***

The same had happen so many years ago. A girl of middle class had fallen in love with a man of noble birth. She had light blond hair and brown eyes. Evelyn was her name and the man she loved was named Fredrick, a man with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. Fredrick didn't love Evelyn, she was just what every boy needed to become a man, a naive girl.
She had been waiting for him like she had done so many times before. But now she had been afraid of their meeting. Evelyn hadn't known how Fredrick was going to react on her news. He had come out of the mist close to where she was standing. He had kissed her passionately and had started to undress her, but she had stopped him. 
'Fredrick, I need to tell you something..' The man had looked down at Evelyn. She had never noticed how much taller he was. 
'Yes Evelyn?'
'I am pregnant of you child. I'm so scared.. What are we going to do now?' She had looked up at him. She had seen the change in his eyes and regretted that she had ever told him about their baby. But he had to take responsibility now, she needed him to marry her now. Her hart made a little jump of joy. How great would it be if they got married? But her dream had been smashed into pieces when he had answered: 'I don't know what to do. I.. I will talk to my father and then we will work something out.' His tone was pure business. 
'Frederick I...'
'Shut up woman! I'm going away!' He had turned on his heels and left her alone.
The next day he had come back. Evelyn hadn't slept that night at all, she had only cried. When she at last saw him, she had run towards him and tried to kiss him, but his eyes told her not too. She had been scared of the look, that cold stare of his blue eyes that was so unlike the passion that used to burn in them for her.
'Evelyn. Here is some money. Leave this land and never come back. Start a new life far away from me.' 
Before she could say anything, he had pushed the money in her hands and had left again, not looking back at the girl whose life he had just crushed. Evelyn had looked at his back. She had wanted to scream more than anything, call him back, but the power had drained out of her body and mind. He had left her alone with their baby, escaping the mistake he had made.. 
After an hour of standing where Frederick had left her, Evelyn had started moving slowly again. Her first steps had been full of doubt, but then she had started to run and didn't stop until she entered her room. There she had picked up all her clothes and some food. She had let her eyes touch her room once more before she went out again.. She would never come back to this place. Never!

***

William knocked on the door. A damped voice answered quickly. 'Yes?'
William sighed and then opened the large door. His father was sitting behind his desk in front of a window. William couldn't really see his father, the cold blue eyes that watched over him, the now grey hair that showed his age, and the strong face of the man that was edged into sternness were covered by the sunlight that entered the room through that same window, looking out over the meadows and in the distance... the swamp.
William walked slowly towards  his father. The room seemed so big, ages passed until William reached his fathers desk or so it seemed. In his mind he William knew he was just reluctant to admit to his father the fault he had made, the mistake by the name of Elizabeth, and that his crossing the room only took the normal 10 seconds.
'Yes son?' The voice of his father was low, warning, but loving in his own way. 
'Father... I have a problem.. I need your advice.' William looked at his feet.
'Ahh... Sit down William. And tell me your problem.' His father looked at him. He wondered which little problem was bothering his son who hadn't looked like this since his childhood years.
'Well...' William started. 'I've got this girl..' 
'William? Are you going to marry?' The joy in his fathers voice was making Williams heart skip a beat or two. 
'No father.. She isn't worthy to marry me.. But I did get her with child.' 
The room went quiet. After a few seconds William looked up, not able to take the pressure of the silence anymore. His father was just sitting there, like he wasn't thinking about William at all, like he was wondering what tie to wear or if he should organise a hunting party. This reassured William that he hadn't ruined his future, that it would all be ok.
'Father?'
'William... claim your child. If it is yours.'
'But I don't want a baby!'
'So you admit the child is yours?'
'Yes... but father isn't it better that I give the girl money?' 
'Do you want to live your life knowing that you have a child, but don't know where it is? If it is a boy or a little girl? If it is even still alive? How she grew up? Son it's better to take the consequences like a man. Tell the girl to hand over the child when it's born.
'Then I can just as well marry her!' William cried out, then he regained his neutral composure. 'Good day Sir.' William said, as he turned away and left his father's study as fast as he could. He was angry, but he couldn't be mad at his father.. That wasn't proper. William stormed to a specific place in the classy large house he called home. It was big enough for him to vent his anger and come up with a plan of his own. 
He touched a painting hanging from a wall in his room and pushed it away. He needed money.. He didn't want a child! His vault. There was money. William rotated the lock behind the painting to form the correct numbers and then took some money. 

