Whew, finally.  What's this, you ask?  It's the moment you all didn't know you were waiting for!  As most of you probably heard, I've been working on a story and yes, the character development is as major as I said it was.  I doubt most of you are going to be able read the whole thing without skimming in one try since it's kinda long (15 pages to be exact), so for those who want to read it, I advise you copy it to words and put up a bookmark if you can't finish it.  I'd like comments, from spelling/grammar corrections to simple writing technique suggestions. 

For those people who have to write in my two characters often, it's recommended you read this.  If you can't, please message me and I'll give you a summary, since neither of my characters will ever be the same again( or at least for a while).

Anyways, I've put a lot of work into developing the background story line for my two characters and clues are found in every single story I've posted on/written so far.  This story draws from just about every single clue given, meaning, unless you were wierd and read every single thing I've ever written as Tnepres or HellKite, you wouldn't understand the details.  So before the actual story, I've included a readers guide. 




Characters-

Tnepres- Romantic Dreamer-
Talstorin Yalmic, or Tnepres, comes from a hard childhood.  He comes from a violent tribe that conduct bloody rituals all the time.  When Talstorin is picked to be sacrificed, he runs away to a nearby city.  There, he grows through many jobs including a baker and an assassin.  As an assassin, he get a target and to get close to her, he befriends her.  Unfortunatly, as fate would have it, he falls in love with the target and when he reveals both his target and his feelings to her, she runs away and betrays him by turning him in to his boss for failure of a mission.  Talstorin ends up killing his boss and to escape punishment, he leaves for Tadath to become a stormtrooper.  From there, he becomes loyal to the Empire but the memory of Sarah still plagues him.  His motive for joining the army is revealed in a story.  When he was young and starving, a stormtrooper gave him money for food and to this day, being a servant of the emporer symbolizes the protection of the needy.  Talstorin also comes from a large family, most of the them deceased as revealed in Memoirs of a Withered Soul.  He meets his sister for a short time before she suicides and there he learns the fate of the rest of his family. 

Talstorin is hopeless optimistic, always relying on false hopes.  He's a dreamer and so he always hopes for the best outcomes.


HellKite- Realistic Sadist-

Garuda Translyvon was spoiled as a child.  Being the son of a wealthy imperial noble, he got everything he want.  Unfortunatly, on a trip, his parents were killed by rebel starfighters and he was stranded on a planet with no one.  He is soon adopted by the head of a pirate crew and there he is raised as a ruthlessly pilot.  Because of his background, HellKite isn't the friendly type.  He often gets in fights with those he doesn't like, though he knows the value of teamwork.  Refusing to believe in the good of people or the mercy of life, he himself refuses to give sympathy to those he considers weak.  Not only that, the death of his parents has made him bloodthirsty and he often isn't simply satisfied by just killing his target.  He has to mutilate them too.

As revealed early in the story plot, HellKite has killed Talstorin's brother by skinning him alive.  Taking the picture of the Talstorin from the boy's room as souvenir, he leaves the dead body behind.  Currently, he is in the navy, flying for Kaph Squadron.  In the navy, he has few friends and the only person who knows him well is Krius.  The two get to know eachother in Slaughter House Blues(Which will be finished, you hear that Leon?  Get posting) as HellKite departs to retrieve his sister who's held ransom by a person from Hellkite's past.  Krius follows.  The person turns out to be a ex gladiator Kaminoan who lives for the battle.  On the mission, HellKite also meets a young boy who is later revealed as Sarah's brother.  When the boy dies killing the Kaminoan, he tells HellKite his dying wish is for HellKite to tell Sarah what has happened to her brother.  Agreeing, HellKite takes the Kaminoan's cortosis coated phrik sword and departs for Sarah.

Sarah-The Bond in Twilight-
A simple girl from poor origins.  She, however, becomes adopted by a well off man who spoils her. 

Durandal-Someone-
He appears once in this story, and hes not that important to the story but he is Talstorin's friend before the army. 




The story so far...
After HellKite leaves to find Sarah, he arrives on Tatooine.  Tracking the girl down, he finally tells her what has happened to her brother.  Saddened, Sarah befriends HellKite and the two eventually run after the childish ambition of getting married.  HellKite becomes nicer from that point and he goes back to the navy for a short while before leaving for vacation again.  The secret reason for the break?  Marriage.

Talstorin recieves a letter from Sarah inviting him to Tatooine again so she can tell him something important.  Unaware of the events, he rushes back after being delayed by Chapter 8.5, thinking she means to profess her love for him.




Anyways, I present to you: 



ATRINITY










      The dusty, sandy floor was inevitably the same as it had been years ago.  It’s curves were never changing.  A foot came down, clad in a black boot, pressing down the sand as it did.  Talstorin studied the floor as he walked out of the pavements of the airport and onto the dune-like terrain of Tatooine’s deserts.  The sand beneath his feet invoked a strange feeling inside the trooper as he walked.  It was just as how he remembered it, and yet, there was something different.  Finally, he dismissed it as a figment of his own imagination, something that had been created out of his nervousness.  But he had every right to be nervous, didn’t he? The entire shuttle trip was spent over worrying what she exactly had to tell him.

