Who Was Her?

9: Just A Letter

Arlen was rushing back to the forest with just a  ringing blaring in his ears and red alarms going off like sirens in his mind.

He knew that they were all lying and that there was no way that his beauty had died. He checked her house, her forest. But there was one place that was still left to check.

Her cave.

The same cave that she never allowed Arlen to visit. The same cave Arlen woke up in, when he fainted.

The people around him were all alarmed to see the shy boat boy, rushing and panting towards the forest.

He reached the forest and without taking a break or catching his breath, he rushed to where her cave was.

His legs and mind were not in his control now. All he knew was to just find his beauty.

When he reached the cave, he stopped. He stopped and froze.

He kept looking at the black cave while panting with his heart racing.

Without a second thought he ran inside the dark cave.

He didn't find his beauty but we he did find was that all the candles inside, were blown out. The chair he woke up on, the table, everything was there but it all looked barren, more likely abandoned.

He was looking around when his eyes caught a glance of a silver pen dugged into the oak table, standing upright.

He cautiously moved closer to the pen to examine it only to find ink dripping from it.

The pen was stabbed onto a paper. A letter.

He felt the air knocked out of his lungs once he looked at the letter.

To, Arlen.

With trembling hands he removed the pen which now had its nose cone broken and split.

He picked up the letter which had ink dripping from it.

With a heavy heart and trembling hands he slowly opened the letter.

He glanced at it but then quickly closed his eyes not wanting to read what was inside it.

This better nay be what I think it is... She wouldn't.. Why would she? He thought and took a deep breath, praying and hoping it wasn't what he was thinking of it as.

Once he started reading the letter he couldn't keep it in anymore and his knees gave up, making him fall thud on the pavement.

Dear Arlen,

I met a sweet, sweet boy when I was six. I had gotten beaten and was refused to have any food until the sunset because I had fed the goat our food. Our royalty food. Father was very disappointed and angry and lashed at me and whipped me. I remember crying beside the pond, with my tears rolling into the pond making me think that the pond was my tear river. I thought it was obvious that no one wanted me and I thought of giving it all up. No one loved me but my sister. She had married the Royal knight and was happy with him. She was even expecting and my parents were really happy with it. They told me as soon as I would turn twelve they would marry me off to some knight as well. My answer clearly disappointed them making me run away from home. I shouldn'y have come back. I shouldn'y have. Because when I did. I had my arm and leg broken because I disobeyed my father. I was the daughter of the Cavalier after all. I had to be just like them. But I couldn'y be. I kept disappointing them and myself. I remember coming to a forest which was far away from the castle but close enough from the ocean which had ships railing off from. I remember coming across an axe and how I picked it up wanting to just give up my life instead of living in envy and vengeance. But then, as if a miracle was sent. I saw a beautiful boy in front of me, weeping and crying at the sight of me holding up the axe. I remember how he rushed to me and hugged me telling me it was all going to be okay. He was four. Four and more sensible than I could ever be. I remember thinking how he was lucky that his parents were nay disappointed of him. Only to be proven wrong. He did nay have one. He did nay have them to know how it felt to have that motherly affection or that fatherly bond with them. He was alone. All alone.
Soon after we grew together and became each other's guide. We became each other's light. We laughed together. We got punished together. If one was down the other was down too. To say I loved him would be an understatement. I loved him more than I loved myself. He became a part of me. He used to wait in front of our cottage everyday before sunrise and we would go out to the ocean and travel in a boat. He was the talk of the town. The boat boy. We were known as the boat boy and this girl. We were the infamous little ones of our town who collected and gave smile wherever we went.
But then he had to leave. He was bethrothed to another and had to leave for her. He left me for her. He did nay even tell me he was leaving because he knew I wouldn't let him. The day he left so gracefully knowing he would meet his lady was the same day for me. The same day which caused me my whole life. I was murdered into the same ocean that we use to spend our summer nights at. I remember how the bastard murdered me in the cold. How he left me out there to die. I remember seeing the smirk and happiness on his face when he murdered me in cold blood. I remember wanting to look at you last before I go and nay him. Nay my father.
I saw myself getting brutally murdered in the cold. Saw him throwing my body out in the ocean. And before my eyes, the water that was once blue, turned red.
I waited for him. I waited for my love for so long. So long that I lost hope. I lost hope that he will ever come and see me. I waited for him to come back to town with his betrothed. But he never did. Everyday I just sat by the log in my forest waiting for him. In the same forest where we had met a decade ago. And then one day, he came.

"When ya first sang the song. It looked like ya were calling me." Arlen spoke looking at his beauty.

"It did?" Emerald asked him amused.

"Aye. It sounded like a melodious voice was attracting me and calling me to it."

"Maybe it was" Emerald looked up at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Eh... Maybe it was. Who knows?"

"Yeah..... Who knows"

I saw him. I saw him with tears rolling down his cheeks. I saw him with that axe he held. I saw the blood that formed. I saw it. Saw it all. I heard how he whimpered. I heard his pleading. I heard it all.
I called him to myself. I called him to find me. I wanted him to find me. I needed him to find me. And he did. He did find me.
I remember his face when he looked at me. I remember his dilated pupils. I remember his awes. I remember it all. But nothing was the same at how I felt. I felt at peace. After 13 years, I felt at peace.
It was him. My love. He came. He came back to me.
I thought that now I had seen him, I could go. I could go back. My soul could go back. But nay. It did nay. I could nay go back. I could nay. Nay after looking at him. Nay after hearing him ask me, forever?

"We are forever.... Right?"

Emerald gulped and looked away.

"Nothing lasts forever, Arlen."

"Maybe we will."

He looked at me with such hope, that even I thought that we'd last forever. But nay we did nay.
He showed my soul that necklace I gave him. He told my soul the memories I gave him. He did wonders to my soul that made it weak. And I had to leave. My time had come. And I had it leave.

"Go! Leave!"

"Emerald... I-I can help y-"

"Leave!"

She had tears rolling down her eyes and she couldn't keep the pain in anymore. She reached her cave and curled into a ball clutching her wrist which had veins burning in them. She let out a horrendous scream remembering him showing her the necklace. The memories were hurting her soul. Hurting her.

I love ya, Arlen. I love ya.
I know I never told ya this while I was there with ya. It is because I could nay. I could nay let ya know that I loved ya. I could nay tell ya that I loved ya. But ya did. Ya did tell me ya loved me.
I am finally at peace, Arlen. I finally rest in peace knowing that I saved ya from yourself. I can finally be in peace knowing that I saw ya before going back.
I am in peace, Arlen.
I want ya to remember me. Because I know I will.

Love,
Your Emerald Cavalier.
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I just want to know..... Thoughts?
Did you expect this? Did you not?