I'm falling for the man I hate ~ But is he falling as hard as I am? ~1~

Banner By: whitemoonofthetiger YAY! LOVE IT!!! THANK YOU!

Banner by: whitemoonofthetiger YAY! LOVE IT!!! THANK YOU!!! YAY!!!
okay... so hope you enjoy! And more will be coming after this... just give me a little time!

Ethan promised himself right then, that he would never let her go again.

Irena's breathing was labored as she kissed Ethan, but she couldn't get enough. She needed more of him, wanted more of him. They had fallen back onto the bed and Ethan was over her, protective, save, and perfect. Ethan pulled up from her slightly, their eyes meeting each other. She couldn't believe that just yesterday she had been fighting off her husband. It seemed like a life time ago, now that she was with Ethan. He smiled down at her, relishing in the moment of peace.

But then all too quickly it was taken away.

The door was open before either of them could have reacted. An arrow was shot at them, and by instinct Ethan moved to see what was happening, that slightly movement allowed the arrow to cut through the air between them and hit her right in the stomach.

"AHH!" She screamed as it penetrated her flesh, ripping her with sudden pain.

"NO!" Ethan screamed as he realized what had happened so quickly.

"SEEZE HIM!" Irena moved her head to see the guard she had commanded to report to the general. He was a rebel. A spy. A traitor.

"AGH!!" Ethan screamed as he hit one of the ten men that had broken into their room.

"Looks like we interrupted a moment, boys! Lets help them out!" The guard sneered as six men held down Ethan. They quickly tied him up in ropes, restraining him from doing the damage they knew he could. The rest went for Irena. They dragged her off the bed, and repeatedly kicked her with their hardened leather boots. She tried not to cry, tried not to scream as their hits abused her body.

"IRENA!" Ethan screamed as he tried to get to his knees. "AHH!" He pushed at the men holding him down, fighting frantically to get to her. Some how their happiness had been taken yet again from their grasp.

Irena couldn't help the scream escape her lips as she felt a rib snap. Then another. And another. The beating seemed to flow from one painful point to another, never ending till her whole body seemed to scream at her. It wasn't long after that when she couldn't take it anymore and her mind gave up on trying to cope with the pain. She blacked out.

"IRENA!" Ethan screamed again as he saw her suddenly limp body kicked again and again by the men. It was like every kick pounded down on her body ripped through his, till he couldn't stand it.

"Stop!" A commanding voice said sharply and the men stopped, looking up to the guard that they had so foolishly trusted. He walked over to her and picked up her severely abused face. "Long live the queen." He said then spit in her face and let her limp head fall to the floor. He snapped his fingers and one man pulled out his sword, leveling it over Irena's neck.

"NO!" Ethan screamed as he saw the unbearable sight. Suddenly the man holding the sword tumbled over, an arrow protruding from his back. Ethan's head swung around to see Justin's large axe lopping off the head of the guard that had betrayed them. Justin swung around, and in the same arch landed his axe into the back of one of the men.

"JUSTIN!" Justin retched the axe from the mans back and swung it into the next man running for him. He slammed it into the mans chest then quickly ripped it from his body and in a slamming arch came down suddenly on Ethan's ropes, cutting him free. Ethan quickly whipped to his feet and managed to get a sword from one of the fallen men. The other six men didn't have a chance. It seemed that it was over almost as fast as it had started. Ethan dropped his sword as he ran over to Irena. He pulled the man off of Irena, to find that the mans sword had sunk into Irena's chest, forced in by the weight of the man falling on top of her. It wasn't a deep gash, but he blood loss from this wound as well as the others couldn't be good.

"Oh god." Ethan whispered as he looked down at the bloodied, crooked body. Her body was twisted and mashed, her once beautiful white dress now red with the amount of blood covering it. "Irena." Ethan whispered out as he gently took her fragile neck in his hands, holding her head up. "Please Irena…" She didn't make any move. "Oh god…" Justin crumpled beside him.

"Is she breathing?"

"I- I don’t know… " Ethan's voice shook as he held her neck, and his other hand tried to do something, anything to help the wounded body. Justin squirmed around to the other side of her, and lowered his head to her lips, trying to hear her breathing. Ethan couldn't stop the helplessness from seeping up through him, nor could he stop the sudden tears falling from his tortured eyes.

"Ethan… she's breathing! She's breathing Ethan! She's alive!" Justin's screamed out, surprised that any woman could take a beating like that and still be breathing. Ethan looked down at her body.

"We need to help her."

"Yes! Yes of course!"

"KEEPER!" Justin yelled out, calling for the inn keeper. The large man bustled to the room.

"What the hell-"

"Please! Get us a doctor!"

"No! NO! She's not safe here… Get us a coach! We'll leave at once!" The keeper looked to Irena's body then back up to Ethan.

"But sir… she's is wounded."

"Yes, and she will be even more if more rebels find us! We have to get out of this land." The keeper looked at Irena once again then quickly nodded and stumbled out of the room.

"Ethan, are you sure? She may be breathing now, but I don’t know how long she'll say that way with out help."

"We'll bandage her up… I cant risk more men coming after us. She needs to be safe." Justin didn't say another word as they bandaged her body the best they could.

I shouldn't have listened to her. I should have taken her home right then. Why didn't I keep her safe. I have to keep her safe. She has to live. I need her to live.

Ethan's thoughts took over his mind as they worked on her fragile body.

Please live. I need you Irena.