Memo on Love

Hardly a story, but a note on my thoughts of love.

   A funny thing about love, that most people don't realize, is that once you're in love with somebody, you can never stop loving them. It's one thing to say you can never hate your mother because somewhere in you, you always will love her; but yet another thing to say that you're still thinking about an ex-lover.

   While on the subject, it's noted that the term love is taken a little too lightly by most people. You only truely love someone when you know that they are with you for the rest of your life.

   I have made that mistake plenty of times and have vowed not to make it again. So, I ventured out, into a great, beautiful forest, which I loved dearly. It spoke to me, "Nicolas, be mine."

   Well, maybe not so dramatically.

   Our story begins as I'm traveling deeper and deeper into this forest, to the point where the sunlight barely shone through the cover of the trees. The sword on my belt hit my thigh occasionally, making it itch ever so slightly, but I ignored it. The forest started to get extensivly quite and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Sweat beaded from under my tunic as I grew still, to listen to anything unusial.

   I leaned on a nearby tree and looked around, surveying the area. Pine needles littered the ground, along with a few acorns here and there, but nothing was moving. The silence of the area rung in my ears, and I could tell something wasn't quite right.

   A short blade slid in front of my neck and I stiffened, as someone pulled me back. I dared not speak in fear of the blade slicing my skin.

   The woman who held me captive spoke harshly. "Humans are not permitted to enter our land. Who sent you?"

   Thoughts of the war waging between the Empire and the Elves flashed through my head, and I quickly recognized by her voice, that this woman was very refined, and must have been an elf. I made an attempt to turn, but she only pressed the blade closer to my neck.

   "My name is Nicolas Penrose, I came on my own accord, on a walk. I was just passing through."

   She jumped back and gasped. "I know your voice," she spoke, trembling. "I know you."

 

- - - - - -

 

   She handed me a cup of herbal tea and sat down next to me, on her hard, wooden floor. "I'm sorry to have caught you off guard in the woods. My name is Flora, I'm one of the city guards. And," she hesitated. "I suppose I have some explaining to do."

   Her deep, blue eyes looked into my own, as if she was in love, as I took a sip of the tea. She continued, after noting that I made no reaction to her previous statement. "You know how elves live lives much longer than humans do, correct?"

   I nodded.

   "Well, when a person dies, they may reincarnate into another body, one the same as their last. At first I didn't sense it, but I've met you before. Since then, you've died, and you've come to live in the body you have now. Back then, you're name was Richard Lionhir."

   I felt a pang of sorrow as I heard the name, as if I could remember this, but I could not. I continued listening to her story.

   "We met near the begining of this war. I went to battle to defend my city, and you were the first person I clashed with. You were a high ranking general of the army, so I made the quick decision to overpower you and capture you alive, in hopes to gain so valuble information that might save us from losing any more ground than we had.

   "I interogated you and you said nothing at the start. But then, you gave in, but not through torture. You had come to know me and love me, and gave up the information, so you could have kept me and everybody else safe. At that point, the look in your eyes told us that you didn't care anymore what happened to the Empire.

   "It was that moment that I realized I was falling for you as well, though I knew it was well forbiden to love a human. I forgot that rule and ran off with you. They disowned me, of course, but I didn't care. I was exiled, and we built a cabin deep in the forest, together. This very cabin." She gestured around the room. "We lived here for many years, until, one day, and Empire Scout had run through, just as you were picking some berries, and shot you swiftly with an arrow.

   "I morned for many months, alone, here. I was utterly alone, and just to keep myself from going of the deep end, I forced my way into the elven city and begged forgivness. They accepted and put me into the lowest ranking job there was, never aloud to join in the fight again.

   "When I saw you again, just now, I nearly broke down in tears, but I've had training to keep myself from doing so. I'm sorry for the odd treatment."

   I put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently. "I understand. No need to appologize," was all I said, and was all that needed to be said. I was not expecting my walk in the forest to turn out like this, but I guess you learn something every day.