Author’s Note: This is the second story of Alelneia.  If you have not read “What Price
Strength”, please do so before you read this story.  Alelneia, and all the aspects of her
world are my creations, and please contact me before using them or distributing this
story.

Part I
     Alelneia groggily opened her eyes, and winced as the light of the morning sun came
streaming through her window.  For years, she had always been up long before the sun
made it’s appearance in the sky, but in these recent weeks and months, it was just so
hard to climb out of bed in the morning.  She was always so tired, as it seemed that
there were so many things that had sapped her strength and her will to live.  Even
though the physical wounds were well healed, she winced as she recalled the beating
she had taken at the hands of the brigand, Berthold.  Yet, as terrible as that shock had
been, the realization that her aunt, Queen Adalain was dying was even more severe.

       While she focused on these melancholy thoughts in the morning, she heard a
ruckus outside.  Without thinking, she found her way over to the window to see what
was up.  “Oh, just the kids making noise again”, she thought, as she saw several of the
children picking on one smaller girl.   Alelneia recognized the girl.  Her name was
Lisette, and while she about 10 years old, just like  the other children, she was quite
small for her age.  They had surrounded the girl, and pushed her into the dirt.  When
the girl arose, she came up not with a look of defeat, but a look of anger and defiance.
As she scowled at the other children, her look also cut Alelneia to the soul.

      “She’s... she’s me?”, Alelneia thought, as she watched the young girl stomp off in a
fit of anger.   Alelneia could easily remember having that same scowl, that same
defiance as a child, the determination that she didn’t need anyone else.  Alelneia knew
it all too well.  She too was a small child, and indeed, even now was barely 5’ tall.  She
had been through the teasing, the need to make up for small size.  As she watched
Lisette, she knew that she was watching a younger version of herself.  Then she did
something very unamazonlike, she started to softly cry, to cry for another girl who might
be lost.  Crying was something that Alelneia had not done for years, but over the last
few weeks, she had found herself crying a lot, but this was different.  This was not
crying about herself, but for someone else.  She knew that Lisette was well on the way
to a painful, lonely, bitter life, a life without friends, a life without love.

      Finally though, she came to a decision.  No one had reached out to her as a friend,
not until it was far too late, and she had built up an armor that seemed strong, but had
proved to be as brittle as a rotted tree.  Alelneia decided that Lisette’s life would be
different.  Alelneia decided that perhaps it was time that she made a difference in
someone’s life.

     She walked out into the village, and looked around for the feisty young girl, but just
didn’t see her.  She looked out on the practice field, where children worked on their
training, she looked around the riverbed where people washed, hauled water and
fished, but nothing.  Finally, she had an odd hunch.  As a small child, when she wanted
to be alone, she had found a small clearing about 3/4 of a mile from the village.  It had
been her special place.  She wondered absently if Lisette had found herself the same
haven.

     As she found her way down the path that she had not trod for years, that she had
nearly forgotten about, she noticed that yes, indeed, it did show signs of having been
taken recently.  She came to the edge of the clearing, and sure enough, her hunch was
right.   Lisette was there, working on her fighting moves.  She did not have as much
skill as some children, but she was putting her all into it, so much so that she did not
notice Alelneia walk into the clearing.

       “Hello Lisette”, Alelneia said to make her presence known.

       “Um, hello Princess”, Lisette stumbled out, clearly shocked that someone had
found her secret place.

       “Isn’t this a peaceful place”, Alelneia went on.  “I used to come here all the time
when I was your age.  In fact, that big old oak over there, I had tied an old skin to it as a
pad and practiced my kicks until my feet were raw and bleeding.  I’ll tell you what, how
bout I help teach you some things, okay?”:

      “Would, would you?” Lisette stammered, clearly flustered that the next chief of the
tribe would take an interest in her.

      “Of course I would.” Alelneia said with a smile.  She knew that just teaching Lisette
the ways of combat would  not solve Lisette’s problem, but she did hope that this would
be a way for her to get to know Lisette better, so that they could get to the important
things.

      The next few weeks flew by in the village, as Alelneia found a couple hours a day to
be with Lisette,  Her plan worked better than her wildest dreams, as her relationship
with Lisette went from teacher/student, to something more like a pair of sisters.  Soon,
the training became a mere excuse for them to get together.  They found themselves
laughing, something that Alelneia had never done often, and hardly at all lately, and
honestly, something that Lisette did not seem to know how to do at first either.

Part II

      One day, as Alelneia returned from the village, she found  one of the Queens’
attendants waiting for her.  “Princess, the Queen would like to see you as soon as
possible”. the attendant said.

      Moments later, Alelneia was in Adalain’s house, speaking with her.  “My child,”
Adalain started, “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.  We just received word from
the High Council that Berthold has escaped”.

