Chapter 1 Twelve years later.... The screams echoed through the old hollow forest like nails on a calk board. He had been watching this band of orc for come time and never really knew what that would do next or how far they would go? He had been picking them off one by one but now it seemed he would finally have to reveal himself to the stupid creature. He felt no love or no passion in killing the pathetic, worthless thing. They killed his father and his town, but he did feel something inside as he heard a woman’s scream. He had heard it every night in his dreams and he would not let another person die because he was not strong enough. He has not been strong enough to save the child, he had not been strong enough to save his father or his little brother and sister who had to be dead. Aidan had found two corpse burned One smaller like little will, and the other about his size, female. He had figured that his brother and sister would not make it. Only him. Aidan flipped down out of the tree, and moved quickly to 'home'. Really it was a hole he had dug under a tree, but to Aidan it was shelter and a place to hide. He slide down into the hole and stood up. He grabbed the swords his father had passed down to him, and strapped them around his waist and let them slide down and sit just right on his hips. He pulled his on an old tattered, dirty black shirt. His pants where also extremely filthy but he didn’t care. He crawled back out of the hole and started off toward where the woman was screaming. Aidan quickly scrambled up a tree and into a low hanging branch. “We should just kill her.” growled the one to the far left. It amazed Aidan just how much he could understand them. This one was larger then the other three and the two guards where off to the side. Along with two more in the shadows that he could see. They held the woman by her ankle and he clothes where stripped off. He body was very dirty and her left breast was cut deep. Aidan sighed and draw his sabers, he skirted down the tree and quickly made his way toward the two orc guards off to his right. With out a sound he came up behind then quickly putting both blades to work and silencing them before they could even muster the energy to scream out, as bother his sabers crossed over their throats, cutting thin lines and dropping them both. Like a hunting cat he moved toward the two that where to his left but quickly altered his course, having seen an orc that he had not seen nearly one meter away from him. The orc was up against a tree and looked to be sleeping. Aidan made it a sleep he would never wake up from. “No.” The other orc called at his partner. “I caught her, I claim her.” “No, I am leader, I claim her.” The leader beamed. Quickly Aidan took the other two guards down, this time jabbing his sabers down through their thick skulls. He quickly pulled then out and eased both orc to the ground to make it silent. Aidan quickly thought of a of a plan and moved from the shadows into the light. “She is mine.” He growled in rough orc-ish. The two orc that where arguing looked stunned and the other two that where sitting against two trees to his right stood up surprised. “She is Mine.” HE growled again. They looked at him puzzled and he considered that he must be saying it wrong. “You, stupid human.” The leader said stepping forward. “You die this night.” Aidan grinned and quickly spun away from a flying spear that he caught out of the corner of his eye. He ran headlong at the leader , but with amazing agility, he drove to the right and came up in front of the now, unarmed orc. He grabbed both swords into its chest quickly spinning and parrying it’s partners axe, and, using the other orcs over momentum, he took a knee to the ribs but allowed the axe to follow through into the other orc’s head. He rolled to the side and with a swift movement, took the attacking orc’s head clean off at the shoulders. He turns to face the final two orc The leader moved quickly toward his sword as the other advanced with a sword of it’s own. “If you fight me you will fall.” Aidan warned in orcish. The orc stopped and suddenly started to laugh. He through its head back and howled, just the opening Aidan was hoping for. He rushed in swinging his blades back and froth whipping this way and that catching the orc, who had tried to play coy, in the back of the knees, in the side and then taking its sword clean out of his hand as its hand feel with the sword to the ground. The Orc howled and aidan truend to face the helpless creature. “I warned you.” was the last thing the orc heard as Aidan reverse hs blades and spung quickly his first blade slicing the orc’s face the other its throat , then the first again trusted deep under the ribcage and into the creatures heart. “Scum.” The leader howled as he swung his sword for Aidan’s head. Letting go of his first saber, Aidan rolled over his own shoulder, narrowly missing the attack. The leader moved quicker then the others and his weapon was heavy. He swung it hard at Aidan’s head again, Aidan rolled between the orc legs and slashed his saber out, catching the creatures calf. The leader spun and kicked hard landing a hard blow that Aidan had not expected, it caught him square in the chest and send him sailing into a huge oak tree. The impact took the wind from him and suddenly blackness fell over him. He fought hard against it, and finally he regained conciseness. As he opened his eyes, he had to move quickly, for the orc’s blade was mere inches from his face. As he rolled backward and planted his feet onto the tree truck, he pushed forward and drove the blade through the creatures head, the two fell to the ground Aidan