Ch. 7 An Annulment and Comfort

Well here is chapter 7 and the spar between the Arbitress (as some people have taken to calling her) and Kevam. I know what you're thinking…one-armed Sangheili vs the Arbiter is unfair but that's the way things go sadly.

My update schedule is one guarantee update and one possible sporadic. This week is Halo and next is Skyrim again encase you all are still confused. The stories will alternate each week and my Destiny story will be during my Halo week and my LoS story will be during my Skyrim story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, all characters copyright of Bungie and 343.

"I grow tired of waiting father." The Arbiter growled at as she stood in front of the Keep. She had been waiting for a couple hours now and every minute she spent here was another wasted in getting the Spartan's attention. "If he is not here soon then I am declaring this fight a forfeit on his part."

"Please be patient my daughter. I am sure he will be here." Her father said though he was also beginning to lose faith. "He will be here."

As soon as he finished talking, a small band of Sangheili appeared over the ridge and among them was a one-armed Sangheili who looked like he was about vomit in disgust. The sight of him made the Arbiter want to shove her fist down his throat but she had to show restraint or else she risked being disqualified before their fight.

"Welcome brother's…come inside and see our hospitality." Her father said with a sweep of his arm but Kevam only scoffed.

"I have not come here for hospitality, I have come here for my wife." He said as he glared at her and she glared straight back.

"Be careful or you may lose your other arm Kevam. I still hold a high rank over you and the rest of our forces won't hesitate to follow my command." The Arbiter sneered as Kevam growled.

"Not for long you won't." He said under his breath as they were lead into the Keep. He gave a small glance to a hill overlooking the Keep where a sniper was hidden. Unknown to them, the Chief also saw the glance from the balcony overlooking the Keep and knew that something was amiss. "Cortana, I'm going out to check something. I'll let you know what I find." He said as he walked off the balcony.

"Give em hell Chief." She said with a grin. 'Maybe I don't have to do anything at all if he keeps this up. He's worried for her and doesn't even know it.'

-Scene Change-

"The rules are thus: The first to admit defeat or is knocked out of the ring loses, any cheating will be seen as a disqualification and no unfair tactics may be employed. This is an honorable occasion to determine if Thela 'Vadamee is able to prove her worth of Kevam 'Mulamaa." The referee stated as the two warriors faced each other while The Arbiter threw a glare at the ref.

"I am Thela 'Vadam now as I am not a member of the Keep any longer." She said heatedly as her attention went back to Kevam. "And I'm going to enjoy tearing your other arm from its socket."

Kevam only growled before rushing at her as soon as the ref signaled for the start. The Arbiter effortlessly dodged the punch and only stepped back as he kicked at her and she gave a mocking snort. "Is that the best you got? You were one of the fiercest in the Covenant if memory serves….then again that was against your own soldiers and not the humans." She mocked as his raged boiled over.

"I'll make you regret those words when you are tied to a post in my Keep's courtyard by your neck!" He howled as he charged at her intent on taking her head off but the Arbiter was too agile and she effortlessly avoided each attack and did nothing to counter him.

"The Demon fought better than you; at least he gave me a worthy challenge." She said nonchalantly as Kevam let out a loud roar and waited. "Is that all you had?" The Arbiter said after a few minutes of waiting. "I have better things to do then waste my time fighting you."

Kevam only charged again with more intensity and finally landed a blow on the Arbiter but his small victory was short-lived as the Arbiter swung her foot around and hit him directly on the side of the head and he dropped to the ground. The Arbiter only smirked as he shook his head to clear it and glared at her but his mind was in turmoil. 'She should be wounded by now! Why isn't she on the ground bleeding out?!' He thought rapidly as he charged at her intent on taking her out.

The Arbiter knew she was getting dangerously close to edge of the ring but she had played Kevam right into her hands as he charged at her one final time and she moved to the right at the last second and Kevam had to stop short of the edge of the ring. He lost his balance when the Arbiter gave him a push with her foot and he fell outside the ring.

"Winner by ring out is Thela 'Vadam." The ref exclaimed as the crowd laughed at Kevam's humiliation. He had lost by being kicked out of the ring and was only able to land a single blow on his opponent, a complete disgrace for one of his stature.

"Looks like my win and as a result…..our engagement is hereby annulled." She said smugly as the Sangheili around her cheered at her well-thought out plan. "You lost the very moment you charged at me like a Brute. You played into my hands every bit of the fight and never even knew it; your little surprise also was taking care of." She said as she pointed to a bounded Sangheili sneering at everyone around him.

Thoroughly humiliated and found out, Kevam took a dagger from his armor and threw it at the Arbiter faster than any of the crowd could react. If he couldn't have his way then he would deny the Sangheili their strongest warrior! It seemed as if everything slowed down as the dagger went for the Arbiter but she never lost her mocking expression as a very quick and very human hand grabbed the blade and held it inches from the Arbiter's face.

The Chief held the dagger in his hand and ignored the blood dropping from it as he handed it to the Arbiter, who took it still with a smug expression. "Even your last ditch effort has failed Kevam….leave the Keep or else you will be attacked." She said as his people helped him to his feet and they walked out angrily but not before spitting at the Keep's walls.

"That was…..interesting." Cortana said before her attention went to the Chief. "So what made you do that Chief?" She asked smugly as the Chief shrugged.

"I don't really know but it seemed like the right thing to do." The Chief said as the Arbiter nodded her head.