Just after the door had slammed behind William, his father had relived his past. 
'William.. Believe me... It would be better if you know your child.' His father stood up and looked outside through the large window. He saw William running away from there land and somewhere deep down, Fredrick knew he would never see William again.. He sighed as a tear rolled over his cheek. Another child he had lost.

***

The birth of Evelyn's little child had been hard and bitter. She had been alone since she had ran away. She had no idea how she had done it, but when she now held her little baby girl tight against her chest, she was glad she had pushed through. 
Evelyn had sought shelter in the swamp. It was near Fredricks home, but she had never dared to see if he was home. She had called their little girl Elizabeth. She had always loved that name.. ever since she had heard her mother say it for the first time when they were going to visit her grandmother. The little girl near her chest moved a little and then started to cry. 
'Hush little one.. Mommy's here.. She will take care of you.' She touched the soft cheek of the baby. Elizabeth had her hair, but her eyes reminded Evelyn of her lost love. Evelyn wondered if the girl would have the temper of her father or the love of her mother.. or both.
Years passed and Elizabeth grew up in the swamps that Evelyn had started to call home. Evelyn had picked this place because she thought this was the best place for somebody who was too silly to see the pain in front of her to stay. She knew she was silly to not even try to get over her own bad choices, let alone Fredricks'. Annd every day she stayed, wondering if she should go, Elizabeth grew.
It seemed that Lizzy, as Evelyn called her daughter, had a mix of both their tempers. She could be as loving as her mother, picking flowers and dancing in the fog... but she also played with the wild cats that hunted in the swamp and was soon just as quick and agile as they were. And she could throw terrible tantrums when Evelyn tried to take what Lizzy called 'Her Freedom' away from her.
From adventurous toddler Lizzy grew to angry teen. She was now 19 years old and from the little girl she once had been was nothing left. Instead a young woman with the same blue eyes, grown up in a harsh world, now looked at the world through her eyes... and they didn't like what she saw. The wisdom inside them was still growing. 
But Elizabeth had yet to face another ordeal. She knew her mother wouldn't live long.. The cough of Evelyn was horrible to hear. Lizzy looked around their home. It was a small house with only one room holding a bed, a table and two lumps of wood they used as chairs. She knew their were better houses, but she also knew that most of them hadn't had the same amount love of her mother had given her. Lizzy returned to her work, she stayed in as long as she could, taking care of her mother, but she knew her efforts would turn out in vain.
Could she live a life without other people around? 

