Around A Lonely Campfire
Long before the Union of the Clans, the Yun lived upon their mountains. To each clan, the gods had given a purpose. Some were healers. Others were scholars. But the Yun were swords, and a sword cannot be forged of raw iron. A sword needs steel: it needs the fire, and the ice, and the hammer.
They say the Yun are born of iron. Their mountains are the ice, the beasts that dwell there are the fire, and the endless tide of battle is the hammer that forges each Yun into a living sword. But of these swords, not all were of equal measure, and the greatest of them all was Fang. In her tenth year, a harsh winter fell over the mountains. It was a fell season, and the wolves of the mountain ventured from their dens and sought prey amongst the villages.
Chief amongst them was a great, silver wolf. The beast stole down from the high mountains and slew all that it met. A band of hunters was sent out to bring it down, but not a one of them returned. In the long days that followed, it stalked the slopes near Fang's village and took any children who wandered too far from the walls.
Then one night, growing bolder, the wolf crept into the village proper. It slunk through the streets with killing on its mind until it happened upon a little Dia girl who had climbed from her window to see the stars. At once, the wolf bared its fangs and the low growl it gave sent the girl into a fright.
She cried out for aid, but none came. All the warriors were at the walls, and the wolf had evaded them. Only one other remained in the house: Fang. And though only a child, Fang seized one of her father's spears and leapt from the window to the aid of the girl who was a sister of her heart if not a sister of her blood.
Girl and wolf looked at one another, and the spear trembled in Fang's hands. She had learned from her father the arts of battle, but she had never faced such an enemy alone. But still she stood firm, and her eyes shone defiance as the wolf padded closer, its jaws opened wide, its teeth aglitter in the moonlight.
And then it sprang!
But Fang had learned well, and standing firm, she braced herself as best she could and thrust her spear up to meet her foe. Perhaps the gods blessed her that moment, for her thrust was true. The tip of the spear snapped the longest of the wolf's fangs, and the point of it bit deep, stabbing up through the roof of the mouth and into the monster's brain.
The wolf gave a howl, low and loud, and men came running. But though the wolf thrashed and clawed, Fang held firm. With a howl of her own, she thrust her full weight upon the weapon, and the wolf fell dead. When the warriors and her father arrived, they cried out in wonder.
A child had slain the great wolf. Plucking the wolf's fang from the ground, her father lifted her upon his shoulders.
"It is said that every Yun earns their name with their first kill, and my daughter's kill is a mighty one! On this night, against her spear, not even the fangs of this wolf could prevail. So let her name be Fang! Hail to my daughter, Fang of the Yun!"
And so it was that Fang earned her name. In the years that followed, Fang's fame would grow. No enemy could best her, and she grew skilled with all the weapons of the Yun: the spear, the axe, the dagger, the sword, and the bow. By the time she reached the fullness of her height, she was the finest warrior of her clan.
But her greatest honour would come later. For deep within the mountains of the Yun lay a shrine. It was built upon the highest peak of all, shrouded in a storm that never broke. There, the goddess Lightning lived, and her far-seeing eyes kept endless watch over the world of mortals and the world of the gods. For she was the keeper of heaven's laws, and those who broke them were subject to her justice.
But Lightning was also a goddess of warriors, and those women who took up arms amongst the Yun, and there were many, venerated her above all others. In those days, many gods Chose, and the mortals who were Chosen were gifted with their aid and favour. To be Chosen was an honour of the highest sort, a mark of esteem and worth above all others.
Yet Lightning had never Chosen – until she Chose Fang.
Fang proved the worth of Lightning's choice. She led her people to many victories against their enemies, and no foe could withstand her in battle. Even the great monsters of her homeland, so feared and famous, could not escape the deadliness of her spear.
One winter, when she had returned from battle upon the plains, she heard whispers of a new menace amongst the slopes. Word came of a lion that hunted men for sport. It was said have grown to a monstrous size with a black pelt that no mortal weapon could pierce. A dozen fine warriors had already gone in search of it, and the beast had devoured them all, dragging the last back to die within sight of the village walls.
Such horror could not be ignored, so Fang took up her spear again and ventured into the mountains in search of the beast. She was skilled in the ways of tracking and hardy also, so it was not long before she spied its lair. The lion lived deep within a winding cave high up in the mountains. It was pitch black within the cave, and its twisting corridors were not known to her. Only a fool would have ventured deeper, and Fang was no fool.
