The Trellis to My Heart
The Trellis to My Heart is a romance novel discovered on one of the bookshelves in The Office while the Spiritual Travelers were exploring The Prison Beneath Thera Relovut on Nurend 15, 308.
The cover of the book features a bare-chested, physically fit elven man with long flowing hair standing at the base of a tall, vine-covered trellis leading up the wall of an impressive stone structure. At the top of this structure is a window with an attached Terrace complete with opulent plant life, dining set, and a woman staring out over the horizon as the sun sets. Her arms are crossed over her chest, she's wearing a flowing white gown, and a look of yearning is in her eyes. Superimposed over the scene with a lower opacity are the two main characters staring into each other's eyes with mouths slightly open.
Looking over the interior of the cover, one could discover that this is actually the third book in a series. Other titles in the series include "The Sorrowful Sunrise", "The Jester's Hand finds Her!" and an "upcoming" book titled "Treacherous Paths to Happiness."
In typical Elven style, this book and the others in its series all seem to have depressing themes despite also being romance novels. Not enough is known about the mysterious "jester" in the second book's title, but if their "hand has her" then they might be a sinister figure that stands against the main character as an antagonist of some kind.
Table of Contents
The room still carried the scent of her perfume. A small dent on her pillow, and the soaps and powders she used that same day she was taken. Her absence took up so much space in the room, and the silence was a torturous cacophony which could only be broken by her ever-absent voice.
She had been taken. The footsteps of the intruder made no sound, the bells shaking on their shoes and clothes were the only noise that they ever made, and Vratis would never forget the sound of that ringing. Even when they grabbed her, no sound escaped her lips, and as he reached for her, swinging his sword at this creature he saw them fall through the nearby wall before reappearing outside the window.
They vanished into the night, just outside the flow of the lamp outside his home. If he were to have any hope of finding her, he would need to act quickly to find any tracks. Though, from what he had seen of this mystical figure, he doubted that they'll be easy to follow.
That was all days ago, and he had been tracking them nonstop. Moments ago he had finally found her, she was just feet away and tied up at a camp nearby. He guessed that even fearsome assassins need time to rest or hunt. He could just make out her rhythmic breathing, likely asleep. He made a vow then and there to free her before the villain returned. "Oh, my sweet Andìla, each breath reminds me of the softness and warmth of your rising chest. How I miss your company. The sweetest sound on this world will be the sound of your ropes falling to the ground as we make our escape."
No sign of the Jester anywhere, it was time for him to make his move. As he ran forward, eager to rescue his until-recently lost love, his shirt was briefly caught on the thorny branch of a nearby blackthorn. Though the apprehending branch only held Vratis back for the shortest of moments before he was able to move again as the garb taking up the equipment slot for his chest was cut open exposing his strong chest to the night air. The cold tundra air was brisk, though he continued forward without any consideration for the newly remembered climate. The delicate and bound body of his beautiful lover lay waiting for his rescuing hands. He reached her, feeling her pulse as he unbound her wrists, and the faintest of moans escaped her lips as she woke up. The two of them were able to make eye contact and breathe for a moment before they remembered where they were and began to escape. They took a moment to embrace, but as Vratis wrapped his arms around her he noticed that her warmth was suddenly gone. His arms passed right through her, and the camp that she was tied up at had begun to vanish around him. She looked him in the eyes, still smiling as she began to fade as well, and he felt her breath strike the tear running down his cheek before she was gone completely. All that remained in the dirt was a single amulet, the one that he had given her so many moons ago. He plucked it from the ground, the gold and gems somehow warm in his hand, and a new vow escaped his impressive, conventionally attractive jaw. "I will find you, Andìla, and I will bring you home. Nothing will ever come between us."
Seeing that this was either a cruel joke from the masked fiend that took her from him or a trail left behind by her, he wasted no time finding what little tracks he could and any amount of evidence to point him in the right direction. A nearby stream provided some refreshing, though incredibly cold, water upon his sweat and dirt covered chest. The scratches from the blackthorn tree were also afforded some respite, and the stinging and swelling began to diminish.
