Chapter Nine – Serena's Secret and First Kiss

Serena unfastened the armor from her chest, revealing a fine chain mail underneath. As she removed the silver breastplate, casting it on the ground at her feet, she said, “You know, I have something rather interesting to show you.”

She slipped the chain mail over her head, the sound of the thousands of rings clinking against each other fell silent as she dropped it to the floor on her armor. Stripping down in front of Sevil, she cast off her greaves and cuisses next. Her old silk clothes revealed to him once again, stained with blood and patched with pieces of satin silk of various colors, “Can you turn around for a second?”

Turning his back to her, Sevil asked, “I see you kept them, but they are wearing out just like mine.”

“They saved my life you know, the score is one to two.” Serena giggled as she turned around and slowly removed off her silk shirt, exposing her pale creamy skin to the soft light of the house, “Okay, you can turn around.”

Sevil looked upon her bare skin and saw how fine it was, the beautiful supple skin with graceful curves and toned muscle of a warrior. Her silk shirt fell to the ground and Serena's hands reached up to pull away her hair that trailed down to the small of her back, a strange seal in dark black ink was tattooed onto her body. Unreadable in the pale light several figures made a circle and merged into a strange swirl.

“I can't see it, one second,” Sevil said as he stepped over to the desk for the light.

“No! Don't get the light,” said Serena, bending down to pick up her shirt, but it was too late, the light danced across her back illuminating the seal and several other markings on her back.

“What happened to you!” cried Sevil, rushing over to Serena as she tried to conceal herself, “Tell me! Who did this to you!”

Serena's back was deeply scarred with countless marks of whips, gashes and other unspeakable scars cut deep into her back, trailing down her arm. Grabbing her with his hands he turned her quickly and stared at her flat naked chest. Serena started to cry weakly as she saw Sevil's eyes wide with horror. Her front was worse then her back, absent of lashes from a whip, numerous fine scars and deep slashes trailed across her breast and down over and into her stomach.

“I told you not to get the light...” Serena cried, wrapping her arms around him and letting the tears streak down her face.

“Who did this?” Sevil asked again.

“Don't be mad, this is what happens to sinners and warriors. Just look at the seal.” she cried, turning around once more, holding her hands over her face and desperately trying to stop her own tears.

Fighting hard not to look at her scars, Sevil looked at the black seal and tried to read it, but the seals runes around the beasts made no sense to him, “I cannot read it-”

“It's the seal of Hell. The beasts on the back are the twelve great beasts of Hell, bound by those words. This is the marking of those who have been affected by their power, and it is what binds us to this state and that is why we cannot remember how to get home. Our memories must be sealed by Nightmare. You must have one of your own.”

Quickly pulling off his heavy traveling brown cloak of stout cloth and wool, Sevil threw it on the ground and frantically pulled off his silk shirt, turning his back to show Serena, “Is it there? Is it really there?”

Serena turned to look at Sevil's untouched and flawless and unrefined pale skin of back, in the small of his back the same seal grazed his, and she placed her hand against it, “Yes, it is just as mine is...”

Sevil turned around and looked at Serena's tear stricken face, silent tears following freely from her eyes, “How did you find out about this?”

“When I was first injured in battle, when they removed my clothing for treatment, it was there staring up at everyone. If it was not for my own men, I would have been killed for such a demonic marking, even as a Sage. It is just as you read in the Naishe, the seals of Heaven and Hell, the Gods have punished us for our trespasses.”

“So that is what you meant. Does he know?”

“Of course not. He only decided to pledge himself to his majesty's forces last year, it was five years ago that I learned of the seal,” Serena put the silk shirt over her naked chest and embraced him again.

“You think defeating these beasts will free us?”

“That's the worst part, even if we did kill the beasts, we would be unaffected. The mark is sign of a great sin, it is the curse we must live with. It is the reason we don't age, we are meant to be servants of the Gods until they are satisfied or we die. In Gilek, the sign was clear when they wanted me to leave, but remember how I spent a month in the mountains? Gilek's Asonist died two weeks before I arrived, it was fate that everything has happened like this. We are bound by the Gods will, like it or not.”

Serena cried into Sevil's chest and he could only comfort her as she broke down on his bare skin, her tears still flowing despite her best efforts, “I am not bound and you certainly aren't bound. The mark of a sinner may be upon us, but it does not mean that we are any different then before. Is it not man who controls his own fate? Only his destiny is influenced, but ultimately left in his own hands.”

“The signs are so clear!”

“You only make them clear, a dusty robe catching fire from that ritual is to be expected. If anything it was a miracle you were not killed, but still some reason beyond that exists as well. If anything it is your faith and interpretation that you decide to follow.”

Serena slowly started to stop crying, wiping her eyes with her hands, “You've changed so much, you are so reliable and nice. I'm jealous of you, Sev.”

“You are still as beautiful and wonderful as I remember, perhaps even more so, you've grown so much yourself,” Sevil said, slowly lifting up her chin and closed his eyes as he leaned into her, to kiss her on the lips.

Serena blushed and closed her eyes, leaning into his kiss. As their lips touched they pushed into their first sweet kiss, arms wrapping tightly around each other for a moment of pure bliss, only to break away and open their eyes. Both blushing red and staring into each other's eyes, the two slowly free slipped from the embrace, the sweet taste of the kiss remaining on their lips.

“Sev... You are so sweet, but don't worry about these scars. I know I am not beautiful-”

“You are to me, isn't that the only thing that counts? Why would I care about some scars, you are the only one I've ever loved. You are my Valai, my better half.”

“Thank you, that means so much to me,” Serena headed towards her room, “I think I need my rest. I'll see you in the morning, my Valen. Good night.”

“Good night,” Sevil said as he headed into the kitchen to extinguish the candles and lamps that lit the house. Making his way into the main room again he blew out the last candles and slipped into his room.

Slipping in between the covers he felt something warm and soft waiting in the darkness for him, smelling sweetly of berries and soap, Serena lay in his bed next to him. She wrapped her arm around him , “Just for tonight, please?”

“Just for tonight.”