Instead, she gathered what wood she could, mostly sticks and twigs from the haggard trees nearby, and waited until the lion had fallen asleep. Then, she cleared a space before the cave and watched carefully for a change in the wind. When the wind had begun to blow toward the cave, she lit a great fire before the entrance. The wind swept the smoke into the cave, and the lion had no choice but reveal itself.
Night had fallen when the lion emerged, but she could see it clearly in the dancing gleam of the firelight. It was exactly as the stories had told: twice the size of even the biggest lion she had seen till then with a pelt as black as the night. Yet she could not credit the stories of its toughness without testing it first. From her position behind a boulder, she fired an arrow straight at the throat of the beast.
The arrow struck true then clattered to the ground. Sure enough, no mortal metal could pierce the lion's hide. With a roar, it rounded upon her and drove her from her hiding place. They faced each other in the flickering flames, and the lion's claws were so sharp they carved furrows into the rock at its feet. But Fang held tight to her spear, the same spear that had slain the wolf so long ago, and waited for the lion to strike.
Three times it lunged, and each time she made it miss. And on each pass, she drove the deadly tip of her famous spear into the lion with her full weight behind it. Yet the spear could pierce the lion's pelt. Death shining in its eyes, the lion drew near again. But Fang was ready, more than ready, and when it lunged she aimed her spear not for its pelt, which no mortal weapon could pierce, but for the softness of its eyes.
The spear bit deep, and the lion bellowed, wounded almost to death. With its dwindling strength, it sought to close the distance, but Fang drove the spear in deeper and twisted. At last, the lion fell. It was dead. But a storm had come upon the mountain. And though Fang had less reason than most to fear a storm, she had no wish to weather its fury on open ground.
She might have rested in the monster's cave, but the stench of old death was heavy upon it. Instead, she spied another cave close by and after searching it for others and finding no sign of previous occupation, she dragged the carcass of the lion there and sought shelter for the night. It would be a tough task to claim the hide, but it would make fine armour if she could remove it.
As the night wore on and the storm beyond the cave grew fiercer, Fang's thoughts turned to the goddess she was sworn to. Such thoughts were comforting, and she imagined each flash of lightning and boom of thunder was a word from her goddess, either praise at her deed or exasperation at her for not calling for aid. In the dead of the night, when the fire had banked down to only embers, she was awakened by movement in the rain outside. Nearby, the fire flared to life again, and the air grew thick and heavy.
Fang's eyes went to the gloom, and she spied two cloaked figures walking through the rain toward her cave. Though the winds were harsh and the howl of thunder had grown stronger, neither figure slowed their pace or even bowed a little to the gale. They walked upright, sure-footed and swift upon the mountain.
"Who goes there?" she cried. Her spear was close at hand and her knife was ready, but it was likely some clansmen come in search of her, or else trapped upon the mountain by the sudden coming of the storm. If it were such, she would be glad to offer the warmth of her fire and the tale of her battle, for it was custom amongst the Yun that fellow warriors share such things.
The voice that replied belonged to a woman, and it was sweet and playful. Though Fang could not see the face hidden by the hood of the cloak, she felt certain the woman was smiling. Most curious of all, the words carried clearly though the storm-torn air, unhindered by the crash of thunder or the howl of wind.
"We are but two travellers in search of a warm fire and perhaps a little company."
The hairs on the back of Fang's neck stood, and her hands tightened about her spear. They had come closer now, and she could see clearly that their cloaks were not cut in the fashion of those who dwelt upon the mountain. "Two travellers, you say? Then you have travelled poorly. This is a dangerous road, especially for those who come from other lands and do not know it. By your dress, I do not think you are one of my clansmen."
"We are not." The second figure spoke, and its voice was a close cousin to the first. But in this new voice there was a quiet mocking, and it seemed to Fang that it was a voice best suited to veiled threats and secrecy. The first voice had been the warmth of spring. The second was steel and velvet, amused but very dangerous. "And you are wise to mark that."
The fire danced frantically back and forth, yet no wind had come inside the cave.
"Who are you then?" Fang lifted her spear so the metal of it shone in the flames. "Speak plainly, for I have faced a dangerous foe already today. I have no wish to face another."
