Hey, check it out, responses to reviewers!
Millenium Slinky: You think Heath is too chivalrous to intrude on a woman's privacy? *checks your profile* Oh, I see, you're a girl. Then let's just say you will never understand how us guys think, ever. Just ignore it, cause there's no way you can understand :P
Gyrfalcon: It probably looks strange because almost every other fic on this site is double-spaced. For some reason, I seem to be the only user able to make single spacing...
khmerboi919: Good for you, you were the first to wonder what impact Raven might have on the couple-to-be. Let's just say he's not going to be helpful for them...
Now, to continue the story...
Fight and Flight
Heath opened his eyes to see Priscilla gently rousing him. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Someone need me?"
"No," she said, smiling, "but we're leaving."
"Oh." He got up. "Where are we going?"
"To the Nabata Desert," she replied.
Heath's eyes widened. "We're going all that way? That'll take us fifteen days, at least!"
"I know. But Lord Hector said—"
"It's just Hector," Heath teased.
She laughed. "Fine, Hector said that we need to go there to help us out in our fight with Nergal. I don't really understand why, but if it will help us, then I will not object."
Heath sighed. "Well, I guess it will give Hyperion some exercise, at least...Are you going to walk the whole way?"
"No," she replied, "I ride a horse."
"Oh. Well actually, if you had said yes, I was going to ask if you wanted to ride Hyperion with me."
She laughed again. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Why not?" he asked.
"I'm, well, a bit afraid of heights," she replied, smiling with some embarrassment. "But I appreciate your offer."
"All right then." He started putting on his boots and armor. As he walked out the door, though, Priscilla stopped him.
"Heath? Can I ask you something?" she asked.
"You just did," he replied, turning back to her. He saw that her face was a bit flushed. "But you can ask me something else, if you like," he continued, grinning.
She smiled. "Well, I was wondering...i-if you do not mind, that is...that while we are traveling, if...you would continue to stay with me. It's lonely when I'm by myself in the tent, and...y-you seem like a nice person," she said. Heath noticed she said the last part with some effort.
Heath smiled at her. "Of course," he replied. "I don't really know anyone else in this army, and you seem like a nice person yourself."
Priscilla's cheeks turned pink. "Thank you," she said.
Heath went to the stables to find Hyperion eating a piece of meat the guards had given him. He let Hyperion out as several other people came into the stable to find their horses, and for some, pegasi. Heath flew Hyperion to the front of the fortress, where he found Mark and the three lords waiting for him, along with several other people.
After everyone had come, the three lords went around, checking to see if everyone was ready to leave.
"You settled in there, Heath?" Hector asked as he passed.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Heath replied.
"All right," Eliwood said after they were done checking, "let's go!"
Hyperion unfurled his wings and they took off.
As Heath flew slowly above the traveling group, he saw a pegasus knight flying some distance away from him. He flew over to the pegasus, and riding it, he saw a short girl with curly light purple hair, wearing blue light armor. He noticed her face turned bright red as she noticed him approaching.
"Hey there," he said to the pegasus knight, "My name's Heath, and I'm a wyvern knight. What's your name?"
"H-h-hello," the girl stammered. "I-I'm F-Fl-Florina. P-pleased to m-meet you, H-Heath..."
"Pleased to meet you as well, Florina," Heath replied. Her face was still bright red, and noticing this, Heath continued, "Are you all right?"
"I-I'm f-f-fine," the girl replied.
"You'll have to excuse her," came another voice from behind him. Heath turned around to see another pegasus knight. Her face looked like Florina's, but her hair was straight and much longer, along with being bright green. "Florina's a bit...shy...around men," she continued.
"I see," Heath said, looking back at Florina, whose face was still bright red. Turning back to the other girl, he asked, "And who might you be?"
"I am Fiora, her sister," she replied. "You are our new wyvern knight, I see."
"Yes, I am," Heath replied. "My name is Heath. And we'll be flying alongside one another, I gather?"
"It seems like it," Fiora replied.
As the group traveled, Heath became fast friends with Priscilla. They were not able to talk to each other too often, but Heath liked talking with her and she seemed to enjoy his company. The journey passed quicker than Heath expected, and the group soon found themselves at the beginning of the sands of the Nabata Desert. There, they found several bandits—but the bandits seemed to be focused on someone else. Heath could see the man they were attacking in the distance, wearing gray robes, but that was all he could make out. Deciding that they had to help out a man in such peril, Eliwood sent in his group to take care of the bandits.
Those who were not on horseback did not have much trouble moving in, but those who were had several problems. Their horses could not dig into the sand with their hooves, and several were slowed down considerably. Heath noticed Priscilla at the edge of the sand, almost unable to move. He flew down to her to help.
"Need help there?" he asked her.
"My horse," she said. "He can't walk in the sand."
Heath grinned. "Want to come with me then?"
Priscilla looked at him, a slight expression of fear spreading over her face. "Oh," she said, "I couldn't burden you."
"Nonsense," Heath said. "Come on, get on. It's not as bad as you think."
Unsure, Priscilla took her staff, slowly got off her horse, and slid onto the wyvern's back.