With her amulet in hand and a newly mended garment upon him, Vratis began tracking this Jester like he would track any animal. The rarest of footprints upon the ground, a bent tree branch, anything to help. In the end, however, the jester had left nothing to go off of, but Andìla had provided a clue. Remembering how she was tied up, the direction she was facing, and the placement of the amulet in the phantom camp that had long since vanished, Vratis realized that she had provided the direction she was taken. Her cleverness proving yet again to be a great strength, and the warmth of hope returned to Vratis's chest once more.
They had gone northeast, towards the direction of many a village and port town, but one came to Vratis's frustrated mind: Bez Lásky, a town known for its downtrodden and loveless inhabitants. A scum-filled port where the hearts of the people are colder than the Frozen Shore they reside on. He pocketed the amulet, its warmth and her image would be close to his heart this way, and he began his journey northeast towards Bez Lásky.
The journey to the loveless town of Bez Lásky met Vratis with many a peril, it was almost as if the very world were conspiring to keep him from reaching his lost love. Though, despite this, he pushed on and persevered through these challenges with vigor and grace. The one thing that kept him going strong through it all was the hope of seeing her, it warmed his blood, the chill of the frigid north was nothing compared to the possibility of losing her, and he could not bear such a possibility. He hunted to survive, gathered what he could to supplement the great beasts that were slain for his dinner, and while he did suffer injuries from the mighty game he was able to defeat them and take their flesh as his own. By the time he had reached Bez Lásky he had acquired quite the exotic and flattering ensemble consisting of different furs and leathers. Each rippling muscle and toned limb were accented by the stylized strips of leather with fur trim and belts that would make any edgy adolescent jealous. He hid his weaponry outside of town as he was convinced he wouldn't need such tools to save Andìla, and indeed preferred to battle this Jester with his bare hands. The one weapon he kept with him was a simple dagger, and the drive to rescue her from whatever villainous organization had decided she deserved what she had been dealt.
The guards saw his mighty frame as Vratis was quite well-built for an elf, but despite his stature one of the guards still attempted to stop him from entering this city. Their own forms were impressive, sturdy, like any guard, though Vratis simply stared them down, firmly, without a word as the sun broke through the almost perpetual cloud cover overhead. The light causing his sweaty, toned chest to glisten for a moment, the lighting increasing his ability to intimidate these guards, and the one that did not approach held his comrade back before politely asking Vratis to enjoy his stay in Bez Lásky.
The two lovers had found themselves in Bez Lásky. One, Vratis, was searching for the other, Andìla, as she had been abducted by a sinister figure dressed as a Jester and wearing a stiff white mask. Long before Vratis had arrived here, however, Andìla had been dragged into town. The citizens seemed to pay little to no attention to her or the Jester, and they eventually arrived at a stone building near the shore.
Andìla was bound and gagged but not blindfolded, and as such she was able to see where she was going. Perhaps this was intentional to add more fear or despair to the entire situation, as she saw the citizens of Bez Lásky around her ignoring her fate, and she saw the building on the shore that would be her destiny.
The ropes that bound her held her slender arms firmly to her chest, and with each breath she could feel her bosom rising, pressing her chest into her arms so that she could feel her heart racing. Each step nearly brought her to her knees as the Jester would not slow down despite her obvious inability to move properly. At one point during the journey through town she did fall for a moment, the momentum dragging the Jester backwards for a brief second before they simply lifted her without any effort and continued walking with her small frame now being carried like luggage.
The rest of the journey through town was smooth, though her heartbeat never slowed, and her ragged breathing did not level despite not moving for quite some time. The fear had her, despair, she had little hope she would ever be rescued, though she trusted Vratis to find her clue and put all the pieces together. Despite his incredibly athletic exterior, Vratis never seemed to succumb to any stereotypes and instead understood her often riddle-like messages with ease and excitement. The rocky beach of this portion of the Frozen Shore altered the Jester's footsteps just enough that Andìla was being jostled with each step. Seeing the stone building overlooking the ocean she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of terror. The myriad of greys making up its architecture for some reason spelled out her doom, what did it mean to be in this place? Had she been here before? Why was it so horrific? She tried to scream at the sight of it, the gags keeping too much of her voice from escaping, but the Jester still used their other hand to obscure any remaining sound. She felt herself being completely silenced, her mouth and vocal chords working overtime to produce some amount of alarm to the surrounding beach-goers only for no sound to come out. She struggled, her delicate frame writhing against the leather straps and bells that covered this creature's armor, and each ringing of the bell filled her mind with even more Despair. And something told her that that's what this was. Despair, but knowing their name didn't seem to make any difference. The door to the lighthouse opened just the same, a thud against the opposite wall acted as a signal to her mind that she was about to die. That she was some place that Vratis would never find her... she was lost, and she had been for some time.
