Darkness had consumed the sky by the time they had neared their destination. The sisters sat side by side in the blue, spherical vehicle that glided through the forest silently, hovering inches above the ground. Branches rustled as it passed by; wildlife scampered away, afraid of detection. But Tyrea kept the course, following a green light that blinked rapidly on the radar situated on the dashboard. As neon yellow lights blared a mile ahead, Tyrea said, "Might as well stop here."
Melia didn't respond as Tyrea guided the shuttle into a concave area in a nearby hill. She had spent the entire trip deep in thought, ruminating on what was to come. Was this a good idea? Certainly not. Should she convince Tyrea to turn back? Definitely. Would her sister listen? Not a chance. Could Melia incapacitate her and drag her back home? Possibly. Regardless, what kept the princess from following through on this conclusion was Tyrea's reasoning for the outing in the first place. Melia's mind always led back to it. There would be little chance she and Tyrea would be returned to active duty anytime soon considering how angry her father was at them both. Destroying a Prone base was their best bet at both delivering a blow to the enemy as well as redeeming themselves in the eyes of her father.
Probably. She still wasn't entirely convinced of the logic.
It didn't matter at this point. They were here at the base that Tyrea and scoped out for their adventure. Tyrea terminated the power to the vehicle and it slowly lowered to the ground with a whooosh. Melia pulled the handle and the door mechanically rose. She stepped out, branches crunching under her shoe as she pulled down the door to shut it, and stretched her legs. It was only a half hour trip, but the sitting had already made her restless.
"Excited?" Tyrea asked as she walked to the back of the shuttle.
"Not the word I'd use," Melia responded.
Tyrea input a code into the keypad and the trunk doors opened to reveal the stash of weaponry she'd shown Melia only hours ago. Mischief gleamed in her eyes as she picked up an assault rifle, running her fingers along the ridges in the sleek weapon. "I've missed this."
"You go shooting daily."
"Battle, Melia. Keep up."
The princess resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead grabbed her wand.
"You're not just taking that, right?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"We're blowing up a base. We need more firepower than your magic stick." Tyrea scoffed as she sheathed a sword and attached its scabbard to her hip.
She had a point. Carefully, Melia inspected the rest of the gear. Another gun, a few knives, dynamite, and a belt of grenades. Her fingers hovered over the different weapons, considering the possibilities of each. Finally, she picked a knife and its belt and wrapped it around her thigh.
"Good." Tyrea picked up another knife and tucked it into her waistband.
As she finished strapping the knife to her thigh, Melia thought to the battle ahead. She had faced the Prone a handful of times, but always in groups of at least four. They were skilled fighters. A shiver ran up her back. It wasn't too late to abort the mission. Though if they returned, they would be spending time in the dungeon for stealing not only a cache of weapons but also a cruiser. That was the last thing she wanted.
But she also didn't want to die.
Impulsively, she grabbed the belt of grenades.
"Oh, I like it!" Tyrea crowed and took the dynamite.
"Better safe than sorry," Melia frowned, tightening the belt around her hips.
"Just pull the pin and throw." Tyrea mused and helped Melia fasten it.
"I know."
"I know you know. But you've never used one in an actual fight."
True. She couldn't deny it.
"Just one gun and one knife left." Tyrea swept her hand over the remaining weapons. Melia took the knife and tucked it away in her boot. She wasn't one for guns anyway. That skill didn't come naturally to her. And she was fine with that.
Tyrea grabbed the remaining gun and strapped it to her back. She closed the trunk with a click and turned to Melia. Her eyes were alert as they looked Melia over. "Ready?"
"It appears so."
"Don't be such a downer."
"Let's just go and be done with this."
