The Shieldmaidens Lover

(Dedicated to my beloved Brett, wherever he may be, without whom this story would never have been written.)

Chapter 1

The sky wept, washing the red rivers of blood out to the sea. It was once a beautiful land filled with green forests and streams of clear water. The sun once shone in a sky as blue as a robins egg. The rich brown earth yielded flowers of all shapes and colors, exotic herbs, and enough food that no child ever went hungry. But no longer.

The sky was clouded and rain drizzled over a bloody field that was once the beautiful gardens of the Elven Citadel. Women in white walked in the fields, their dresses darkening from the mud as they retrieved the fallen. The suffocating silence of the dead and the screams of the dying made the air thick, too heavy to breathe. The Roman army had retreated after their victorious assault on the heart of the once fair city of Ennonlai. The remains of the Elven army had been pushed back within the strong walls of the three tiered city.

Two figures could be seen from the battlements, high on the tallest balcony looking down at the imposing army on their doorstep. An old man with a silver braided crown high on his brow, gleaming white hair tied back in a braid laying over elaborate armor stained in blood. Beside him was a younger figure in matching armor, a helmet under her arm. Her auburn hair was woven into a braid with silver cloth, wrapped around her head creating the impression of a crown.

Her eyes were a cold blue as she stared at the ruin. "They will not be satisfied until the gates are broken" she said in a somberly.

The old man only nodded, his gaze unseeing as he looked out over the battlements. "I never thought it would end like this" the old man said in an emotionless voice.

"No one did, my King." He looked at her, his brow furrowing with the formality of her words. His mouth opened to speak just as a loud crash shook the city like an earthquake. They both knew the sound without looking towards the chaos. A battering ram. She stared at the old man for a heartbeat before saying forgivingly "Today I will die as the son you always wanted me to be, Father." She turned, drawing the sword at her side determined to make her enemies victory a painfull one for their legions.

"Elwyn! Wait..." he called, but either she didn't hear him or did not respond. The old king turned back to the battlements, a sadness overcoming him with his daughters harsh words. He saw the human armies advancing, surrounding the fortress trying to break the once impenetrable fortress. Only one stayed behind on the field to watch the ruin, a soldier in red armor looming like the angel of death himself over the battlements. The King unsheathed his sword and turned to follow the remaining soldiers to defend the gates of his once beautiful city.

Elwyn ran down the halls where she was met by one of the generals of their army.

"My lady..." he said breathlessly. "They are trying to break down the gates and have blocked off the escape of the remaining women and children through the servants quarters."

She swore under her breath, running out of time and options all too quickly. "Gather as many men as you can and brace the gates. If they break through fall back towards the great hall. I will get the women and children to the entrance of the underground passage there." She put her helmet on so that only her blue eyes shone from the midst of silver metal. She ran down the halls, parting ways with the general, going through the quickest routs to get to her people still trapped within the walls that once had been their sole protection.

They were huddled together near the servants quarters, mothers clutching their crying children to their breasts. "Everyone go to the great hall!" she called "Go as fast as you can." Everyone began moving, without question, so grateful they were to see her. Elwyn scooped up two children, putting one on her back and the other on her left hip, still holding her sword in her right hand. She began to move, making sure that none were left behind as she brought up the rear. In the distance the sound of the battering ram hitting the reinforced gates echoed every few minutes.

It took them precious time to get everyone into the great hall. She put the children down and moved to the back of the large room, pushing the ancient throne as hard as she could, making it fall to the floor with a loud crash, revealing a secret passage leading downwards, under the palace.

Elwyn pulled one of the young mothers aside "Follow the tunnel and take every third left when it forks. It will take you to the woods where you can hide."

"But what about..."

"You have to lead them now. I can not go with you." Elwyn gave her a push towards the tunnel. The young mother began running down the hall, guiding the others as she walked in the dark passages. Elwyn helped the others down into the tunnels, focusing on getting each child in an adults arms, unless they were big enough to run ahead. Suddenly there was a crash as several Elven soldiers opened the doors of the great hall and slammed them shut, beginning to barricade the only entrance to the room. Elwyn called to the remaining women not yet in the protected halls of the tunnel.

