I wake up with the sun staring me in the face blinding me from seeing my surroundings. As I get my bearings, I realize that we must of over slept since the sun is already above the canyon wall. After I’m done contemplating what time it is that warmness of Nena’s body is no longer there. My heart starts pounding in my chest as I realize I don’t even know where she went. I promised her I would protect her and this is what happens. She hears me stirring and panicking and calls to me in a voice that reminds me of the wind blowing gently through the trees back home, before all this started. When life was so much simpler. Hearing her voice my heart calms down to the normal pitter patter I’m used to, and so I make my way to her lovely figure that stands watching the sun rise over the canyon wall. The smile on my face grows bigger and bigger every inch I get close to her, until my arms are wrapped securely around her waist and I know I will never have to let go, because this is my queen and I am her king.
R-"Do you honestly enjoy giving me heart attacks?" I ask her in a teasing yet stern way looking at the back of her lovely coal-black hair shining when the sun hit it just right.
N-"I was just enjoying the sunrise and you’re the one who said not to worry so much." She reminded me as she turned her beautiful flawless face towards mine and her cherry red lips embraced mine. After a moment of a long embrace, that you would think be between two people who haven’t seen each other for years, we finally let each other go, but not without some reluctance.
R-"I know i know but how can i not when you seem to be getting yourself into to trouble every time i turn around?" I asked her as I tried to conceal the concern and sadness that I felt since the beginning, but she knew me too well and touched her soft hand to my cheek.
N-"Well you said you'd protect me right?" she said as more of conframation, rather then a question she was asking me. She knew I would protect her no matter what, even if that meant sacrificing myself for this creature that was so amazing that I didn’t feel I even deserved.
R-"Right." I declared to her my voice strong and firm. There was no way someone or something was going to come between me and her, not in a million years. I pulled her closer to me as I said that, showing her just how strongly I felt about this.
N-"Then there’s no need to worry." She reassured me as she accepted my pull and embraced me as well. "Isn’t it beautiful?" She asked as she motioned to the morning sky and gave me a long passionate kiss.
R-"Yes it is." I looked at her and not what she was looking at because to me nothing else was as beautiful as her. "Ok i guess you’re right. Alright well we better get going were getting a late start as it is. Speaking of which, why didn’t you wake me?" I raised my eyebrow, she knew how crucial it was starting early.
N-"You had a big day yesterday you needed your rest. Besides you look so cute sleeping." There was a flutter in her voice as she laughed at me for criticizing her for letting me sleep, when it was no bother to me at all.
R-"How did I ever end up with someone so amazing?" I more asked myself then her, as I gazed into her big green pools that were so perfectly positioned on her olive skin. "Well thank you for the rest. Now lets try and get out of this canyon." I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me, racing for the exit as I realized we were seriously behind and we needed to move before the Black Distance got any closer to us.
R-"You know i think im actually going to miss this canyon." I nudged her playfully in the ribs and smiled big at her. I couldn’t help but let out a boisterous hearty laugh when I saw the look on her face.
N-"What! Your gonna miss this place that almost killed us multiple times?" She half yelled, half laughed along with me. The look on her face was what I enjoyed the most out of this moment right now, a look between confusion, fear, love, and beauty. I could look at the face forever . . . if we actually had that long, I wasn’t sure so sure about.
R-"Well, ya know, it has kind of a cozy feel to it." I looked at her from the corner of my eye to see if I happened to get some reaction from her, I wanted to sound serious and for her not to catch the smile that had worked its way onto my face, but in the end I was very unsuccessful.
N-"Oh my gosh you’re so crazy." She knew me too well because before she faced me to see the look on my face she already had a brilliant smile lighting up her face. Telling me that she knew I always ended up making things better by my playfulness.
R-"Awe you know you liked it to. Come on you can’t tell me your not gonna miss it too." I held her gaze as we walked toward the exist, not caring what we may have ran into. I felt almost impenetrable when I was with her. I almost forgot why were even running when I had what I wanted walking next to me. My hand brushed hers as we turned down the hill. The electricity I felt by just the slightest brush made it hard to breath and she must have felt the same way because her cheeks turned a deep rosy color.
N-"Oh yes i can." She barked back as the moment of passion slipped away. "I don’t even have to cross my heart and die!" She turned toward me and drew a little "X" over her heart with a stupid grin on her face.
R-"Not even a little bit?" I asked as I grabbed her hand, that thing I was longing to hold since I woke up earlier that morning, and we stopped there for a moment entraced by each others presence.
N-"No. Like I keep telling you Redwan, I just want out of here. I want this over with." Tears welled up in her small green eyes, and I think my heart broke into a million pieces. I didn’t know what I should do, holding her was fine, but it didn’t solve anything. So I decided to make a silent promise with myself. Redwan, when this is over and you have your Nena, you are going to marry her. That means she will not die and you will never let that happen.
R-"Ok that’s fair i guess since you were the one with the sword to your neck. Oh hey there’s the...." I trailed off as we rounded that last turn to see the mouth of the canyon, but instead to find fifteen or so Black Pawns making it impossible for us to even think about getting through. My eyes grew wide and I didn’t try to keep my fear off my face. There was no trying to hide things from Nena, she could feel without looking at me that I was scared. And there in the center of those horrible creatures stood the Black Knight. Man I was getting tired of seeing this guy.
N-"See what i mean about this canyon." She quickly glanced at me, fear there on her face for all to see, but who was I to criticize when I had the same expression on mine.
R-"Oh come on its still not that..AHH!" My scream echoed off the canyon walls as the arrow pierced the back of my right leg. I knelt down to see how bad the damage was. I grimaced at the wound, it was bad enough to slow us down and possibly lose us this fight, but I was going to protect Nenavass as I promised her. The Archer from behind me, now clearly visible, took us by surprise. How could I have let down my guard so early? What was I thinking? Shaking my head from all the confusion and questions that were now clouding my thinking, I focused my attention on the Knight. That smirk on his face like he had already won the battle, when it just started disgusted me. This was a war between him and me right now, I thought as I became angered and enraged. I quickly stood up and was going to race up and strangle him, but to my dismay I ended up staggering and almost falling. Thankfully Nena was there to catch me like always.
N-"Oh my gosh are you ok?" She was at my side holding me up as I tried to regain my balance. I looked down at her beautiful face only to be taken off guard by the tears starting in her eyes again. I took my hand and gently brushed the tears away.
R-"There is no need to cry Nena. I do have an arrow through my leg but other than that im just great." I tried to reassure her, but without success, she was already thinking about the possible lose of this sad situation I could tell by the look on her face. "Oh and i changed my mind about missing the canyon." I chuckled a little bit to lighten the mood only to be shot a death glare, she really wasn’t happy about this at all.
N-"Here let me get that." She huffed at my insensitivity and bent down to take the arrow out of my leg.
R-"No wait!" I cried in agony as she yanked the arrow out of my leg. Looking down the color of crimson red was gushing down my leg "Ok um yeah thanks for that." I grimaced a smile at her.
N-"Oh im sorry." Her frown was record breaking as it made her face look older. To comfort her I caressed her face, she closed her eyes and leaned into my embrace, thanking me in her own way for being there with her.
R-"Its ok im fine. But now about a bigger problem." I turned to that horrible looking creature, that seemed to have inched his way closer to us, and hopped closer to him.


(TO be continued)