Elnora

Elnora

  By Johan Lindback

  English edit by Ralph Wikland

  Copyright 2011 Johan Lindback

  Elio had no idea how long he had been unconscious. It might have been for days or weeks. To him, everything had disappeared in a haze. The spear that pierced his arm, and the excruciating pain, had caused him to faint. He had lost a lot of blood, but not enough to deprive him of his life. Elio understood they had not been out to kill him, at least not straight away, otherwise he would have already been dead for sure. He tried to stretch out his hand and wipe the cold sweat that covered his forehead, but soon discovered that his hands were shackled behind him. The chain, in turn, was joined to a large iron ring, which was attached to a high wall. He sighed deeply. There seemed to be no way out. He would surely fight like a madman if there was the slightest chance of escaping, but was well aware that it would not help. There was no reason to waste his strength in vain.

  The young soldier had already experienced too much. The pain gave him no rest, but to his surprise he felt somebody attending to his wound, but whom, and why? The guardians were hardly concerned about their enemies welfare. Where was he? None of the three moons could be seen, therefore there was no light that could provide guidance. Elio waited impatiently for his eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness. Eventually he could make out a large open space that looked like a town square. Dusty, cracked stone tiles covered the ground, and a fireplace could be made out twenty paces away or so.

  An icy wind swept mercilessly across the place and caused him to freeze even more. He now heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, drawing closer and closer. What was about to happen? He felt anxious inside. Perhaps the guardians where coming to put an end to his torment? Elio hardly had time to think, before an iron gate slid open with a slow inhospitable whine on the opposite wall. Somebody stepped forward and closed the gate behind them. At first he could hardly see who had entered. Shortly thereafter a young girl stood before him. Her arms were full of logs. She looked briefly at Elio, before placing the logs on the fireplace and starting a fire. The fire cast a soft glow upon the bare stone walls, and evoked a wave of heat that made Elio feel calmer. The girl stood with her hands in her pockets, looking at the fire with a rather concerned expression. She walked nervously around the fireplace. Elio recognized her straight away. It was she who had thrown the spear at him.

  "I will guard you," she explained.

  "I understand," Elio replied indifferently. He had a good mind to blurt out all the nastiness he could think of because she had wounded, and made him sick, but realized that it would hardly do him any good now.

  "How is your arm?" she asked, looking concerned.

  "Do you really care? It was you who threw the spear at me. And, like you're a guardian, you have probably never been very considerate when it comes to others lives?"

  "Yes, it was I who threw the spear," replied the girl indignantly. "But it was also I who tended to your injury, even though my friends protested. You most certainly would have died otherwise."

  "What's your name?" Elio asked.

  The young girl thought for a moment, but came to mind that she had been told not to talk to the prisoner under any circumstances. Much less tell him her name. But she decided never the less to ignore her orders for the moment. She was old enough to make her own decisions, and sick and tired of constantly being told what she could do or not do. 

  "My name is Elnora."

  "That's a beautiful name."

  "Thank you." Elnora smiled. She had half long auburn hair and big blue eyes. Elio could not understand how someone who seemed so considerate could be a guardian. It made no sense somehow. Furthermore she looked far too kind.

  "My name is Elio. How old are you anyway? You look no older than thirteen."

  "That is right, I turned thirteen a few months ago."

  Elio hesitated for a moment. He wondered if he really dared to ask the next question. Surely he had nothing to lose.

  "You’re so young and have your whole life ahead of you. Furthermore, you seem to be a very nice girl, so just why did you become a guardian?"

  Elnora looked a little offended. "Why shouldn’t I be a guardian? It’s my life, and I want to be something. And besides, I receive food and shelter in exchange for my duties."

  Elnora walked nervously back and forth in the glow of the firelight, rarely standing still for more than a few seconds at a time.

  "Are your parents are also guardians?" Elio asked.

  Elnora stopped for a moment. She then approached him, to his great surprise, and leaned against the wall beside him.

  "My parents did not want me!" She sounded angry and bitter. "They gave me to a creator of angels and hoped she would get rid of me. But she was unable to end my life, so I was sent to an orphanage instead."

  "Did you get on well at the orphanage?"

  Elnora nodded. "Yes, I did. They took good care of me. I had many friends there and we had fun together. But when I turned thirteen, I could no longer live there, and had to take care of myself instead.  First I didn’t know what to do, but then I decided to search for the guardians and ask if they could offer me shelter. I met a man in the village where I grew up who told me what it was like to be a guardian. I thought it sounded interesting. I felt it was a great opportunity for me."

  "Do you think they really appreciate what you do?"

  "In what way?" Elnora asked, looking rather surprised.

  "Do you feel that the other guardians respect you? Do you feel that they see what you do? Do you have friends among the guardians?"

  "Stop!" Elnora took a hasty step back and drew her sword. Elio could not help but grin a little. She hardly scared him, especially since the weapon was far too big for her, so she had to hold it with both hands so as not to drop it.

  "You do not need that sword", Elio said ironically. "I'm not going anywhere, I can’t even move."

  Elnora gave him an angry look, and showed her teeth.

  "I really should hate you because you almost killed me, but I don’t," he continued. "I feel rather sorry for you. You have not had an easy life. You're an orphan, just like me."

  "Are you an orphan?" Elnora replied, still holding the sword in her hands.

  "Both of my parents were killed by you."

  "By us? I had nothing to do with it, I swear!" Elnora cried in a terrified voice.

  "The guardians killed my parents, and you are a guardian."

  "But why? Surely there must have been a reason," Elnora asked, replacing the sword back in its scabbard. It was apparent the sword was not hers. She could hardly handle it.

  "That was what I was trying to find out when you attacked me," Elio replied quietly. "I was trying to solve the story of my life when you took me prisoner. I wanted to find out where I came from."

  "Do you know anything about your parents?"

  "Far too little," Elio said.

  Elnora slid down from the wall and sat down beside him. "Who took care of you?" she asked.

  "I too was adopted, and was fortunate to be taken good care of by a wonderful family. They gave me a name and a life."

  "Where are they now?"

  Elio's voice turned serious. "Ask not what you do not want to know." He noticed how her lower lip trembled in the glow of the campfire.

  "Why did they ask you to watch me?" he continued. "No offence, but you were not quite the kind of guard I had expected."

  "My friends wanted us to stay here overnight. They asked me to guard you."

  "Are they nearby?"

  Elnora thought for a moment before she replied.

  "No, they are sitting in their carriage at the other end of town. They drank mead all night and are so drunk that they have fallen asl
eep and are all snoring loudly."

  "Is this something that happens often?"

  Elnora sighed. “Almost every night."

  "Was this how you imagined your life as a guardian?"

  Elnora shook her head. "No, of course not. The only thing we do is to patrol back and forth between different villages and towns."

  "Do you consider me good company?" Elio asked.

  Elnora’s eyes became nervous. "You seem nice. You seem thoughtful. It feels like you actually care about me, but as a guardian I am not even allowed to talk to you."

  "Why listen so much to what others say?" Elio asked.

  "I do not know." Elnora sighed. "I do not usually listen to others."

  She was silent for a moment before continuing. "Sorry that I hurt you. It was almost as painful for me as for you."

  "Think nothing of it, I forgive you, provided you don’t hurt me again."

  Elnora laughed. "No, I will not. You do not have to worry about that."

  "What will happen to me now?" Elio wondered.

  Elnora gazed towards the ground and she remained silent for a long while. Her silence somehow answered his question. She now looked towards the sky,