It was the previous year. Andìla and Vratis had just began courting, their newfound love for each other still quite fresh, and they had their whole lives ahead of them. They had met here, in this unfortunate and abysmal town of Bez Lásky. Vratis had just arrived for a bit of shore leave from the vessel he had been on the past several months. Andìla, on the other hand, had actually grown up in this town. Her home was on the beach, and she remembered playing in the water growing up with all of her friends and family.
She was on the beach when Vratis's boat docked, the summer rays shining their rare bounty down on her scantly-clad form, and her skin was glistening in that same sunlight as they saw each other. They connected, something clicked into place for the both of them, and she knew when she saw him that they would be having dinner that very night.
Hours passed, she didn't see him again all day, but she never lost hope that he would come for her. She was up at the top of the lighthouse her family had been in for generations, the full moon shining its stolen light down on the rocky shore. The familiar and enticing form of the man she had seen for the first time earlier that day could be seen making his way across the rock-covered landscape. His shirt was open, a bit of cloth tied around his waste draped to one side. He had his pant legs rolled up slightly, she would never forget how strange he looked avoiding the water like that as a sailor but it just made her love him all the more.
As they enjoyed each other's company during Vratis's elusive time away from the sea, she began to feel ill as their time came to an end. He was due to leave, and she had a life to get back to as well. He vowed to return to her in the coming months, he had plans to find another line of work so that they could spend more time together. They embraced one last time, and he gave her an amulet to remember the two of them being together that summer. She treasured that amulet in the coming months, it always had a strange warmth to it and it kept her hopeful as the winter reared its ugly head. Her illness began to take a turn for the worse, however, and the light in her eyes began to fade day after day. It was a week before Vratis was scheduled to return. The light shown brightly within her for the first time in weeks, but she still could not gather the strength to leave her home. That's when she heard it: a small voice, coming from some corner in the room, the sound of wet bare feet coming into contact with stone, and a hand reaching out from the darkened corner covered in slime and webs. The voice offered her a chance. She would be able to see Vratis again, to enjoy the life they had planned, if she entered a pact with him. He would give her the power to continue on, she would be happy, and all she had to do for her end of this so-called pact was give the creature, still shrouded in this corner, the name of her father. What a strange, silly request! She eagerly provided the information, the light of hope growing stronger in her glazed eyes. In the excitement she forgot all that she had been taught growing up, and the realization of what she may have done did not dawn on her until days later when she began to feel healthy once again.
She found it odd that after she had become so healthy she could no longer return home. It wasn't part of the pact, but the sight of the building always filled her with fear for some reason. Perhaps it was the fae that she worried still lurked in that corner, perhaps it was the fear of what may have happened to her father, or perhaps something that she had never considered. Whatever the reason, Vratis was understanding, and their mutual hatred of this mostly-wretched town gave them the drive to leave and find a new home elsewhere in Harandil. They were together at long last.
She opened her eyes again. The Jester was no where to be seen. Did they leave her here to die alone? Or were they just hiding some place? She knew not, but it didn't matter much anyways as she was still bound and facing the reality of the situation she was in.
She was able to, at the very least, see her surroundings. It seems she had been positioned in a familiar bed, one she hadn't been in since she recovered from her illness last year. In front of her she could see the dark corner where that hand had made her the tempting offer, and the portrait of her family hanging over the fireplace. A vanity nearby was covered in dust, had her room really been left so unkempt?
Something was off about the portrait as well. It was similarly dirty, but her father's face was the most peculiar as he just looked so ...different. It was almost as if the painting of him, or the portion of the painting that was him, was the only thing in the room that had changed. Everyone else in the painting was as it was last year, a bit dusty though, everything in the room was the same as it was then, but her father was...older? There was no dust on his portion of the painting either, and something about him was just so much more life like.
As she was trying to figure out what was going on here, staring intensely at her father, she saw just the faintest bit of movement, like he was about to blink when her trance was broken by the presence of Despair yet again.