The two women had walked close enough for Fang to see their cloaks clearly now. The cloaks were wrought of fine crimson fabric, and not a single drop of water clung to them, nor did the gale that had swept up move them even a little. There could be no doubt about who stood before her now.
And what little doubt there might have been fled as the woman on the left pulled her hood aside. Her eyes were the endless blue of a distant star, shining too brightly to be mortal. Her hair was a lush pink, the very colour of the dawn breaking upon the mountains, and it had been drawn into a ponytail on one side. Then the other woman pushed back her hood as well, and she could almost have been a twin to the first, they looked so similar. And there was another whom they resembled, but Fang could not be certain. Looks amongst the gods could be deceiving.
"You are welcome to share my fire." Fang set aside her spear and bowed. "For the Daughters of the High Mother are much loved amongst my people, and the greatest of your number if held in high esteem by the women of my clan."
The one on the left favoured Fang with a smile, and it was like watching the sun rising. She was the one who had spoken kindly, and warmth enough to beat back the chill of the storm spread through Fang's body. From the folds of her cloak, she pulled a rabbit, freshly slain by a single arrow through the heart.
"We thank you for your hospitality and offer this gift to match the sharing of your fire."
"A gift?" said the other, whose voice was sharper. "We are gods, sister. We owe no gifts to mortals."
The words hung heavy in the air, and Fang bit back a word of rebuke. She was mortal, but she had pride still. But before she could give way to rashness, the other goddess reached over and struck her sister upon the back of the head. The rude goddess hissed in displeasure, but her attempt to return the blow was held off easily.
"If our sister had heard you address her in such a manner, she would have bent you upon her knee," the kind goddess said.
"But she is not here, and you would be wise not to forget that we have both been subject to such treatment. Remember well that you are my twin, not my older sister."
Fang stared hard at what had unfolded. The gods she had met clothed themselves in finery and held themselves aloof. These two went about in cloaks, fine perhaps but certainly not on par with the glory of the other gods, and squabbled like mortal siblings. "Who are you?"
The kinder one smiled again and took a pouch from her cloak as well. "Set the rabbit upon the fire and add these herbs and spices to it. We can speak whilst we eat. Words always seem more pleasant that way."
Those were wise words indeed. As the rabbit cooked, the scent of it filled the air. Fang's good cheer was restored, and her belly gave a happy rumble. When the rabbit was cooked, Fang cut strips of it for each of them. The kinder goddess took the food and ate it with her fingers, eyes twinkling at the taste. The other likewise accepted the food, but she looked far less pleased about it. For a time she dawdled, reluctant to set firm fingers upon the flesh, until the other goddess threatened to eat it in her place. The rabbit was eaten quickly then.
The kinder goddess was the first to speak again. "You are curious, I wager, about who we are."
"Indeed I am." Fang allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "Yet I feel you enjoy my curiosity."
"It is amusing." The goddess licked the last of the herbs and spices from her fingers and then cleaned her hands by reaching into the fire. "Though I begin to see what our sister finds so pleasant about you."
"Yes, you are quite fetching for a mortal." The other goddess smirked, and Fang felt the heat of her gaze as it wandered over her body. "One might think you a goddess at first sight, and your skill in arms is vast indeed for a mortal."
"You have spoken several times now of your sister, and there are not many who share your looks, even amongst the gods. Do I speak truly when I name you sisters of the goddess Lightning."
"You do." The kind one leaned back upon the wall of the cave and set her feet upon a rock. "I am Serah, younger sister of your goddess."
The other scoffed and pushed her sister's feet from the rock, only to place her own feet there instead. "And I am Lumina, twin to Serah and likewise younger sister to your goddess."
Now Fang grew wary. The gods could be very fickle. She was certain they had not come to slay her. She would be dead already if that were so. But they were still kin to the goddess she served and loved, and it could be no coincidence meeting them here. Were they pleased by their sister's choice, or had they come to voice their disapproval. "Why have you sought me out?"
"We have many reasons," Lumina began, and her lips curled into a smirk at once teasing and mocking. "You are the Chosen of our sister, the first Chosen she has ever taken. Think carefully on that, Fang of the Yun. Our sister is no mere goddess. She is the Sword of the Heavens, the Blade of the High Mother, the Guardian of Laws. She is a powerful goddess indeed, second only to the High Mother in emminence. Such a strange thing, to take you as her Chosen, yet she has never thought to introduce you to us, her sisters, who are her closest confidants."
