Beginnings

  Outside, the Priest of Silver waited. "Is he awake?"
  "Yes, Lord Markadin, awake and full of questions."
  "Did you tell him anything?"
  "Only my giving name."
  The Priest slapped her then, "You were told to reveal NOTHING. He is too important to us for a fool of a girl like you to mess up. Oh well, what is done is done, we will continue as if nothing has changed. Wait, you will be the one to get close to him, stay with him, in time answer all his questions, except about the Order. Do you understand?"
  "Yes, Lord."
  In the room, he sat on the bed, staring at his arm. I know it was broken. "I think I remember the bone showing through the skin as my car sank into the water. What is happening?"
  Again, the door opened. The figure entering the room blazed a presence that shook the man to his very core. The man entering the room was also beautiful, his ears pointed, much like the woman, but somehow seemed cold, like an ice sculpture.
  "I am Lord Markadin, said the Elf. "I have heard you were awake and had many questions. But, first, let me explain what happened to you as we know it.
  "One of our Priest-Mages was searching your world for someone to help us in our need. He came across a vision of you, near death, and he acted. Using a crystal of power he pulled you from your world to ours. When you arrived the crystal shattered and the Priest-Mage died. His acolyte called me and explained what the Priest had done. I brought you to this room and healed you."
  "Healed me?"
  "Yes, we touched your wounds and willed them away."
  "How?"
  "It is too difficult to explain. You have not the words."
  "Ok, then who are you?"
  "I am Lord Markadin, I have already told you this."
  "No, no, I mean you and your people. The only people I have heard of with pointed ears, like yours, were elves, and those are fantasy."
  "I assure you, my child, we are quite real. At least in this world."
  "This world?"
  "Yes, this world is basically a twin to your own. We live side by side, usually never seeing or touching each other."
  "OK. So I am in a parallel world, talking to an Elf, who just healed my arm. Anything else?"

  "Yes, the crystal and the Priest that brought you here were the only things that could send you home."
  Now, I'm STUCK here too?"
  "It seems so, but see our side too. We no longer have the means to find the one who can help us."

  "Yeah, I think this is really a fever dream. I'm probably lying next to that river. Probably still dying." He said, bitterness in his voice.
  Lord Markadin moved to the door, "You still need time I see. I will leave you to rest, then. Xiona will return to see to your needs. Please, be patient. Refrain from asking her questions, at this time she has no answers."
  "Wait, one thing."
  "Yes?"
  "Who am I?"
  "We don't know." And with that the Elf was gone.

  The days passed, three of them, with Xiona coming to bring him food and drink, change the torch, check his arm, and talk with him about her people. Although he asked many questions and she told him all she could of her home, about his most pressing need, who was he, there were no answers.
  It was only on the third day, when she came in and found him curled up on the floor, sobbing, "Who am I? Who am I? Who AM I?" that she came to him just to hold him. She gently led him to the bed and held him until he fell asleep, then silently slipped out.

  On the fourth day, Lord Markadin returned. The Man was staring at the wall. "Child, come with me."
  The man went to the door and followed the priest. They walked through a short tunnel and emerged into a large cavern, filled with Elves.
  "This is our home. You may now wander as you wish. Xiona has told me that you are healed enough to move about. Please, meet our people and enjoy your home. I am sorry that we live underground but, we were chased from our land many centuries ago. We have been hiding ever since. We only go outside to hunt and gather food. Although, I suspect some of our younger generation just goes out to smell the air.
  "Ah, here is Xiona. She will be your guide. Please, explore and feel as if this were your home. Be welcomed and loved."

  Over the next two days, Xiona showed The Man her home. She took him everywhere. She told him of her people. She showed them their homes, their families, their loves, and finally their fear. That soon those who had chased them from their lands would find them and destroy them.
  "Our only weapons are old, we are a peaceful people. I am afraid that our time may soon run out.   The Mage-Priests were looking for a warrior to use some weapons that they had found but, now, with the crystal gone, we have nothing."
  During their travels they came across a tunnel that Xiona led them by but not down.
  "What's down there?" The Man asked.
  "That leads to the Priests sanctum. We don't go down there. The Priests need quiet to study and they always come out to serve our needs. They also keep the weapons they found down there. I am not sure but, I think they came from your world."
  "Why?"
  "Why else would they be looking in your world for a warrior?"
  "Hmmm, well, if that's so maybe I can help. I am no warrior but I may know something. Is there any way I could see those, at least then I could tell you if I can be of any help."
  "I would have to ask the Priests. Why don't we return to your room and then I will find Lord Markadin and ask him."

