Shortly before the SIVA crisis...
Frea didn't care for the cold, but she loved snow. It reminded her of the day she first woke up in Old Russia, her Ghost hovering in her face, the feeling of the plushy ice underneath her reborn body. She didn't have the time to enjoy it that day, she was much too busy running away from the Fallen. Nowadays, whenever grey clouds formed over the winter horizon, she couldn't help but feel a childish excitement for what was to come. The huntress smiled as she kicked at the snow covering the Tower plaza grounds. The end of the year arrived in a snap, which meant one thing to the Guardians, the Dawning was here.
The Tower took a sort of cheery look during the Dawning, the plaza decorated in a similar fashion to the Festival of the Lost, but instead of shadows and masks, shimmering white lights blanketed the kiosks. Powdery blue banners were hung up on every pole and an icy image of the event emblem hovered high over the Vanguard offices. It was impossible to walk around without getting dusted by the snowflakes drifting from seemingly nowhere, and even the occasional snowball fight would break out among the Guardians. The Dawning put everyone in high spirits, it was a time for celebration with clans and loved ones. And most of all, the Crucible bustled with newfound energy with the SRL and special game modes. Nothing like a little friendly competition to bring in the new year.
This winter marked Frea's second year as a Guardian and a month since she defeated Oryx and his Taken with her clan. So far, the universe has been quiet since she returned from the Dreadnaught, but who knows how long that will last with her rotten luck. It seems that whenever something goes wrong these days it's her who ends up in the middle of it, she really can't complain, her actions do protect the Last City in the end. A long break however, would be nice.
"Good morning, Frea. Looking for something in particular?" A voice snapped the huntress out of her thoughts and she realized she was standing outside the Eververse store, staring at nothing.
"No, I'm just browsing," she awkwardly replied when the store owner, Tess Everis, came into her view.
The Awoken woman gave her shining smile. "We have countless unique items that make perfect gifts for your special someone. I hope you find something you like."
"I don't exactly have a 'special' someone," Frea chuckled.
"Well." Tess reached down under her kiosk and brought out a cutely wrapped box in the shape of an engram. "The Dawning tends to being miracles this time of year. Here's a little something on the house."
"W-wow...thank you, Tess. I don't know what to say," the huntress stuttered, surprised by the generosity.
"No need." She winked. "Don't open it until midnight, okay? When the last hour of this year ticks away."
A strange request, but it peaked Frea's curiosity. "Sure," she said and then carefully picked up the gift to store away in her Ghost's inventory. "Thanks again."
"My pleasure." Tess's smiled widened ever so slightly. Something seemed to catch her attention as her gaze shifted to move past the huntress. "Well well, look who it is," she murmured.
Frea turned around to see what had grabbed the shopkeeper's attention, the looming silhouette of a Titan was crossing the plaza. And it wasn't just any Titan. His muted golden armor was covered in light snowfall and his grand cape billowed behind him like wings, adding to his already intimidating presence. The ground seemed to rumble with his every step, making every Guardian he walked by move out of his way. Only a handful of people commanded such respect from the Tower Guardians, legends and Iron Lords.
"What is Lord Saladin doing here? It isn't Iron Banner season," Frea asked.
"I believe he's here for the match," Tess replied.
"What match?"
The woman blinked at her. "Ah, that's right. You've only been awake for a few years now. Every year during the Dawning, Lord Saladin and Lord Shaxx duel in the Crucible. It's how they keep their skills sharp, even though I hear it always ends in a stalemate."
"Why only during the Dawning?" Frea raised a brow.
"To inspire Guardians for the new year, I assume. And perhaps to teach something as well. It's not often you get to see two Lords of Iron fight each other."
"Huh," the huntress mumbled to herself as she watched the hem of Saladin's cape vanish into the Vanguard hallway.
"For the last time, Cayde. You cannot join us."
"Aw. Come on, Shaxx! You two do this every year! At least change it up a little, make it fresh." The Exo dramatically waved his arms in the air. "You know how much I want to try my gun out on Saladin? He'll never duel me otherwise!"
Shaxx ran a hand over his visor with a long sigh. "This is supposed to be a 1v1. We can't have both of us against Saladin. The old man would have a fit."
"Quit calling me old." The Iron Lord stepped into the Crucible office, pulling off his heavy helmet with a grunt. "I wouldn't mind making this a doubles match, then perhaps for once we'll actually have a winner."
"A-ha!" Cayde grinned widely. "That's two votes for yes!"
"There's only three of us, we need a fourth for doubles," Shaxx huffed.
"Someone to counter Cayde? I have a person in mind." A tiny smile crept upon Saladin's features, he apparently had a trump card up his gauntlets and it made Shaxx worried. "Arcite," the Iron Lord called.
The Crucible frame poked its head into the room. "Yes, sir?"
"There's a huntress out in the plaza wearing a white cloak. Go get her."
"Right away." The bot spun around.
White cloak. Shaxx felt his chest tighten ever so slightly. He couldn't mean... A second later, Arcite reappeared in the doorway along with the person he was afraid would be following behind it.
"Lord Saladin?" Frea titled her head. "You called for me?"