That was strange indeed, Fang thought. And the look in Lumina's eyes was cutting. Her sister had wounded them, Fang thought, by keeping her a secret. Then Lumina's gaze was mocking once again, the hurt hidden like a fish beneath the glassy waters of a lake.
Lumina would have spoken again, but Serah would not let her. Instead, she pinned Lumina with a stern glance. "You are rude, sister, and though Fang is mortal, it is her hospitality we enjoy. Have a care for your manners, or at least for the displeasure our sister would feel if we treated her Chosen poorly – and her lover also." Fang startled, but Serah merely chuckled, amusement seeping into her tone and posture. "I know full well that you have shared my sister's bed, Fang. And that is a curious thing. My sister has shared her bed from time to time – as most gods do – but she has never deigned to take a mortal lover, nor has any lover, god or mortal, commanded her attention so long as you. She has touched no other since she made you hers, and I daresay that you are envied by many of the gods upon Cocoon. Imagine, a mortal capturing the heart of the goddess Lightning."
Fang flushed and could not meet the goddess's knowing eyes. "I had not thought the gods cared so deeply for my affairs," she said at last.
"They are Lightning's affairs also, and we are her sisters." Lumina pursed her lips as though deep in thought. "Yet I wonder, she keeps you secret from us and all the gods. Perhaps, then, she is ashamed of you?"
And now, Fang did rise to her feet. Lightning was not ashamed of her of that she was certain. The words they had exchanged in private, the kisses that fell as tenderly as autumn rain upon her lips, those were not the actions of one ashamed of what they had shared. "I –"
"Our sister is private in her dealings, Lumina, as you well know." Serah's voice was sharp with rebuke, but it softened somewhat when she spoke to Fang. "That is why we have sought you out. We wish to learn more, but we are wise to our sister's ways. She will not share her side of the tale, so perhaps you might."
Fang knew very well that Lighting would not speak unless she wished. And these goddesses were Lighting's family. She could imagine the worry they must feel, for she was certain she would feel the same if Vanille had taken a lover in secret. "Very well. If it will set your minds at ease, I will tell our story, or at least the parts of it that pertain to me."
The tale Fang told was a curious one, but one she held most dear to her heart. In the spring of her eighteenth year, she left her village on her warrior's pilgrimage. It was an ancient Yun custom, passed down since the days of the first Yun. She wandered the land in search of fame and worthy foes. Eventually, she heard tell of a hydra, a legendary beast by any measure, and she sought it out.
She faced the hydra on a rocky slope at the base of the mountains. It was a terror to behold with seven heads and scales as broad as shields. Yet she was cunning. With fine use of the bow, she pierced its eyes and blinded it. Then, with her sword, she cut off its heads and used a torch to seal the wounds. At the last, she brought forth her spear and drove it deep into the hydra's heart.
But the battle had not gone easily. The hydra's blood was a vile poison, and it spat acid from each of its mouths. It sought to crush her in its death throes, and the wounds from its assault along with the fumes of its blood and acid did much to weaken her. She stumbled away as best she could and went in search of aid. For two days, she walked until at last her strength failed her within sight of a village.
When she awakened, it was in a warm bed with her sister at her side. The little Dia had grown into a healer of renown, and fate had ordained her presence in the village when Fang arrived, left at the gates by hands unseen.
"That was our sister, I believe." Serah grinned. "She knows the mountains and their dangers well, and no deed takes place here that she does not notice. She would not have suffered you to die, not when you, a mortal, found the strength to slay so deadly an enemy as a hydra."
"It is easy for gods to slay hydras then?"
Lumina laughed, and sparks danced along her fingers. The air in the cave shivered. "Is it hard for a lion to slay a lamb?"
"Do not take her words harshly," Serah said. "Be proud of what you have done, for it was not easy. But our sister did not choose you then. Continue, Fang. I would hear the rest."
And so Fang continued. For months after the slaying of the hydra, she felt eyes upon her. They were keen those eyes, and their gaze never seem to waver. They followed her when she hunted, when she slept, and even when she bathed. Finally, she lost her patience. In the midst of bathing in one of the icy mountain streams, she called out to her watcher.
"Churl!" Fang cried. "Coward! I feel your eyes upon me. Now, show me your face if you have courage and honour enough to do so. If I have an enemy, I would know who they are."
