A/N: This is part of a one-hundred one-shot challenge. Some of them will not be posted due to using characters that belong to friends. Also, Glyssa and Shaonia belong to me, as do all the characters in this one-shot.
Sweat rolled off Song's skin in rivulets, quickly causing her discomfort due to its inability to escape from underneath her enchanted armor, made to provide defense but also to not hinder her mobility. Eyes narrowing, she focused her attention on the stag knight she was fighting. He wielded an enchanted sword, and she knew he had spell casting abilities, but he preferred to fight up close with the sword and injure her that way rather than use his magic, essentially forcing her to stay on the move and preventing her from summoning any effective kind of attack.
He approached now, quickly backing Song into a wall. She glanced around, her eyes alighting on the ledge of the balcony just above her head. She reached up and grabbed it, slowly heaving herself up. She grabbed the banister as soon as she safely could, pulling herself to a standing position, glancing down at the stag below her.
This feat of strength was abnormal in a wizard, especially a theurgist, as they normally sacrificed strength for mobility. Song was an exception due to her ancestry; her mother, Aisha, was a paladin of a world called Glyssa. Paladins in Glyssa were famous for their sword mastery and in-depth knowledge of life magic. Her older sister Marissa tended towards the martial side of being a paladin, and she herself tended towards the arcane. However, they both still possessed qualities from the class they did not train in.
The stag knight glared up at her. It had much bulkier armor than Song's, making him unable to replicate her movements. Instead, he clunked towards the stairs. Song saw her chance and seized it, freeing one hand to summon a glowing orb of green energy. She hurled it at her opponent's retreating back.
The knight whirled around and brought his sword up just in time to reflect the orb back at its caster. Song didn't have time to cast one of the few shield spells in her repertoire, and the reflected spell slammed into her. A cry of pain was torn from her throat and she lost her grip on the banister, falling to the floor with a sickening thud. A searing pain flared to life in her right side, and she guessed she must have broken one or more of her ribs. Her vision swimming, Song invoked the spell that would take her to her palace, to her home, where her friends were…
The sound of panicked voices and footsteps as the last thing Song heard before she blacked out.
Song woke with a groan, her head spinning.
"Oh, good," a familiar voice told her. "You're awake."
"Hawk?" Upon seeing it was indeed the thaumaturge, she asked, "What's the time?"
"Two in the morning."
"I was unconscious the entire night?" Song asked in disbelief.
"Along with the next seven nights," Hawk confirmed apologetically. "You worked your sister into a frenzy, I'll tell you. She won't admit it, but the idea that you might never wake up scared her really badly."
"Marissa?" Song asked. "She's here?"
Hawk nodded. "Ash contacted her as soon as she could. She may know a thing or two about life magic, but her skill pales in comparison to Marissa."
"Can I see her?" Song cared very deeply for her sister and jumped on every chance to see her.
"Of course," Hawk agreed, turning. "I'll go get her."
When Marissa entered, she immediately tried to sit up, getting punished for her actions by a great pain coming to life in her side, as well as a glare from her sister. "Sorry," Song said sheepishly, not wanting to evoke her wrath.
"You'd better be," Marissa agreed, making her way across the room to sit next to her sibling. "I can't believe you gave me such a scare!"
"Next time I decide to fall off a balcony, I'll try to let you know," Song giggled nervously, trying to lighten the mood. Marissa smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Is that how you broke three of your ribs and knocked yourself unconscious for a week?"
"Yes," the theurgist admitted.
"How'd you manage that?" the elder girl asked, shaking her head. Song told her. "And I'm reckless…"
Song pounced on her chance. "I'm not the one who got stuck on an island for almost a year."
"I- hey, how do you know about that?" Marissa looked at her suspiciously. Song grinned.
"You forget whom I know," she replied.
"I don't understand," Marissa informed, her confusion evident on her face.
"Nevermind," Song smiled. She then grew solemn. "You said I broke three of my ribs."
"That's right," her sister affirmed. "So you won't be able to move until they heal, which might take weeks."
"Weeks?" Song was starting to panic. "But what about my studies?"
"That's what you get when you break three of yours ribs," Marissa told her in amusement. "Trust me, it could be worse."
"What could be worse than this?" Song queried.
"Oh, I don't know," the privateer sighed sarcastically. "Being driven mad due to lack of society?"
Song immediately felt guilty. "Sorry. That was inconsiderate of me."
"Being unconscious for a week was inconsiderate of you," Marissa quipped. They both laughed, although Song regretted it as the movement triggered the pain in her side.
"So, how are the others?" the younger of the pair wondered.
"They're well, for the most part," Marissa replied. "Destiny caught a cold, so I've been taking care of that. Harmony certainly hasn't gotten any more serious, something Valeria loves to lament about. Calamity serves as the medium ground between her sisters. Mother and Amanda are on some important diplomatic mission in Shaonia."
"How come you won't become a paladin?" Song questioned. "You have the magical spark."
"For the same reason you'll never become a paladin, despite having the potential with a sword to do so," Marissa told her. "We've both grown to be respected in our fields of work, and we both feel like taking on the additional craft required to become a paladin would insult what we have grown to stand for."
The conversation ground to an awkward halt. "Marissa, could you…?" Song trailed off, hesitating.
"Could I…?" her sister prompted.
"Could you sing me a lullaby?" Song asked, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.
Marissa gave her a scathing look. "Really?"
"Please?" Song implored. "I remember, before Aisha had to send us to a safer place, she used to sing us a lullaby."
"Your memory is amazing."
"You're dodging my request."
Marissa sighed and relented. Song had an effect on her that no one else could replicate. Well, that wasn't true. There was somebody else, but he was far from her mind at the time.
"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,
there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue,
and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star,
and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
away above the chimney tops,
that's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly,
beyond the rainbow,
why, oh why, can't I?"
Marissa finished singing, and glanced down at Song. To her surprise, her sister was fast asleep, a smile on her face.
"Sweet dreams, Song," she whispered. She then turned and headed for the door. She had something to do.
The door opened. The stag knight glanced up, having not expected visitors. A girl about the age of sixteen stood in the doorway. She was clad in pink clothing, and a sharp sword gleamed at her side. "Can I help you?" he asked in his deep, gravelly voice.
"Yes," the girl responded. "My name is Marissa Silver. I heard that you acquired a precious artifact called the Ruby Night Pendant."
"What about it?" the stag knight growled.
"I was wondering if it might be for sale," Marissa asked mildly.
"How much are you offering?" he asked.
Marissa tapped the bulging satchel at her side. "A million gold."
The knight eyed the satchel greedily. "Deal." He retrieved the pendant. The transaction happened swiftly.
"Thank you." Marissa turned and walked to the door, then stopped. "I also have a message for you."
"Let's hear it, then."
In a single breath, Marissa drew her sword and stepped in range of the stag knight. In the next, she had driven her blade through his heart. Taking back the satchel of gold, she glared at his corpse.
"If you hurt my sister, you will pay."
With those pleasant words, Marissa fled, not wanting one of the stag's cronies to find her.
Song was awake when Marissa returned. "Sis, I have something for you," she called, making her way across the room to sit next to the younger girl.
"The Ruby Night Pendant!" Song gasped when she saw the jewelry in her sister's hand. "How did you get it?"
"I have my ways," Marissa replied evasively, shrugging.
Song smiled at her. "I cannot thank you enough. You've really outdone yourself."
"Don't mention it."
Song laughed as she sat up, despite how it pained her, throwing her arms around Marissa's shoulders. "Thank you," she whispered once more.
Marissa just smiled.