Fan Fiction ❯ The Sword and Dagger ❯ The sword and Dagger ( Chapter 1 )

When Eli awoke, sunlight was streaming through the canopy above him, creating a gentle pattern on the forest floor. He lay there, basking in the wondrous, relaxed state he was in. He hadn't felt this good in an age. But then he realized Sarah hadn't woken him up for his turn on watch! He sat up straight and started looking franticly about him. Where was she? He heard a quiet singing down by the river bank. He rushed over as quickly and quietly as he could but the person still heard him coming.

"It's about time you woke up. I was starting to think would have to carry you back to the camp." Eli let out the breath he had been holding, that was Sarah all right. None but she could hear anything that well.

Eli walked slowly down to join her at the water's edge, his muscles were still quite sore. It would take a lot of training to get him back into shape. He knelt to take a drink of water. "You should have awoken me. You needed sleep just as much as I do, if not more."

"I had more need for thought then sleep. Besides" she said with a mischievous smile. "You looked so cute, I didn't have the heart to wake you UP!" she shrieked as Eli tossed what little water was left in his hand at her.

"I am not cute!" Eli yelled, scooping up another handful of water.

"Hah, that's what you think!"

So began a furious water fight, with two hardened warriors acting little peasant children on a rainy day. Most nobles would have shaken their heads and gone on and on about how foolish and pointless it was. But then, most nobles couldn't even imagine going through the hell these two went through practically every day of their lives. Both were soaked, breathless, and laughing when the finished. Eventually they calmed down and fell into a comfortable silence, just watching the wind blow through the trees, with Eli leaning against a willow and Sarah sitting cross-legged on the sand.

Gradually, Eli worked up the courage to ask Sarah something that had been on his mind the whole night through. He lightly touched her back and said "Tell me about these scars." He had to know; it was driving him insane, knowing this had happened to her and not knowing who did it and why.

"Why?" she asked. "Only the memories pain me now."

"I want to know what happened back then, Sarah. I want to know who did this to you." he paused, bowed his head, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I want you to trust me."

There was a long pause where neither of them said anything; they just listened to the soothing sound of falling water, and the almost silent wind blow through the trees. "It was before I became a thief." Sarah said abruptly. "Lady Sadie was my step-mother, and may the Black God strike me if I didn't hate her. We had gone to Tusaine at her insistence. She said we absolutely had to go, that it was gorgeous this time of year. We stayed with Duke Hilam then. I swear, the instant we arrived he started to come on to me, and it spooked me. I remember telling him to back off and he got really mad. He said that if he couldn't have me than no one would. I was really scared when I went to sleep that night. I begged my father to have us leave that night. He just laughed and said I shouldn't worry so much, that we were fine. I knew Sadie wasn't going to give a damn so I tried to get some sleep. I guess I did fall asleep sooner or later, `cause the next thing I remember was waking up in a cell chained to a wall. Day after day, Hilam would come in and ask me the same question. And day after day I gave him the same answer and received the same punishment. I won't go into details, just know that it was awful. It went on for about two years. I was actually starting to think about saying yes, just so the pain would stop. Then George found me."

"George, who's he?" Eli asked, a little worried that Sarah might not be available.

Sarah half grinned at him. "He was my predecessor to the throne. One of his friends had been imprisoned, so he had to play the role of prison guard in order to get him out. While he was there, Hilam came in as usual and we went through the same routine, but I think that time I told him that I wouldn't let him lick my boots and then I spat in his face. Then we went through the regular torture routine, and George saw it all. On the night he had to get his friend out, he sprang me too. When I asked him why he said that he had two reasons, one was that no one deserved to be tormented like that."

"And what was the other reason?" Eli asked, growing a little agitated, thinking Sarah might like this George more than she liked him.

"He needed someone with guts, spunk, and a high threshold for pain. He took me in, taught me all I know, and was a lot like the father figure I lost."

"You lost your father, how?"

"Sadie killed him a few days after I was put away. I didn't find this out until I got to Chorus and was told that she had inherited Trebond. The only way that could have happened was if my father was dead, and I presumed so. So I changed my name and made my life amongst the thieves of Chorus." She stared out at the slowly flowing water, her eyes glimmering with tears. "There isn't a day gone by when I don't think of him."