Her surprise was beyond measure when a goddess answered her challenge. The goddess Lightning appeared, and she was clothed in splendour and glory, more radiant than any Fang had laid eyes upon and lovely beyond reckoning. Her armour was of finest crystal, and the mantle about her shoulders was woven of the feathers of a phoenix and a griffin.
"Coward?" the goddess thundered. "Churl? You speak boldly, mortal. Well, if you have words to speak, speak them again."
And so Fang did. Whether it was foolishness or courage, she could not be sure, but she repeated her words again. The goddess was a coward for hiding from her sight, and her intentions could not be noble if she had chosen to keep her eyes upon Fang while she bathed. She had expected punishment or denial but had received neither.
Instead, the goddess had met her gaze evenly and admitted to watching her closely. She then revealed that she had been won over by Fang's deeds and had Chosen her. Fang was stunned. She had not counted on such a thing, but she could not miss the glimmer of something more in Lightning's eyes.
In the months that followed, Lightning proclaimed her Chosen to her priests and priestesses, and Fang was feted by her people. But Fang's title was not hollow. Lightning no longer hid herself from Fang. Instead, she donned the guise of a mortal and accompanied Fang on her travels. Fang learned much from the goddess, not only of battle but also of many other things.
With Lightning's aid and advice, Fang won ever-greater fame, first as a warrior and then as a leader of her people. The bond between them grew deeper, moving first to friendship and then something more. During the winter of Fang's twenty-first year, Lightning carried Fang to her shrine upon the mountains. There, amidst the storm and the thunder, they –
"Ah, so our sister made you hers amidst the splendour of her domain?" Lumina's look was lascivious. "She has always been possessive, our dear sister, and no god could ever know such a thing and still think to lay hands upon you."
"You make it sound so tawdry." Despite her words, Serah's look matched her sister's. "But is she right? Did our sister have you there? I do hope she dismissed her attendants first."
Were all gods drawn to tales of passion? Yet Fang could not help her smile. She and Lightning had indeed become lovers within the shrine, and Lightning's attendants had been dismissed with a severity that sent them scurrying from the mountain. Many times had Lightning taken Fang back to her home, but she had also visited Fang, only clothed in mortal guise. Her father, Fang suspected, knew exactly who called upon her sometimes, but he seemed more pleased than worried. The clan could only benefit with a goddess for Fang's lover.
"I will not answer that question when you know the answer already. But that is enough of me. You are Lightning's sisters, her family, and I know little of you. Believe me when I say that your sister holds my heart. That being so, I would know more of you."
"You speak well," Serah said. "And what you ask is only fair, and the gods are just as well as powerful." She lifted her hand, and a bow appeared. It was crafted of fine crystal with shimmering runes set upon its curve. Fang gasped, for the bow was one she recognised. "I take it that you know this weapon?"
"I do indeed. That is the Sky Piercing Bow whose arrows once pierced the sun and the moon when they turned unruly."
"It is, and I am its wielder." Serah dismissed the bow, and it vanished in a haze of light. Her voice now seemed to fill the cave and shake it to its foundations. "I am Serah, Goddess of Storms. When I am pleased, the rains are gentle and the winds are kind. But when I am wroth, the rains come flooding down and the winds are set to strip bare the earth. I am the voice you hear upon the thunder, and my arrows are the lightning that spans the heavens and pierces the clouds."
"Such boastful words." Lumina rolled her eyes. "Our sister is all those things also, and by far your better. Yet I am cut of the same cloth as our sister also. I am Lumina, Hunter of the Wicked. When mortals break the laws that bind them, it is I who pursues them. Darkness and shadow are my weapons, and those I hunt never know a moment's peace, only terror and torment."
"You are powerful indeed," Fang murmured.
"Yes, but our sister is much greater." Lumina made a face, and Fang bit back a laugh, for it was the face of a child oft punished. "When we were children, ever would she lecture us on the importance of our duty. I doubt that a single day passed without her barking the laws of heaven and earth at us."
"She seems to have been quite the taskmaster." Fang grinned. She had experienced Lightning's training first hand, and though she could not deny its worth, she had no love for Lightning's lecturing nor for her tendency to quote divine law at every opportunity. Of course, she had much greater love for Lightning herself and had discovered that kissing her was apt to put an end to her lecture, at least for a little while. "She was much the same with me."
