FINN
I turn around the corner of the royal tent, trying to compose myself after another battle. Inside the tent are Princess Isi, and Prince Geric along with other generals and army men. They talk about their victory and how to conquer defeat in the battles to come. They do not however, talk about the strain, the horror, the brokenness that it has cost them and what they are willing to give up for the people of Bayern.
Enna rushes around the tent, trembling and gasping, her hands cover her face and she doesn't even notice my presence.
"Enna, are you alright?"
Enna twirls around, trying to wipe away a few tears with her shaking hands.
"Finn, I- I, didn't know you were here. I'm-"
Enna doesn't finish her sentence, her lip quivers and she takes a step back away from me.
"I'm going to hurt you Finn, you have to get away from me…"
Enna's tears run down her cheeks, and even though her splotchy face crumples with fear, I still see beauty in her eyes. She needs to know that her beauty is stronger than the hurt she can cause.
I step over to her slowly and grab her shoulders, looking right into her eyes. At first she tries to struggle but her weak body gives in to my strong hold.
"Enna, there is no fire, no battle, no words you can say to hurt me, or make me rethink what I know about you. I know that you could never hurt me, Isi, or Bayern."
"I killed people today. I watched them…"
Enna chokes on her words.
"I watched them burn. And if they were fighting you, they would have a fair shot at winning with their blades, but I make them die without dignity, without honor. They cannot fight against me, and that is what scares me Finn. What if I forget how to control it, and I burn you Finn? What happens when I don't have a choice and you don't have a chance?"
"Enna, oh, Enna. You are the only thing that can bring this world to its knees. But I will never let you loose control of what we have. You do not have to blame yourself for what you have done."
I want her to realize that I will never let that happen, I want to tell her that she will never have to watch someone burn again. But I can't. I have to show her.
Grabbing her hand in mine and feeling her burning pulse, I pull her face to my lips, not ever wanting to let her go.
I kiss her with chapped lips and a bloody chin, she with a sweat on her skin and her hair blowing around us.
Then I pull her into a hug and let her head rest on my shoulder. I look out at the battle field below and into the horizon where the sun sets with the colors of dying embers. Enna will never belong to the blood of the dead, and she will never belong to the consuming fire in this world.
ENNA
Traveling on roads of distance, walking under caverns of mystery and trekking over the mountains in my voyage for freedom from fire puts a weight on my shoulders and takes it off again with just the thought that all the miles traveled will add up to something. That something being a new life for me.
My mind keeps wandering back to the battles that we fought so long ago, the battles where the freedom I seek was not yet tangible. The battles where Finn was always there to make sure I was safe. But how could I be safe when the fire inside me is the only thing alive, the only thing that I can feel? And although I have grown accustomed to the heat, and even though I have befriended it and housed the power in my own chest, I cannot let it stay where it can cause so much destruction.
So when it gets too overbearing and when it gets to be too much on the road, I unleash my frustrations on the nearby pine needles lying dead on the trail, or the rocks where nothing can last long. Sometimes I will wake up in the night gasping for water, shooting out fire at anything around me. And nothing is more terrifying than tasting the strength of the flames. Not seeing it, not hearing its surge, not feeling it even. Just knowing that the smoke is already down your throat ready to strangle you.
But my thoughts of fear are interrupted, when on an empty field, with the trees nearby at the edge, I hear something that brings my bones to a shiver.
I look out into the tree line, scanning it for predators of man and beast. Nothing answers my searching gaze so I take a step on, looking up at the sky where nothing can hurt me.
Suddenly, a sharp pain numbs my arm. I pull out a small dart and turn around.
Standing in front of me, is the cursed flirt, Sileph. Words fail me even though I can barely speak due to the sedative.
Behind Sileph stands his small army of dedicated soldiers. All pointing bows and arrows at me, along with swords that start to encompass me as I fall to the ground.
"Enna, Enna, Enna. You should've taken the house and peaceful countryside with me. I could've made you happy. I could've given you jewels and thrown you parties, I could've given you lavish meals and prepared for you a wedding bed. A tradition where I come from is when a couple marries, they share a bed for life. Never sleeping anywhere else. I could've given you a family, Enna. Beautiful children."
Sileph looks me up and down, his eyes roam my waist and slim figure.
"I would've never gone with you. Even in my most drugged state."