Eli just sat there, unspeaking. Here was someone who actually understood what he had gone through as a child, someone who had gone through something even worse than him. He reached out and tenderly wiped away the tear that was roaming down her cheek. Then he quietly took her into his arms and let her cry, all the while, telling her his story.

They stayed in that position long after Sarah stopped crying, each taking comfort in the other. Then Sarah started to stir. She looked up at him and just said one word. "Eli?" He looked down at her and before he could do anything, she kissed him lightly. It was like a butterfly's wing had brushed his lips. "I have wanted to do that ever since I first saw you." She whispered, bowing her head slightly.

Eli didn't reply, he just slipped a hand underneath her chin and made her face him. "Guess what," he said. "You're not the only one." And he gently returned the kiss, which she responded to almost immediately, wrapping her hands around his neck. She began toying with his hair while he was tenderly rubbing her back. All the while they were kissing like it was their last day on earth, their tongues intertwined in an intricate dance of love, passion, and desire. The only times they broke apart were to catch the breath they had lost to one another.

Then Sarah broke away and started to remove Eli's shirt, whispering "Let's get you out of these wet clothes." He nearly went out of his mind before it was completely off. She pulled it off him, inch by agonizing inch, and then ran her fingers over his chiseled torso. Her fingers sent little electrical shocks up his spine. He looked down at her face, now flushed with excitement, and though of how beautiful she was, and how lucky he was to have her. He brought her face up to his own and kissed her softly, his lips traveling down her neck to her pale shoulder. He was driving her insane, he could feel her trembling at his touch, and hear the shallow breaths she took. "Gods, I hate it when you do that." She whispered, kissing his ear after. "It makes me feel like agreeing to anything you ask."

"Then will you marry me?"

"Of course darling. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

Eli brought his head up and took her face in both hands. Their eyes, soft grey winds and strong brown earth, met and found that both held the key to the other's soul. Eli didn't reply. He didn't have to. They just sat there, searching each other's soul, learning of past pain and present pleasure. After a time, Eli brought his lips to Sarah's, and it was like nothing he had ever known. The moment their lips met, a fire engulfed their souls, one that could never be put out. Eli slipped his hands beneath the wet white canvas shirt Sarah wore. Again he paused, feeling the horrid scars she bore. He did not want to reopen those old wounds. As if reading his thoughts, Sarah kissed him lightly and said in a low husky voice that nearly drove him beyond the point of no return right then, "They healed long ago, you have nothing to fear, love." And as if to prove her point, she pushed her body right up to his and started to gently bite at his neck.

Eli shivered under her touch, and began to slip off her shirt. Sarah backed off and let him remove it without any hindrance. He tossed the shirt behind him as if it were nothing but a piece of scrap cloth. "Great Mother, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." His eyes held hers and did not stray. He began to kiss her neck again, and let his lips travel down to her collarbone. Sarah's hands were running up and down his back so softly, Eli could hardly feel them, but they still sent shivers flooding through his being.

Eli brought his lips down and placed a kiss on both her mounds. He heard her moan and saw her squeeze her eyes shut in ecstasy. He began to gently mold her breast with one hand while the other kept her close to him. Sarah moaned with pleasure. Their eyes met once more and Eli couldn't take it any longer. He brought his lips crashing down on Sarah's and started to bring his hands down to her small waist. But Sarah beat him to it. She slipped out of her breeches and started to help Eli out of his. Once this was done Sarah broke the kiss. Eli was about to protest, but she laid a finger on his lips, and then proceeded to straddle him. She ran her fingers through the thickness of Eli's dark hair and captured his lips in another kiss.

The heat of her skin on his was maddening. Her skin felt so soft, smooth and warm under his fingertips. He wanted her now, wanted to taste her, smell her, and make her his forever. But he didn't want to chase her away, so he took his time, savoring the moment. Eli closed his eyes as he felt Sarah's lips on his, he was in heaven. Then suddenly he felt something else, something soft touching his manhood. His eyes snapped open. Sarah grinned at him and continued to stroke is livened manhood and nibbling on his earlobe, ever so gently. He groaned, she was a demon, torturing him like this. He felt her lips wrap themselves around the head of his shaft and he nearly came right there. She took his entire, rock hard length into her mouth, lightly scraping her teeth along it. This was pure bliss, he moaned again as he wrapped his fingers in her long, silken hair.