Her heart began racing, her breath heavy, each deep intake shifting the ropes as she was reminded of her predicament. She felt this Jester watching her, were they waiting for her to say something? Their stiff mask shifted, like it was made of flesh for a moment, as it became a new expression. While it had been stuck in a state of sadness for so long it was suddenly ...frustrated? The brow had furrowed, were they angry with her? She struggled with her bonds a moment to turn towards this person, the ropes scratching against her soft, pale flesh and ripping her gown ever so slightly, but she did not seem to care at this point. Her eyes just stared at them, the mask shifted again, puzzled, and she struggled against the gag to try to ask something. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the Jester seemed unphased by her desire for answers, and her gaze drifted towards the window. "My heart, I am waiting for you... please, find me. Save me from this horrible fate. Let us embrace each other yet again. Let this day end with you in my arms. I wish only for your strength to be wrapped around me, keeping me safe, protecting me from this Despair."
Elsewhere in this city, Vratis had just arrived. His mission was clear: Find Andìla. He asked around for her, he showed everyone he met the amulet. The warmth it provided had started to wane slightly, but her painting next to his was enough to get the attention of some citizens. Despite their apparent recognition of the woman, they all claimed to have not seen her that day. They remembered when she was last in town last year, that she had grown up there, but she had not been here for some time. Some were even under the impression she had died of the illness that had kept her bedridden for so many weeks. Not content with such answers, Vratis attempted to intimidate some of the more classless of folk in this town. Tearing at his shirt to further expose is strength to the world, he slammed his fist on the counter of a local bar. The wood splintered, his arms bulged with vigor and the sleazy patrons of this establishment looked up from their glasses of poison with intrigue and fear. He demanded to know where she was, he again showed them the amulet, but they still had not seen her. Either they truly did not know where she was or they were all compelled to not give it away, but Vratis was persistent, he needed to find her, so he went to the one place she swore she could never return to. The place she made him swore he would never return to: Her home.
He had at last made it. The tall stone structure of the lighthouse, the rocky beach on this frozen shore...this is where he first saw her, and where he had first asked her to dinner. Where they had began to have the love for each other blossom into the flower it is today. Where she swore he must never go. Memories of her fear, her anxiety, the absolute need that she had for him to promise regardless of the reason... he was just as scared as she was. Being at this place was a breach of trust, and seeing it and knowing that she might be here and in danger paralyzed him for just a moment before he regained his usual resolve.
He reached for the door as he expelled all doubts from his mind that this was the right thing to do. Locked. Another way up would need to be determined, and as he was looking for a way inside he saw her.
The sunlight peeked through the clouds just as she appeared on the terrace of an upper balcony. The flowers and plant life were all glistening just as she did, and were it not involved with such a horrific experience it would have been a beautiful moment to treasure. He called out to her, but her gaze was fixed on the horizon. Her mouth parted ever so slightly, as if she were going to speak, but all that escaped was a deep sigh. The wind blew at her night gown as she turned back toward the lighthouse, and walked back inside out of view. His concern only grew higher, something was deeply wrong with this.
He produced the amulet from his pocket. The warmth it had provided him to make this journey was all but gone. He was beginning to feel hopeless, despair, and a pang of fear and guilt gripped at his chest, wounding him far more than any of the scars left by his battle with the beasts of the nearby wild. He mustered up all his courage and turned toward the nearby trellis leading up to a lower balcony. This would have to work, it was still quite the climb, and maneuvering around such a wide balcony would be challenging, but he began the ascent. The vines growing along the trellis were covered in thorns that scratched at his flesh and damaged the loose shirt covering his chest. By the time he reached the balcony and found his way around to the surface, he had lost the entirety of the fabric to the vines below. All that remained to cover his fearsome upper-body was a vest made of durable leather and fur. The bare-chested Vratis made his way through the open window on this balcony. It was as tight fit, and it refused to open anymore than what it was currently at so he had to squeeze through. While doing so, struggling with his impressive frame against the glass and stone, he heard footsteps. Looking up to see who it was he saw the train of his lady's gown at the foot of the stairs before it continued to leave his field of vision up and gone. The footsteps receded as well, going upstairs, and he knew then where he must go. She was completely gone by the time he was free of the window, but he wasted no time lamenting as he ran up stairs.