    By the time he managed to take his mind off Sarah, he had already entered into his old town.  It looked better now, surprisingly.  The roads were cleaner and the buildings look newer but it might have just been his imagination.  One thing hadn’t changed, however, the streets were still bustling with merchants and buyers.  Talstorin took a moment before he continued walking, looking around.  He suddenly felt a sense of warmth and acceptance as he listened to the various loud conversations and the examined the dusty vendor stalls.  The sky itself was a bright blue-yellow, rays from the stars spread their heat to the ground.  The trooper cleared his throat and began to walk again, wandering away from his original direction.

    Talstorin walked past a few buildings and arrived at a small store.  He stopped at it’s doors and looked around.  It hadn’t changed as dramatically as the town but the fact that it had change was obvious.  The store was bigger, the walls were clean and attached to the surface of the building was a new sign.  This one was made from steel, the old one had been just writing on a piece of fabric.  Placing his left hand on one of the glass doors, he pushed himself in and noticed another new feature: air conditioning.  The sudden breeze of cold air almost caused Talstorin to sneezed, something that was only stopped by a light yawn.  He shook his head lightly and approached the counter.  On the other side of the counter was a middle aged man, dressed in an apron.  On both sides of him were glass shelves, filled with different kinds of pastries and bread.  The man took a while to noticed Talstorin’s presence.  Without looking up, he welcomed his guest.

    “Welcome to Tatooine Sunshine Bakery, how may I help you?” said the man in a monotonous voice.

    Talstorin chuckled before he replied.  “Where’s the sunshine?” he inquired. 

    The man paused and scrunched his nose as if he was concentrating on something.  Finally realizing that he recognized the voice, he looked up, shocked.  “Yalmic, m’boy!  You’re back!” 

    Talstorin smiled and nodded.  “I’m back for a visit.  That’s all.  How’s business?”

    “Oh, it’s great.  Really, it’s just booming.”  The man stopped and turned towards a door located several feet away from him and screamed.  “Come on boss!  Yalmic is here!”  There was no response and the man turned back to Talstorin.  “So where are you working now?  Or are you unemployed?  Look, sorry we had to let you go, we really didn’t want to.”

    “Yea, I know, don’t worry about it,” answered Talstorin coolly.  It felt strange talking to an old friend, after all, it had been a while since anyone had called him Yalmic.  It had been Tnepres for a while already and before that, there was Death’s Venom and before that it was just Talstorin. 

    “Look, if you need a job, we can open a slot for you.  Anything for you, common, what do you say?”

    Talstorin laughed as he heard the offer.  “It’s fine, I have a job and let’s just say it’s a very long contract.”

    “Oh?”  The man leaned forward, apparently interested.  “What is it?”  Before Talstorin could answer however, he found his words had been stolen by someone else.

    “Leave the boy alone, I’m sure he has the right to have some privacy.”  Talstorin made a confused face as he heard what he was going to say only said in a deep, gruff voice.  Spinning around to turn to the door, he found another man.  He was shorter and hairier than Talstorin remembered, but it was unmistakable.  So there really was a man in that room.  The man continued, “anyways, glad to see you back, Yalmic.  Sorry for the delay, I couldn’t just leave the bread in the oven.”

    The trooper nodded again, smiling a bit.  “It’s no problem.  I’m not here for long anyways.”

    “Oh.  It’s a shame, would’ve been an honor to have you back but who am I to stop ya?”  The man let out a deep chuckle as he wiped his hands on his apron.  “You seem more fit.  Been working out?”

    Talstorin looked away and thought for a moment.  He never really noticed it before, but then again, he never had much of a chance to look in a mirror.  Finally, he answered.  “Yea you could say that.”

    Another chuckle came, this one louder than before, which scared the clerk, who inched away from the his boss.  “That’s good, young men like you need to stay fit.  How else are you going to get them girls, eh?  Hahaha!”

    This time, Talstorin couldn’t hold back a laugh.  “I’m sure there’s other ways.”

    The man stopped and gave the trooper a funny look.  “Really now?  Have you tried them?  You have a girl now?  Or better?  A wife maybe?”

    Talstorin shook his head, holding back a grimace.  “No, just a cat.  I’d say it’s better anyways, less screaming,” he joked.
    At that point, the man had begun to laugh so hard, his face turned a bright red.  It took him several minutes to calm down, and by then the counter looked like it had already taken enough from the slamming of the burly man’s fist.  “Great sense of humor, this kid.”

    “Thanks, well anyways, speaking of events-.”

    The clerk cut in.  “No one mentioned events.”

    “Yea, well since you mentioned it, I’ve got to go.  I’m actually late.  If I have time, I’ll visit on the way back.  Promise.”

    The clerk and boss both nodded, the boss saluting with a slight chuckle.  “Want any cake before you leave?  It’s on the house.”