Finally Sarah stopped and brought her lips back up to Eli's, taking time to kiss and lick every inch of his torso. She lightly pushed him down `till he was lying on his back in the deliciously warm sand. As she kissed him she slipped her tongue inside his mouth and dragged it softly across the roof of his mouth. This time it was Eli who backed off. Sarah pouted slightly, but then gasped in surprised delight as Eli started to kiss his way down toward the most heavenly prize any man could ever receive. At first he purposefully avoided her heavenly jewel, just to tease her and make her pay for torturing him so.

Sarah's breath came in shallow pants as he continued. It was then that Eli went in for the kill. He could feel her quivering as he attacked her mercilessly with his tongue. He slid his tongue into her liquid heat and stroked her until he heard her moan loudly and felt her start to pull him in. Then, all of a sudden, her juices started to run down his tongue and into his mouth or over his face. She tasted sweeter than the water of the gods, like a mixture of honey and raspberries. He brought himself back up to meet Sarah's gaze. He stayed as still as possible as she licked her honey off of his face. Moaning as she did because he had started to mold and squeeze her breasts once more.

When she was done, she took his hands and placed them on her beautifully sculpted waist, whispering "Take me now, darling. I can't stand your teasing anymore, just take me now." She didn't have to ask twice. Eli smiled and claimed her lips once more as he settled her slight weight over him. He wrapped her in his arms and entered her. She whipped back her head and clenched her eyes shut while tears of pain gathered in the corners of her eyes, as Eli broke through the thin barrier guarding her innocence. Eli was surprised; he had not thought that he would be her first. He kept very still, kissing her gently while letting her get used to the sensation of his rock hard length penetrating her soft, silken heat.

As Sarah's tears abated, Eli began to slowly thrust into her and her moans of pain eventually gave way to gasps and cries of passion. He took them both ever higher with each thrust. He could feel her walls contracting in on him as he thrust ever deeper. He groaned as he felt his seed explode within her. Sarah screamed with delighted pleasure as she clawed his back. They lay there in the sun as Eli emptied himself into her and for some time after.

As their breathing slowed Eli withdrew from Sarah's warmth, kissed her hair, and whispered "We ought to be getting back soon. Sadie will be looking for me and Solaris will be worried."

Sarah sighed, "You're right, but lets wait at least until the sun dries our clothes," she rested her head on Eli's shoulder. "They're still soaked." In truth, they were only damp, having dried while they were having their fun. Eli laughed and Sarah grinned. They both knew that it was an excuse but neither of them said anything about it. "We'll get moving tonight under the cover of darkness, we'll be safer then." Said Sarah, knowing Eli was eager to get back and forget what had happened to him in the Tusaine camp.

So they settled down for the day. Before long both were asleep with the warm sun as their blanket, led off to the kingdom of dreams by the falling water and each others soft, slow breathing.

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Midnight drew near as two black figures wound their way through the forest toward Fort Drell. They wore black cloaks and moved so quickly and quietly, you'd have thought they were shadows. The first figure was shorter than the other was and more adept at hiding himself amongst the shadows, but they were at home in the darkness, and content in one another's company. That is, at least, until arrows started to rain down on them like hail. The first figure cried out in pain as an arrow pierced his shoulder. The second figure grabbed the first and dragged him under the great cover of an oak tree.

"Who goes there, friend or foe?" called a guard, probably responsible for the rain of arrows the two companions had just experienced.

"Don't you know you're supposed to shout that BEFORE you start firing arrows!" the second figure called out indignantly. He ran toward the fort gate with the first figure in his arms. "Wait, don't answer that. It doesn't matter. Just open the damn gate."

"Are you friend or foe?" the annoying voice called yet again.

The second figure sighed in frustration, but a moan from its companion brought it back to reality. "Friend," it called through the darkness. "With another friend you just wounded, now open the gate."

"Why should I believe you?" the voice called.

The second figure was about ready to kill that guard. His companion was loosing blood rapidly. If they didn't get to a healer soon, he would die. "Because, Andrew, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it already, now open this gods damned gate! I've got to get to a healer, NOW!"