The amulet he had kept with him was completely cold, he reached for it to help make the journey up this tower a bit more hopeful, but when he reached for the accessory it was no where to be found. Did the thorns grab it during the climb? He had no time to think about going back, he needed to find her and stop that Jester. His heart was racing, beating loudly between his ears, and sweat covered his exposed flesh as he ran up the stairs. He reached the door towards the top, where he had seen her on the trellis, and with a mighty kick he opened it to reveal an empty room. The white curtains blowing in the wind resembled her gown though, and he wasted no time before searching the room. There were no signs of the Jester, no signs of her save an indentation in the bed where she was sick for so many weeks. Nothing on the terrace, nothing in the closets, even the family portrait which she kept over her fireplace was gone. The room was almost completely empty save some furniture which was similarly void of anything helpful. Something had brought her here, something had left this indentation in her bed, something was here he knew it! He ran from the room, perhaps further up the tower? The remaining rooms in this lighthouse were similarly empty, dusty, like no one had been here in years.
Upon returning to her bedroom he found something he must have missed during his last search. A bit of gold was sticking out from the bed sheet at the center of where the divot left by her slender, absent body still persisted. He pulled at it revealing a chain. At the end of this chain was a small amulet with some familiar gems decorating the exterior. He felt her warmth again, he saw the lovely painting of the two of them, and he felt the gentle embrace as nothing wrapped its arms around his frame. TO BE CONTINUED IN: "Treachurous Paths to Happiness"!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Finding Andìla
That was all days ago, and he had been tracking them nonstop. Moments ago he had finally found her, she was just feet away and tied up at a camp nearby. He guessed that even fearsome assassins need time to rest or hunt. He could just make out her rhythmic breathing, likely asleep. He made a vow then and there to free her before the villain returned. "Oh, my sweet Andìla, each breath reminds me of the softness and warmth of your rising chest. How I miss your company. The sweetest sound on this world will be the sound of your ropes falling to the ground as we make our escape."
No sign of the Jester anywhere, it was time for him to make his move. As he ran forward, eager to rescue his until-recently lost love, his shirt was briefly caught on the thorny branch of a nearby blackthorn. Though the apprehending branch only held Vratis back for the shortest of moments before he was able to move again as the garb taking up the equipment slot for his chest was cut open exposing his strong chest to the night air. The cold tundra air was brisk, though he continued forward without any consideration for the newly remembered climate. The delicate and bound body of his beautiful lover lay waiting for his rescuing hands. He reached her, feeling her pulse as he unbound her wrists, and the faintest of moans escaped her lips as she woke up. The two of them were able to make eye contact and breathe for a moment before they remembered where they were and began to escape. They took a moment to embrace, but as Vratis wrapped his arms around her he noticed that her warmth was suddenly gone. His arms passed right through her, and the camp that she was tied up at had begun to vanish around him. She looked him in the eyes, still smiling as she began to fade as well, and he felt her breath strike the tear running down his cheek before she was gone completely. All that remained in the dirt was a single amulet, the one that he had given her so many moons ago. He plucked it from the ground, the gold and gems somehow warm in his hand, and a new vow escaped his impressive, conventionally attractive jaw. "I will find you, Andìla, and I will bring you home. Nothing will ever come between us."
Chapter 2: Following her Trail
The journey to the loveless town of Bez Lásky met Vratis with many a peril, it was almost as if the very world were conspiring to keep him from reaching his lost love. Though, despite this, he pushed on and persevered through these challenges with vigor and grace. The one thing that kept him going strong through it all was the hope of seeing her, it warmed his blood, the chill of the frigid north was nothing compared to the possibility of losing her, and he could not bear such a possibility. He hunted to survive, gathered what he could to supplement the great beasts that were slain for his dinner, and while he did suffer injuries from the mighty game he was able to defeat them and take their flesh as his own. By the time he had reached Bez Lásky he had acquired quite the exotic and flattering ensemble consisting of different furs and leathers. Each rippling muscle and toned limb were accented by the stylized strips of leather with fur trim and belts that would make any edgy adolescent jealous. He hid his weaponry outside of town as he was convinced he wouldn't need such tools to save Andìla, and indeed preferred to battle this Jester with his bare hands. The one weapon he kept with him was a simple dagger, and the drive to rescue her from whatever villainous organization had decided she deserved what she had been dealt.