    “It’s fine, thanks anyways though.”  With that, Talstorin stepped out of the bakery in which he used to work in and back into the hot, musty air of the streets.


    “Sir, may I interest you in some jewelry?” the woman asked the tall man.  She was dressed in dirty robes, something that repulsed the man.

    “It’s fine,” he answered as he shoved away the women, leaving her a bit insulted as she glared at the man’s back.

    “People just don’t have manners these days,” she muttered.  HellKite had heard her but decided it was better to leave her alone.  It was worse enough he had to be on Tatooine, he didn’t want anything worse.  His wedding was soon anyways, it was bad luck to start arguments now.  The Imperial Pilot shoved his way through the crowds, in his hands a large steel case that contained his clothes and other possessions.  He was running a bit late now, and what did he care if a few peasants got hurt.  They were beneath him anyways. 


    Once again find himself on a detour, Talstorin turned the corner on the city streets.  He was in a different part of the planet now.  The dusty market placement was gone, replaced by the city buildings, mobiles and citizens.  The place had a remarkable sense of luxury, the taller buildings were well conditioned and bright, clean stores were scattered along the streets.  Still, as the corner was turned, all that seemed to have melted away.  The glamorous lights were gone, substituted with cheap flashing lights and run-down shacks.  It didn’t seem to bother the trooper, he walked just as loosely.  It may have been the fact that he used to live there. 

    Talstorin had taken another pit stop to find out what had happened to his old apartment building.  The old building hadn’t left a great memory in his head, especially the daily routine of denying prostitutes when he came home he had to deal with before.  Still, it was hard to resist the opportunity to drop by.  He arrived at a tall building, it looked a lot different.  It was a whorehouse now, it’s sleazy identity had been given away by the several teasing posters on it’s windows and doors. 

    “Hn, interesting,” muttered the man as he stared at the building.  He couldn’t exactly say he was surprised, there had always been a lot of prostitutes running around and yet, he couldn’t exactly say he was expecting it.  Deciding to think nothing more of it, Talstorin turned around and headed back towards his destination.  Life was better when you didn’t think about some things.


    HellKite stared at the white door before ringing the bell.  The door opened a minutes later, revealing a girl around his height.  She smiled when she saw him and gestured him in.

    “Finally!  I’ve been waiting forever,” said the girl as she grinned.

    “Sorry, ran into a couple of obstacles.”

    “It’s fine, your clothes just came, try them on.  I’m sure you’d look handsome in them.”

    HellKite didn’t answer though he softly smiled, walking inside.  He had doubts before but now, he was sure he wanted to go through with this.


    It was dark by the time Talstorin opened the gates to the huge house.  Even in the darkness, the house was able to shine it’s beauty.  The garden’s flowers radiated in the dim lights and the house itself seemed to show the wealth of it’s inhabitants.  Talstorin walked slowly towards the door, his boots making a soft noise as they hit the ground.  He stopped a few inches away from the door and took a deep breath.  He could feel his heart beating against his chest as he suddenly felt a lack of air in his lungs.  Struggling to look calm, he finally rung the bell and waited.  There was no immediate answer which made the trooper even more nervous.  Then, seemingly out of the blue, the voice of a middle aged woman called out. 

    “Hello?  Who is it?”

    Talstorin relaxed.  “It’s uh Sarah’s friend.  She’s been expecting me?”

    “Oh yes, you.”  The door swung open and behind it stood a stout woman, looking much older than she really was.  “This way,” she said as she pointed down the hall before she made a loud cry that resembled a cry of a bantha sitting on a lightsaber.  “SARAH!  YOU”RE FRIEND’S HERE!” 

    Talstorin flinched as the woman cried, stopping abruptly in his spot by the door.  A girl came into view soon, her bright red hair was wet, perhaps from a recent shower.  Her face looked confused but when she saw him she seemed to realize.  “Oh!  You made it.” 

    Talstorin stepped in and hung his coat before nodding.  “Yea, we had a two missions before I could leave.  Some simple kidnapping, that’s all.”  He tried hard not to reveal too much information.  He didn’t want to get in trouble with the higher ups by revealing things he shouldn’t have though it didn’t seem like he needed to worry.  Sarah wasn’t concerned about finding anything out further as she simply gave him a hug and grabbed his hand.  She led him to the living room, hopping gleefully.  This was indeed important news.  As he stared at her hand over his, he started to tense up again, his chest started to beat heavily again.  She sat him down on a seat as she took the seat opposite of him.  “So what did you want to tell me?” he finally asked, unable to control his anxiousness.

    “Well,” she gave a long pause.  Her smile broadened as she waited for a bit.  Talstorin nodded lightly, egging her on.

    “Yea?”

    “I’M GETTING MARRIED!”  With those words, she leapt up and laughed.  Talstorin on the other hand didn’t feel so relieved.  How could he expect anything better though?  It was so immature of him to think that after all this time she would just call him to Tatooine to tell him that she loved him.  No, life was never that perfect.  He had no right to be mad at her.  In fact, as her friend, he should’ve been happy. 