tried to brace himself but it was no uses as his face slammed into the hard ground. The woman quickly moved and pulled the blades out of the orc's skull. she turned as Aidan pushed himself to his feet. as he turned around she pinned him against a near by tree with the blades crossed, coming in a shape and deadly V by his throat. "Who are you?" Aidan merely smiled as the bladed moved closer and closer to his throat he still merely smirked. He worked his hand behind his back, finding a hold on the tree, he shifted his eyes let them grow large. She turned quickly, baring the swords as Aidan flipped up into the. She turned back to him but he was in the branches. She looked around but he was no where to be found. "Thank you." She yelled. She started away with his swords but stopped suddenly as the cold steel of a dagger was placed against her throat. "Those are mine." He whispered. "Who are you?" She asked but before he could answer she reversed the blades and tried to jab then deep into his chest. Aidan, not wanting to kill her rolled away from the attack and came quickly with a devastating elbow that dropped her and knocked her out cold. He hadn't meant to hit her that hard but there was something that he could not control. He fought to survive yes but when it was time to survive he could not control his actions. He lifted his swords and sheathed them, he then placed his dagger back into the hidden compartment on the inside of his pant leg. He started away but stopped and looked back at the prawn woman laying naked and unconfused. He moved to her side and hoisted her up over his shoulder and started back toward his 'home.' ___________________________________ She awoke many hours later, in a warm blanket made of animal fur. She was in what seemed to be a hole in the ground, it was cool and damp but there was a soft warm glow of a fire. Suddenly the pain in her head shot back and she groaned. Aidan was over top of her in a second, he had his hand over her mouth and his other reaching for the dagger in his pants. His’ shirt had been stripped off and his new wound had been sealed with some sort of tree sap. She stared at him, with her big beautiful brown eyes. The fear in them stuck Aidan as strange for only hours ago she would have struck him down. He slowly moved his hand from her mouth and stared down at her with his unforgiving green eyes. “Who are you?” he asked as she stared at him. He moved to the side of the dugout home and pulled on a loose fitting white shirt. “I am,” She paused and thought for only a moment. “Katara.” Aidan sighed. “I don‘t much like liars.” “You don‘t believe me?” She asked, surprised he could see through he farced. “No, I don‘t.” He replied calmly. “So tell me who you really are.” She took a deep breathe and sighed. “My name is Myra.” Myra! Alarms went off in Aidan’s head he knew her, some how he knew that name. Suddenly his head started to hurt as the memories he had tried to hard to block came flooding back; Myra standing in front of him with tears in her eyes, his father being killed and the child’s screams, everything came back so quickly, and so powerfully Aidan screamed and dropped to his knees, he grabbed his head and pulled hard on his hair, trying to rip the memories out of his mind. Myra crawled to the corner of the small dugout, scared for this unusual man. Aidan was breathing heavy on his hands and knees, The memories had past and he was free from them again, blocking them with alls and walls of denial. Suddenly he pounced on Myra, squeezing her throat and pushing her into the ground. “YOU LIE!” He growled at her, as his fingers dug into her skin and he face started to turn bright red. She gasped for air pushing at him, trying to fight for air. She stared at him with her bright blue eyes and suddenly Aidan was powerless. He released his hold on her and stood up quickly. Without another word he exited the dug out and started up a near by tree. He perched himself up on a high branch and watched the dugout with piercing eyes. He knew deep down that she was Myra. The woman he once loved and did whatever he could for. He knew that this woman was her, but he refused to admit it. Everyone from his past was dead. Myra, Richard, Tes and William. Everyone was dead. No one could have escaped. Myra exited the dugout and moved to the side of the tree, she started to gather some wood and then sighed loudly. “I wish Aidan was here.” She whispered to herself. Aidan with his hearing trained to hear everything for miles, smiled for the first time without having an idea of killing in his mind. “I am.” He replied from the tree tops. He couldn’t tell her that he was Aidan though. He didn’t want anyone to know he was here, but the least he could do was to escort her back to her town, city or where ever she lived. He slowly made his way down the tree, arriving back on ground level in a few moments, he snuck up behind Myra and reached for his bladed. He didn’t have them with him and he felt suddenly weak and allow. “Myra,” He whispered. She whips around and glared at him. “What do you want? Are you going to kill me now.” She asked throwing her arms out to the side. “Do it then.” “I don‘t want to kill you.” She said in a softer tone. “I want to help you.” HE stuttered. “Guide you.” he quickly corrected. “Guide me where?” She asked. “Back to your home.” He replied. She was advancing on him getting closer and closer. “Why?” She asked. “Why help me, two seconds ago you where going to kill me.” “I…” He sighed and turned to walk away. “Tell me your name and I will follow you.” She called in a coy voice. “My name is Ai…” He paused. “Aizana.” Aidan laid. He was a very good lair though