Sileph laughs, rubbing his chin handsomely. So handsomely. Wait, what am I thinking, the drugs work so fast…
"You are so beautiful, you should be with someone just as handsome as yourself."
Part of me wants to agree with him, his words are so wise. Nod your head, Enna.
No, he is a man of filth, and he is so weak. He's the exact opposite as Finn. Oh Finn if only you were here now.
"You're nothing like him." I whisper.
"What was that?"
Sileph looks back at the wall of confidants, laughing his menacing laugh.
"Nothing like him?"
And as his words spill out of his greasy lips, the wall of soldiers opens up, and out comes a beaten and tied Finn, dragged along by the soldiers.
FINN
My body screams and blood rolls down my face, but nothing compares to the pain I feel for Enna.
"Let her go." I say weakly. They can do anything to me, but if he touches her…
"Did you hear that?" Sileph walks over to me, gesturing for Enna that I said something.
"He wants us to let the lady go."
Sileph clears the distance between me and him, standing over me. After punching me in the face, he spits on me, his saliva mixing with the blood.
Enna screams out with what energy she has left, but I can't let her waste her energy on me. Dropping my head in defeat, Sileph leans down to me, expecting me to give in to his dominance. But before he can spit on me again, or whisper something crude to me, I swing my head up as fast and hard as I can, the back of my skull banging into his nose and forehead.
Leaping up and shrieking in pain, Sileph kicks me in the side, making me spit out blood. My head swims with the blow and now I just wish I were dead, but I can't be dead. I have to know Enna will be safe.
Wiping blood from his nose, Sileph saunters over to Enna, placing his hand on her waist while the other hand travels up her side.
Enna, too weak to resist, hangs in his arms with a horrifying expression. Terror shoots from her eyes and the only thing I want to do right now is shove a sword through his chest.
Swaying slightly with Enna in his arms, Sileph kisses her long and passionately , holding her face to his with a seizing grip.
Enna manages to pull her face away for him and her body shakes with sobs.
"Stop it, stop it, stop it." She mutters, tears falling from her eyes, down her cheeks and off her chin.
ENNA
Fury I cannot even show courses through me. His ice cold fingers run over me and his lips caress my cheek.
Everything builds up, the sedative that was made for stopping the heat, doesn't even hold in the fire that I have right now. All of a sudden, fire shoots out at random places, soldiers ready their arrows and Sileph steps back from me.
I look at Finn, who gives me a knowing gaze. He is ready, and the fire inside of me is buring away the medicine as easily as it could burn wood.
"You are a coward, you are not even a man, you are a snake. "
Immediately a snake or fire starts to writhe around Sileph, and flames of terror reflect from his eyes. All at once, Finn kicks the soldier behind him, making his sword fall and cut Finn's bonds loose. All the soldiers release their arrows but they fall to the ground in a pile of ash. Now, fire consumes all of the soldiers and Sileph gasps in the cage of fire I built for him.
Finn runs over to me, grabbing me right before I fall. Exhaustion takes over me and I fall into his arms. Heat hurts my chest, stronger than it ever has before. I can't find my breath but when Finn shakes me and looks into my eyes, I know I'll be alright.
Finn takes his sword from a dead soldier and throws it into the wall of fire where Sileph is slowly burning, ending his life with one fatal blow instead of the unmerciful fire.
I let go of the fire inside me and hold on to Finn. I hold on to him with all I have and I never want to let go.
FINN
The morning comes after I complete the journey with Enna. She found a way to control the fire and I have never been more proud of her. Only one more day until we reach home and one more night of looking at the stars and falling asleep under the shelter of the pine trees.
The moon gazes down at us, as if it approves of us and of Enna's bravery. I could never deserve someone so strong.
With my arms over her in her sleep, I trace my hand over her chest where I feel the scars of burnt skin caused by red flame. I look at her hair and how it falls in a tangled mess around me, but I wouldn't ever trade it for the braids and hairstyles at the palace.
My own back and neck have scars on them from the torture that Sileph pounded upon me. But the pain was nothing compared to the joy I feel now, holding Enna and protecting her.
"Finn, don't ever let me go. Hold me forever."
Enna shifts in her sleep, but her sleep words are more than just a dream.
"All I ever wanted was to be close to you." She whispers.
And that's the only thing I ever need to hear. The only thing I will ever want. To be close to her.