    Sarah didn’t wait for him to swallow the news.  “What’s wrong?  You look sick.”  It was true, Talstorin did feel sick.  His chest felt like it was stabbed by a thousand knives but he couldn’t let her know that.

    He swallowed and pushed aside his pain.  “Nothing, I’m just disappointed you didn’t choose me as a bridesmaid,” he said, forcing a fake grin.  Now that he looked at her, he realized how young he was.  The world seemed to clear up after it was clouded up years ago.  He never thought of himself as young but now he realized: he was only 22.  It had only been a year since he joined the corps.  And now that he realized how young he was, he realized how much younger she was.  She was only 19 though she would be 20 in a short time.  Married at nineteen?  What kind of madness was this?  Still, he kept his outrage to himself.  It was doubtful she would listen to him. 

    She giggled in response to his comment.  “Oh, well I’m sure I can arrange some special thing for you.”  Talstorin faked another smile.

    “I’m glad.  So, um, who is he?  How long have you known him?”

    “Well, his name is Garuda, we actually only met months ago but I know this is right.”  Talstorin held back a choke.  Months ago?  This was getting worse by the minute.

    “How are you going to get money, does he even have a stable job? Where is he right now?”

    She laughed at his questions, obviously thinking they weren’t serious.  “You worry about me too much.  It’s fine.”  Talstorin knew she was right though, money wouldn’t be a problem.  Her father would probably bail her out of any money troubles she would have.  “And yes, he has a stable job, he’s a pilot.  I’m sure you’ll love him.  He’s out getting some cooking material, he should be back soon actually.”

    “I’m sure I’ll love him too.”  His voice trailed off at the end.  There was an awkward silence that followed and the two just stared at each other.  Finally, cutting the tension, the door opened and Talstorin could hear the maid speaking.  Minutes later, a man stepped into the room.  He was shorter than Talstorin, though not by that much.  His hair was a midnight black though most of it was covered up by blue dye.  In his hand were some cooking supplies which he handed to the maid.  Upon his arrival, Sarah seemed to brighten up again, leaping out of her seat to give him a kiss.  Talstorin felt his stomach turn.  The man seemed to have heard the soft groan from his mouth, turning towards the stranger.

    “And who’s our guest?” he asked, a smirk on his face.  Already hating him, Talstorin forced a smile.

    “Oh, that’s Talstorin!  He’s been delayed for a while, that’s all.”

    “Oh really?” the man tilted his head, obviously interested.  “I’ve heard a lot of about you.”  He extended his hand and Talstorin got up to shake, finding that the man’s grip was inhumanly strong.  Talstorin made a surprised face.

    “Well I guess that makes introductions easier,” Talstorin said with a fake grin.  The man didn’t pick it up, and laughed. 

    “I’m Garuda, Sarah’s to-be.”

    “Yea, I gathered.”

    “So uh, where do you work?”

    “He’s a trooper for the Stormtrooper corps!” Sarah interjected before Talstorin could speak.  At the sound of it, Garuda’s eyes widened for a moment before he spoke.

    “Really now.  Interesting.  Very very interesting.”  Talstorin looked at Garuda., puzzled.  He couldn’t see why that was so interesting.  The servant cried from the kitchen.

    “DINNER’S READY!”  Talstorin flinched, but the other two seemed to be used to it. 

    “Come on,” Sarah said cheerfully.  “She prepared something special today.”  She turned and walked away, Garuda had already left, leaving Talstorin to just stand there.  The others only gave Talstorin a few seconds but it was enough to help digest the news.  So Sarah was getting married.  All of a sudden Talstorin wished he hadn’t come at all.

----------------------------

    Dinner wasn’t eventful, and though the food was delicious, Talstorin couldn’t get himself to enjoy it.  The dinner table was silent as well, save the banging of metal.  Talstorin was the first to finish and it took the others much longer, something that allowed Talstorin to explore the house, hoping to take his mind of the despair that was growing inside him.  It was a futile attempt, and Talstorin realized it after a few minutes.  “It’s going to be fine, you’ll get over it in a few days.  You’re obligations as a friend are more important,” he told himself over and over.

    Bedtime was surprisingly early, coming up as soon as everyone finished dinner.  Talstorin had already gotten used to the Wraith’s late night antics but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to stay up that day.  The servant lead him upstairs to the guest bedroom before she went to sleep, something Talstorin didn’t expect.  He was never used to the rich life, and half expected to just sleep on the couch.  Out of instinct, he stopped the servant before she left and a question just rolled off his tongue. 

    “Where is Garuda going to sleep?”  The old woman chuckled at the question.

    “In the bedroom, with Sarah, of course.”  She didn’t wait for a response and left for the comforts of her own bed.  Talstorin stood there for a while though, partly because he couldn’t bring himself to swallow what he just heard and partly because he wasn’t sure whether he was going to vomit.  Finally, he walked over to his suitcase to unload his clothes and possessions before collapsing on the bed.  The bed was soft and Talstorin found himself lying there for some time, just staring at the ceiling.  However, fatigue found him soon, and unable to worry about things any further, he tucked himself into bed.