The guards saw his mighty frame as Vratis was quite well-built for an elf, but despite his stature one of the guards still attempted to stop him from entering this city. Their own forms were impressive, sturdy, like any guard, though Vratis simply stared them down, firmly, without a word as the sun broke through the almost perpetual cloud cover overhead. The light causing his sweaty, toned chest to glisten for a moment, the lighting increasing his ability to intimidate these guards, and the one that did not approach held his comrade back before politely asking Vratis to enjoy his stay in Bez Lásky.
Chapter 3: Lost in Bez Lásky
The rest of the journey through town was smooth, though her heartbeat never slowed, and her ragged breathing did not level despite not moving for quite some time. The fear had her, despair, she had little hope she would ever be rescued, though she trusted Vratis to find her clue and put all the pieces together. Despite his incredibly athletic exterior, Vratis never seemed to succumb to any stereotypes and instead understood her often riddle-like messages with ease and excitement. The rocky beach of this portion of the Frozen Shore altered the Jester's footsteps just enough that Andìla was being jostled with each step. Seeing the stone building overlooking the ocean she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of terror. The myriad of greys making up its architecture for some reason spelled out her doom, what did it mean to be in this place? Had she been here before? Why was it so horrific? She tried to scream at the sight of it, the gags keeping too much of her voice from escaping, but the Jester still used their other hand to obscure any remaining sound. She felt herself being completely silenced, her mouth and vocal chords working overtime to produce some amount of alarm to the surrounding beach-goers only for no sound to come out. She struggled, her delicate frame writhing against the leather straps and bells that covered this creature's armor, and each ringing of the bell filled her mind with even more Despair. And something told her that that's what this was. Despair, but knowing their name didn't seem to make any difference. The door to the lighthouse opened just the same, a thud against the opposite wall acted as a signal to her mind that she was about to die. That she was some place that Vratis would never find her... she was lost, and she had been for some time.
Chapter 4: Just out of Reach, a Tainted Joy
As they enjoyed each other's company during Vratis's elusive time away from the sea, she began to feel ill as their time came to an end. He was due to leave, and she had a life to get back to as well. He vowed to return to her in the coming months, he had plans to find another line of work so that they could spend more time together. They embraced one last time, and he gave her an amulet to remember the two of them being together that summer. She treasured that amulet in the coming months, it always had a strange warmth to it and it kept her hopeful as the winter reared its ugly head. Her illness began to take a turn for the worse, however, and the light in her eyes began to fade day after day. It was a week before Vratis was scheduled to return. The light shown brightly within her for the first time in weeks, but she still could not gather the strength to leave her home. That's when she heard it: a small voice, coming from some corner in the room, the sound of wet bare feet coming into contact with stone, and a hand reaching out from the darkened corner covered in slime and webs. The voice offered her a chance. She would be able to see Vratis again, to enjoy the life they had planned, if she entered a pact with him. He would give her the power to continue on, she would be happy, and all she had to do for her end of this so-called pact was give the creature, still shrouded in this corner, the name of her father. What a strange, silly request! She eagerly provided the information, the light of hope growing stronger in her glazed eyes. In the excitement she forgot all that she had been taught growing up, and the realization of what she may have done did not dawn on her until days later when she began to feel healthy once again.
She found it odd that after she had become so healthy she could no longer return home. It wasn't part of the pact, but the sight of the building always filled her with fear for some reason. Perhaps it was the fae that she worried still lurked in that corner, perhaps it was the fear of what may have happened to her father, or perhaps something that she had never considered. Whatever the reason, Vratis was understanding, and their mutual hatred of this mostly-wretched town gave them the drive to leave and find a new home elsewhere in Harandil. They were together at long last.