"Hold on tight," Heath said.
She did so. "Just don't go too—AH!" She screamed as Hyperion suddenly took off, soaring into the air.
Heath looked back at her; she was clinging to him for dear life and squeezing her eyes shut as hard as she could. When she opened them, she took one look down and nearly fainted. "Nonononono!" she shouted. "Not so high! Not so high!"
Heath laughed. "Come on, it's not that bad, is it?"
"Please, fly lower!" she nearly screamed.
Seeing her fear, Heath directed Hyperion downwards, stopping so he and Priscilla were just a few feet off the ground. "Is that better?" he asked.
"Y-yes," she stammered. She was trembling. "I-I told y-you, I-I'm afraid of h-heights..."
"Well, confronting your fears head-on is the best way to deal with them, isn't it?"
"P-perhaps...b-but next time...please tell me when you are g-going to do that, okay?"
Heath smiled at her. "Okay. Want to try again?"
She paled. "N-not now...I think th-that was enough excitement f-for one day," she said, trying to smile.
Heath laughed. "Well, you handled it better than I thought you would...you didn't faint, for one thing."
Priscilla laughed weakly. "I-I guess so...Heath! Behind you!"
Heath whipped around and saw a bandit coming for him, armed with a crude iron axe. Piece of cake. "Hold on," he told Priscilla. She did so, and Heath suddenly rushed forward, lance in front of him. The bandit, not expecting the attack, feebly tried to block the lance, but failed. He slumped to the ground, dead.
Heath pulled out his lance and wiped the blood off of it. "You all right there, Priscilla?" he asked.
No reply. Heath turned around, worrying she might have fallen, but she hadn't. She had just fainted.
Heath chuckled. "I spoke too soon, I guess," he said to himself, before flying back to camp to let Priscilla rest.
The battle had long since ended by the time Priscilla awoke. Heath had carried her back to their tent and laid her on the bed.
As she awoke, Heath asked, "You back with us now?"
"Yes," she replied. "What happened?"
"You passed out when I attacked that bandit," he replied. "Why did you faint? We weren't flying that high."
"Oh," she said, her face reddening, "well...as a healer, I do not like the sight of blood. Normally I would not have fainted as I did—I was probably just still recovering from flying so high."
"I see," Heath said. "Look, I'm sorry I flew so high before. I...should've asked you first."
"There's no need to apologize, Heath," Priscilla said, sitting up. "I actually thought it was...quite exhilarating."
"Exhilarating enough to make you pass out?" Heath teased her.
Priscilla put a mock expression of hurt on her face. "Heath, you're so cruel," she said playfully.
Heath laughed a bit. "Fine, fine. But...do you think you want to try flying again later?" he asked. "If you don't want to...that's fine with me."
Priscilla got off the bed and stood up. "Well...I would certainly like to try again," she replied. She got up and opened the flap of the tent, only to find that it was nighttime. "Was I out for that long?" she asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yeah," Heath replied. "I was worried something might have happened to you."
"Heath, I'm touched," she said jokingly, "You do worry about me." She laughed.
Heath laughed with her. "Well...you were unconscious for quite some time. Eliwood and the others only just came back. I think they found whatever it was they were looking for."
"What were they looking for?" she asked.
"They said they found one of the eight legendary warriors who fought in the Scouring," Heath said. "I don't believe it though—he'd have to be over a thousand years old."
"Well, he is legendary, you never know," Priscilla said.
"Maybe. But now we have to go alllllll the way back and go to Bern. I don't know about you, but this whole thing seems like a wild goose chase."
"It is not," Priscilla said, slightly angry.
"How do you know?" Heath asked.
"Heath—I was there, at the Dragon's Gate. It was...terrible. A dragon nearly made it through the portal. I have never seen something so...so powerful. I do not wish to think of what might happen...if Nergal actually allows dragons into this world." Her face was becoming more fearful and angry by the second. "You weren't there...you don't know..."
Heath's expression became grave. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to make you angry. You're right—I don't know what it would be like. And I don't want to find out."
Priscilla stared at him silently.
"Are you all right now?" Heath asked.
"No," she said, "but I don't think I will be until this is all over."
"Priscilla...you shouldn't think about this. I know that seeing a dragon was terrible, whether or not I saw it myself. But if you keep thinking about it you're going to drive yourself crazy. You should...just let go of it for now."
Priscilla took a deep breath. "All...all right. I'll...try to stop thinking about it. Thank you, Heath."
Heath just smiled at her.
Priscilla returned to her bed and lay down.
"Are you going to sleep?" Heath asked.
"Yes," she replied. "But I...I am afraid...that I will have nightmares about..."
"You'll only have nightmares if you keep thinking about it. Just...clear your head. Think about something else. Like...flying." Heath smirked.
Priscilla laughed. "Thanks, Heath. Now I'm going to have nightmares about falling instead of...no. I'm not going to talk about it anymore. Heath...thank you."
Heath smiled. "You're welcome," he said. "Good night, Priscilla."
"Good night, Heath."
Please review!
-TheOneAndOnlyT