---------------------------

    The days following weren’t pleasant ones.  In a nutshell, Talstorin found himself following Garuda and Sarah everywhere.  It was worse enough being with the two but he also had to feel like a third wheel.  There was always the feeling of not belonging but Sarah wouldn’t let him leave and always got the trooper to change his mind through some coaxing.  By the time the night before the big day arrived, Talstorin had already been to four days worth of picnics and shopping.  Still, the shadow of misery never left him and he was beginning to feel like he would never get over it.  It was just a good thing Talstorin would have other things to do besides paying full attention to the wedding.  Because Sarah wanted to give him an important task, he ended up replacing one of the two security guards for the wedding.  It was a strange thing, Talstorin had thought, security guards at a wedding.  It wasn’t like terrorists were just going to barge into some random insignificant wedding to wreak havoc. 

    That night was a warm one and the whole household retired from their outside activities early.  Like everyday, as soon as dinner ended, everyone went to sleep, something Talstorin had already become used to.  He hoped the transition back to 3 hours of sleep a day would be smooth.  Right before he was going to turn off the lights however, there was a knock.  Startled at first, he got up again and opened to door, surprised to find Sarah.  A little part of him had fantasized about this situation, or at least whatever part of the situation that just happened.

    “Oh, uh, hey.  Shouldn’t you be in bed?” he asked.  He could feel his heart thumping against his chest again.

    “Yea but Garuda wanted to give you something.”  She smiled as she handed over a long metallic object, dropping it into Talstorin’s hands.  “It’s his sword, he says it’s rare but he has no use for it.  Since you seem to be an important to his honey,” she stopped and giggled before continuing, “ he figured he wanted you to have it.”

    “Oh,” Talstorin said, looking at the sheath dully.  It was defiantly not a good week for hope.  He felt his heart once again rest, as if it had been dropped into some kind of molasses.  “That’s it?” he finally added on, hoping for something else.  Sarah nodded.

    “Yea.  Sleep well!  Tomorrow is going be a big day!”  She skipped out, closing the door behind her, leaving the trooper to stand there by himself.  He waited a few seconds to make sure she wasn’t coming back.  At last realizing he had again had his hopes too high, he walked backed to his bed and sat down to examine his odd gift.  Unsheathing it was easy, as it glided out with ease.  The blade was shiny, glimmering a silver aura. 

    “Wow, Cortosis and Phrik?” he thought to himself.  It was a marvelous present, must’ve been worth millions of credits, if it was real that is.  Then the sick feeling in his stomach returned and he looked at the blade with discontent.  “What a cheap sorry gift,” he grumbled, tossing it across the room.  It landed with a huge thud as Talstorin turned off the lights.

-------------------------------

    The reception was quite small.  Talstorin stood at the left side of door, his hands folded behind his back, clad in a white dress-suit.  Sarah had been dressed in traditional Tatooine wedding gown, something that didn’t quite fit her.  From what he could remember, she wasn’t even born on Tatooine.  The dress was indeed beautiful though and everyone noticed when she had walked down aisle.  Despite the fact that she looked so childlike in the dress, Talstorin swore she looked liked a fifteen year old, it was near impossible to say she didn’t look great.  Facing her was the groom, Garuda, who looked even more strange dressed in a black dress-suit.  They were speaking to each other and the guests all had their attention on the young couple.  Talstorin, on the other hand, was trying his best to ignore what was going on.  Something in his heart said that things would go by faster if he forgot they existed.

    The trooper started to walk away from the right side of the door and crossed past the other guard on the left side of the door.  He continued left to the wall and walked up till he was standing next to the first row of seats.  No one seemed to notice and continued to focus on the couple.  The priest had begun to talk again in his monotonous voice.  Talstorin sighed as he found it hard to block out the voices when the smallest sound echoed.  Then, a portrait across the room caught his attention.  It was weathered and the frame seemed as if it were rotting.  The portrait itself was set on a gloomy background, in the center was a wrinkled old man, probably a priest or something of the sort.  The man had his gaze straight forward and when seen from afar, it looked like a cold, menacing glare.  Finding himself intrigued by the man’s features, Talstorin narrowed his eyes to see the picture better.  The man’s cheeks were tanned a dark brown that seemed burnt, the color matched the eyes which were of a similar shade of brown.  The priest was still speaking.