      All the color went out of Alelneia’s face as she heard those terrifying words.
Suddenly, in her mind, she was back in Berthold’s lair, tied up against the wall, with
Berthold, big and menacing, beating her with that pipe.   She had seen that image often
in her dreams, but now it came to her in the light of day.

      “Alelneia dear, I know that this is a shock to you, but don’t worry, there is no way he
would take the risk of coming here”.  The Queen said, as she saw the look in Alelneia’s
eyes, but she could see that her words did not register.

     The next couple of days were a blur for Alelneia.  Every moment, waking and
sleeping, she saw the horrid, cruel face of Berthold, telling her that he was coming for
her.  Thankfully, Lisette had been sick, so Alelneia hadn’t seen her though, as she
didn’t want Lisette to see this side of her.

      Finally though, Lisette got over her cold as was ready to go back out to their special
place.  Alelneia knew she had to get back to life as normal, so she went with Lisette,
though she felt like she was just going through the motions.  Several times as they
traveled the hidden path, she thought she heard something, but when she looked, she
saw nothing.

      They had just reached the clearing, and were just stretching out a bit in preparation
for some training, when a scene out of a nightmare stepped out of the woods.  It was
Berthold, in all his glory.  When she saw him, she just froze,  staring at him, screaming
in the depths of her own mind.

      “Heh, heh, it seems I’ve found you little Amazon”, Berthold rasped with a voice born
in hell.  “I’ve been waiting for this.  First, I’m going to break you, you little whore, then
when I’ve chewed you up and spit you out, I’ll get back at your troll friend.  Don’t worry
though, the pain this time will only last two or three days, because after that, you’ll be
dead!”  he said, even as he viscously backhanded Alelneia across the jaw.

    “Hey! What you are doing to my big sister Alelneia!” Lisette cried, as she jumped
between Berthold and Alelneia.  “She’s a great person! You can’t do that to her!”

       Berthold just sneered a bit, as he contemptuously kicked Lisette in the ribs,
sending her sprawling in the dirt.  However, when he did that, something happened that
he did not expect.   The strange alchemy of emotions kicked in, as the fear in the
depths of Alelnia’s soul began to change and mutate when she saw Lisette holding her
ribs.  Soon, the fear had become something new, it had become anger.  Alelneia
dragged herself to her feet, and stood in front of Berthold.   She said nothing with her
mouth, but her eyes spoke volumes.

        With the same sneer that Berthold had on his face when he had captured Alelneia
before, he swung a haymaker at Alelneia.  However, this fight was very different.  The
last time they had fought, Alelneia had underestimated her opponent, and had paid the
price.  This time, the shoe was on the other foot, as Berthold thought he was fighting a
weak, broken girl, when she was far from that.  Alelneia ducked under the haymaker,
and went to one knee, but just for a moment, as she drove up with her legs and pushed
the point of her elbow into Berthold’s stomach.  The air whooshed out of Berthold and
he glared at her.

     He drove his own knee under her chin, and she rocked back, staggered.  He leaped
forward, thinking to take advantage of the opportunity, but she smoothly slipped out of
the way and swept his legs.  Before she could follow up on that though, he was up and
landed a solid blow to her midsection.  Again, he thought he had taken the measure of
this week girl, and again, he was wrong, for she feinted with her right leg, and then
spun around and caught him on the temple with a solid back fist.  He rocked back, his
eyes getting a glazed look, when she followed up that blow with a solid foot under the
chin.  Berthold fell backwards, and lay there, still.

      “Who, who was that” Lisette gasped, finally getting some wind back into her lungs.

      “A nightmare” Alelneia said, “but, I think it’s time to wake up now.  Could you go to
the village and get help?  I’ll stay here with him.”

       “Um, why do you need help?  I mean, you already beat him didn’t you?”

      “Yeah, but I don’t much feel like carrying him back to the village”, Alelneia said, as
she sat down, coughing up a little bit of blood.
 

Epilogue.

      That evening, Alelneia lay in her cot, with a huge bruise across the side of her face,
her jaw sore enough that she didn’t care to eat, and ribs that hurt every time she
moved, but strangely, for all of that, she felt good.

     The door opened, and Adalain stepped in.  “My dear, you have no idea how proud I
am of you.  You beat Berthold and you beat your demons.”

      “Thank you, but I didn’t beat them, Lisette did”.

     “Lisette?  But she said you are the one who beat Berthold” Adalain said, confused.

    “Oh, I did”, Alelneia answered, as she coughed up a bit of blood, “but, the credit
really goes to her.  She gave me a strength that goes beyond training, or will, she gave
me the strength that can only come from a friend”.
 

     That night, Alelneia slept a dreamless, happy sleep she had not known for months.