"Hive-bane," Saladin greeted. "Are you up for some Crucible today?"
The huntress snuck a glance at Shaxx, the confusion clear on her face.
"It's a doubles match. Something new for the yearly combat session between Saladin and myself," he said, straining to keep his voice level. It'd been quite some time since he last saw Frea in action, her training with him was long finished and she rarely entered the Crucible these days. He felt a sense of longing to see her battle again, she was magnificent to watch and even better to duel against. "Would you like to join us?"
"Wow," Cayde piped up. "What happened to that reluctance from earlier?"
Shaxx shot the Exo a glare.
"I'm flattered, but I don't think I can offer much of a challenge," she said, clasping her hands together.
"No need to. Just keep Cayde preoccupied and I can take care of the rest." Saladin gently patted Frea on the shoulder. The tiniest hint of jealousy sparked in Shaxx, which caught him completely off-guard, and he cursed himself for it. Acting like some rookie schoolboy with a crush. He was already aware of how he felt toward the huntress, somewhere down the line his curiosity had turned romantic, but she never showed interest to his subtle flirtations. Though, he had a feeling she was maybe too dense to notice. Perhaps he needed to be more obvious.
"You know what...sure. Why not?" Frea shrugged. "Sounds like it could be fun."
The huntress locked her gear into place, adjusting the fabric of her hood over her helmet, while Saladin next to her threw his cape to the side to make room for his heavy weapon. The arena was Frontier, a small layout with tight corridors on the sides and an open space at the bridge in the middle. It was a great map for snipers, not so much for Frea's shotgun. Instead she equipped her sword, a thinly curved blade meant for quick slashes, and swung it over her back.
"So, what's the score between you and Shaxx?" She asked.
"0-0."
"What?" Frea spun around a little too quickly. "Really? How long have you been doing this?"
The Iron Lord checked the ammo in his hefty fusion rifle. "20 years give or take, frankly...I've lost count."
"And neither of you have won?"
"We're both Strikers, and evenly matched. We usually fight late into the night, and by the end of it we're both so worn out that a winner can't be declared," he sighed.
"Then why do you continue to do this?"
"Shaxx insists. Besides..." A soft chuckle resonated out from his helmet. "I do sometimes enjoy beating him to a pulp."
Each team set up on the opposite sides of the arena, the game mode a modified version of clash, no revives and all cooldown timers extended. Any abilities or supers would take a long time to summon, meaning everyone had to rely most on their guns and wit, their light wasn't going to help them much here. The clock above the arena started to tick down from five seconds.
Frea took a shaky breath, this wasn't her first bout in the Crucible, it wasn't even her first time facing Shaxx. But this wasn't training, he won't be holding himself back this time, and that made her incredibly nervous.
"Cayde is best at mid to far range," Saladin whispered next to her. "Avoid Shaxx if you can."
"And if I can't?" She asked.
"Then fight with all you got." The timer above them dinged to life, signaling the start of the match. The last team standing wins. Saladin took off sprinting toward the east with Frea following his lead. They went for the covered side of the arena, staying far away from the open bridge and out of Cayde's scope. "Go for the back," he said, pointing toward a hallway they were nearing. "Take them by surprise when they're distracted by me."
"Got it." Frea made a tight turn and jumped into the darkened corridor, keeping her fast pace light to soften the echo of her footsteps. She leapt at full sprint from the doorway, and right into the person she didn't want to see.
"Woah." Shaxx stepped to the side, narrowly dodging the huntress. She could hear gunfire off to the left, Cayde must be holding his own against Saladin, so it was just her and Shaxx. Spinning midair, she pulled the sword off her back and swung it toward the Titan, who promptly blocked the attack with his bracers and locked the blade against his armor. Frea yanked hard at the weapon, but he held on. "Frea," he sighed. "You should know better than to try a sword against me."
"I-I didn't really think that move through, honestly," she awkwardly laughed.
He opened his arms, shoving the sword away with the huntress still hanging onto it. She tucked and rolled backward to put some distance between them, the space they were in was too tight for a gunfight and just the perfect advantage for him. Titans excelled at close range, this was going to be tough. Shaxx shifted, holstering his rifle, and reached behind his back to pull out his Raze-lighter. He nonchalantly twirled it in his hand, smirking behind his visor.
"How's your swordsmanship?" He asked.
"Not bad."
"Good." He sprung forward, angling the weapon downward as the blade carved itself into the stone where Frea had been standing a second before. She dropped low and aimed a slash at his exposed back, which he easily caught with the flat side of his sword. Sparks flew off their blades every time they clashed, neither of them able to break each other's defense. "You've definitely improved since last time we trained," he remarked.
"Well," she huffed, blocking another one of his hard swings. "It's been over a year, I haven't been sitting on my ass the whole time."
"I'm well aware." When their swords connected again, he caught her wrist, trapping her arm. "You're powerful, but you need more than that to beat me." His grip on her tightened as she struggled to get free, the only way to escape would be to drop her weapon, but that would leave her vulnerable to his next attack.