"That was not even the worst of it," Serah said. She shared a look of long suffering with Lumina and then with Fang. "As you know, there are many gods, and some are not friendly with others. I was mischievous as a child." Lumina stared flatly at her. "And I am still mischievous now. But in my youth, I often played tricks upon those gods that I quarrelled with. I never got away with even a single one. Somehow, my sister always knew and forced me to make restitution. It was horrible."
Fang laughed openly now. Her sister, Vanille, was much the same in temperament. But Fang lacked Lightning's far-seeing eyes, so Fang had no doubt that her sister had escaped responsibility for at least some of her playful misdeeds. "I can imagine." She shook her head slowly. "It is good to see that she has such family as you. I had feared…"
"That she was aloof to all save you?" Serah asked. "Well, she is certainly aloof to many. But to Lumina and I, she has always been a fine sister. And for all that we complain of her strictness, she has always loved us well and cared for us as best she could. No enemy was ever allowed to do us harm, and she took care to spend what time she could with us given the nature of her duties."
And so the three of them passed the next hour exchanging stories about Lightning. Fang learned much about her lover that she had not known before, and Lumina and Serah likewise learned more of their sister than they had known. It was a fine exchange, and the sound of laughter still hung in the air when a bolt of lightning swept down from the heavens and struck the earth outside the cave.
It was Lightning.
The goddess stood to her full height, and the rain and the wind parted at her advance. Between the three, the fire flared up to touch the roof of the cave before it receded. Regal in her bearing, Lightning paused at the entrance of the cave, and the weight of her gaze was heavy upon all three of those who lingered there.
It was Serah who broke the silence, taking up a slice of uneaten rabbit and offering it to her older sister. "Come, sister, sit. I was about to ask Fang what sort of lover you were."
Fang fought to hide her mirth as Lightning's cheeks flushed and she struggled to form a reply. It was not often she saw her beloved goddess like this, and it was usually only in the throes of passion. Clearly, Serah knew her sister well and feared her not at all.
"Well, sister?" Serah asked again. "Are you a selfish lover, or are you a generous one? Speak quickly, I sorely wish to know."
"You will know nothing of the sort!" Lightning growled. But her weakness to the question was plain to all those seated, and Lumina was not one to let such an opportunity slip past.
"Come now, sister. Serah can hardly be blamed for her curiosity. The lovers you have had before have never stayed your lovers long. Perhaps you did not satisfy them?" Lumina looked thoughtful. "Ah, I see it. The mortal has improved your technique!"
This time, Fang could not contain her guffaws.
"There is nothing wrong with my technique!" The cave shook. "Even think that again, and I will have you flogged."
Lumina sighed. "Methinks she doth protest too much." She smirked. "And you love me too much to have me flogged.
Lightning stepped forward, and Lumina gave a yelp as she was suddenly bent over Lightning's knee. "Perhaps I cannot have you flogged, but this will do for now."
Lumina gaped and struggled to get free, but Lightning's hold was firm. Yet as much as Fang would have enjoyed the sight – she had not forgotten Lumina's sharpness earlier – it was clear that Lightning was being over harsh.
"Stop." Fang caught Lightning's hand. "She was only jesting." She smirked and pressed a kiss to Lightning's knuckles. "I can attest most truly that your technique is not lacking in the least. If anything, it is too good." Fang smirked. "For afterward, it is days before I can walk properly."
Lightning's gaze grew heated, and Fang felt a shiver run through her that had nothing to do with the cold. Only a quiet cough from Serah brought their attention back to the matter at hand. Lightning set Lumina down with a warning glance then took a spot beside Fang at the fire. Still scowling faintly, she pulled Fang flush against her.
"Why did you not come to me with your questions?" Lightning asked.
"Because we thought you would not take kindly to them." Serah shrugged. "As has proven true."
Lightning bristled, but she could not deny it. "I trust no harm came to Fang."
"Of course not." Lumina rolled her eyes and gathered her dignity again. "She is your Chosen. Any god that lays hands upon her unkindly would have to answer to you." And then more softly, she muttered, "Which I am not keen to do."
"If it is any consolation," Fang said. "Lightning has also bent me over her knee, though I think my experience was more pleasant."
Lumina's eyes widened as she registered Fang's meaning. Then she looked back at Lightning again. "How interesting. What else has our sister done?"