"Eli? Is that you?"

"Who'd you think it was your mother? Who else would use your given name while in the middle of a battle field?"

"One moment, I'll open the gate."

"And about damn time too." Eli muttered to himself. He cast a quick glance to see how Sarah was doing. She had gone white as virgin snow and her blood soaked his arm. Eli was through those gates before Andrew could get them fully open. He ignored Andrew's irritating questions and raced for the healer's tents. Andrew followed, asking questions the whole way. Eli snarled silently, best friend or no, Eli was liable to kill Andrew for what he had just done.

Inside the tent, one of the healers examined Sarah's wound. "This wound is deep." He said "but we can get it out and she might get better within a few weeks if the wound doesn't become infected, I can't promise anything though." Then he looked a little closer and asked "How did she loose so much blood? She would have died if you hadn't brought her in when you did."

"We had a bit of a run-in with some Tusaine sentries." Eli lied. He didn't want Andrew to get in trouble just yet, oh no indeed.

"Well she should be fine in about a fortnight, a week at best, though, as I said before, I can't promise anything."

Eli stalked out of the tents, a grateful Andrew in tow. "You didn't tell them what I did." Andrew said. "I would have gotten demoted back to a simple solider. Thank you so much Eli."

"Don't you go thanking me just yet." Eli snarled. "The only reason I didn't tell that healer what happened was because I wanted to decide your punishment myself." He rounded on Andrew, his body rigid with rage and fear. "If that girl in there dies, Mithros help me; I will personally see that you do too." Eli left Andrew standing there as he went to speak to the king.

Solaris was in the war room, studying the positions of the Tusaine army and making strategies when the door flew open so hard that it the rebounded off the wall. There stood Eli, in all his furious glory. His cloak around his ankles as he walked in, trying to calm himself. "Elias, it is wonderful to see you." said Solaris, smiling broadly.

"I'm sure it is highness." Replied Eli, through clenched teeth. "Sarah arrived here with me just a few moments ago."

"Oh how lovely. I'm so glad that her rescue mission was successful. Where is she, I'd like to congratulate her on her efforts."

"She is lying, unconscious, in the healer's tent with an arrow in her shoulder."

"WHAT!"

"As we were approaching the fort the guards at the gate started to fire arrows at us. I managed to escape unharmed, but Sarah was hit in the shoulder. It was only after the rain of arrows that the guards asked who we were. Even after I told them that I was a friend and that I needed a healer, they didn't open the gates. I understand that this is regular procedure but Sarah was loosing a lot of blood."

Solaris was confused. "But why did you not just tell them who you were?"

"I didn't feel that it would be safe announcing my existence to all those with ears. Please don't tell me that you have forgotten about the people who are after both Sarah and myself. Had there been any spies out there, they could have killed the both of us in an instant."

"Well I must say I'm glad you're all right. How is Sarah doing, and who was the guard who fired on you two?"

"I don't know who the guard was," Eli lied, yet again, "but Sarah should be fine. We just have to wait and pray that the wound doesn't become infected." He sighed and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "I'm just so worried about her. I don't know what I would do without her. She's the only real family I've had in years."

Solaris looked at Eli with kindness and understanding. "You really love her, don't you?" he asked.

"More than life itself. She's already been through hell and back and lived to tell the tale. Any lesser human would have just given up and died before they experienced half of what Sarah's lived through." He leaned against the doorframe. "She understands me; she knows what it's like to suffer, to lose someone you love. She knows what it's like to live a hard life and be all the stronger because of it. I… I love her Solaris," said Eli, finally dispensing with the formalities. ""If she dies, I don't know what I'm going to do." Tears were gathering at the corners of his eyes as he spoke. He would have never gotten to say goodbye. He hadn't thought that it might end like this. He thought that they would be together for many years to come. Now it seemed that the Black God was all too near.

Solaris came up and placed a soothing hand on Eli's shoulder. "Go to her Eli; let her know that you are there for her, that you want her to come back to you." Eli looked up hopefully. "It might give her the will she needs to beat this." Eli nodded and hurried off to his place at Sarah's bedside.

As Solaris watched him go, he called "You may stop hiding now Sir Andrew, he's gone."

