A Last Meal

Necroth walked up the hill with his usual arrogant swagger. He was tall, handsome, with dark hair and eyes that were like black pits. His cloak fluttered in the wind, shifting between blacks and greys and screaming faces. The rest of his clothes were black, tunic, boots, breeches, he had the look of a man who would do evil with a will. He soon arrived at the top of the hill where a table, seemingly carved out of black stone, sat and was set with a meal fit for a king.

There were roast foul and even a boar with a bright red apple in his mouth. There were bowls overflowing with fruit, whole cheeses, fresh loaves of bread, soups and stews, the works. Sitting at one end of the table was a woman, who was sipping something from a goblet thoughtfully. She was beautiful, with hair the color of chestnuts, like brown skin, and dark green eyes. She wore a simple white dress, a belt of gold links, and a wreath of olive leaves sat on her hair.

When she saw Necroth, she nodded to him. "Necroth, I'm surprised you came." Her voice was faintly song-like and sweet, calling to mind birds singing in a forest.

Necroth sat down and reached for a silver goblet. "Lidrinna, I must say you look especially fair today, beautiful as the dawn if I remember correctly from the ballads." His voice was smooth and honeyed. With a few words he could convince even the wisest man to believe his lies.

Lidrinna took a sip from her goblet. "Ever the flatterer Necroth, but this place is not for your lies."

Necroth looked innocently surprised, but the both knew that it was an act. "Flatterer? I? Never, I only speak what is true."

Lidrinna pursed her lips. "Your acting has improved since our younger years."

Necroth nodded deeply. "Why thank you."

Lidrinna tasted some soup and smiled at the bowl before her face reverted back to its original solemnity and she looked back at Necroth who was eating an apple that he had presumably taken from the roast boar. "I trust you know why I asked you here?"

Necroth nodded and threw the apple core over his shoulder. "But of course. We're here to discuss my profession are we not? And how it is not to you other Elements liking."

Lidrinna scoffed. "Your 'profession'? Honestly Necroth, we both know that what you do is bring death, cause dissention, and spread lies. Ultimately destroying The People, who you helped to create!"

Necroth shrugged, cutting a slice of bread and a slab of cheese. "I suppose that is true. But it is what I do best. After all, doesn't Media go about healing whoever is in trouble? Doesn't Soren call down storms upon the seas because he likes to anger Marya?

"Doesn't Glacya summon blizzards that blanket Comono and Iltyan and Damerlon? All of us, the Elements who are thought of as gods, cause death. I just cause a bit more."

Lidrinna was shaking, she set her goblet down angrily, knocking over a bowl of soup onto the ground. "The others may cause death but at least they don't do it intentionally! You however, do and do so with a hunger and utter disregard-"

Necroth looked at her with evident amusement as he took a sip of his wine. "I thought that this was supposed to be a truce meeting?" He interrupted innocently.

Lidrinna took a deep breath and ate a grape. "Yes, it is." There was a few moments of silence as the two ate before Lidrinna spoke again. She dabbed her mouth delicately with her napkin and asked, "The terms of the truce first?"

Necroth shrugged, swallowing some meat. "Why not?"

"The terms of the truce are thus: that you will stop terrorizing The People if we create you your own land to destroy."

Necroth cocked an eyebrow. "I see, and that's it? No catches, no 'but if you do this Necroth we'll try and destroy you' kind of thing?"

Lidrinna shook her head. "Nothing like that, just this straightforward deal." She snapped her fingers and a roll of parchment appeared and a fiery red quill pen. "All you have to do, is sign this."

Necroth eyed the pen and parchment, and then he laughed. Lidrinna watched him calmly as he almost rolled in his chair with laughter.

"Oh Lidrinna," He finally said when he was able to speak, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "You really didn't think that that little ploy would work did you?"

Lidrinna didn't say anything, just looked at him placidly.

"Honestly," Necroth said, coming to his feet. "Everyone knows that any contract signed with a phoenix quill is binding as long at time lasts. Did you honestly think I wouldn't recognize it?"

Lidrinna sighed and snapped her fingers again. The quill and parchment disappeared. She stood up. "I didn't think Necroth, it was a test. One that you had failed. And now, because of you, we are both going to suffer greatly for it."

Necroth opened his mouth to say something but before he could Lidrinna raised both of her hands into the air, yelled, "Haesit in aeternum non exire!" Made a grabbing motion and pulled down. The air rumbled and the skies turned black. Necroth looked at Lidrinna in horror.

"What have you done?!" He yelled. His cloak was ripped away and disappeared. "What have you done?!"

Lidrinna stared at him, a rather contented smile on her face. "Now you won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again Necroth."

Necroth shook with anger. "You will pay for this." He spat. "I'll make you pay!"

Lidrinna looked at him in an almost pitying way. "Oh Necroth, what drove you down this path?" She shook her head. "But ah well, I'm afraid you shall never get your revenge. Sleep well my old friend."

And with that, both Elements slumped back into their chairs, and fell into the deepest of sleep. In this sleep, time, memory, thought, everything is lost and forgotten. From this sleep, no one could be awoken unless they were of the Chosen. The Legend of the Chosen is highly disputed to be untrue, and thus, no one believes that the two Banished Elements will ever be woken. And thus, the two enemies were lost to time, gone from the world, never to be seen again. Until even the memory of them disappeared, enshrouded in mist and time.