"Get all the children in front of you. I'm going to block the passage behind you. No matter what happens don't turn back." The women began helping to get the children as far into the tunnels as possible. All heard a loud crashe as the Romans took the battering ram to the large doors of the great hall.

There wasn't enough time. The doors came crashing down and turned her back to the last of her people who were escaping as the Roman army washed into the great hall. There were a dozen of her best soldiers left to draw their swords, and the marble floors became slippery with the blood of their enemies.

The last of the women were running down the tunnel as the wave of soldiers broke against her. Elwyn sliced her blade, killing one, two, four soldiers before she turned and dived to the floor, her hand reached towards the opening of the tunnel. Her helmet fell off and skidded across the floor as she searched for lever on the side of the stairs embedded in the wall.

As her fingers closed around the lever a blinding pain lit through her right shoulder. The Roman soldier standing over her leaned on his sword till it cracked the marble floor, taking advantage of the weak point of her armor, his sword thrust deep where her chest plate met her arm. She pulled the lever with and a crash that made the room quake with the force, knocking the soldier away from her. She saw stars behind her eyes with the blinding pain of the cold steel pierced through her body. Elwyn's eyes looked to the tunnel, now blocked by a large controlled cave in. By the time the Roman soldiers dug through her people would be deep into the safety of the forest. It was all that mattered.

A scream echoed through the chambers and it took her a moment to realize it was from her own lips. The soldier had righted himself and removed his blade from her flesh with a tug that pulled her up off the ground. Her blood pooled over the marble dais where her fore fathers once sat in grandeur. She felt a strong kick turning her over onto her back and her eyes struggled to focus. She could not see her comrades lying dead on the floor not far from where she lay. All she could see was the blurred shapes of Roman uniforms. Only a handful had stayed once the cave in blocked the path of the tunnel, and they stood in a circle around her.

"What have we here lads?" said one man.

"She is the one. You know what we have to do" replied another.

"No I think not. It seems that we have stumbled upon a prize worth keeping" said another cruel voice. She could not keep her eyes open as she heard their laughter ring in her ears. It was the last thing she heard before her head lolled to the side and darkness swam around her. There was no more pain, no sound, only silence. She did not feel the men strip her of her armor, throw her over a shoulder and walk out of the citadel through the servants quarters.

Chapter 2

Fourteen years later

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the patrons at the auction walking by. Her eyes were downcast so she didn't anger the slavers any more then she already had. Her back was black and blue, spotted in blood from the beatings. Her auburn hair lay in disarrayed locks, tucked behind her pointed ears but covered her body more than the sarong of pale blue silk. All in all she might as well have been nude with all it did to cover her flesh from the hungry eyes of those around her. It was easy to tell she was damaged merchandise from the black and red marks marring her pale flesh and more importantly she had not been broken. It took all their manpower to merely to keep her from escaping.

She barely heard the sounds of the auctions anymore. She learned to drown them out as she heard the slavers calling for money, the noise of the buyers as they shopped and talked amongst themselves. She retreated into her own thoughts, letting the pain fall away and she was once again in the wooded forest of her home. No chains. No whips. No bars.

She was suddenly jerked back to reality as the door to her cage was unlocked and she was pulled roughly to her feet. Standing she was nearly as tall as she slaver at 5'5. For a moment her knees wobbled as blood rushed back to her appendages. The adrenaline kept her upright with the help of the slavers iron grip on her arm. She kept her eyes lowered until she felt the hand beneath her chin tilting her face up. She glanced up to the mans eyes briefly before closing them and let her features fall from his sight as she lowered her head. She knew if she dared to look upon him as an equal she would be punished, and she already had enough lashes for one day.