  Xiona soon returned. "The Priests said that on the marrow you may see the items. It you could help, we might be saved."
  "I don't know if I can, but I will try."
  Xiona handed the Man a small package. In it was an ornate knife. "It was my grandfather's," She said. "I have no family to give it to and you need a knife."
  "This is lovely, but I.."
  "No, please, take it. Please."
  "Alright, although I have no way to repay this magnificent gift."
  "You don't have to repay it, She replied. "Davinal, may I stay with you tonight?"
  "What did you call me?"
  "Davinal. It means savior in the old tongue. If you can truly help us you will be our savior. If you prefer, I will go."
  "No, no, stay. Davinal. Hmm, it sounds almost right, though I'm not a savior."
As she moved into his arms, she whispered, "That remains to be seen."

  The next morning Lord Markadin entered the room to find them sleeping together. Xiona was curled up in the Man's arms, her head upon his shoulder. But, why were they still clothed? He cleared his throat and they awoke with a start.
  The Man looked over at the priest and said, "I'm sorry, nothing happened last night."
  Markadin looked at Xiona, eyes smoldering for a moment, and replied, "It is fine, YOU have done nothing wrong."
  Xiona bowed her head until Markadin said, "Please, let's put this awkward moment behind us. Come follow me."

  Xiona and the Man followed the priests to the tunnel to the sanctum. As they walked down the passage, the Man noticed an ornate set of double doors.
  "That's the entry to the sanctum, where we, the priests study. But, nevermind that, here is where we keep those things we found."
  They entered a large cave and the Man whistled. "I know this stuff," He thought. The cave was filled with guns, grenades, and other assorted military weapons.
  "You know these things?" asked Lord Markadin.
  "Yeah, I am afraid I do."
  "Davinal," breathed Xiona.
  "Yes, maybe Davinal," replied Lord Markadin.
  The man looked at them, worry in his face. "Look, I know what these things can do. Are you sure you want this kind of destruction unleashed on your world?"
  "Child, we have mages that can destroy cities. Dragons fly in the air. Destruction already exists. What we do not have are weapons to defend our common folk."
  "Yeah, I understand. I'll need some time to go over everything and see what my conscious will allow."
  Please, do not take too long. Our time is short."
  "OK,ok. I need some time alone though."
  "Very well, Davinal, you will have all the time you need. When you are ready we will talk again. Xiona, please come with me. Give the man time with his thoughts."
  As the left, the Man started looking over everything in the room, organizing the weapons in the room. He found that everything came from American Army issue. After a while, he sat down in the back of the room to think over his choices. And to decide what was right. As he sat there he could hear voices through a small hole in the wall.