Together, they ran through the forest towards the light one right after the other. Their bodies sped forward, like arrows honing in on their target with immense precision and accuracy. Neither was distracted, both equally concentrated on the task at hand. The two miles to the base was quicker to cross than expected, and soon the High Entia were crouching in the bushes, staring ahead at an ugly gray spaceship surrounded by a few tents and a rectangular building. The half-moon shone down on the complex, adding more light to the already brightly lit area. Light they didn't need.
Tyrea pulled out an octagonal device and held it up to her eyes. "Alright. I see three patrolling the grounds. One up top. Not sure how many are inside."
At least four guards. That was a large team. "We don't have enough firepower. We need to abort." Melia whispered and took the device from Tyrea, looking at their target herself.
"Always so risk-averse. Could you just trust me a second?" Tyrea complained. Grimacing, she dug into her pocket and pulled out—
"Is that a whistle?"
"You bet. The easiest way to distract and lure in baddies." Tyrea smirked.
"This is your big plan? A whistle?" Melia glared. "We're not doing this. This is not a plan."
"What did I tell you? Trust me. We distract them. We race around them. We throw our explosives and BOOM. They're down. We're gone. Victory achieved."
"Again. That is not a plan. That is a half-baked idea."
"Well, I don't see you contributing any suggestions."
"That doesn't mean there isn't a better solution. Or we quit this before we get ourselves in deeper trouble." Melia suggested and turned, ready to head back to the shuttle.
Tyrea's arm shot out and grabbed Melia's. Melia turned to see a sneer creep onto Tyrea's lips. "Nope. We're going through with it. Get ready." Tyrea winked and put the whistle to her lips.
The pit of her stomach dropped. Melia slapped the instrument away. The whistle tumbled into the dirt, its silver glinting in the dim light.
"What was that for!?" Tyrea snapped, bending to pick up the whistle.
Before Melia could respond, a movement caught her eye from the periphery. She crouched next to Tyrea, bringing a finger to her lips to silence her. Her sister scrunched her brows together in concern and Melia pointed to their left. Carefully, they parted the bushes, eyes roaming to see something else creeping on the outskirts of the camp.
The voices came to Melia's ears first, her keen hearing picking up their whispers. Then her eyes zeroed in on the figures. Her throat closed up and her chest tightened. It was the group of Homs.
Dunban.
"Is that who I think it is?" Tyrea murmured, her eyes wide at the sight of the Homs clustering together, undoubtedly making their own plan of attack.
Melia nodded, still holding her breath.
"This just got so much better."
Tyrea began moving in their direction, continuing to crouch.
Melia seized her arm, pulling her back. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed.
"This evening just got so much more fun." The wicked gleam in her stepsister's eye was unmistakable and Tyrea shrugged out of Melia's grip.
"No. We cannot have any more contact with them as father said. We have to get out of h—"
"And do what? Go back and get another slap on the wrist?"
"At least we'd be alive."
Narrowing her eyes, Tyrea leaned in, grinding her teeth together. "Fine. Go. Take your cowardice and go. I'm not sure where the woman who rescued that Homs without a care for the rules went, but let me know when she's back."
Spinning around, Tyrea continued forward.
Frowning, Melia watched the other High Entia disappear into the brush. A sharp pain crunched in her stomach and she winced. The cramp in her stomach said it all: Tyrea was right. Going home was, in essence, a sentence of imprisonment or exile. The only thing they could do to redeem themselves was to make a success out of the evening, despite the impossibly high odds. But everything in her screamed that it was too large a risk. The prospect of death was terrifying, to say the least. And the princess didn't want to die, not when there was so much more of the world to explore. So much more to experience. And Melia wanted to do it with Tyrea, her one true friend, no matter how irritating or jaw-gnashing her sister could be.
With the new variable of Dunban and his friends, the situation grew more complex by the minute. Chaos was Tyrea's best friend while order was Melia's. And if she didn't try and create some sort of order, their chance of survival would shrink immensely.
Squaring her shoulders, Melia traced the path Tyrea had taken forward. Eventually, she found the High Entia crouched, watching the Homs converse only some thirty feet away. Tyrea flashed a smile at Melia as the princess sidled up to her.