From her brief glimpse of the man in front of her she recognized the roman style uniform with its armor plated chest and toga beneath. The soldiers were everywhere, guarding the auctions for the price of taking the liberty with the remaining slaves that hadn't been sold. The man made a motion with his hand for her to turn and she closed her eyes before she slowly turned in a complete circle until she was facing him again.

"You have used the whip on this one?" An angered voice echoed and she could hear the slap that she knew must have been directed at the slaver.

The slaver muttered in an aggravated but meek voice "I..Im sorry Milord....but you see she had tried to escape..."

The slavers words didn't resonate in her mind as they continue talking. Instead an overwhelming dread knowing that if the gentleman did not choose to buy her then she would have far worse problems with the slavers anger then before considering she could still hear the sound of the slap ringing in her ears.

"Put her in with my house hold stock, and get out of my sight!" the man bellowed at the slaver. Part of her sighed with relief as she heard the mans words and the slaver took her away, giving her a dark glare that made her shiver. She didn't know how this new man would treat her, but judging from his anger at the violence inflicted on her some part of her knew the he would treat her better then the slavers.

She was lead to a covered wagon with several other female slaves that were obviously to be used for household work due to their delicate builds. She lay down on her stomach as to not aggravate the wounds on her back as she stretched, circulation returning to her limbs. The cage where she had been kept often made her legs go numb but the slaver would hear none of her complaints. The cart began to move slowly and her eyes closed with the subtle motions of the wagon. She tried to make her body relax as the pain in her limbs escalated. She kept her eyes open going thru old poems she learned as a child in her head trying to stay awake.

The wagon finally stopped and she looked up. Her eyes focused enough to see a roman style villa looming over her. She saw the man who purchased her get off his horse and begin to walk towards the cart. Pain rushed through her body making every atom of her flesh throb. Even as he moved towards her, her eyes closed. She barely registered the strong arms that lifted her up, careful of her wounds, and brought her inside before darkness overcame her. The next few days were a blur of pain and she woke several times only to fall back into a deep sleep. She was half aware of a soft voice crooning to her and tending her wounds.

The next morning he came to her room, silently he slipped in and watched her sleep before he had to tend to his duties. His eyes moved over her as she lay on her stomach. She was naked under the sheet that came to her waist he suspected, but nudity around the villa was normal. His eyes moved over the marks on her back that were so horrible he suspected they would never fully heal. A frown curved his lips as he kneeled by her side, examining a mark that he knew couldn't have been made by a whip. It was old, a scar that he could tell went deep on her right shoulder. He didn't want to risk moving her to see if there was a matching scar on the front of her body. The torture she had endured would make even the strongest men wince. He made no move to touch her save for lightly running his fingers through her hair before slipping back out of the room.

He visited her each day, always silent, merely watching her sleep before going on about his day and again before he retired for the evening. Something about her drew him to her. But whether it was her beauty or her strength or a combination he did not know.

It was her fifth day at the villa before she woke around noon. She began to push herself up but realized her clothes were gone. She slowly sat up, pulling the covers over her body. Just as she was about to stand up the door opened.

A homely looking plump woman with a bright smile walked in wearing long white and red robes. "You are finally awake my dear. I was beginning to get worried. My name is Bronwyn." The girl gave the older woman a soft, weary smile. "Here, lets get you into the bath. I'm sure you'll feel much better" Bronwyn said and without giving the girl time to protest, helped her up and led her slowly to the bath.

The girl whispered a soft "thank you" as the woman half carried her to the bath that was already drawn as if Bronwyn had known she would awake when she did.

As Bronwyn helped the girl into the bath she asked "What is your name dear?" The girl hesitated and said in a soft voice "Diana."

Bronwyn smiled a knowing smile and began to gently bathe the girl and tend her wounds. "Indeed? Such a beautiful name." Diana glanced back at the woman for a moment and there was a knowing twinkle in the old emerald eyes. Something in them couldn't help but make her smile. Bronwyn coaxed her onto her stomach in the bath and began to clean her wounds more carefully now that she could soak them in the healing water.

