"Wait…" Elva said and stopped as Eila was reaching for the doorknob. "I can't do it, I don't like leaving him… what if he wakes up and I'm not there? What if he gets hurt? Don't make me go..."
Eila's eyes softened when she turned to find Elva's eyes full of worry. "Elva… I'd never make you go or force you to do something if it made you uncomfortable in a negative light. I'll bring food up for you. Stay here with…" she grinned. "Potato."
Elva's features lightened and she bit her lip before she reached up and pressed a kiss to Eila's cheek. A blush spread across her features when the surprise was obvious on the half-Elf's face.
"I also… I don't want you to leave yet." Elva said shyly as she reached up and carefully slid her fingers along the waist of Eila's trousers, feeling the blue and black cloth belt that kept them on her slender form.
"I don't want to leave either, but it's important that you get food." The White Rider said matter-of-factly. The quiet plea went right over her head.
Elva tugged on her trousers, pulling her closer. "I feel fine. The more I'm up the better I feel." Her hands wandered up under the hem of Eila's tunic.
A panicked look crossed Eila's eyes when they widened and a soft gasp left her lips when Elva's chilly fingers touched her skin. She watched her partner lose all course of thought and all care for reason as her pupils dilated widely over icy blue irises.
"Are you alright?" Elva asked gently as Eila continued to stare. She was barely breathing.
A violent shudder ran down Eila's back and her entire demeanor changed an instant later. "I'm… overwhelmed."
"Do you want me to stop?" Elva whispered gently, knowing to be careful.
Eila shook her head and closed her eyes. She let her trembling hands slide along Elva's waist. "This is new to me… I can't…" she whispered as she rested her forehead against Elva's. "My skin is… s-sensitive…"
"So I'm finding." The human smiled and reached up to press a kiss to Eila's lips. "Tell me if it gets to be too much, okay?"
"Okay…" the half-Elf breathed and opened her eyes to look at the shorter woman that had her nearly only a few feet from the wall. She didn't expect the surprise that caused Elva to straighten.
"Eila… your eyes are green."
Worried for a moment, the half-Elf relaxed. "Father didn't like it that I had my mother's eyes, so he took them and gave me new ones. I made them blue because I liked my eyes as they were and I kept them that way." She paused to remember how to focus because the patterns Elva was absently drawing on her bare flesh was purely distracting.
"Is green the color he gave you?" Elva asked, but Eila shook her head and within the moment, the blackness of her pupils overtook the green until her irises were darker than night.
"He gave me these. Shruikan taught me how to change the color based on the faint memory of his original Rider doing the same. Father thought I wouldn't figure it out. He gave me ones of his own design, thinking I wouldn't be able to change them."
"Why did you change the color of your eyes just now, then?"
Eila bit her lip and shifted. "When I lose the grasp I have on my… control, I let the chaotic result tumble into changing the color of my eyes. It's safer that way." Her eyes became a dark green that glistened in the sunlight streaming into the room.
"You're not like most magicians, are you? You're more like me where you have to work to hold back instead of having to urge theurgical influences forward in order to do something… am I correct in this hypothesis?"
With a shy look, Eila nodded. "I was cursed in much the same way, I think. The difference is that I can't feel the pain of others nor was I blessed by dragon magic like you were. I was instead cursed by Durza to constantly channel passion into power, and passion has many definitions."
Elva reached up to feel her cheek again. "And you feel strongly like this very often. I know because I can feel it cause you pain."
Eila nodded. "I'm afraid of… of… m-my emotions can lead to the death of many. I can't feel like I want to."
"Have you told Arya about this?"
With the slight shake of her head, Eila's eyes lightened into a greenish blue. "I don't want her to know until after she speaks with her elders… our elders. I'm a dangerous person to train and I don't want to swear fealty to anyone else because of the simple fact that I exist… I'm tired of being owned by someone because they either want to control me or because they're afraid of me."