    On even further inspections, the multiple lines that were etched under the eyes of the man seemed to worsen the glare.  “What did he have to glare about?” Talstorin wondered to himself, “He probably had it all anyways.”  The voice of the priest grew louder and it pierced the concentrated mind of the trooper again.  Straining to ignore the voice, Talstorin stared harder at the picture.  This time, his eyes drifted downward to look at the mouth of the man.  The lips were also burnt looking, the skin was dry and in some parts it had begun to peel.  The ends of the mouth were pointed downward in a disapproving frown.  Talstorin flinched as he noticed the frown, finding himself even angrier than before.  The stomach in his body had tied into a knot and it created an unpleasant sensation as it seemed to turn and twist.  It was as if the man knew what was flying through the trooper’s head.  But what is there to be disapproving about?  Was he not being a friend?  Despite the fact that he didn’t want to be here, was he not anyways?  He was sacrificing his self interests for the good of a friend.  He was doing nothing wrong.  Talstorin wanted to say all these things to defend himself but for obvious reasons, he didn’t.  The priest was now speaking even louder and from the fragments of sentences that slipped through the mental barrier in Talstorin’s mind, the priest had was citing some ancient text in celebrating something.

    The portrait, unlike the priest’s voice, had stayed the same.  The same frown was there and for a second, Talstorin swore he saw the man shake his head.  “Well what do you want me to do?  Should I be happier?  Well, old geezer?” the trooper mumbled under his breath.  The feeling inside Talstorin had worsened but he didn’t notice as he had forgotten the man was simply a part of portrait.  His breath quickened as he soon found himself stuck with the urge to scream profanities at the wicked old man.  Then, strangely, Talstorin saw a smug grin fall upon the man’s face.  The trooper choked as he felt like vomiting.  The priest spoke louder as he began speak of the honor of life.
    Talstorin felt faint, as if he was going collapse any second and yet, his eyes were still focused on the man.  The longer he had looked at the man, the more smug the man seemed to get.  Sweat began to drip down Talstorin’s forehead as he felt the anger inside him growing.  The man’s face was so disgusting, something that resembled a circus freak but for some reason, Talstorin couldn’t remove his eyes.  The man winked.

    It had been the last straw.  The priest stopped, finally and looked at Sarah, who’s back was facing Talstorin.  It was time for the two to be wed.  Sarah opened her mouth.  Suddenly, a hair-raising scream blasted through the room.  Seconds later, the painting on the right side of room fell off the wall as it was hit by a red bolt.  For the first time, everyone took their attention of the couple and looked left before getting up.  A second bolt came, a third, a fourth, a fifth.  The guests started screaming, some near the door had gotten up and were edging towards the door.

    Talstorin growled as his sweaty palms gripped the handle of his blaster.  There were screams everywhere and some whispers among them.  Then, over the sound of pandemonium, there were footsteps.  Talstorin turned right as he saw the guard dashing towards him, a taser in his hand.  Instinctively, the trooper ran left, tripping over his own feet.  He fell to the floor hard and then a shooting pain was felt in his leg.  Talstorin looked up behind him.  The guard was on the floor, his head still cocked upwards, facing the wall.  He had tripped the guard when he fell, Talstorin assumed as he got up.  Still, the anger in him was not satiated and again he lost control again.  Laying besides the wall was the sword Sarah had given him as a gift( Garuda had insisted it was brought for good luck).  Talstorin walked up to it and grabbed it before turned towards the door.  By now, the room was empty and in the corner was a fire.  Something had been lit during the uproar.  Then, a fleeting figure passed the troopers vision.  Turning towards the door again to see what it was, he realized it was Garuda and Sarah.

    Without thinking, Talstorin ran after them, pushing over chairs as he did.  When he had got out of the building, most of it was already ablaze, leaving a conflagaration behind him.  It seemed that Talstorin had caught up quickly, the couple was only a few feet away.  They had given up running.  Sarah ran a few more steps before tripping over her own high heels.  Garuda immediately stepped in front of her. 

    A single sweat drop rolled down Talstorin’s nose as he stopped moving.  Garuda took a few more steps towards him, his body taking a fighting stance.  “Stop this madness, now,” Garuda said in a deep voice.  It was more serious than it was the few nights before.  Talstorin did nothing.  “Stop it, I said!  Drop the blaster in your hand.  Now.  NOW!” he ordered.  Finally, Talstorin dropped the blaster obediently.  Garuda seemed relieved for a second.  Then, the trooper pulled out the sword that had been in his other hand from it’s sheath.  Garuda tensed up again.  His face was covered with sweat and the anger that Talstorin once saw on it was replaced by fear.  “Don’t you dare…” Garuda said again.  It didn’t matter what he said now, Talstorin knew.  The authority he had was lost and it was evident in Garuda’s expression.  It was worried, nervous, jumpy.

    Talstorin stepped forward.  Garuda stood up straight.  “Don’t even try it,” he threatened as he glared at the trooper.  Ignoring his words, Talstorin took another step forward.  Garuda just stood there.  “Drop the sword.  Put an end to this.”  Garuda stepped back as Talstorin took yet another step.

    A murderous grin came across Talstorin’s face.  “As you wish,” he growled before making a slash at Garuda’s chest.  It was a few inches short but it had caused Garuda to flinch.  Taking the opening as an invitation, Talstorin dashed forward, thrusting the sword clean through Garuda’s stomach.  The groom choked for air as he felt a surge of pain shoot through his entire body.  The sword withdrew from Garuda’s body and he collapsed, crumpled into a heap.  The blood rolled of the blade like water and just as soon as it had been dirtied, it was clean again.  The trooper stepped past the body, he couldn’t tell whether Garuda was dead but he was pretty sure he was.

