A Second Chance

Nuada inhaled sharply, before releasing a shuddering breath. His hand immediately went to the wound in his chest- the one not made by his enemy, nor himself, but his own sister. “Nuala…” He said, forcing her name out, as he turned to look at her. His movements were already sluggish and awkward, and he was sure that death already had him in its grasp. He pulled another breath in as his eyes met his twin’s. They were filled with regret, pain, and most of all sorrow. “…M-My sister.” He whispered, knowing full well his actions were really the ones to cause their downfall. He watched helplessly as his sister collapsed, and saw Abe run to her side. Death was certain now, and he too fell to the ground. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. He had promised his people their freedom from living in the shadows of the humans. Now, it seemed, death was taking them, and Nuada knew that the rest of his people would soon fade. It would not be long before the elves disappeared from the world entirely, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if the other races soon followed. As he laid on the ground blackness and a cold, empty feeling overtook him, and he could do nothing but give in.  


….Beep.


It was a void. Black, cold, empty. It was far from hell, but further from heaven. A purgatory, perhaps? Where souls await judgment? It gave no clue as to where anything was. There was no up or down, top or bottom, left or right. It felt hollow and weightless, but at the same time suffocating.


Beep…….Beep.


What was that noise? Where was it coming from? But most importantly, why was it bothering him? He couldn’t still possibly be alive…could he? He wanted to move, and tried, but nothing happened.


….Beep…..Beep…..BEEP.


It came again, and was getting louder. He wanted out of this darkness. If his soul was to be judged, why wasn’t anything happening? “Nuada.”  It came through very faintly, but he recognized the voice immediately.


BEEP. “Nuada.”  Both the noise and his sister’s voice became louder…stronger.


Finally, something happened. An invisible force began to push him out of this dark void.  Where at first he felt nothing, he now felt a certain heaviness, more noticeably, pain. Breathing became involuntary, but every time he pulled air in, it hurt deep within his chest. And this pain meant one thing. He was still alive. But how? He had been certain Nuala had pierced her own heart with the dagger….and he knew she was well aware of what he had said. He would not stop. He could not. The darkness of the void slowly washed away, and a nearly blinding light surrounded him.


BEEP….BEEP…BEEP. It wasn’t stopping, and he’d had enough. His eyes opened, slowly, trying to adjust to the harsh light. As soon as his eyes adjusted, he took everything in. He was on a bed, in a room filled with human machines and technology. It was now he discovered why he couldn’t move. He had been strapped down to the bed, and thick strips of leather ran across his chest, stomach, arms and legs. Even in good condition, escaping would have proved difficult, so for now he made no effort. If he was going to escape, he would need to recover as quickly as possible. His attention turned once more to the area around him, and his eyes pulled in everything that might be of use to him. He smirked, noticing that someone had left his spear but a few feet from where he lay. The one who did so would pay dearly for their mistake. He continued to look around, and then wondered where they might be keeping Nuala. It was obvious she wouldn’t need strapping down like he did, but her well-being still concerned him. He closed his eyes, and took another painful breath in. Using the telepathic link between them, he called to her, but after several moments and no response, he figured she was either ignoring his call or was still unconscious. He exhaled another shuddered breath, wishing the pain in his chest would dull.


“Hey, Abe! I think the Royal Assness is awake!” A gruff voice interrupted the silence, and the being it belonged to was coming to him.
“You…The demon…” Nuada whispered, his tone filled with disgust. The red skinned demon was the last thing he wanted to see, save for Abraham Sapien. It was only now that he began to struggle against the leather straps, but in his condition he could not do much.


“Stay there.” Hellboy began, motioning to the bed Nuada was on with the pointer finger on his stone hand.
“If it weren’t for your sister, the both of you would have already died. And if you two didn’t have this strange bond, I wouldn’t have any problem taking you out.” He added, and then took a sip from the beer can he held.


Nuada’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He knew arguing would do little, and he highly doubted that the demon would let him go…even if he asked nicely. (sarcasm) He sighed, but hid his frustration from the demon. The last thing he wanted was to give the demon any kind of pleasure besides seeing him in this helpless state.


“You still got a pretty bad attitude, eh?” Red asked, noticing the prince’s underlying frustration. He took another sip from his beer can. He didn’t feel sorry for the elf, but he understood the situation he was in.


“Why does it concern you?” Nuada questioned, frustration now clearly showing through. He closed his eyes again, and grit his teeth. He was just going to ignore the demon, until the door to the room opened.


In walked not only the one he hated the most, but his sister, who leaned heavily on Abe. Her breathing was labored, and was obviously in pain, which only made Nuada’s wound hurt more. He completely ignored Abe, and focused his attention on his twin. “Nuala…” He whispered, and tried to lift his hand towards her, but was reminded by the leather straps that he wasn’t allowed to move.