  "You were supposed to seduce him."
  "I tried, but he resisted. He said that something was wrong. He felt like he was betraying someone."
  That's impossible. The spell on him makes him susceptible to our wishes and his personal memories are bound into the ring."
  "Still, he wouldn't have me as a lover. He acted like I was a close friend or sister."
  "Not good enough," A slap. "You failed. Had you succeeded he would have been more than willing to destroy our enemies. Now, he hesitates. Very well, if in life you can not succeed, in death you will. We will tell him that you went outside to find him a flower, in gratitude, and were captured, raped, and killed by those who seek to destroy us.
  "Your fate is sealed anyway, the Mistress wants you."
  "What?"
  "You are to be sacrificed to the Goddess. Your future, your past, all pulled to now and your soul devoured. Take her away."
  The Man was shaken. Did he just hear what he thought? He decided not to take any chances. He had no idea when or if they would come for him or how long Xiona had. He started gathering weapons to use. He grabbed an M16 and loaded 6 cartridges. He found a 9mm pistol with two cartridges, a pack full of grenades and a light anti-tank rocket. On reflection he took a claymore mine and cord. He went to the door of the cave, slowly opened it, and looked into the tunnel. It was empty. He pulled the pin from a grenade and wedged into the door. If anyone opened the door the whole room would probably explode.
  Quietly he walked to the sanctum doors and tried to open them. They would move. He looked around, all quiet. He set up the claymore, ran out enough cord to get himself to a safe distance, and set up the detonator.
  The Man closed his eyes, whispered, "I can't believe I am doing this", and pushed the button.
The doors exploded inward and as the rubble fell to the floor He dashed into the sanctum. There he froze. Inside, people were screaming, bleeding, dying. Only a few were uninjured. One Elf, his arm torn to shreds screamed and leaped at the Man. That released him from his stupor. The Man started firing, killing the attacking Elf first and then all that attacked thereafter. As he moved into the sanctum he looked for Xiona. Finally, he found her, tied to a wall, unconscious, a shimmering nimbus around her. Two priests, chanting something, were facing her. The Man ran towards them killing all in his path. He didn't even think about it, only that the person here who mattered most to him was in danger.
  He shot one of the chanting priests and the other faltered, turning towards the Man. It was Lord Markadin. The Priests pointed at the Man starting to chant something else. As a glow spread from the Priests hand, the Man shot him in the head. The glow died as the priest slumped to the floor.
As he moved toward Xiona, he set down the M16 and pulled the knife she had given him from his belt. He went to cut the ropes that held her and heard a voice to his right.
  "Leave her, she is mine."
  "Like Hell," he said as he looked over, drawing his 9mm.
  There by the dead priests was a mirror.In the mirror was a Elf sitting on a throne of skulls. She was more lovely than any he had seen in the caves.
  "How right you are." The Elven Goddess replied, her voice cold as the winter.
  The Man backed away and bumped into Lord Markadin's body, looked down , shook his head, and moved to cut Xiona free.
  As he reached for the first rope he felt a small shock. He snatched his hand back and heard the Goddess laugh.
  "I said, 'leave her', her past is gone, her future now. Soon it will be done and I will feed from her soul."
  "Not a chance," He said and reached through the glow. He had to completely enter the nimbus around his friend to cut her free. All that time, he felt the shock run through him. As he cut the ropes, he started to remember things, playing in the caves, being cared for by Lord Markadin, seeing the Man for the first time, the spell that would bind her to the Priests purpose.
  "These aren't my memories," he thought, a momentary panic seizing him.
  "No, they are hers." The Goddess told him, answering his thoughts. She had stood from the throne and moved closer to the glass, it seemed. "Leave now, I will return you home, restore your memories."
  "Yeah, right, like I trust you." The Man said, cutting the last rope and catching Xiona as she fell to the ground. The glow faded back into her, and it seemed, into him.
  "Fool, I will have you both," screamed the Goddess, and her hand slowly started to reach through the mirror.
  "Come on, Xiona, wake up, I can't carry you. Stand up."
  Xiona raised her head, stared at him blankly, but stood.
  "Let's get out of here." He said, heading for the doors.
  Xiona followed him like an automaton but looked back toward the mirror. She screamed.
  The Man looked back. The Goddess was coming through the mirror but she was changing as she emerged.
  He didn't wait to see the transformation. The Man swung the rocket around, knelt, took aim and fired. Then he dropped the launcher, grabbed Xiona's arm and RAN.
  As they ran out the doors, the explosion from the rocket shook the caves. The door to the weapons room started to open.
  The ran through the Elven caves, explosions rocking the catacombs. As they ran Xiona started to guide their course. They saw many of the Elven people but, no one tried to stop them.
  Eventually, the emerged from the caves into the sunlight.
  They continued to run until the could go no farther. By then they were in a forest. There they rested, panting.
  When she could finally speak, Xiona asked, simply, "Why?"
  "Why what?" The Man asked, still breathing hard.
  "Why did you save me?"
  "Xiona, you have shown me nothing but kindness and love. I knew, there at the end, they forced you to it. But, through all my time here you have respected me, helped me, cared for ME. I couldn't do less."
  She started to cry then, "Thank you."
  The Man moved to hold her, "You are most welcome. I guess we are alike now. Both homeless, but at least you have your memories."
  She looked up, her eyes wide. "I have yours as well. Here." She reached around her neck and removed a chain. On the chain was a gold ring.
  As she went to hand him the ring their hands met. For a moment they both tough the small gold band. At that moment, all of HIS memories came flooding back, home, job, family, wife.
  "Oh my God," he breathed looking up at Xiona.
  "I didn't know, until the end," she said. "The Goddess wanted to devour your past as well, I think."
  "You saw, you saw my past?"
  "I have now lived your life, just as you have lived mine."
  "Tammy, I'll never see her again, never hold her," He said, his grief overcoming him.
  Xiona moved to hold him. "Brother, whatever happens I will be here for you. And I promise to help you find a way home."
  "Brother?" he asked, jerking his head up.
  "What else can we be now?"
  "Yeah, I guess your right."

  They sat late into the night, remembering their joined pasts. They realized Xiona's people were as much victims of the priests as they were. They hoped that someday her people would emerge from the caves and walk in the light.
  They fell asleep in each others arms, innocent as children, and awoke soon after dawn.
  As they started out, to look for a town, the Man stopped. He raised his eyes to Xiona's, "Dan, my name is Dan."