"I knew you'd come around."
"We will do this my way."
"So bossy. But if you insist."
Melia trained her eyes on the group, squinting enough to make out Dunban gesturing with his hands at the Prone base. No doubt he was directing his team as to what the plan would be for attack.
"Oh look at him. Taking charge. Very attractive, no?"
Clenching her jaw, Melia turned her eyes on Tyrea to stare daggers at her.
"Should I go first? Or you?" Tyrea mused.
"We go together."
"Then what are we waiting for, commander?"
"An opportune moment."
"You're getting cold feet. Let's move this along." Before Melia could stop her, Tyra bounded away, heading for the unsuspecting Homs.
Melia cursed and darted after Tyrea, who closed the distance between themselves at the Homs. "Looks like we weren't the only ones with the idea," Tyrea announced in a voice barely above a whisper. The Homs whipped around, each going for their weapons. Tyrea stuck her hands out. "Relax! We want to blow them up just like you do."
"Who says we want to blow them up?" Asked the Homs male with spikey hair.
"Oh, so you want to befriend them? I thought you'd be smarter."
From behind Tyrea, Melia could see the younger Homs man and woman snicker. The Homs man with the spikey hair flushed. Melia felt slightly bad for him.
"How did you find us?" The other Homs woman asked, her hand still clutched around what Melia suspected was some sort of rifle with extra modifications. The woman's eyes were dark with suspicion. Clearly, she was not one to be trifled with.
"We saw you from over there." Tyrea pointed to the spot they had just come from.
"All the way over there?" Shulk repeated.
"We have very sharp vision."
"You said, "we". Is there someone else with you?" Dunban asked. The calm tone of his voice rolled over Melia like velvet and she involuntarily shivered in anticipation. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of coming face to face with him again. She wanted to see him. But she shouldn't. It was confusing.
"You can come out now." Tyrea teased.
Glowering, Melia tensed her body and emerged from the brush, stopping next to Tyrea. Dunban's eyes locked with hers as recognition flooded his features. There was a warmth in his gaze and she felt her heart hasten.
Tyrea glanced between the two, then leered at Melia. Melia ignored her and responded in a neutral tone, "So it seems our paths cross again."
"So it does." He agreed. Gesturing away from the camp, he said, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation away from the enemy."
Melia nodded and led the way into the darkness. The crunching of leaves and snapping of branches filled her ears with each step she took. A few minutes later, she stopped, certain that the distance between themselves and the Prone camp was far enough that they would not attract the attention of their target. When she turned to face the group, she found Dunban's eyes on her once more. Butterflies exploded in her stomach and she averted her gaze.
No one said anything. The light breeze was the only sound that hung in the air around them. Finally, Dunban volunteered. "I'm Dunban. This is Fiora, Shulk, Reyn, Sharla, and Riki," he gestured to each of his companions. Fiora and Shulk both waved, while Reyn shrugged, Sharla only stared, and Riki danced.
"I'm Tyrea. This is Melia." Tyrea waved haphazardly at Melia, who barely contained an eye roll.
"You were so cool yesterday." Fiora smiled at Melia.
"Oh, um, thank you." Her heart thumped hard in her chest and her already warm face turned a degree hotter. She was especially thankful that her rosy cheeks could not be seen in the cover of darkness. The praise was unexpected. In fact, she thought she'd be greeted with the opposite given she had threatened them the day before. Nonetheless, a tiny part of her swelled in gratitude.
"So what's the plan?" Tyrea flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"We were planning on surrounding the base. One team would provide a distraction, while the other two would attack from behind." Dunban explained. "What were your thoughts?"
"I was just gonna use a whistle."
Melia sighed.
"A whistle?" Reyn questioned, stunned. "That's not really a plan."