Elva slid her whole hand up under Eila's tunic, and she watched the half-Elf's eyes go from blue green to nearly white. "I don't want to own or control you. Arya doesn't want that either. She sees you like a sister or a daughter maybe. I haven't been able to pin it down, but Arya isn't the type to desire control over someone else. The Elves as a whole aren't that way. I think you should talk to her about this. The worst that could happen would be her desire to teach you methods of control and how to deal with 'runoff', as Angela calls it, like how your eyes change when you feel unstable."
Eila nodded, then bent and kissed Elva with as much feeling as she could bear to express, temporarily taking her off guard. With two steps, they were against the wall and with careful fingers, Elva began to undo the lower clasps of Eila's tunic so she could obtain better access to the half-Elf's skin.
Time seemed to stop and sound ceased to exist as they fell deeper into the abyss of instinct instead of reason or conscious thought. Hours could have passed and neither would have known it, though really, it depended on how long they could hold their breath before having to break for air.
"Well, I'm glad to see you two are no longer trying to kill each other." A familiar voice floated through the air and broke their focus.
They both jumped violently and let go of each other immediately. Eila's fingers worked to close her tunic and Elva did her best to straighten her appearance before bowing. Words didn't find either one of them as all they could do was stare at Arya, who calmly stared back at them.
"Downstairs in ten minutes. We have things to do today. Elva, I trust you feel better?"
With wide and almost frightened eyes, Elva nodded, still slightly out of breath. "Y-yes ma'am." Her voice cracked and squeaked unevenly. "I hope you're feeling better?"
Arya smiled pleasantly. "Yes I am, thank you for asking. How about you, Eila?"
The half-Elf had gone completely pale, but she nodded quickly.
Arya also nodded. "Good." Her expression became serious. "We're going to talk about what I walked in on later, but it is important to get the day going, so that conversation will be postponed. Therefore, here's what's going to happen: you both are going to make yourselves presentable, eat, then get your dragons ready to meet your new community. We are then going to meet with Orik over lesson plans. Afterwards, Elva, we're getting you fitted with a sword. Your training begins tomorrow with Eila and Lord Däthedr. Any questions?"
Both women were silent for a long time before Eila very carefully raised her hand. Arya answered with a look.
"A-are we in trouble?" Her voice was barely audible.
"I haven't decided yet. Come on. Let's get going now." Arya bowed slightly, then left.
With loud sighs, Eila and Elva closed their eyes, then looked over at each other. "I'm so sorry…" Eila breathed, her face was still pale.
"I kept it going." Elva smiled. "You're a good kisser."
The half-Elf laughed at that. "I've never kissed anyone on my own volition, I have no idea what I'm doing."
"Psh, Elves." Elva grinned.
"Hey, I'm human too." Eila felt herself relax at the friendly banter. The color returned to her features and she went to approach Elva again. "I better get going… I have to… make myself presentable."
A soft yawn came from the direction of the bed and they both looked.
"Oh good…" Elva sighed. "Not you… him… I was worried I was going to have to wake him."
"Looks like your wish was granted. Please excuse me, I'll be back. I still need to change and you need to get dressed."
"Taskmaster."
"I like to be on time!" Eila defended and smiled nicely. "I'll come by to walk you downstairs."
"Don't you think it would be better to go separately, given what just transpired?" Elva frowned slightly.
"Oh, that's a good point. Okay, go down the spiral staircase just outside when you're ready. Go right for a while and you'll find it. It's huge, you can't miss it." Eila offered helpfully.
"Thank you."
"And your clothes are in this dresser here." Eila pointed and walked towards it for a few steps but stopped and turned back.
"Thank you." Elva said again, then checked the open door before pulling her close to press a quick kiss upon her lips. "Don't forget your eyes. They're green again." She smiled and wrapped the half-Elf in a warm embrace before letting her go.
"My turn to thank you." Eila smiled and shrugged slightly. "Thank you."