Lightning growled low in her throat. "The High Mother has need of you both. Depart now." And here, her voice brooked no disobedience.
Lumina and Serah shared a look and then rose, both nodding in Fang's direction.
"It has been pleasant speaking to you," Serah said.
"You must share all of the details later," Lumina added.
Then they were gone.
Lightning gathered Fang to her at once, and her kisses were ardent against the skin of Fang's throat before they moved to her lips. For long moments, she tasted the sweetness there, relishing the moan that spilled from the warrior only to be swallowed by their kiss. When she pulled away, Lightning's eyes were stormy, her gaze so hot Fang felt aflame.
"I worried about you," Lightning whispered. "When you faced the lion. You have sworn me not to interfere unless you called, but –"
"I am not so fragile as to fall to a mere lion, even one so dangerous as that." Fang cupped Lightning's cheeks and kissed her. "You have taught me well, and I would be a poor warrior if I asked a god to do all my fighting."
"Even so, I should hate to lose you." Lightning buried her face in Fang's hair.
"You will not." Fang paused for a moment and sought to gather her thoughts as Lightning swiftly saw to her clothing, peeling it away with ease. "Could you help me take the lion's pelt?"
Lightning pulled back and scowled. "Fang…"
"No mortal weapon can pierce its hide, which would making claiming it quite hard. Your weapons, however, are very much divine." And seeing the scowl upon Lightning's face deepen, she drew Lightning's hand back to her chest and let her feel how swiftly her heart beat. "I only ask now because I know it will not be long before you make me forget it entirely."
Lightning chuckled softly. "You know me too well. I shall do it later. But for now, I wish to think only of you."
And saying that, Lightning bent down to capture Fang's lips once more. It was not long then before the storm beyond the cave rose to a tumult that would be unmatched for many years. Later, in the darkness of the cave, Fang lingered on the edge of sleep. Her legs were entwined with Lightning's, and she used the goddess's bosom as a pillow.
"I love you," Fang whispered, thinking her goddess asleep.
But Lightning ran her fingers through Fang's hair and returned the words. "I love you."
X X X
Author's Notes
As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.
This chapter is what happens when I proofread Chapter 14 of Whispers of the Gods (I finally updated!) while also reading Tolkien's Children of Hurin and some Magic: The Gathering strategy articles pertaining to their newest set, Theros, which has a Greek mythology theme. Quite an eclectic mix, I think.
In any case, this chapter was also a chance to write in that more archaic (but dare I say it, more poetic style) that parts of Whispers of the Gods are written in. And as much as I like Whispers of the Gods, I wanted to write something with a very strong Fang/ Lightning vibe. It was also a chance to include Lumina (from Lightning Returns) in another chapter, which I have wanted to do for some time now. In this chapter, I've casted her as Serah's twin sister, which I think is reasonable given their similarities. However, she is less mischievous and more cutting in her remarks than Serah (see e.g., how she addresses Fang earlier in the piece and Lightning later on). Still, I do like the contrast they make with each other (Serah and Lumina), and I think the story is better for the tension between the two of them.
This story is another one of my chapters that is currently on its own although I suppose it would make a reasonable longer story if there were those who wanted that and the time became available. It offers an interesting twist to the dynamic between Lightning and Fang to make one of them a goddess and the other a mortal. There is a lot of ground here for exploration, I think. And, of course, it would be amusing to see how Fang's family reacts to meeting Lightning's (poor Vanille will probably end up the subject of both Serah's and Lumina's scrutiny).
I would also like to thank everyone who participated in The Last Huntress promotion. If you are interested in my original fiction, do check out the links in my profile. If you've enjoyed Whispers of the Gods, you're likely to enjoy The Last Huntress and its sequel, The Lord of Dark Waters. And speaking of my original fiction, I now have a preview of my upcoming fantasy short story The Burning Mountains available. Here is the blurb:
The Burning Mountains have belonged to dragons since the Old Days when gods still walked the earth. They are a place of fire and ruin where no man dares walk and no elf dares linger long. Only the strong can survive there and only the ruthless can prosper.
Amidst the smoke, the ash, and the flame, an exiled elven princess will meet an outcast dragon. Alone, they have little hope of survival. But together, they might do more than survive – they might conquer. For the dragon has a realm to claim and the princess has a realm to take back.
There are some lessons that only fire can teach and some wisdom that only a dragon can impart.
As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.