"Sometimes simplicity is best." Tyrea retorted. "But it sounds like you have a solid plan. Ready, Melia?"
"What makes you think we're going to work with one another?" Sharla challenged. She still hadn't released her rifle, ready for the High Entia to make one wrong move.
"We want the same thing..." Tyrea tilted her head. "That makes us allies, no? Or do you Homs not have that word in your vocabulary?"
"Tyrea," Melia warned.
Tyrea shrugged and folded her arms across her chest.
"I understand your reluctance, but I can assure you that we do want the same thing." Melia swept her eyes over the different Homs team members, her eyes purposefully landing on Dunban's. "I know our meeting was...strange to say the least yesterday. But we do not wish to fight you. We truly want to defeat the Prone."
He held her gaze, unflinching, and this time she did not look away.
A shadow of fear crossed over her heart. What if he said no? Would they try and capture her and Tyrea? No, they wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do that. Not after everything she'd seen of him. Not after he'd thanked her yesterday.
"Alright." He declared. "We'll do this together."
"But sir," Sharla protested. She crossed to Dunban and dropped her words to a whisper. A flash of red burst in Melia, but she tampered it down. Simultaneously, she felt the temptation to listen into the conversation, but Melia shook it off. Dunban would not change his mind.
Why she was certain of it, Melia didn't know. But for some reason, her instincts said that his decision was final.
"What's up her butt?" Tyrea murmured to Melia in Ancient Entia.
"She is most likely concerned. She has every right to be. They do not know us." Melia responded, pretending to brush something off of her armor.
"But he knows you."
"Know is a strong word, Tyrea."
"I can see the way he looks at you." Tyrea jeered. "And the way you look at him."
"I do not look at him in any particular way."
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
"For the teams. Those on distraction will be Sharia, Reyn, and Riki." Dunban said.
The Nopon cheered, making a sound for the first time in the conversation. Startled, Melia glanced at the creature, who waved at her jovially. She had never seen a Nopon up close, and she had to resist the urge to pet his fur.
"The team on the right will consist of Fiora, Shulk, and—"
"Me. You and Melia can go in together. Great. Go, team!" Tyrea clapped her hands together.
"Tyrea. It is their plan. Let them decide." Melia said in a monotone, though the glare in her eye said everything else.
"I think it's a good idea. Varying up skill sets." Fiora piped up.
"Are you sure?" Dunban asked Fiora. From what Melia had seen, there was no romantic connection between the two. But perhaps she was wrong? A small seed of disappointment bloomed in her heart.
Fiora nodded vigorously in response. As Dunban turned his gaze back at the High Entia, Melia saw that wink Fiora shot at Tyrea, who replied with a smirk. The disappointment went away instantly.
They were all going to die because Tyrea and this Homs woman wanted to play matchmaker.
"I will make you pay," Melia muttered, her lips barely moving.
"Sure, if we get out of this alive." Tyrea ducked her head as she unsheathed her sword, a long, curved blade with a golden handle.
"Whoa, that is awesome." Shulk awed, taking a step closer to get a better look.
"If you're nice, teammate, maybe I'll let you play with it later." Tyrea ran her finger along the top, careful not to cut herself.
"Let's move out." Dunban motioned.
Silently, they hurried through the forest, back towards the Prone base.
"If you wish to stay with Fiora, there is still time to switch formation," Melia said to Dunban, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
"No, that won't be necessary. If she is sure, I have to respect her decision."
"I see."
Fifty feet away from the base, they split off into their respective groups. Tyrea threw her one last "thumbs up" Melia's way before disappearing after Shulk and Fiora. A cold wave washed over the princess as she watched her sister depart. Would Tyrea be okay without her? Melia wouldn't be able to look out for her. What if she was injured in the fight? What if Melia couldn't make it over to heal her?
A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped. She spun to see Dunban, his expression in question. "Are you alright?"
She rearranged her features into a neutral expression. "Yes. Let's go."
