ON HOLD Perfect Suffering: The Eternal Lovers Vol. 1

“The only feeling that is more powerful than love, is neither loss nor heartbreak, but in fact, betrayal.” Arthur shouted as he slammed the horses reigns. I held onto him tightly with my eyes closed not wanting to look back. I could hear what sounded like distant villiagers following us in a violent heard. I could feel his heart beating as fast as the horses hooves. I held onto him tightly, not wanting to look back at our impending demise. We soon made it to an old barn. He jumped off while simultaneously helping me down. “We can’t stop here. We have to keep going!” I protested but he struck the horse sending it off without us. “There’s nothing left for us Elizabeth. This is the end.” He tirelessly explained. We ran into the barn barricading ourselves. Upon further inspection I could tell he had been gravely injured before he rescuing me. "Are you okay my love?" He comforted me intensely as I tended to his bloodied chest and neck. “Don’t worry about me. Soon it’ll be over.” I could see sorrow in his eyes as he accepted his fate. I stepped back in rejection at the idea he’d die for me; not knowing of my nature. “What’s the matter?” He pressed as the villagers neared. "I'm sorry I didn't want this for you. I just wanted to be with you one last time." I exclaimed as tears began to flow. I impulsively kissed him, wrapping my hands around his face. Then, what felt like a large gust of wind engulfed us and I could feel something shift in the atmosphere. After many moments I recoiled, and he became stoic. Before I could explain what everything, he stumbled forward, and that's when I noticed. A thick blade was sticking through right his heart and more blood began running down his body.The blade retracted and he fell to the ground limply. There stood Edward, my consort, "You were just a poor peasant wench before I found you. Your w***e mother even begged me to take you. I gave you a life men would kill thousands for. Now look at you! YOU’VE BROUGHT HELL UPON US ALL!!!" He hissed. Soon the evening sky turned black through the panels of the wooden ceiling causing commotion from the villagers outside. I could feel myself becoming stronger though I knew nothing of what was happening. As their screams begin to ring out I look down to see his blade had pass through Arthur and into me, yet I felt nothing. I fearlessly approached Edward knowing his blade wouldn’t do harm. "Burn me, hang me, slaughter me. You cannot kill me. I've already tried as much." I began laughing as he looked at me in horror. "I may not know what you are. If you're a witch or a partner of the devil. But I can ensure you that you will not see the light of day." He readied his sword aimed directly towards my chest. "Tell me. Did you really think you could have me?" His blade trembled as I got closer. "I mean, look at me. I’ve called Satan himself upon my soul to be rid of you. And now, I’ve cursed the very ground you stand and all that look to you for salvation." My eyes locked to his as I felt nothing but hate in my soul. "You'll regret those words." His voice choked at my curse. As he swung his sword, Arthur suddenly stood as if he was never wounded and grabbed Edward's wrist spinning him around. His back was to me but Edward look as if he was staring at the death himself. In a matter of moments his teeth sunk into his throat and with one swift motion his blood splattered onto the hay like a bucket of water. I watched in horror as Arthur turned to me, eyes blackened to a dark crimson. "You did this. He showed me. You caused all of this." He calmly spoke looking down to Edward who was gargling in his own blood. "Arthur..." I was too stun to speak. I reached for his face and it felt as cold as stone. Before I could explain he walked towards the exit of the barn, facing the angry villagers. They all swarmed him shouting with their weapons. I stood frozen as more horrors began bellowing out. I witnessed what was practically a m******e ensue at the singular hand of Arthur and him alone. I didn’t blink as he tore everyone limb from limb in the matter of minutes. By the time I got the courage to step out the voices and screams had already silenced and the air was still. He turned to me as his eyes reverted back to normal causing him to fall to the ground. I ran to his aid and held his head to me pleading for him to come back to. His mouth was caked in blood and I could no longer feel his heartbeat. I looked around at the death and dismay wondering what my life has come to. I even stared at the sky as a last plea to God for help. I looked back to him and his eyes fluttered open. I sighed in relief kissing him but he didn’t react. “We must go.” He muttered getting up then walking towards the near forest. I ‘foolishly’ followed behind him. — We walked for what felt like hours and the sun began to rise. I would ask him where we were going which would be met with silence from him. Eventually, I became familiar with our surroundings and knew where we were. “Why are we here?” I asked and he surprisingly responded. “This is where I promised to love you forever. You remember?” He still didn’t look to me. “I remember..” I replied as I smirked to myself. We finally came to the only place him and I knew about. It was a river bank deep into the forest which had a cavern big enough for the two of us. Arthur built a secret door so that we could hide together undetected and not easily found by others. It was the one place we could truly be together. It was where we first made love. I helped open the door and we stepped down into still neatly kept hideaway. “We can’t stay here forever. They’ll find us eventually.” I slightly panicked as I pondered the ramifications of what we did. He calmly shushed me as he held me from behind. “You don’t have to worry.” He softly whispered kissing my neck. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice grew deeper. I peered over my shoulder to him and noticed his eyes were dark yet again. I attempted to retract from him but he was somehow stronger than me. “What are you doing?!” I began fighting back. He was silent once again. I looked down to see a rope in his hand. His arm tightly wrapped around my neck as he began binding me with it. I screamed as he wrapped it around my neck with little to no remorse. "Please don't do this!" I begged and he brought me to the ground. He caressed me while fastening the rope to a nearby stone, "I promise I will return once I find a way to cure the both us. I won’t allow the devil to have claim over souls." His voice now back to normal. "Please..." I still pleaded while he continued to anchor the rope. "Don't leave me here alone. I cannot bare it!" My hope faded as he climbed back out of the cavern peering over to me. "I love you Elizabeth. I promise I will save you." He gave one last glance as the door closed. "NOOOOOOOOO!" My screams felt muted by the darkness around me. — How could the only person I trusted and love throw me away like a piece of meat? And yet somehow, in that moment I believed him. Because what kind of lover doesn’t keep his promise to the person that saved his life? The person that gave him new life. That was perhaps my most sinful act. Believing love was more powerful than betrayal.