"Don't forget. You might get spoken to about it and if you want to avoid that conversation you best be careful. Now go get dressed and fancied up. I'll see you downstairs."
"Alright." Eila crinkled her nose before pressing a kiss to Elva's forehead.
"I hate to kick you out, but we might get in trouble." Elva said pointedly and Eila sighed.
"I know… I'll see you later. If you need help with… Potato, let me know. Eylörís was somewhat of a difficult hatchling." She felt playful offense through her bond with the white and blue dragon.
"I'll call for you if the need arises."
"Fantastic." Eila smiled and kissed Elva again before detaching herself from their embrace then headed towards the door.
"I'll close it behind you." Elva bowed slightly and waited for Eila to leave.
Only a few feet from the entrance stood Arya, leaning casually against the wall. They both waited for the door to close before saying anything and by that point Eila was within an arm's reach to Arya. "I was half expecting to have to go back in there and pull you two apart. What changed? A week ago you both were ready to wring each other's necks."
Eila straightened and looked over. "We got to know each other and realized how similar we actually are. I don't know where the aggression came from…" Eila thought. "Maybe pent-up emotions. Frustration. Anger. For me, confusion. Elva is the first person I've ever been attracted to like… that."
Arya looked down at her cousin, eyes softening as she reached out and rubbed her back supportively. "You did better than I did."
Eila frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Arya smiled. "When I was twenty, I fancied a man named Fäolin. He was older than me by a few years, but it wasn't too drastic. Long story short, I fell in a lake while trying to spy on him. Serves me right."
Eila smiled at that and she almost laughed. "Did you get together?"
Arya nodded. "About fifty years later when he and another named Glenwing started accompanying me on my journeys around Alagaësia with Saphira's egg. I used to hold Vanir's position. My mother hated it."
"Your mother hated you as the Ambassador or your relationship with Fäolin?"
Arya nodded. "Both. Despite it, though, Fäolin and I were together for twenty-eight years. He passed away almost three years ago."
Eila could see the sadness manifest in her cousin's eyes. "May I ask how he passed?"
With a slight nod, Arya inclined her head. "Durza. We were ambushed and overwhelmed. Both Fäolin and Glenwing passed on and I was captured and imprisoned for roughly a year before Eragon, Saphira, and Murtagh came to break me out."
Eila's eyes softened. "Speak no more about it now. I understand what you may have gone through while in his care. I'm so sorry he took Fäolin from you as well as Glenwing. I've only seen good in his black heart once or twice, but that is a story for another time."
Arya nodded, then left a pause before turning back to her cousin. "Hey."
Eila looked up with a nervous gaze. "Hey."
"You and Elva… how long has it been going on?"
"Today. We were going to go ask you about the rules when we came down for breakfast." She looked out at the sky from the gaps in the large trees. "Lunch, I suppose, at this point. We weren't trying to hide it from you, you just beat us." Eila kept her eyes on the sky. "And… Elva touched me on the waist."
Arya's eyebrows raised slightly in confusion. "We got distracted." Eila clarified and her cousin nodded. "Why didn't you knock?"
"I did. Twice."
Eila's cheeks reddened at that and she rubbed her neck. "Sorry."
"It's okay, just be more careful. I think it would be acceptable for you two to entertain a relationship so long as you don't reveal it publicly until after everyone gets used to both of you. That means either here in the Loft or deep in the woods. Namely, Angela's house." Arya smiled when she saw the hopeful joy in Eila's eyes. Yes. She made the right decision. At least, for now it was the right decision.
Eila held her breath just before wrapping Arya in a tight embrace. "Thank you…" she whispered softly and Arya returned the embrace as best as she knew how.
"Of course. Now get dressed." She smiled and kissed Eila's forehead before pulling away completely.
"Am I allowed to wear my armor?"
"The leather?"
"Y… yeah." Eila nodded.
"You don't sound certain on that one."
Eila worked her jaw. "Well it's… yeah, it's leather."