Andrew crept slowly into the study from his hiding place beside the open door. "I never knew." He said quietly. "I never knew Eli liked anybody."

"Not like Sir Andrew, love." Solaris sighed "Not even I knew of this. Let that be a lesson to you Sir Andrew. Don't go shooting blindly into the night."

Andrew nodded sheepishly, and backed out of the room, hoping Eli would allow him to apologize.

Eli had not moved much in the in the week that followed his talk with Solaris. He had forgiven Andrew, but that was about all he did. Solaris had ordered Eli's food to be taken in the healer's tents. The only times that Eli moved was to walk across the tent to his cot, at all other times he could be found sitting at Sarah's side, gently stroking her brow, always hoping beyond hope that she would come back. The healers had tried to tell him many times before that she might not come back, that he should give up, but they always wilted under his withering gaze. If looks could kill, many of the healers would have been six feet under already.

Eli sighed. The sun was setting and he was getting tired, but somehow he felt that he should not leave Sarah's side that night. He had grown accustomed to the feel of her hand in his. He yawned widely and laid his head by Sarah's hand, to rest. He was just dozing off when he though he heard Sarah speak. He whipped his head up and leaned in, hoping to catch the sound of the voice he thought he would never hear again.

"Oh gods, you stink. Get away from me and don't come back `till you've washed, you'll kill me if you get any closer." Sarah whispered hoarsely.

Eli laughed in elation and relief. "As you wish my lady." He said, and went off to tell everyone that Sarah was out of danger.

When he retuned, clean and shaved, Sarah was wide-awake and sitting up in bed. "Wait," she cried, "Don't come near me." Eli gave her his patented puppy dog look, but even that didn't faze her, possibly because she wasn't looking at him. She stuck her head forward and took a deep sniff. "Alright, come on and sit down. I just had to make sure I wasn't going keel over and die before your visit was over."

"Hey," Eli protested "I didn't smell that bad."

Sarah chuckled. "You smelled worse than George did after he got back from Port Cayan. Even his horse shied away from him."

Eli laughed again, only Sarah and Andrew had ever seemed able to truly make him laugh. He sat down beside her on the cot and kissed her forehead. "Gods it's good to hear your voice again," He said, and then he grinned. "Even if it's to insult me."

Sarah smirked at him. "At least it keeps you humble right?" Then she leaned forward and kissed him. "You know I don't mean it darling." She whispered.

"You don't?" asked Eli, arching a brow.

"Well, not most of it anyway." She said sheepishly, and they both laughed. They continued talking for a while until Sarah had to go to sleep. She begged Eli to stay with her, but he only chuckled and replied that he would be on the other side of the tent if she needed him. She pouted, but didn't protest as he kissed her good-night. He smiled to himself as he made his was over to his own cot, thanking the Black God, over and over again, for not taking his ruby in the rough

The next day, Eli woke with the soldiers. He had gone about the camp a few days earlier while the healers worked on Sarah. The captains had told him that they could use another man on guard duty and, for lack of something better to do, he had signed up. He told the captains that he would start just as soon as Sarah got better. This morning he was up on a high parapet, looking out over the way he and Sarah had come. He smiled, remembering some very pleasant times he had spent with her upon that route.

Then, suddenly, he thought he saw a huge cloud of dust billowing up of the road. He raised the alarm and was impressed with how fast the soldiers responded. But that emotion didn't last long as the group of Tusaine warriors drew near the fort. Eli groaned, Sadie was among them, and she wasn't happy.

She rode up to the gates, her face as dark as a thunder cloud. She stared down the points of the arrows aimed at her black heart. "I wish to speak with your king." She cried.

Eli slowly lowered his bow, signaling to the others to relax their strings, but keep their arrows knocked. "Why would you want to speak with our king?" He asked. He felt someone step closer to him and stand there, quietly. He shot them a quick and subtle glance. The weapons smith was staring at Sadie with such hatred in his eyes that the bitch must have been extraordinarily dense not to notice. That or she was too busy staring at Eli. A slight wind ran past them all, and a slender strand of long, blond hair slipped out from under the black bandanna covering the smith's head. Eli nearly gasped, for underneath all that soot and grime was Sarah!