"You have good reflexes Spartan." She said as he shrugged again and she did a slight grimace at his rebuttal. 'If I find out who trained him, they will have my foot shoved in their ass!'

"I am proud of you my daughter." Her father said as she glared at him. "Your engagement is indeed annulled but I do have another announcement."

The Arbiter narrowed her eyes as her fist tightened. "And that is….." She trailed off dangerously as he cleared his throat.

"I have not been a great father to you and I was an even worse mate to your mother. I gave her away for nothing more than a small gain in influence and I pay for that every day I am alive. I can never earn your forgiveness but it is my hope you can give me some measure of peace in my life." He said as he approached her and grasped her fingers. "You may pursue whoever you wish and I will support you all the way, even if they are not of our Keep." He said as he discreetly glanced at the Chief that the Arbiter caught.

"I can't forgive you father, I don't think I ever can." She said as she walked out of the courtyard while her father only put his head down.

"Do what you will." He said before he too departed and the crowd dispersed.

"Seems politics are the same everywhere Sergeant." Dubbo said as he shook his head.

"They are the same anywhere you go Private. One of the reasons most people hate them." Stacker said as he too left with Dubbo behind him.

"Maybe you should go talk to her Chief….I think you're the only one she will say anything nice to." Cortana said without any teasing this time. Her friend needed some comfort and the Chief was the only one she would talk to on a normal level.

"Alright…..but I don't what I will do." He said as he walked out of the courtyard.

-Scene Change-

After getting some directions from a servant the Chief stood outside the door to where the Arbiter slept. He knocked on the door and waited for some kind of sound and a minute later she opened the door with a sigh. "Should've known you would come…please come in." She said as she ushered him inside.

Her room was very bare save for a small bed, a few essentials for cleaning and a small closet that held various robes and clothing for special occasions. The walls were a dull grey but with how the rest of the Keep looked that was pretty standard, the Chief assumed.

"Why did you come here?" The Arbiter said as she sat in a small chair near a window. The Chief actually noticed that she had removed her armor and was only wearing a silver and black robe that looked a little bulky on her but the Chief swore he saw a small protrusion on her chest area. The Sangheili armor did well to hide certain aspects but the robes didn't have the same courtesy it seemed.

"Cortana asked me to check up on you…..see how things were going." The Chief said simply though the Arbiter sighed at his blunt answer.

'It couldn't have been himself just wanting to be nice could it?' She thought sadly but perked up a little since he was here after all. "I am just a little…..what's the word you humans use….depressed at my father's actions. He sold my mother because he thought it would help but it did nothing but cost me my mother. I loathe him and yet I can't help but pity him for the frail old fool he has become." She explained as she gazed out the window.

The Chief remained silent as she continued to speak to him. He couldn't understand what she went through as his parents died before he even had a chance to know them but to hear her speak of what she witnessed during her younger years lent credit to the fact that she was like any other child except the fact she was of a different species.

During a pause he had the chance to speak. "I won't say I know how you feel because I don't and I am not the right person to ask for advice about this. I have been blindly following my orders since I was first brought into the war and I was trained to be the best and I was…until Cortana picked me as her Spartan. I thought I knew how to get the job done but eventually Cortana got me to stop being so cold and open up. It wasn't easy and it still isn't…but she asked me something a while ago." He said as he looked as his hand.

"What did she ask you Spartan?" The Arbiter said in a low voice.

"She said that she wonders who the machine between me and her is. My first response was going to be her but I stopped myself before I said anything. She might be an A.I. but I was the one who was just focused on mission completion over anything else. A machine would send its people to do something regardless of how many went down and I did the same thing. I ordered Marines to charge and charge they did and I watched them all get cut down without a trace of emotion on my face." The Chief explained to her as he looked out the window at the expanse of mountains and trees. He continued his speech while she listened to every word.

"It sounds like you already have your answer Spartan." She said after he finished. "Your own training won't let you admit it but you already know. I was the same way as a Zealot, I craved the glory and the power and I used my soldiers without a second thought and I lead by fear and not respect. We are alike in many ways Spartan and that is why we worked well together during the Battle of the Ark." She said as she too gazed out the window. "If push came to shove, I will always be guarding your back if you need it."

The Chief nodded at that. "Likewise, Arbiter." The Chief said using her title. She only did a slight twitch as she had hoped he would say her name but for right now it was a good start. He was warming up to her and that was what she wanted. She reached out her hand and gave his a slight squeeze of compassion before pulling it away and she had to turn away to hide a blush. 'Cortana said a little compassion goes a long way and it seems she is correct. It won't be long before I announce my intent to my father.'

I will end it right here and not much to say except we saw a humiliation and the Chief protect the Arbiter even if he didn't know why he did it. Slowly but surely we are getting to romance and I really wanted to inject some fluff into the story so I made up the whole bedroom scene in my head for the last couple days and this is what I got. Not a true fluff as it mainly just them talking about the past and the war but I did give you all some fluff. Also, for those that will be skeptical about the fight the Arbiter would've won even if I wrote that Kevam beat her simple because of the sniper he had stationed in the hills that the Chief caught. The rules were no cheating and he did so he would've lost either way lol.

Read and review if you would be so kind and this story is only a few hundred views from breaking 10k and that is a hell of a lot but A New Beginning has 21k and still climbing high every day so it will take a while to reach that. I will think about updating A New Destiny this week as well but we'll see how the week goes.

Till next time my fellow alien/human pairing lovers! ^^