[center][i][h2][color=mediumpurple]Elise[/color] & [color=darkgoldenrod]Vladimir[/color][/h2][/i][/center]
Vladimir had wandered away from the group and had positioned himself near a small lake to clean his armor. He had already removed his breast plate and was humming tunelessly to himself as he tied his long hair into a ponytail and began removing the armor that protected his arms. A rustling sound coming from behind made him stop. He turned around, a wary look on his face as he took on a defensive stance. It would be too late to reach for his swords that were leaning against a log a few feet away from him. The moment he turned, the assailant would already be on top of him. His mind methodically began considering his options. But apparently, he didn't need to be cautious as he saw a familiar flash of golden hair.

Knowing Vladimir, he had probably gone off to clean his armor. And because of familiarity, Elise easily found him despite the turmoil in her head. As soon as she saw him, she threw herself at him. It was uncharacteristic of her but she didn't care. She needed a semblance of normalcy and she believed she could only find it with the Templar who has been with her the longest.

Vladimir wasn't prepared for Elise throwing herself at him. Even with her light build, he staggered backwards but caught himself just in time so that they didn't both tumble down onto the ground. He held his arms out to his sides and was stunned when Elise wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her cheek against his chest. He cleared his throat. [color=darkgoldenrod]"What's wrong? You---"[/color] he stopped when he heard soft sobs coming from the mage. A look of concern immediately settled onto his face and he wrapped Elise in his arms, one of his hands stroking her head gently. He didn't say anything. He never once saw Elise cry, even during times he knew she was in pain. And so seeing her in this predicament clearly spelled out something had horribly gone wrong.

He led her towards a tree stump and sat both of them down on it. It took several minutes before Vladimir decided to speak. [color=darkgoldenrod]"It would be terribly idiotic of me if I asked if something is wrong because obviously there is."[/color] he started a little awkwardly. [color=darkgoldenrod]"Would you like to talk about it?"[/color] he asked in a gentle voice.

Elise closed her eyes as she listened to the Templar's steady heartbeat. Listening to it calmed her down. She stayed pressed to his chest a few minutes more before she heard him speak. She released him and raised her tear stained face. Blue eyes against green. When she spoke, her voice was confused and trembling but her question was straightforward. [color=mediumpurple]"Who am I?"[/color]

Vladimir was momentarily stunned to silence. It wasn't Elise's question that dumbfounded him. It was the look in her eyes. Her usually dull blue eyes were several shades darker and they were swimming with confusion and pain. The pain he saw there was so deep seated that he can almost feel it himself. [color=darkgoldenrod]"You are Elise Shadewater, favored mage of the Empire,"[/color] he answered the words given to him by his superior years ago.

[color=mediumpurple]"No, Vlad. Who AM I? Before I was Elise Shadewater?"[/color] she asked, her eyes so intense that it seemed like she was looking at the Templar's very soul.

Vladimir sighed. It was a question he himself asked sometimes. He thought back to when he was first assigned to protect Elise. [i]Her name is Elise Shadewater, a favored mage of the Empire and also a VERY loyal subject. She is proficient with Life magic as well as other...astounding abilities. You are to accompany her and make sure she does not come to any harm. Your only task is to guard her. Her safety will be your primary concern. Everything else is inconsequential. Do your duty to the best of your abilities and you may very well find yourself rewarded handsomely. That is all, Templar.[/i] He would have asked to know more but at that time, he was so furious about his assigned task that asking about his charge was far from his mind.

But despite his initial adverse reaction to the mage, he eventually found her to be a likeable person even when she was silent and distant most times. He shook his head and chose to speak freely and truthfully. [color=darkgoldenrod]"I do sometimes wonder about you, about who you really are and why you were labeled as a favored mage. Truth be told, I had not known of your existence until a year after I came to the Citadel. I wish I can answer your questions, Elise. But what little I know will not help alleviate the pain and confusion that I can clearly see through your eyes. I know nothing about your past. Only that I was assigned to protect Elise Shadewater. You."[/color]

Elise stared into Vladimir's eyes as though she was searching his soul for the truth behind his words. When she didn't find any cause to doubt him, she lowered her head, a defeated look on her face. [color=mediumpurple]"I...ran into James Blackwall..."[/color] even speaking his name was difficult for her. She paused and swallowed back tears that threatened to spill again.

Vladimir sighed and let Elise lean against his shoulder. [color=darkgoldenrod]"Yes, you spoke of him briefly before. The Templar who left you to die."[/color] Somehow he expected her to be angry and indignant towards the man. From what little he knew of the man, he saw what he did a great injustice towards the mage. A lover that walked away when she needed him the most. Anger would be justifiable. But pain overshadowed the anger he expected to see in her eyes. He clenched his fist, an instinctive anger running through him. He had been protecting Elise for a while that he saw this as another thing he needed to protect her from. 

Elise nodded. [color=mediumpurple]"I didn't know... I didn't expect..."[/color] she started, clearly still confused at both the unfamiliar and familiar memories mixing together in her head. [color=mediumpurple]"There are memories in my head..."[/color] she started again. [color=mediumpurple]"...memories that does not belong to me. Or..."[/color] she reached and clutched her head as though doing it would bring cohesion to her disjointed memories. [color=mediumpurple]"Or are they mine? Nothing makes sense. I see faces of people that I have not met before. I see his face. I know his smile. I can feel..."[/color] she shook her head, unsure how to put in words the confusion emotions that was running through her. [color=mediumpurple]"What did they do to me?"[/color] she whispered harshly. And then, she looked up, a panicked almost manic look on her face. [color=mediumpurple]"No. I am a ticking time bomb. I was placed in this group to kill us all. His Holiness... He told me to assist everyone. That means I need to prevent everyone from dying. But if I expend too much of my energy...I will die. If I die, I bring everyone down with me. That is his plan. That is why he sent us...He sent me. We were never meant to come out of this alive. We... I... It doesn't matter if I die. If it was only me, I would not mind it. But I can't... let him die..."[/color]

Vladimir saw just how broken Elise was. The emotions and the confusion had successfully broken down all the walls she had built around herself. The Templar directed his anger towards the Empire. What she said was possible. Did they purposefully place Elise in this group to kill them all? Was the mission a ruse? Some sort of excuse to have them all exiled and then disposed off the way the Empire casted away mages like broken dolls? He took a deep breath. Whatever it was, he knew that he needed to calm her down. [color=darkgoldenrod]"Elise. Stop."[/color] 

[color=mediumpurple]"He can't die. I won't let him,"[/color] her unfocused eyes darted back and forth as she wracked her brain for a plan, something that would protect the only person that mattered more than her life. [color=mediumpurple]"He had been through so much. I need to protect him. I... I..."[/color] she made a move to stand up.

Vladimir grabbed Elise's shoulders to hold her down. He shook her gently. [color=darkgoldenrod]"Stop, Elise. Stop. This is madness."[/color] When she didn't respond, he shook her a little harder and said her name a little louder. [color=darkgoldenrod]"ELISE!"[/color]

At the sound of her name, Elise stopped. She stared at Vladimir, her eyes clearer than it has ever been since he first met her. [color=mediumpurple]"My name. It's Athelia Westward,"[/color] she said and then passed out.

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