and she seemed to be happy with that. “Well Aizana, lead the way.” “Let me grab some things, it might take several passing of the moon to get to the nearest town.” “So long as I get back to my brother in Secomber.” “I promise you this, so long as there is a heart beat in this chest I will get you back to Secomber.” Aidan mocked, but in through all the joking tone and chuckles he meant it. Besides, seeing Richard might just explain some things to him. “You and my brother would be a great sword contest to watch.” She smiled, trying to make conversation. “Pardon.” Aidan replied not hearing what she had said, being off in his own world again. “I said you and my brother would be a good sword contest. He was trained but the Lord or Secomber himself. After he took us in as his children, he trained and hardened my brother. I have only ever seen one person who was better then him.” “Me?” Aidan asked. “Hardly.” She scoffed. “No, at the age of thirteen, an old friend of mine could out menuver, out fight and out wit men and women. He was amazing and loving. Sadly when the village of Elm Grove was attacked and burned by the orc raiders and their master, he fell defending myself and my brother.” “Did you see him fall?” Aidan asked. “No.” “Then there is still hope he is alive?” “No.” She replied coldly. “He is long gone.” “What was his name?” “Aidan Dragune.” She replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. This hurt Aidan and he wanted nothing more in the world to end her pain by telling her that he was there, He was the Aidan, the man standing in front of her was the boy she once loved. The boy she though dead, but then if he told her, it might cause her more pain that thinking him dead. “What if he did live?” Aidan asked. “What would happen if he did live and he found you.” “Why are you asking?” She questioned. “Why not?” He replied calmly. “For if he was as good with the sword as you claim, who‘s to say he did not live.” He breathed in deeply. “Who‘s to say he doesn‘t hear the screams of the people killed that night?” He whispered to himself. “I guess he could have survived but he would have died long ago. He was skilled with the sword but he was arrogant and cocky. He did know how to survive but he would have tried to slay every orc in the Village. He would have surely fallen.” “He… ” Aidan started. “We need to start on our journey. It shall me a far one.” “Yes, let us go.” She replied ending the conversation. Aidan grabbed his swords and what ever else he needed and the two started off. For Myra it was a journey back to her home, for Aidan it was a chance to restart his life. Either way it would take them a long time to get to Secomber. ___________________________________ THe air around him was heavy and wet. The two had been going at it for what seemed to be hours. Metal few at his face again and he brought his swrd to bare. the weight behind the blow nearly knocked him off his feet but he managed to deflect the first and second blows the thrid broke his defences and nicked his breast. this inferiated him and suddenly all his stregnth had returned, fire burned in his eyes and he attackd with more force and more power then he had ever felt before. suddenly he struck at a downward angle and took his opponents sword down and to the ground, he tepped into his opponent and landed a square punch to the ace, sndinng the man falling to the soft dirt. Quickly his sword was placed agains his opponents chest. "Well found my lord." The man replied in a quivering tone. "Hanshal, do you fear me?" The lord growled, out of breath but angried beyond belief. Hanshal new this game and knew either responce would lead to his death, it hurt to die but he knew his master and lord would return him to this world. Hanshal was one of the best assassin's in all the world and he had pledged his alligince to his master. One thing hanshal would not do would be to admit his fear in the younger man that stood before him. This man was the closest thing to a demon that he had ever met in human form. If hanshal answered that he did fear him, his master would reply that there is no place for fear at his side and would kill him. If as allways he answered no he did not fear is master then he would be killed for simply deniging his master t see and hear the fear in him. Death had become a normal thing to Hanshal, and he knew that until his master was defeaded he would never be able to rest in peace or to live free. "My lord, you know that I fear no man." A smile krept across the young mans face and reveild his yelow teeth. "What if I was not a man?" he chuckled. "To fear death is to fear life master, and I will never fear life, therefore I shall never fear death." Hanshal replied calmly. "Then die." The young man growled and plunged his blade into Hanshal's heart. Blood streamed out of the wound and Hansha screamed in pain and was suddenly silenced. "You will fear me one day." He chuckled agian to himself and wipes the blood off of his sword on the dead body. "Raneld," he called into the darkness. "Yes my lord." Came a voice from the far left. "Did he feel th pain?" "As always master, I waited ill the last second to save his spirit." The small wizard replied as he moed to the mans side and pulled out a small, gowing glass ball. "Then why does he not fear me?" The wizard adjusted his robes and looked down at the ground. "He does master." "Do you fear me?" "I do fear you master for the lord you pray to is the lord of fear." "Ah, Bane is the deity that should rule all. For without fear there is no control. Hanshal will lose his will and will fear me, then I will control his mind and spirit, and Bane will be pleased with me."