Alone with Dunban, Melia positioned herself in line with him as they rounded the encampment. Her arm brushed against his, and her skin savored the contact, though her mind froze and ordered her body to put a good few inches between them. But he didn't seem to notice, his attention trained only on the target and their mission. This was not how she wanted their first meeting to be, preparing for battle. First actual meeting, not counting rescuing him. Not that she should have been thinking about that since it was never supposed to happen in the first place.
Stop.
She jerked her thoughts to an abrupt stop in her mind. Now was most definitely not the time to entertain the myriad of thoughts she had concerning Dunban and her — their — relationship (what relationship was that exactly?). Now was the time to focus. And destroy the enemy.
From their vantage point, she could see two guards stationed outside the three-story building and one on the very top. Two were on patrol, doing a sweep of the perimeter, stopping in place, then continuing along on a random path. There was no doubt that inside the tent to the right of the building there would be a few soldiers as well. Possibly some in the rectangular crate-like building as well. This was potentially manageable given the size of their team. But the tricky part would be if there were any Prone away from the camp that would surprise them in the battle, and if any of the soldiers would call for reinforcements as well.
The patrol guards ambled towards each other, not too far from Melia and Dunban's position. He glanced at her and pointed. She nodded and raised her staff. He shook his head but she responded with a nod. No doubt he was telling her they needed to wait for the distraction. But Melia knew she could help even the odds if the guards didn't move out of her reach. Surprised, he tilted his head at her. But she didn't respond, an instead shut her eyes.
In her mind, she pictured the purple mass filled with sleep. Drowsy energy. It congealed into a perfect sphere, vibrating with lavender and violet, bluring in and out of definition in her mind.
"What's that?" A voice grunted, distant.
The sphere grew bigger in her mind. She poured more and more of her energy into it, feeling her body slightly weaken. She exhaled power into the sphere and it continued to expand.
The sounds of footsteps reached her ears.
"Melia." Dunban whispered, urgent.
The sphere enlarged. The footsteps grew louder. The patrol guards were almost on top of them. Melia's eyes flew open. The purple orb buzzed above her staff. As the Prone came into view, opening their mouths in exclamation at the sight of the purple light, she flung it at them.
The sphere split in two and engulfed each of their faces, its purple gas filling their nostrils and smothering their eyes. They swayed, side to side, slowly crumbling to the floor. Soft snores seeped out of their mouths and their eyes fluttered shut.
Melia faced Dunban, who stared with disbelief at the fallen guards. He turned back to her, eyes roaming over her face with wonder. She felt the urge to smile, proud yet bashful, but forced her features to remain blank, only responding with a nod.
A shower of gunfire split through the air. Melia jerked her head to see Sharla, Reyn, and Riki dash out of the brush, weapons at the ready. Two guards from behind the building — two Melia and Dunban hadn't seen — rushed to meet them head on. At the sounds of weapons fire, four Prone hustled out of the tent, armed with their own guns.
"Let's go!" Dunban launched forward.
They dashed into the fray, surprising two more Prone that emerged from the crate-like building. Melia cursed and grabbed the knife on her thigh and threw it. The blade sliced through the air, sinking into the Prone's neck. Blood burst from the wound, pouring down the grey skin. The Prone fell to his knees, clutching at the gash gasping for air, and finally fell still.
Next to her, Dunban leapt around the Prone soldier, finding an opening in its defense and sent his sword straight through its stomach. The body crumpled. Melia met Dunban's eyes. The seriousness and ferocity in his gaze were intense. She immediately understood: this was the soldier he was. She pulled the knife from the Prone's neck and they surged forward together.
Shulk and Fiora stood side by side, guns blazing as they held off two Prone, who hid behind shields. Tyrea stood at their backs in combat with two other Prone opponents, who attempted to outwit her by attacking from opposite sides.