"What kind of leather?" Arya started sounding more authoritative.
Eila looked down and played with her fingers. "H-human."
Arya straightened with a severe frown. "Why do you have armor made of human skin?" She lowered her voice.
"Well I… I was made to do a lot of twisted things for my own survival. I don't want to talk much more about it, but wearing armor makes me feel safe and I'm accustomed to wearing that one. It really isn't much different than cowhide so long as you prepare it correctly." Eila said pointedly despite the slight look of horrification on Arya's features.
"May I see it?" The Elf asked quietly.
"Yes, of course." Eila led the way into her room and gestured to the mannequin dressed in the set of black dyed human hide armor, tailored to fit her measurements precisely.
"This is both fascinating and horrifying to me. Why do you enjoy wearing it?" Arya said as she examined everything about it.
"Because it's very comfortable and offers the same sort of protection that cowhide does. The leather isn't stiff like cowhide and it's actually easier to work with. A lot of Galbatorix' men wore armor like this because the materials were easy to obtain, except my set is different, obviously, because it's made to fit a woman, more specifically me. Smell it, it smells just like cowhide leather." Eila smiled a little bit excitedly, but Arya couldn't understand why Eila was excited about it.
"This is going to take me awhile to process, Eila, and I don't think it would be a very good idea to wear this when meeting the people of Ellesméra for the first time either. I think it best to keep the leather type to yourself as well. I don't see much difference, but a trained eye would know."
"Of course. Thank you. I just thought to ask." Eila smiled as she went to her dresser to pull out a fresh set of clothing.
"Well, thank you for doing so." Arya nodded, still a little thrown by the set of armor made of human skin that was not even a foot away from her.
She straightened and walked over to Eila. "Please tell me one day. What you went through, I mean. Don't force yourself into an uncomfortable situation, but… remember that I am here to help if you need it."
Eila's eyes watered and she stepped closer to give Arya another hug. "It might not come soon, but I will. I promise."
"Good. Thank you." She returned the gesture. "Now, I must ask, why are your eyes green?"
Eila seemed to sigh heavily internally by the way her shoulders drooped when they let go of their embrace. "When I have a hard time controlling my own magical abilities, I channel it into changing the color of my eyes. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and it's a safer alternative than hurting people."
Arya gave her an odd look, then decided that conversation was for later as well. She smiled knowingly. "Elva overwhelms you?"
Eila instantly went red, answering Arya's question. "And that's okay. Just don't let her distract you from your studies and the same goes for you. We'll talk about that later as well."
"Yes ma'am. Is it okay if I speak of this to Elva prematurely? It's stressing her out just as much as me before you said the things you did to me on the side. It would be an unusual sort of cruelty to keep her in the dark while I know things will turn out much less severe than we thought."
Arya nodded. "Quietly, though, alright?"
Eila nodded. "I promise." She sounded completely relieved and Arya patted her on the back. "Good. I'll see you downstairs."
"Mhm. See you downstairs. Thank you, Arya." Eila said warmly.
With a soft chuckle, the Elf inclined her head. "You're welcome."
She watched Arya leave and close the door behind her. A smile spread across her lips. It was going to be okay.
A/N: Happy new year! I needed another break from this story, so I took it once the holidays were over. I also needed some time to write fanfiction for The Last of Us: Part II. I might post it, I haven't decided. I've gained a lot of confidence through this story, but for now, this story is the top priority. It's like a soap opera for me, I literally have no idea when it's going to end, but that's okay. I'm having fun and I hope you guys are too.
It was interesting because, if you've played The Last of Us: Part II, the main character, Ellie, is nineteen, I believe, and she looks a lot like how I pictured Eila, only with black hair and blue eyes. Yes, Eila has freckles. Don't look her up if you have your own image of Eila in mind, this character is mine as much as she is yours.
Now take a breath and get ready because I'll probably have another chapter out soon :)
Much love, and thank you all for reading!
-Lady Arlo