Too Far Gone

Chapter 1

It stopped.

My heart, the thing I'd loved Thorin with for so long with, stopped.

Stopped.

For but a second.

My chest began to rise and fall. Laboured breaths escaped my lungs.

It was a deep sleep.

A coma.

Flashbacks, memories, and nightmares shot through my unconscious mind. Racing through, making me mentally relive every pained second. I had no choice but to relive them as my state remained the same.

Old memories, ones I had no idea I'd even known danced in my mind.

"This fight is a dangerous risk." My father stated deeply. "But it is for my people. Fighting alongside Thròr is an honour that I dare not pass up."

My mother stood with her hands together at her chest. Tears rolled uncontrolled down her pale face.

"Come back to us." She cried. "Your daughter needs her father."

"I will, Maedra, my love. Even if I should not make it back. I will come. Let the dawn be a reminder that I'm always with you and Madeira." He kissed her pale forehead and embraced her.

Walking up to my cradle, my father, the great Ethrand, nearly shed a tear. His long, wavy, dark hair fell into the cradle. His blue eyes were dim. He was not a classic Dwarf. He had a short beard, and was a little tall for a Dwarf. I was nearly certain he was part man.

He leaned down to me.

"You're a fighter. My sweet child. I will come back." He stroked my cheek gently, then turned to see my mother in the same position. He hands at her chest, almost shaking.

He left without saying a word. My mother did not know what should be done. All she could do was stand there. Before eventually nearly collapsing.

Days passed since my father left. My mother became worried and impatient.

She looked down into my cradle with her dark green eyes. Until her expression changed and she ran to another room, retrieving a cloak and sword.

She looked down at my cradle again. Then immediately looked down at her necklace, grasping it with her free hand.

She quickly took it off and looked at it one last time before placing it beside me in my cradle. She gently touched my cheek.

"I'll come back love." She said as another tear ran down her cheek as she turned and ran out the door, not looking back.

That's where Ariannell came in. When my mother didn't come back.

I wanted to cringe at the thought, but my unconscious body remained still. I was in shock.

I never knew this, or never knew that I knew it. The thoughts started spiralling in my mind.

I did the same thing as my mother. But she didn't succeed as I did. I came back.

And she didn't.

I left to save my love of a horrible fate, just as my mother did.

But her goal ended up becoming her death.

Going behind the one you love and defacing their trust, taking that risk just because your love for them is so deep you couldn't bear to see them suffer a terrible fate. You'd take their place if that's what it came to. Only because it would mean their heart would continue beating.

I did the same thing.

But I didn't suffer the same way she did.

I did it for the same reason.

I did it for love.

The memory quickly faded as my lifeless body continued to create heart-stabbing visions.

More old memories shot up as I then lost them completely.

~

My eyes opened slightly, paining my head even more. They quickly closed again against my will.

My chest fell hard with every breath.

My head ached and pounded.

My leg ached as it lay limp on the cold stone ground.

I forced my eyes open. I succeed as they stayed open. My mind still wandered, a nearly empt slate.

I remembered nothing.

My body was weak. Oblivious to what happened.

As was my mind. Nothing was familiar. At all.

It was dark, dim.

I eventually gathered enough strength to drag myself to a flight of stairs and lean against them.

Blood was splattered all on the bottom, spanning out to where I dragged myself from.

My head pounded again. I cringed as I brought my hand up to the side of my head.

I cringed again, shooting my hand off of the wound.

I brought my hand down again. It was full of blood.

Dark red blood.

It was clear. I must have tumbled down the stairs to the cold, stone ground below. I wanted deeply to freak out and scream.

The great stone halls of, wherever I was, were abandoned and ruined. Fire and damage were the only things seen.

I leaned my head against the stairs, giving my already sore neck a break.

Too much was going through my mind.

None of it made sense in the least bit.

I was in an enchanting, hauntingly beautiful place, but it was damaged nearly everywhere I looked.

Burns, collapsed columns, fallen stone. But mostly burns.

There was no reasoning I knew of as to why I was there.

Or none that I could think of.

I couldn't think of anything.

Nothing.

I knew who I was. But only by a string. A thin string.

A thin, breakable string.