"Help Fiora and Shulk!" Melia called out to Dunban. Without waiting for a response, she darted towards her sister, delivering a kick to one of her attackers. The Prone went down, but rolled away before Melia could jam her knife into his eye.
Tyrea grinned as Melia slid to her side. "Now this party's getting started."
Back-to-back, Melia and Tyrea moved in sync: dodging attacks, feinting to deliver a blow, countering when possible. Though when the two Prone guards were finally put down, immobile on the ground, two more appeared to take their place. It was a dance the sisters did. Melia could feel Tyrea's movements, and at times they would switch positions, gaining the strategic high ground over their Prone enemies. A slice from one Prone caused Melia to duck, and Tyrea stepped in to clash swords with him. And as the Prone next to Tyrea went for his gun, Melia delivered a kick to his groin. When he keeled over, Melia shot a flare from her wand, a blazing flame connecting with his chest, burning a hole through is armor and into his body.
"How many more of these are there?" Tyrea shouted and pulled out her gun, pulling the trigger and shooting down the Prone in front of her.
Before Melia could answer, gunfire showered down on them. Screams filled the air and Melia dove for a stack of crates. She glanced to see Tyrea grab and pull Shulk with her, racing to grab cover behind a Prone truck.
"Over here ya beefhead!" Reyn called across the field, where he popped up from behind a box of crates, aiming a gun at the sniper on the roof. Not far from him were Sharla and Riki in a shootout with two Prone hiding in the forest.
The sniper Prone redirected his attention at Reyn. There was a movement in her periphery and Melia snapped her head to the left to see Dunban prepping to sprint towards the entrance of the building.
She waved her hands frantically to get his attention. Dunban stopped, staring at her. She held up her wand and gestured towards the sniper. He nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Fiora and whispering ot her. Melia closed her eyes and began to concentrate. In her mind, she imagined the crackling of thunderbolts and the brightness of lightening. A yellow orb appeared and she poured her energy into it, coaxing it with her hands, molding its shape with her tingling fingers. She could feel the buzz from the electricity. She pictured the strength and the intensity of the thunder. The yellow orb grew and expanded, vibrating. With a deep breath, Melia opened her eyes and saw a yellow halo surrounding her staff.
She jumped out into the open and raised her staff high. "SUMMON BOLT!"
Lightening bolts exploded from her staff and shot at the Prone sniper. The stream of yellow energy connected with the Prone in a shower of yellow sparks. He yelled in pain, but the sound abruptly cut off. His body swayed, and fell from the roof, landing with a thunk. She exhaled, relieved, tension slipping from her shoulders.
"MELIA!"
The woman whipped around. But she turned too late. The Prone — one of the two that she'd put to sleep — charged her, gun forward, finger on the trigger. A bullet exploded from the gun. She gasped. Her world turned into slow-motion. She watched the bullet slice through the air towards her. Then a push sent her body flying left, out of the bullet's trajectory. Stunned, she fell and saw Dunban in her place, the shot going straight through his left side. Blood burst from the wound but he pulled his gun and shot twice. The Prone fell, dead and the other appeared in his place. The Prone shot at Dunban, the bullet piercing through his shoulder, but before it could get off another round, Dunban unleashed a rain of bullets and the Prone fell too.
Wobbling, Dunban crashed to his knees, wincing at his wounds. His hand went to cover the one at his side. Melia lunged towards him and caught him as he fell backward. Her eyes took in the bullet wounds. The bullet in the shoulder had found the spot between armor plates. But the one in his side and pierced right through. She swore and pressed her hands to the one in his side.
"Dunban!" Fiora screamed and ran to him, dropping to the ground opposite of Melia.
He groaned "I'm fine."
It was a lie. He was losing blood. Not fast, but not slowly either.
"Tyrea!"
Melia didn't take her eyes off of Dunban, who had closed his eyes and was regulating his breathing, no doubt a technique from his training.
Footsteps pounded towards them and skidded to a stop. "We got all of th—whoa."