    Talstorin took a few steps past the body, stopping right in front of Sarah.  She was sitting, her dress was now dirty with soil and sweat.  As he stepped up to her, she looked up, her emerald green eyes met his pink pupils.  He had never dreamed he would do this but at this point, Talstorin didn’t care.  He was going to put an end to his misery.  The sword’s point cocked up as Talstorin raised it again.  Taking a deep breath, he pressed the point against her throat and stared into her eyes.  They were wet, soaked with tears.  In fact, her entire face was soaked with tears.  She sniffled without looking away as another tear rolled down her face.  The sword had already cut a bit of her skin but it was a shallow cut.  Still, it applied so much pressure against her throat as it pressed against it.  Suddenly, Talstorin felt sicker.  His eyes were stuck on hers and he simply stood there and stared, forgetting where he was.  She continued to stare back though the tears subsided.  His saliva turned sour suddenly and his stomach untied.  It was strange, he felt relieved in the oddest situation.  Talstorin blinked before looking into the girl’s eyes again.  They were dirty, pinkish and puffed up from the crying but they were still breath taking.

----------------------------------

    The daylight shone brightly across the meadow, providing a ray of warmth in the brisk spring day.  The wind was softly blowing the green grass as it soared across field.  Talstorin had to sit on the edge of the blanket to prevent it from rolling up.  The wind dyed down eventually and Talstorin got up from his stop but another breeze came which forced him to sit down again.  He groaned and Sarah giggled as she watched him from a spot on the opposite side of the blanket.  She reached into her basket and retrieved containers of food, placing them down carefully on the picnic blanket.

    Talstorin eyed the food hungrily and Sarah noticed, laughing again.  “Hungry?  Don’t you guys eat breakfast?” she asked him.  Talstorin looked up and chuckled.

    “I skipped breakfast today cause I didn’t want to ruin my appetite for the picnic.  Sides, don’t tell Durandal, but I like your cooking better.”  He grinned as he told her and she laughed hard as she took out the last container from the bag. 

    “Well eat up then.  I made a lot.”

    Talstorin grinned.  “I noticed.”  Sarah took the containers and started opening them and he watched for a while before helping.  Once again, Sarah reached into bag, this time taking out eating utensils.  Laying them down beside the containers, she began to eat eat.  Talstorin just watched her, smiling to himself.  It had been a perfect day for a picnic.  He stared at the way she ate, in small nibbles and it took a lot of effort to hold back a laugh.  Finally noticing, Sarah looked up and scrunched up her face. 

    “You aren’t eating!” she said as she glared playfully at him. 

    “Oh, right.  Sorry,” Talstorin said before picking up a container.  “I was just thinking.”  Sarah cocked her head up again from her food.

    “Hm?  Thinking?  About what?” she asked.  Talstorin hesitated.

    “I was just wondering, if life would be this great forever…”

    “Well, why wouldn’t it?”  she asked again, confused.  Obviously, she had no idea.  Talstorin shook his head.

    “No, you’re right.  Nevermind.” He gave a smile to reassure her and she smiled back before going back to her food.  Dismissing his thoughts, he too returned to his food.  Moments later, Sarah put down her container and poked Talstorin, who responded by spitting out his food as he twisted his body.  She erupted in laughter again.

    “Wow, talk about ticklish.”

    Talstorin gave her look that said “Shut up,” and so she did, not for long though.  She pointed outwards towards a nearby patch of flowers. 

    “Look at that white rose,” she said, amazed.  Talstorin looked up and noticed it immediately.  It stood out, after all, from the other yellow and red flowers. 

    “Yea, it’s pretty nice.”

    “Hey, Talstorin?”

    “Hm?”

    “Remember when you said you were thinking about life?”  Talstorin paused before answering.  He wondered where this was leading.

    “Yea?”

    “You’re right.  Things change.  Maybe in the future, we won’t be friends.”  Talstorin made a face at the idea.

    “I’ll always be your friend, I wouldn’t harm you.  Not ever.”  He struck a heroic pose as he spoke.  She laughed.

    “Pinky promise?” she asked childishly, extending her pinky out.  Talstorin nodded and placed his pinky on her, the two fingers intertwining.  He suddenly got up and made a gesture to say “Hold up.”  She nodded and watched as he walked to the patch of flowers and plucked the white one.  He walked back and gave her the rose.

    “And sealed with a flower,” he added.  She laughed and took the flower before smiling up at him.  He smiled back again, looking into her eyes which seemed to be filled with joy.