***

William ran outside into the swamp. He had met Elizabeth there. At first he had thought that she was just a figment of his imagination, but she wasn't. She had been silent and scared, like she had never seen another person before. How he wished it was that day again, so he could stop himself from ever going to her. 
He had come there every day from the first time he had seen her. She was a pretty lass, though it was clear she had never seen more than a casual coin. Low born and fated to stay where she was. 
'I'm not going to hurt you...' He had said when he had finally worked up the courage to go to her.. She hadn't said a thing, she had only looked at him.
'Don't be scared.. I won't hurt you.' 
'How can I be sure of that?' She had asked. Her voice was as the birds when the sun got up, sweet, but sometimes irritating, almost like a shriek when she got excited. 
He pulled himself back into the reality of the day and walked slowly through the swamp. It was a tricky road, but he knew the way from all the visits he had paid Elizabeth. How stupid he felt for not considering there might be consequences. William didn't like feeling stupid, he was a nobleman He should be above such feelings.
When he turned around a curve in the road, passing some trees he saw her. There she was.. Sitting alone on a tree stump overgrown with moss and mushrooms. She saw him almost immediately.
'William!' She got up and wanted to walk towards him, but he stopped her with his money, waving it in front of him to make his intentions clear.
'Elizabeth. Take this money and leave, get out of my life.'
'I don't want your filthy money!' Elizabeth said angry. How could he do that to her! Like she was some cheep woman of the streets he had paid for a one night stand. If he had asked her something else. Anything else...
'Elizabeth, I...'
'No! Enough! Get out of my life! Leave and never come back!' Now it was Elizabeth's turn to run away. Her heart was raging with anger, the beats obscuring the sounds of her footsteps. 
William stayed there for a second or two. She had dared to speak against his will? She was certainly a liability... If she wouldn't take the money, she would not shut up. Elizabeth clearly didn't know what was good for her. He was getting desperate, he needed to shut her up. If only she could die so she wouldn't pose a threat to his future. He had done what was right, given her the opportunity to get away safely, to start a new life with good money. But that wasn't enough for her.. She was going to destroy his life.. William just knew it. She had to die. There was no other way.
William started to run after Elizabeth. He knew he could reach her if he ran long enough, he had always been faster than her. But she knew the swamps...
Elizabeth ran through the swamps but was distracted by a light in the distance. Not knowing what it was, she looked away and suddenly felt the ground vanish under her feet. She had missed a step and had fallen in a patch of quicksand. She knew that she had to keep as still as she could, but slowly she felt she was sinking.
William got near her and saw her sinking. A smile lighted his face.
You will die slowly... So much better then what I had in mind he thought. And now no-one will ever know it was me... In fact it wasn't me. You did this all to yourself. Problem solved.
'William Help me...' She screamed.
He didn't bend down to help her. All he needed to do was wait. Elizabeth reacted quickly when she saw he wasn't going to help her. She grabbed William by his ankles and hold on for her life. He hadn't expected that and fell beside her in the quicksand. He moved to get away, making him go deeper.
'William no.. Don't move...' But it was too late.. William went under and not long after him, Elizabeth followed.

***

'Elizabeth? Wake up.' It was William. 
'Where are we?' She asked looking around the beautiful place. Green meadows and grass waving in the wind. Flowers in all colours lining a nearby road and birds flying overhead. Was this heaven?
'I don't know.. We aren't in heaven or something like that. We are still alive.' William said, 'Can you walk?' He looked concerned. 
'Yes I think so...' William helped Elizabeth on her feet and together they left towards the East. Following the road to the rising sun. Elizabeth was stunned at what she saw around her, the place was better than she had ever expected somewhere could be. She smiled at William, glad that they were both still alive.
If you think that I have changed you're wrong... William said, looking and smiling gently at Elizabeth. She didn't say anything to free him from his own selfish opinions. She suddenly remembered that he had done nothing to save her. He had just stood there.
They walked for a whole day, but at the end of it they reached a tower. Elizabeth was panting heavily and William had lost a lot of the bounce in his steps. Neither of them were used to walking long distances. Elizabeth was maybe in the better shape, but she was having trouble with her pregnancy. 
'We're almost there...' William said to her.
Not much later Elizabeth was laying in a bed that people had appointed her. She felt comfortable enough to just close her eyes and fall asleep within seconds. William, on the other hand, explored the place because it seemed so interesting here. Where they still in England, he wondered. He had never heard about a place like this.
William went outside and was immediately drawn to a large opening in a nearby mountain side. Slowly he started moving toward it.
'Sir wait!' a man yelled.
William waited just in front of a large cave. 'Yes? What's wrong?' he asked.
'You can't go in there... You will be killed...' the man said looking too serious to shake the warning of like a joke.
'Killed?' William was interested. A thought started forming in his head, maybe he could convince Elizabeth to enter and kill her that way. He still felt like he should kill her, leaving her here would be too great a risk. Someday she might come back to hurt him when he had finally reached the future that awaited him.
The man was explaining something, but William wasn't listening. He was thinking of how he could get Elizabeth in that cave. 
'I won't do that again... Sorry..' I have to know more about that cave. He thought.
'Don't worry about it.'

