A nights stroll in the gradens (Rain)

The night air was brisk, a soft breeze rustled through the hedges and trees of the catsle gardens of Larien. The bell tolled, one...two...three...four...nine times, striking the hour of nine. A glorious cresent moon hung amoung the tapestry of stars, all was silent amoung the gardens. However, the silence came to be broken as the sound of gentle footfalls echoed against the pearl walls of the shinning castle.
Cluthed in a white night gown, with her white hair running free of her crown, Ilene strolled amoungst the gardens, her pale face seeming to glint in the pale shine of the moon. Her deep green eyes were partially glazed, in deep though she was.
Her pale hands held onto the gown's front, trying to keep her body warm as she walked. The queen approached a hedging, and sat along the low wall that encircled it. With her gaze slowly shifting onto the radiant luna, she thought to herself in peaceful dreaming
'Oh celestial being that looms over us all, my mind is so heavy it seems as of late. If I could wonder as to a single thing, it is to when I shall forget this nonsense with my kin, and to focus on mine own happiness.

Ilene eyes slowly fluttered closed as she listened to the silent sounds of the night air for a breif moment. Then as they once again opened, she felt she was being watched. Ilene had a fair idea of who it could be, as he would be by her side nearly all the time.
"Rain, I know it is you. Please do not hide like this, come, join me."
She said without turning her head to look behind her. Ever since his arrival Rain had constantly been around Ilene. The thought of his arrival day and the... incident made a vibrant blush come across the bridge of Ilene's nose. Ilene had never seen a man anked before and she'd been very embarased. She prayed to herself that he'd forgotten about that.

Ilene watched Rain from the corner of her eye, he was tense. The night had been very queit, not even the crickets were playing their normal symphany.
"Rain please calm down, the night is silent there is no need to be so restless."
She said softly, trying to get her knight to relax. It seemed she had spoken too soon. A shadow moved in the distance and Ilene flinched. Once again her hands grasped her night gown, as if her hands were trying to cover her heart.
"Perhaps I am wrong?"
She muttered as she moved away from the shadows a bit more, watching to make sure nothing was there. Then a glint, and a knife flew forth, aimed toward Ilene.

Ilene's throat belted out a shrill scream of terror as she saw Rain become injured. Hastily, she pushed herself form the wall and ran toward the knight, kneeling beside him and trying to stop the bleeding with her ice powers. As the wound froze, tears feel from Ilenes eyes as she watched Rain bleed, the clanking of armor was fastly approaching.
Before the other knights arrived Ilene muttered as she held onto Rain's head
"Rain, please do not die... I cannot let another of my knights die... especially not you.."
As the last words choked from her throat, the other knights quickly assembled. Half apprehended the assassin and ended him there, the other half gathered up Rain and ran him to the infermary. Ilene watched with teary vision as they ran to get their brother help. With all her might she prayed, she prayed that he would be safe as another knight lead her back to her room.

Three sleepless days passed, and as Rain finally awoke and tried to rush and see the queen a maid quickly stopped him and set him back onto the bed.
"Please Sir Rain, do not stress your wound anymore or it may reopen. The queen is fine but she has not been at ease since you came here three days ago. I shall go tell her that you are awake."
The maid then stood and hurriedly walked from the room. Moments passed and the sound of heeled shoe clacking against the hard floors of the caslte appraoched. The heavy wooden door open and ilene threw herself at Rain to embrace his neck, sobbing softly.
[coor=#0066FF]"Rain! You are alright! I was so frightened! I could have faced the assassin a thousands times over and it still wold have not scared me as much as seeing you hurt like that!"[/color]

Ilene barely heard him as she began to calm down by herself. Then as a shock she nearly moved in to touch his lips with hers. Quickly seeing this she backed away, her face a lucid red and her hands clamped firmly over her mouth. It became tense and awkward as she said nothing, hoping Rain wouldn't become angry with her.
Luckily nobody else was in the infurmary so nobody else saw what had just happened. Ilene quickly turned so her back faced Rain, trying to get her face back to it's pale tone before she faced him again.