--------------------------

    Now, he was staring at the same eyes.  They had lost their joy but they were still beautiful.  Elegant in a simple way, like way Sarah was entirely.  She might have been a child but in this world where brothers kill brothers, some innocence was necessary.  He felt sick again.  Talstorin came to, out of his cloud of anger.  He realized what he had done.  Staring down into her eyes for a last time, he thought to himself.  He had broken his promise.  He had single handedly ruined what was to be the happiest day of the person most important to him.  The only person he had fully opened up to was now sitting in front of him, humbled and broken. 

    Talstorin withdrew the sword and looked at her, attempting to speak.  Soon, he found that he wasn’t able to her, shame had fallen over him and he simply hoped that the look in his eyes would say enough.  And with that, he mustered all his effort and pealed his eyes off her.  He looked up at the sky, now black and red from the smoke that came from the fire behind him.  The feeling was horrible, the feeling that rushed through him.  He couldn’t stand it and so, he sheathed the sword and strapped it onto his back before he walked always, not taking one look at Sarah as he did.  He simply walked away and although it seemed as if nothing had happened, there was something in his walk that proved the thought wrong.  As Sarah watched her friend leave, she noticed the change.  His walk was heavy, he dragged his feet as if the very weight of guilt and shame were anchoring his feet to the ground beneath him.  It was as though he was going to fall any moment, or simply just stop walking.  That never happened however, as he didn’t stop till he disappeared over the horizon.







…Epilogue…


    The officer yawned as he walked along the stone path with his partner.  The work day had just started and he just had a few more things to do before he could get to work on the case.  The front door was left open, the person had anticipated their arrival.  The two men walked into the house and strolled around, peeking in the room till they found her in the study room.  There, the girl sat, looming over her desk, writing.  Her long red hair covered most of her face but when she heard the footsteps, she looked up.  As she saw the officers, she got up and shook their hands.

    “Welcome, they said you’d come today,” she said as she finished shaking hands.

    The officer nodded.  “Then you know what we’re here for?”  She nodded in response.  “Well, let’s get to it quickly then.  The guests at the wedding were too panicked apparently.  None of their information matched.  We have a short and stout man to a tall gruff rodian.  A few people have said it might have been your old friend.”

    Sarah shook her head.  “No, he was a stranger.  He just burst in and first knocked out the guard.  You know, the one they rescued from the burning building?”  The officers nodded.  “Well, then he caused the whole commotion.”

    “Hn, can you describe him to us?” the second officer asked as he took out a pad and a writing utensil.

    “Oh, well one of the guests were right.  He was short, built.  His hair was black and it was dirty, I think he might have been a homeless person.  He had a really, really big nose and one of his eyes was a lazy eyes.”

    The officer nodded to his partner, who scribbled all this down.  “Do you have any theory as to the motivation he had?”

    She shook her head.  “He just burst in as I said.  I don’t know him.  He might have just been insane.”  She paused to wait for the person who was writing and when he stopped, she continued.  “So what has Garuda said?”

    “Oh, he’s in no condition to speak anyways.  He’s already sent to a different planet, the um, Empire wanted to take him to one of their own hospitals.  As for his conditions, there is much good news.  Your fiancé is in a stable condition.  It should be a while, though, before he can come out.  That stab wound went right through.”

    “He’s not my fiancé anymore,” she added in.  “I called off the wedding.”

    “Oh,” the officer said, obviously he had not cared.  “Sorry to hear.  Anyways, we have enough information.  We’ll try our best to catch this psycho now.”

    “Please don’t.”

    The officer turned back, surprised.  “What?”  Sarah walked back to her desk and opened the drawer, retrieving a huge stack of bills.  She handed it to the officer.

    “Don’t go through with this case.  It’s fine.  I think, it’s uh, better for my mental health if I never find out who he is.”

    The officers divided the bribe and pocketed it before turning back.  “You sure?”  Sarah nodded and they were satisfied, taking their leave.  When she heard the front door shut behind them, she sighed and returned to her desk and scribbled a few last words before putting the writing utensil away.  Opening the drawer again, she got her bookmark, a pressed flower.  She closed the drawer, placing the bookmark, a pressed white rose, to her nose and smelled it before putting it on the page and shutting the diary in which she had been writing in, close.  Sarah shut her eyes and got up from her seat, walking towards a large window on the opposite side of the room.  It was nice outside, the garden was as green as ever.  She stared out for a while, just watching.  Nearby, on a tree, a bird laid it’s eggs in a new nest.  Sarah smiled.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------El Fin




I left the story off in a semi-happy ending for those of you who don't like depressing ends.  It also provides clues on things yet to come.  After the story, HellKite recovers and he returns to his original ways.  No one knows what happens though HellKite has become disgusted with his "lovestrucked" self and vows never to weaken himself again.  He means to tell Krius soon though.  Talstorin on the other hand seems to have a bit of HellKite rubbed off on.  He becomes irascible and even though he returns the army after recovering, he still has a long way to go.  He starts to question his views and he sheds his childhood dreams.  Realizing that he has to grow up and not everything can stay innocent forever, he tries to sort out his confused mind.

That's just to help people out so they know the changes brought from the story.  Happy reading!