***

When Elizabeth was 19 her mother called her in and told her something Lizzy would never forget...
'Lizzy...' Evelyn coughed. 'I want to tell you something...'
'Easy mother.. What did you want to say... ' Elizabeth was worried something was wrong with her mother, on top of the terrible cough. Speaking drained her energies and Lizzy tried to calm her down enough to sleep. But Evelyn needed to tell her daughter her story.
'I want to tell you about your father... I want you to know who he is.'
'Mother.. Save your breath.' She said, but her mother didn't want to listen.
'No Lizzy.. I know My time is near. You must know this..'
Elizabeth sat down on the bed of her mother, holding the weak hand with almost transparent skin softly. Elizabeth looked at it. She knew that her mother was near her death, but she didn't want to except it. 
'Your father is..' Another terrible cough...

***

'Elizabeth my love... I want you to see something.' Williams face lighted up when he saw how weak she was. Soon... He thought. Soon all this will be over.
Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly. 'Oh William.. What happened?'
No time to explain Love.. Now it is time for you to come and see what I found the other day.
Slowly Elizabeth got up and sat on the bed a moment. 'Oh.. My head.. Everything is spinning.'
'Come Elizabeth.' William was annoyed with her for not jumping up and listening to her. He was used to obedience and didn't much like waiting for his problem to get her head in order.
Elizabeth stood up and grabbed William when she fell. William took a step back and watched her fall. An evil grin played around his mouth. Soon... maybe the dead in the cavern would be as slow as he had hoped the quicksand would be.
'William help me..' Elizabeth was too weak to get up. 
William sighed and pulled her on her feet. 'Now can we go?' He asked her. 
A tear rolled over Elizabeth's cheek. 'Yes' She whispered softly.
Elizabeth stumbled after William when he left the room. He had gotten to know more about that cave, it was the resting place of violent xeno dragons. All waiting until someone was offered to them. Then the xeno would enter that poor victim's body and stay there, nursing on it's host's body... The grin on Williams face got larger and his eyes became dark.
The only thing he needed to do was to get Elizabeth close enough to the eggs...
But there was something wrong.. More people were entering the cave. It was handy in a way. No-one would notice him when he finally pushed Elizabeth over the edge of life. William had first wondered how he would get Elizabeth past that irritating man. But the man wasn't standing outside the cavern anymore... in stead there were people inside, packaged to the walls of the cave, unconscious.
A little uncomfortable, he followed two others who were heading in. One out of his own will, the other dragging his feet. They came to the inner circle of eggs, passing right through the larger circle. Suddenly a small egg broke, it's shell oozing with a putrid liquid. An 8-legged spider-bone creature leapt out and fastened itself on the man that had been forced in.
The screams.... William couldn't handle them. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all. He wanted her Elizabeth dead, preferably slow, but this? Why hadn't he listen to his father? William turned round and wanted to run away, but Elizabeth stopped him, she was surprisingly strong considering that she had been sick all week.
'Stop William... Will you leave your sister alone in this? You are not the first in your family to cross the line of what's proper.' Elizabeth turned towards William. His eyes were wide open and his mouth fell open. 'In fact you men all make bad choices.'
Elizabeth saw the look on William's face and smiled.
'Are you so shocked? Making a peasant girl pregnant runs in your veins. Stay with me brother dear... I want you to see this!' Elizabeth threw her head back and the most evil laugh left her lips. Gently she stroked an egg with the side of her foot. The last thing William saw was the creature lurching out to grab him... then darkness and pain. Lot's of pain.

***

Elizabeth is a candidate at the Apocalypse clutch at Cy Dragonstake