"Oh?" Getting an idea, Frea lifted her free arm and tenderly stroked Titan's helmet, pressing her body tighter against his. He visibly flinched from her touch. "Tell me more, Shaxx," she purred, her voice dipping so low and sultry that it even surprised her.
"Wha-?" He dropped the huntress.
Grasping the opportunity, she slammed her shoulder into his chestplate and knocked him off his feet, his sword went skittering across the room as he landed on his backside. Her own blade stopped just a hairsbreadth away from his collar.
"Was that enough for you?" Frea gasped, taking the moment to catch her breath.
Shaxx bent forward to rest an elbow on his knee, flicking the point of her sword away with his thumb and forefinger. "That was dirty."
"Yes...well, you made me a little desperate," she said.
"Hmm." The Titan got back to his feet and stepped so close that she had to strain her neck to look up at him. "Commendable, but I wouldn't recommend trying to flirt with the Hive or Fallen," he chuckled.
Frea could feel her face flush hot underneath her mask. "I didn't mean it seriously...I just..."
He reached over and ruffled her hood. "Relax, Hive-bane." Walking around her, he retrieved his sword off the ground, moving to holster the weapon. "Sounds like Saladin and Cayde are still going at it. How about we split off and never talk about this again?"
She kept her gaze on the Titan, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Frea wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or something else that was making her so unsettled right now. "Yeah, that sounds like an excellent idea."
Frea leaned against the railing overlooking the Last City, one of her favorite spots for Moon-watching in the Tower. The plaza was deserted, most Guardians were with their loved ones and friends, celebrating the upcoming new year that was only minutes away now. Nearly everyone in her clan were gone on patrols, and even Dex, who she normally spent the Dawning with, was stationed on Venus until next week. She inhaled slowly, taking the chilly air into her lungs, and rested her chin against her palm. Spending this night alone wasn't that big of a deal, but she was hoping to start the next year off with a bang.
"Full Moon tonight, that's a good sign," someone muttered next to her.
She smiled slightly, not needing to turn around to know who it was. "Hopefully it means we can go a month without something big and evil threatening the City."
Shaxx sighed as he gripping the railing with both hands. "I doubt it."
"So." The huntress straightened, looking over at her new guest. "I guess it's still 0-0 between you and Lord Saladin?"
"Seems so. At least Cayde finally got the duel he always wanted."
"And got wrecked in the process," she added.
"I did try to warn him." Shaxx shrugged. "But your Vanguard is stubborn...must be a Hunter thing." His helmet moved toward her slightly, watching for her reaction. She had a feeling he was grinning behind it.
"Really? I could have sworn stubbornness was a Titan trait." She smirked.
"Perhaps, but at least we're clever about it."
"Uh-huh, sureeee," Frea said in her most sarcastic tone, earning a soft chuckle from the Titan.
Shaxx turned his head back up to the sky, the light from the moon reflected off his visor. "You did well today, I'm impressed."
"Thanks. I'm no longer that rookie Guardian who couldn't even land a knife hit on you," she said.
"You didn't need to go toe to toe with me to prove that, you know." His voice took on a low tone, making it barely audible for her to hear. The huntress's gaze shot upward, finding him staring down at her again. "Frea..." he started.
All of a sudden, something pinged an alert in her inventory and her Ghost materialized before her. "Incoming!" It yelled and spat out the package Frea had received from Tess earlier that day. It smacked her in the chestplate and spilt open, unleashing a flurry of confetti so thick it covered her and Shaxx like a blanket of fresh snow.
"What the hell?" He swatted at the brightly colored paper, which didn't really help much as it went absolutely everywhere. Frea just stood there, frozen and wide-eyed, with the now torn box sitting in her hands.
"Apologies." Her Ghost floated between them, shaking itself to remove the paper sticking to its shell. "The gift just started ticking when it hit midnight, had to do an emergency eject to keep it from exploding in the inventory."
"Weird," the huntress said as she peered inside the box, it was empty aside from a few pieces of confetti that didn't make it out.
"Did you get that from Tess? I heard recently she was passing out confetti bombs for the Dawning," Shaxx asked, leaning in to check out the package as well. When she looked up, Frea had to cup a hand over her mouth, stifling the laugh tickling her throat. The Titan seemed to notice the look on her face anyway and he quizzically tilted his head. "What?"
"Your armor," she breathed between snickers. He glanced down, shards of paper in every color were stuck to his gear like glue, wet from the snowflakes dancing on the breeze. "You look like a giant pinata." Frea couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
What surprised her the most...was Shaxx, she expected him to get angry and honestly, she wouldn't blame him for it. He was quiet for a moment as he stared at himself, then suddenly, he joined in on the joke, his deep voice mixing with hers. Their laughter rang off the stone walls of the Tower, both filled with delightful joy.
When Frea finally calmed down, she wiped the tears from her eyes and reached out to help brush the confetti off his armor with a wide smile. "Happy Dawning, Shaxx."
"Happy Dawning, Frea."
Hope you all have a fantastic new year and thank you so much for reading my silly little story. If it wasn't for your comments and likes then I doubt this fic would have reached 10 chapters, much less 30. Happy Dawning!
Much love, AFKai.