Carthrandour awoke in a small hovel near a green tinted lake, a massive headache his reward. His eyes also burned from the brightness of the light around him. "Will someone turn out the damn lights? God, it's making my eyes burn!" he said in a quiet, raspy voice as he covered his eyes with his arm.
"Sorry, it must have been a strange thing to make it so that light others you. What happened back there kid?" an old man said as he came around, conjuring a little water to douse the candles. His face has got more wrinkles then one of my oldest jeans, small wonder he lives here alone. Carthrandour thought.
"It was a complicated summoning, made far more difficult by the presence of Sol. I doubt you would understand, unless, of course, you are a scholar. And that, I doubt, seeing the look of you. Where is the girl with the black hair that was with me?" he said, his mind panning back to Yonka. Even in his dreams, he thought of her, her beautiful black hair reaching halfway down her back, her lithe yet powerful body, her strong yet gentle touch, her dark yet merciful personality.
"If you mean the woman that brought you here, then she is out hunting at the moment. Yes, even though Alchemy has been released, we still need to hunt in order to get food. Speaking of which, she made a soup for you before she left, not even a couple minutes ago. Here it is, still hot." The old man said, giving Carthrandour a rather large bowl. He tried some of it, and had to spit some of it out.
"Wow! That stuff really is hot! I should probably wait a bit. So, where am I exactly? I'm kinda new to this world so a map would be greatly appreciated." Carthrandour said after swallowing the soup remaining in his mouth. He could feel it flowing down his throat, warming his body.
"New to the world? What the hell are you talking about? And to answer your question, you are at the Sage Lake, a bit of a favored spot for the younger inhabitants of this part of Angara." The man replied, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"It's a long story, suffice it to say that I won't ever see my home again. I'd rather not speak of it without Yonka here." He said, looking at the floor.
"Who says she's not here? I'm so glad you woke up Carthrandour!" Yonka exclaimed from the entrance. "Come on, you should see this place at dusk, it's magnificent. If we want to get a good spot we might want to get going now Carthrandour." She added, smiling softly. She knew that this would be their first date in three years, and the mere thought of it threatened to overwhelm her with excitement and joy.
"Alright Yonka, let's go." Carthrandour replied shortly, taking his bowl of soup with him. "Thank you for the hospitality sir, perhaps this will even out the dept." he added, handing a small dagger set with jewels.
"Uh, thanks, but I can't take this. I help kids like you find out more about Alchemy, learn how to use Psynergy, and watch their romances develop. It's a kinda hobby. I'm gonna be repaid soon so keep the dagger. Well, get goin! You're gonna miss it!" the old man replied, his face curling into a smile as well.
Carthrandour and Yonka walked out towards the lake just as Sol makes its descent into the horizon. "That summon Carthrandour, was amazing. Last time you did it you just summoned a beam of energy down from Luna, this time, you summoned Luna herself! It was unlike anything I've ever seen. Carthrandour, I'm glad that, if it had to happen, I got to come here with you." Yonka said softly, her cheeks reddening slightly.
"Thanks Yonka. You know, I've finally gotten a chance to actually look at you now. You're far more beautiful then anyone I've ever seen in my life. If there was anyone I'd like to be here with, it's you. Yonka, I Love you, I really do." Carthrandour said, smiling quietly. "You've got a vivacious spirit and a body well suited to it. I'm surprised you said that I was your first. I never told you, mainly because you never asked but, you're my first. Did you know that? Probably could have guessed huh?" he added, laughing.
"Actually, no. I though you had at least one before me. You always seemed like you knew exactly what to do and when, as well as how to do it. I guess I was wrong though. Carth…" her voice trailed off as their eyes met. Slowly closing in, their eyes closed. They snapped back into the world around them however, when the old man gave a squeal of delight.
"Oh, sorry! I overheard you two and I decided to watch. Sorry!" he said. Carthrandour and Yonka merely laughed.
"Come on, let's go somewhere were we can get a bit of privacy, huh Yonka?" Carthrandour said as his laughter subsided.
"Alright, I came to a small clearing by the lake shore while I was hunting. It's only a couple minutes walk from here. Follow me!" she replied, running gracefully into the woods at a relaxed pace.
"Hey! You were supposed to say '1, 2, 3, go!" Carthrandour said as he ran after her. The old man gave a small sigh as he watched the two run into the forest together. Little did he know that a powerful, greedy Luna Adept was sneaking in.
"Here we are Carthrandour! This is the place I was talking about. Come on, we can sit here while the sun sets." Yonka called out, stopping right at a small cliff leading into the water. She stood there, waiting for Carthrandour. "Where are you?" she added, nervousness conquering her.
"Here!" Carthrandour replied as he leaped out of a nearby tree, scaring Yonka so much that she jumped back, right over the edge.
"Carthrandour!" she yelled, falling further and further away from her Love. Carthrandour leaped over the edge, his heavier body making him fall faster then Yonka. Great black wings burst forth from his back, beating at the air below Yonka, trying to slow her descent ass much as he could. Even though he was falling faster then she was, she would still hit the water before he did.
"Gotchya!" he said as he grabbed her around the waist. His wings beat furiously as they tried to stop their descent. He summoned quite a bit of energy, and put it all into a strangely musical note. The water below began to separate, glowing blacker then the midnight sky. Then, winds began to push the warrior and his Love upwards, catching in his new wings. With another beat of his wings, he steered them towards the land and soared to it, retracting his wings just before hitting the ground.
"Carthrandour, I owe you my life! Ho-"
"No, you don't. You have saved my life before. A life for a life, my debt is repaid. Plus, you being here with me is payment enough for anything at all. A life without you, I could never imagine, let alone survive! As I saw you fall, I felt as if I fell with you, plunging into the dark depths of that lake, drowning as the creatures within dragged me under, holding me down, choking me." Carthrandour interrupted, looking deep into Yonka's eyes, deeper then he ever had before.
Yonka returned his gaze, seeing herself, just as clearly as if she was looking in a just made mirror. She knew what Carthrandour saw, because as he snapped out of his strange trance, he smiled softly, sitting down nest to Yonka with his feet dangling over the water.
Yonka sat down next to him so closely that she was practically sitting on him. She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with joy and beauty, but most of all, Love. Carthrandour's eyes met hers, sparkling with Love, joy, and a little nervousness thrown in there as well. Their heads closed in on one another's once more, this time, without any unwanted interruptions. Their eyes closed slowly, their arms curling around each other, pulling them closer together gently. So much warmth! So comfortable, I could stay like this forever! Yonka thought. Their lips met in a grand embrace, warmth passing through like water. For several seconds they held this pose, the air around them sparkling.
They slowly separated, their eyes remaining closed. Yonka was the first to open her eyes, looking at Carthrandour with a soft smile. She saw he was smiling softly as well, however, he was trying to etch that particular memory into the walls of his mind, ensuring that he would remember it for all eternity.
He opened his eyes, gazing out towards the sunset. What a great ending to a strange day. He thought as he set up camp in the small clearing behind them.
Author: Sorry it took so long, I was working on my Mechwarrior story for a while.