Ilene felt Rain embrace her from behind and her face flustered again. Then she saw him trying to reach for his coat. In a flicker she grabbed onto it and looked to Rain with a very serious face.
"Rain, as your queen and your friend I command you to rest until you are fully healed."
Then with an even more serious look, she said the one thing Rain could not refuse.
"That is a direct order Sir Rain."
Her voice was very serious, unbecoming of her as most knew her. When she spoke like this it would even frighten some people as they knew her as a very kind, soft spoke monarch.

Ilene nodded and let go of the coat as she watched him walk toward the bed again. As his hair swayed from his exposed back, strange symbols suddenly showed themselves to Ilene. They appeared to be in some strange language, she remembered Rain had told her he was half elf, it must have been elvin writtings.
As he lay back down she nodded and turned to slowly walked back out fo the room. As the door shut she scurried off to the library to see what the symbols meant.

From the time she entered the library to that night, Ilene searched every book she could find to try and see what those symbols on Rain's back mean. Volume after volume, page after page, word after word and still she found nothing. With a heavy sigh Ilene ran her finger thorugh her snowy locks, glaring at the book she'd just found and closed it, placing it on the growing stack of ten books already.
She moved back farther and farther amoung the rows of shelves trying to find anything that might help. Once in the very back of the library, she stopped as she came across an older volume then anything she'd ever seen. Removing it from the shelf, and brushing the dust form the cover she hurriedly went back to her seat and flipped open the book.

In hope, Ilene turned the yellow pages of the old book. Atlast her hopes were realized as she came across symbols that looked much like the ones she'd seen imprinted on Rain's back. She read further and further, then stood up in shock as the book fell onto the table, a cloud of dust flying away.
"W-what?! How is this possible?! I have to talk to Rain!"
She said and ran from the library, holding the book under her arm as she used her free hand to pick up the skirt of her dress. Once she reached the infirmary, she opened the door looking for Rain.
"Rain?! Rain where are you?!"
She almost yelled, her voice holding shock and some anger in it as well. How could he have not told her this?! He was her knight, noble and loyal to her! He must keep no secrets!

As Rain ran out Ilene threw the book on the ground on the open page and shoved it with her foot toward him. It showed the symbolsa nd she crossed her arms in anger.
"I saw the marking on your back Rain, whay have you not told me this?! Why have you kept that your are of noble blood, a prince no less, from me?!"
She yelled, her voice becoming shrill with furry and disappointment. Ilene trsuted Rain, and though she would not say it now, she even thought she had feelings for the knight. But now that she knew he was hiding something from her, she shook her head, burnign tears of anger in her eyes.
"I thought I knew thee Rain, I believed you to be my friend, my knight. But I was wrong, I know nothing of you!"
With a stamp of her foot she turned and ran out, not giving Rain the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Ilene burst outside into the gardens, confusing the gaurds that were standing there. She yelled for them to leave her as she ran deeper and deeper into the hedge maze in the back of the castle. Finding the center at last, she cumpled beside the stone bench that stood there, her head burrying itself into her arms as she began to cry.
In truth Ilene didn't even know why she was crying, and she couldn't think of a reason. She just cried and cried. The day was gone and the night was just beginning, crickets sounded this night, chirping a sad tune that Ilene cried to even more.

Ilene's tears slowly faded into her skin, but she stayed bunched up into herself to try and calm herself more. Rain's voice startled her and she whipped herself around just to watch him fall. She gasped so loud it was a hair away from a scream, and scurried over to rest him head in her lap and freeze the wound again. The tears returned and they fell onto Rain's face.
"What have I done? Rain you are now hurt twicee because of me... I am not fit to be queen, I cannot even keep my knights safe let alone my subjects...."
She muttered then looked to Rain, as she wept she bent down and kissed his forehead.
"Please forgive my foolishness..."