Chapter 5: His Heart, I am Waiting
Her heart began racing, her breath heavy, each deep intake shifting the ropes as she was reminded of her predicament. She felt this Jester watching her, were they waiting for her to say something? Their stiff mask shifted, like it was made of flesh for a moment, as it became a new expression. While it had been stuck in a state of sadness for so long it was suddenly ...frustrated? The brow had furrowed, were they angry with her? She struggled with her bonds a moment to turn towards this person, the ropes scratching against her soft, pale flesh and ripping her gown ever so slightly, but she did not seem to care at this point. Her eyes just stared at them, the mask shifted again, puzzled, and she struggled against the gag to try to ask something. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the Jester seemed unphased by her desire for answers, and her gaze drifted towards the window. "My heart, I am waiting for you... please, find me. Save me from this horrible fate. Let us embrace each other yet again. Let this day end with you in my arms. I wish only for your strength to be wrapped around me, keeping me safe, protecting me from this Despair."
Elsewhere in this city, Vratis had just arrived. His mission was clear: Find Andìla. He asked around for her, he showed everyone he met the amulet. The warmth it provided had started to wane slightly, but her painting next to his was enough to get the attention of some citizens. Despite their apparent recognition of the woman, they all claimed to have not seen her that day. They remembered when she was last in town last year, that she had grown up there, but she had not been here for some time. Some were even under the impression she had died of the illness that had kept her bedridden for so many weeks. Not content with such answers, Vratis attempted to intimidate some of the more classless of folk in this town. Tearing at his shirt to further expose is strength to the world, he slammed his fist on the counter of a local bar. The wood splintered, his arms bulged with vigor and the sleazy patrons of this establishment looked up from their glasses of poison with intrigue and fear. He demanded to know where she was, he again showed them the amulet, but they still had not seen her. Either they truly did not know where she was or they were all compelled to not give it away, but Vratis was persistent, he needed to find her, so he went to the one place she swore she could never return to. The place she made him swore he would never return to: Her home.
Chapter 6: The Embrace of Loss
He produced the amulet from his pocket. The warmth it had provided him to make this journey was all but gone. He was beginning to feel hopeless, despair, and a pang of fear and guilt gripped at his chest, wounding him far more than any of the scars left by his battle with the beasts of the nearby wild. He mustered up all his courage and turned toward the nearby trellis leading up to a lower balcony. This would have to work, it was still quite the climb, and maneuvering around such a wide balcony would be challenging, but he began the ascent. The vines growing along the trellis were covered in thorns that scratched at his flesh and damaged the loose shirt covering his chest. By the time he reached the balcony and found his way around to the surface, he had lost the entirety of the fabric to the vines below. All that remained to cover his fearsome upper-body was a vest made of durable leather and fur. The bare-chested Vratis made his way through the open window on this balcony. It was as tight fit, and it refused to open anymore than what it was currently at so he had to squeeze through. While doing so, struggling with his impressive frame against the glass and stone, he heard footsteps. Looking up to see who it was he saw the train of his lady's gown at the foot of the stairs before it continued to leave his field of vision up and gone. The footsteps receded as well, going upstairs, and he knew then where he must go. She was completely gone by the time he was free of the window, but he wasted no time lamenting as he ran up stairs.
The amulet he had kept with him was completely cold, he reached for it to help make the journey up this tower a bit more hopeful, but when he reached for the accessory it was no where to be found. Did the thorns grab it during the climb? He had no time to think about going back, he needed to find her and stop that Jester. His heart was racing, beating loudly between his ears, and sweat covered his exposed flesh as he ran up the stairs. He reached the door towards the top, where he had seen her on the trellis, and with a mighty kick he opened it to reveal an empty room. The white curtains blowing in the wind resembled her gown though, and he wasted no time before searching the room. There were no signs of the Jester, no signs of her save an indentation in the bed where she was sick for so many weeks. Nothing on the terrace, nothing in the closets, even the family portrait which she kept over her fireplace was gone. The room was almost completely empty save some furniture which was similarly void of anything helpful. Something had brought her here, something had left this indentation in her bed, something was here he knew it! He ran from the room, perhaps further up the tower? The remaining rooms in this lighthouse were similarly empty, dusty, like no one had been here in years.
Upon returning to her bedroom he found something he must have missed during his last search. A bit of gold was sticking out from the bed sheet at the center of where the divot left by her slender, absent body still persisted. He pulled at it revealing a chain. At the end of this chain was a small amulet with some familiar gems decorating the exterior. He felt her warmth again, he saw the lovely painting of the two of them, and he felt the gentle embrace as nothing wrapped its arms around his frame. TO BE CONTINUED IN: "Treachurous Paths to Happiness"!
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