yes. She tensed up, expecting them to begin their attack but nothing happened.

Melusitane bowed her head. "Forgive me guardian." She waved her hand, and the vines suddenly retracted. Alicia breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be free. Melusitane took the orb from the elf's hand and approached Alicia. "I believe this belongs to you." She held out the orb to the princess, the girl reaching forward with shaking hands.

"Thank you." She said simply, pulling the Dragon's orb to her chest. She was startled when Melusitane and the other elves dropped to their knees, bowing to her.

"Forgive us guardian...we did not know..." Melusitane whispered. "We did not know!"

"It's all right." Alicia said benevolently. "Just...just stand up." She ordered, uncomfortable with this humble display. "And free my friends!" She added.

"At once." Melusitane said, with a slight bow of her head.

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"Pacing won't do you any good." commented Arngrim from where he knelt on the floor. He was watching Rufus, watching as the half elf walked back and forth the length of the small cell.

"I can't help it." He complained. "I'm a bundle of restless nerves...I should be there with her!"

"From what you told me there's nothing you could do to help. She'll either be judged truthful or she won't..." Arngrim said.

"You don't understand. She'll die if she lies!" Rufus kicked the door of the cell. "Damn it!"

"Alicia's pretty honest. She...and you have nothing to worry about." Arngrim said sensibly.

"But..." Rufus sighed. "You're right.." He let out a weak sounding chuckle. "You're right." He repeated softly. They fell into silence, glancing up at the door every time they heard a noise. Finally footsteps sounded on the stairs, Melusitane's voice echoing down. "Release the prisoners."

"My lady?"

"You heard me!" barked Melusitane.

"Told you everything would work out." grinned Arngrim.

The guard approached the door, a heavy iron ring in her hand. She fumbled with the keys, finding the right one. Rufus approached her, holding out his hands with a smile. "Take these off please." She grumbled, but complied.

"And don't forget about my friend." Rufus added, rubbing his raw wrists. The elf walked over to Arngrim, and began working on the many locks on his chains. "I'll meet you upstairs." Rufus said.

"Right..." agreed Arngrim as Rufus hurried out of the cell. He all but flew up the stairs, running at top speed, bursting into the great hall. Elves turned to look at him in surprise, but he ignored them, scanning the large room for the princess. In a sea of green hair, she stood out, her blond beauty radiant.

"Alicia!" Rufus cried, running towards her. She was turning at the sound of his voice, an expectant smile on her face. Upon reaching her he gathered her up into his arms, spinning around dizzily with her. Laughing he hugged her, kissing her cheek.

"Rufus..." She giggled, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Put me down...I'm a mess..."

He looked at her, frowning as he saw the bleeding cuts on her body. "What happened?" He asked with a gasp.

"Just a little accident." Alicia said, Rufus confused as to why she was suddenly blushing.

"Rufus..." Melusitane was approaching, a solemn look on her face. "May I have a word with you?"

"No." He said, setting Alicia back down on the floor.

"Please." She implored.

"Rufus, it's okay." Alicia touched his arm. "You should talk with her."

"Anything you have to say, you can say to both of us." Rufus said.

"It's better if we are alone." Melusitane insisted. "The healers can see to your friend's injuries while we talk."

"That's a good idea." Alicia winced. Those cuts of hers were starting to sting!

"Come.." Melusitane held out her hand to Rufus, and he reluctantly took hold of it.

"I'll be right back." He told Alicia.

"I know you will." She smiled, watching him walk away.

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To Be Continued...