Diana winced and her shoulder muscles clenched but she never made a sound. Bronwyn began to hum a soft tune that seemed to soothe the pain from her back. She then moved on to massage Diana's feet trying to improve the circulation in her legs that the old woman could tell had been so bad of late. Bronwyn massaged all the way up to where the scars began on the back of her thighs. By the time Bronwyn was finished Diana's skin had a healthy glow and her wounds were on their way to recovery.

Bronwyn silently helped Diana back into her room and into bed. "As much as I hate to do this it is the customs of this land." The woman took out a purple velvet collar with the letter "M" embroidered in gold on it and fastened it around the girls neck. Diana touched it and frowned a little. All she had to do was touch it to know that there was magic entwined with the fabric so that only he whom it belonged to could remove it. The old woman smiled sadly, seeing her discomfort with it and said "You stay right there and I will bring you something to eat." The girl nodded and lay down, letting her eyes close.

After Bronwyn left the room Diana was immediately alert and looking around the room. She tried to get the collar off in vain for a moment before giving up. She slipped into the blue toga that had been left for her and as much as her body protested, she carefully manipulated her form through the small window. She slipped through the villa like a shadow despite her injured state. Along the way she silently grabbed a dagger from the belt of a passing guard without him noticing.

She worked her way towards the main gate of the villa. Her eyes darted over the busy entrance. If she had been a normal human she would never have made it. She moved quickly enough that those who did glimpse her made no note of it. She was almost to the tree line and to safety when several of the city guards rushed up behind her. She turned to them with fury in her eyes. Several of the guards even took a step back, intimidated by the wild eyed look of the creature in front of them.

"Well pretty, what are you doing here?" as the guards looked her over and snickered among themselves.

"What's it to you?" she replied harshly, ignoring the fact that her back had begun bleeding because of her labored movements and she fought against the light headed feeling that followed. The Guards sensing her weakness slowly inched closer, surrounding her more completely, blocking off her escape.

"Well since you are an escaped slave we have the right to hang you for the amusement of the city" one man said with a sadistic smirk. Just then all of them reached for her, their iron grip closing on her arms. She struggled hard but in her injured state she was no match for the four strong men. Just as they began to drag her towards the center of town she heard a familiar voice.

"What are you doing with her?" Diana looked up and saw the very man who's home she had escaped this morning. The guards all snapped to attention as he approached.

"She is an escaped slave, General. The law is clear of the consequences."

The General narrowed his eyes and moved to grab hold of Diana's arm and the other guards parted for him. "That would be if I hadn't freed her this morning." All stared at him, shocked, including Diana. The guards glanced to each other but none it seemed had the courage to deny the Generals claim.

The head guard looked at her and said "Get some proper clothing then. Blue togas are only for slaves." The guards began to disperse and the general released Diana's arm. He then moved closer as she met his gaze.

They were so close no other could hear the conversation, his breath caressing her face with his harsh words. "I am quite impressed that you are still standing. But you wont be for long if you continue this charade."

"Did you mean what you said?" was her only reply, her gaze just as steely. His lips quirked half a smile and he leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"You would think you might be more grateful for a man who has saved your life twice in one week." She had no reply to that and she had to force her eyes from his. "Do as you will Diana, but you know you will bleed to death before you get to the next town..." he turned and muttered under his breath "if you are not enslaved again before then."

She watched in dumbstruck awe as he just left her standing there. Her brow furrowed as an inner battle waged in her mind. She cursed, knowing he had trapped her effectively between her physical ailments and his words. Reluctantly she moved silently back to the villa. No one made a move towards her as she walked through the streets. By the time she dragged herself back into her room she was ready to collapse. There was a tray of food waiting on the table by the bed but she paid it no mind. She was asleep the moment she fell into bed. While she slept Bronwyn came in and tended to her wounds once more, cleaning the dried blood from her flesh.