"I want to discuss a proposition with him. It seems that we have a common enemy, The Queen of Thieves. My lord Hilam wishes to enter your fort under the flag of truce and see if we can't reach some kind of bargain about all of this." Eli desperately fought the urge to purge. She was using that disgustingly sweet voice again.

"His highness doesn't confer with barbarians. Go tell your lord that any conference he wishes to be held will be held in the clearing just beyond the forest, tomorrow, any words will be said with weapons." With that, Eli turned his back on the astounded Lady Sadie and called to the men "If they're not riding out of here in ten seconds, send them off with a few arrows." He smiled as he heard the muffled squeak that, most likely came from Sadie. The men brought up their bows in an instant and a moment later, Eli heard the frantic galloping of the horses. He walked down into the compound and waited by the forges for Sarah. She appeared almost instantly, walked into the forges, and began to work on making a new blade for a broken sword. "What are you doing up?" he asked in a hushed voice. "You're not well enough to be out of that cot yet!"

Sarah didn't look up from her work. "I'm not an invalid Eli. I was asleep for a week. My body has had ample time to heal itself and replenish the blood I lost." She shoved a new piece of metal into the fire and turned to him. "Darling, I love you dearly, but you must get it into your head that I am not like all the other women you have ever known. I am not a delicate little flower, meant only for decoration. I have lived a hard life, just as you have. I can make my own decisions. Besides," she added as she removed the shimmering rod. "It's not as if this has never happened before. I've had far more severe wounds in my time, they come with the territory."

Eli sighed as he watched her pound the metal into a new blade. "I know, I know. But can I help it if I worry about you?" He gently lifted her chin so she was facing him. "If anything like that were to happen to you again, I don't know what I would do." He whispered, gently stroking the side of her face.

Sarah caught his hand in hers. "You'd move on." She said. "Just as you did before, when the Black God took your parents. Life is not going to stop simply because I have left this realm. It will march onward as always, never slowing, never stopping. We humans must learn to do the same. After all, nothing lasts forever. You and I know this better than most." She brought her face forward to kiss him. He met her halfway and once again a wildfire consumed their souls as their tongues intertwined in a dance of love and need for one another. They did not move until the sounds of footsteps outside the forge roused them. Sarah sighed. "You know what I have to do?"

"Yeah, but I don't like it one bit."

"Neither do I, I would have preferred to live and let live. But the moment Sadie killed my father she made my decision for me." Sarah went back to pounding the quickly cooling sword. Then she put the sword back into the fire and bowed her head. "All she wanted were my lands. I would have given them to her, and gladly had she asked. I never wanted them. I wouldn't have been able to go on any of the adventures if I had kept them, I wouldn't have had a life. I'd just have been another noblewoman in the court. We probably would have never met." She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. "I was only twelve when she put me through hell. She forced me to grow up too fast; I never really had a childhood. The only time I ever had any real fun was when I played with the children of the Rouge."

Eli stood behind her and took her in his arms. "I know the feeling, believe me. When my parents died, I had to manage the estate. I was bombarded with problems when all I wanted to do was grieve. I learned to hide my emotions and grow up, something I shouldn't have done for a great many years." He kissed her hair and murmured "At least we've found each other."

"Yeah, even if you didn't really like me at first"

"What are you talking about?"

"As I recall you didn't know how you had gotten roped into associating with me."

"You must have mistaken me for someone else." He said as she removed the blade and resumed pounding it into shape.

"Not possible darling." She said.

"And why is that?"

"Because for one thing I have a fabulous memory, and for another you're too handsome to be mistaken for someone else."

Eli laughed. "You really know how to win an argument, don't you?"

Sarah smiled, but did not look up from her work. "It goes with the territory."

Eli wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "I'll go round up some men for our excursion tomorrow." He said grimly.

"Thanks love. Believe me, we'll probably need them." She smiled as he refused to let her go. "Darling, the sooner you let me go, the sooner you'll be back."

"But…"

"Or, if you prefer. The sooner you let me go, the sooner I'll finish this work," She smiled mischievously, "And the sooner I'll be able to play with you."

Eli smiled and gave Sarah's neck one last bite before he left. He turned back only once, to see her working on the new blade and humming to herself. He walked away with a foolish grin on his face, just imagining what Sarah might have planned.

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