"We need to bandage him now." Melia barked.
"I didn't bring any of the supplies. They're all in the shuttle. Shit!"
"SHARLA!" Fiora hollered.
Melia continued pressing her hands to his wound, her eyes roaming over his face. "Dunban."
His eyes opened. He focused on her. Blearily. "I need you to stay with me. With us."
"I will."
She closed her eyes and felt for her magic. She dipped into it, interweaving it with her energy. Blues skirted behind her eyelids as she entwined the two tighter and tighter, coiling them until they were almost one. She pulled them through her hands, imagined them dipping into Dunban's wound.
A gasp jerked her back to the present. Blue tendrils flowed from her fingers into Dunban's wound. She felt her strength decrease rapidly as she poured healing magic into the bullet hole. Dunban groaned. Moments passed, Melia feeding her energy to him.
"Melia." Tyrea warned.
Reluctantly, Melia broke the magical connection, slumping.
"What did you do?" Dunban asked.
"I gave you some of my strength. It will slow the blood flow out of the wound, but not for long." Melia struggled to answer, her breath coming in gasps.
Sharla took a knee next to Melia, studying Dunban's injuries. "We need to get you back to the base."
"It's at least a day away." Fiora panicked. "He won't last that long!"
"We can take him back to Alcamoth." Melia swallowed and sat up straight, feeling some of her strength being to replenish.
"Melia."
The sisters locked eyes. If they brought the Homs home, it was imprisonment. Possible death for them.
"They need our help. He saved me."
"Where's that?" Fiora asked.
Melia's heart hammered into her stomach at the thought of returning home with a Homs, possibly to be imprisoned for life. "You don't have to come back with us."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"What is Alcamoth?!" Fiora interrupted, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That is our home," Melia said simply. Her eyes turned to rest on Dunban's once more, but he'd closed his eyes again. She could hear his breathing. It was still there, but shallow. She lay a hand on his forehead. He leaned into it.
"Fuck. Ok." Tyrea looked at the others. "You have a speeder?"
"Yes." Shulk replied.
"I'll pilot ours. You guide them." Melia stared at Reyn. "Can you carry him?"
"I can walk." Dunban protested sluggishly.
"Fat chance. I got 'im." Reyn picked up Dunban.
Melia pulled off her grenade belt and handed it to Tyrea. "See you there."
"Don't you ever suggest I leave you. That's disrespectful." Tyrea snapped.
"I'm sorry." Melia apologized.
"I'm going with you." Fiora declared, jogging next to Reyn.
"Me too." Sharla added.
Melia shook her head. "I'm sorry, there's not enough room."
"Alright," Sharla said, resigned.
Melia gestured to Reyn and Fiora. "Let's go." They dashed through the forest, Melia lighting the way with a bright flame hovering above her staff. Her mind slammed in overdrive: Dunban was injured, bleeding out, possibly close to dying. And it was all her fault. If she'd been more careful, he wouldn't have had to protect her. He would be safe and healthy. She had to save him. Even if her father locked her up or exiled her, she had to save Dunban.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the vehicle. Melia unlocked the shuttle and slid into the driver's seat. She turned on the OS and Fiora slipped into the passenger seat while Reyn sat with Dunban in the back.
"Dunban? Are you awake?" Melia called as she initiated the startup procedure. Buzzes and blips filled the air as Melia's fingers rushed over the keyboard.
"Don't worry, I'm still here." He mumbled.
"Keep him awake, Reyn." Melia turned on the last of the engines.
"Let's go!" Fiora shouted.
Melia didn't need to be told twice. She gunned the engine and shot the shuttle forward into the dark forest, her chest tightening as adrenaline electrocuted her body.
Hold on, Dunban. Please hold on.
A/N: I should be asleep but obviously, I'm not. I'm so ready for actual Dunban/Melia goodness. Leave some luv plz.
