Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Three Part XXIV (ED)

"One day, instead of visiting my beloved, I asked to go to the docks for a picnic on the beach. The guard, a burly fellow called Lars, frowned at me. 'Wait here,' he said, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"After a while, he returned with my sister. I hadn't seen Liress in about four months. Her face had not changed, and her eyes - the light brown color one of the only differences in our appearances - were still hard and cool.

"'I am here to escort you out,' Liress said stiffly. Nodding, I slowly stood up and headed towards the door. She took the picnic basket I held from my arms before leading me down the stairs. As we reached the entrance, Liress warned, 'And don't try to escape - I would have to hurt you to stop you.'

"We walked out to the harbor, and to anyone else probably seemed like two sisters going out to enjoy lunch. But I could feel Liress tense whenever someone walked by. I knew it would be hard to get the belts from under the dock that Beloth had stored them in.

"I led my twin to the beach, and spread out a blanket close to the harbor. If I squinted, I could just make out the shape of a bag hidden behind one of the poles.

"A plan began to form. 'Liress, I'm going to go for a swim,' I told her, tugging off the shawl I'd worn. 'To collect some shells.'

"I knew she couldn't swim, so she just nodded while I pulled out a burlap sack and went into the sea. Swimming out towards the pier, I dove under the water, heading to the pole."

The blonde had started panting in between her words, her face drenched in sweat as she squeezed her lips shut. "Belinda," Leafë started, but the woman shook her head, struggling to continue.

"I reached the surface right behind the pole, hidden from Liress's sharp gaze. Reaching into the sack, I pulled out several belts. They were extraordinarily crafted: a shined black leather encrusted with jewels of varying shades. My favorite were the two made of spinels and hematites - their pink and silver color gleamed with a light that was otherworldly.

"Beloth had told me that he'd spelled the belts for water protection, so I carefully folded them at the bottom of my bag. I laced the false bottom I'd made for it shut before diving back into the water to collect shells."

Belinda groaned as a shudder rippled through her, but diligently carried on. "The best find was a pair of two clams that had pink pearls inside them. When I came back ashore, I eagerly showed them to my sister. She smiled with delight, and for a while, everything was alright again.

"'You know what would be fun?' Liress said, still smiling.

"'What?' I asked curiously.

"'Why don't we turn these into bracelets with some of the shells you found?' I thought the idea was fabulous, so we spent the afternoon making the bracelets. Liss was just like she used to be, teasing me and talking about the court gossip as we'd always done in the past. And when the bracelets were finished, she used magic to forge a clasp and engrave the pearls with 'Bell & Liss: sisters for now and forever.'"

Smiling sadly, Belinda looked at the wrist of her hand that Leafë was holding. The elf gently touched the bracelet, which was beautifully crafted (the shells small and the pearls perfectly rounded), and turned it so that she - and the viewers - could read the words the woman had just spoken.

"Of course, time eventually moved on," the blonde sighed. "We headed back to the castle, and the moment between us was over. Before taking me back to my room, Liress silently led me down to Beloth's cell.

"More months passed, and I didn't see my sister again. One day, I went to visit Beloth, and stopped dead in my tracks. Instead of bent over the table like he usually was, he stood faced to the wall. For a moment, I was confused, but then I saw on the table three belts that were completely finished.

"'You're done?' I said, still not able to believe what my eyes were telling me.

"'I am,' Beloth said. He walked towards me, pulling me into his arms as he whispered in my ear, 'And Galbatorix is on his way.'

"'No!' I shouted, pulling back to look into his eyes. 'No, this can't be happening.'

"'It is my love,' he said, urgently tugging on my hands as he pulled me toward the table. 'And I haven't got much time.' Reaching down, he pulled out a secret compartment and told me, 'This is for you. I spelled it for protection against poison and some magical attacks.'

"He showed me a beautiful silver locket with a pink diamond that perfectly matched the earrings I still wore. Beloth fastened the slim silver chain around my neck, which was long enough for me to open it and see its contents. On the left side, there was a miniature faith of me that Beloth must have done in secret. On the right, there were two phrases, one in the ancient language and the other in Runic (A/N: the human tongue), both reading 'Whether together or apart, within each other lies our hearts.'

"'Beloth,' I said, tears coming to my eyes. He stroked my hair as I cried onto his shoulder, for I knew this wasn't just any gift - it was the last one he would ever give me.

"That moment, the door opened, and I knew without looking that Galbatorix had entered. Beloth tensed, then leaned down and kissed me gently before pushing me away.

"'Well done,' said the king, his voice pleasantly surprised. 'Better work than I expected.'

"'You know the deal,' responded Beloth. "Belinda gets safe passage from here, and you have your belts.'

"Galbatorix smiled, but it lacked the warmth of a real one, and he merely replied, 'I know your terms, Beloth, just as you know mine. Now, I think it's time for you to say your last goodbyes.'

"Beloth turned back to me, and I shook my head in denial. He held my face, forcing me to look into his eyes, which were like two gray pools of sadness. 'I love you,' he whispered before stepping away, out of my grasp and towards the middle of the room.

"'Beloth,' I said, trying to step towards him. Guards were immediately there to hold me back, but I barely noticed as I screamed his name. 'Beloth!'

"He was still looking at me, watching silently as I sobbed. And then, he briefly closed his eyes, a message to me.

"And as the king laughed, I remembered Beloth's words when I had first looked visited him -

"And closed my eyes."

With a shaky breath, she continued, "When it was over, the guards led me to my room. I sat on my bed, unable to move from the spot they'd put me before sending the locket flying across the room. Lars brought me a glass of water to drink, and the hours passed. I retrieved the necklace, still too numb to cry though all I could see was Beloth's face right before I'd closed my eyes.

"Finally, my door opened again. I didn't look up until Liress whispered, 'It is time, my sister.'"