Chapter Twenty Four
Wonderful and Untouchable

Rael stared up at the rafters over his head, eight beams slanted upwards into a cone, with the tower walls folding around them. All strong, all equal, all working together towards their common goal. If only diplomacy were so easy and co-operative, Rael mused, then life would be so much the simpler.

Two nights had come and gone since Ramades was defeated, with Rael sleeping through much of the daylight hours between. His body was utterly exhausted fro drawing upon so much magic, and his mind was tired of the scheming of nobles. He needed a long rest, time to be alone and at peace. Yet he knew he was at war, and there would be no respite for many moons.

He lay now on his soft bed, doing his best to appreciate the mattress and fluffy pillows he was fortunate enough to have been gifted with. He knew now that his time in this battle-worn but beautiful place was coming to a close, and in the months to come such comforts as he had here would be few and far between.

"Zelda's army still isn't here," said Elane, laying on the bed beside him, "I wonder if she will ever come."

Rael sighed. He longed to see his mother again, and Link too, and of course Daran; the burden of power was heavy on his shoulders and he needed to watch someone else lead for a while again. At the same time though, the thought of seeing Zelda's face again worried him, he feared that she would be angry at the way he had dealt with the Gerudo monarchy, and would condemn him for it. "She will come," said Rael, "soon."

"It will be… strange to be back with them," Elane said, "when they come here. I have grown used to the way things are, though not accustomed."

Rael swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. "Everything will change," he said, walking around the small room, "they will not be prepared to reckon with me. I am different now. Changed."

Elane nodded and stood up also. She crossed to the small basin in the wall and looked into the small reflective mirror hanging over it. "Have you decided yet?" she asked.

Elane needed not say what she referred to. Rael shrugged his shoulders, "No," he said dejectedly, "I cannot make such a decision." Unconsciously he fidgeted with the ring on his finger. For a moment he watched Elane's reflection as she brushed back her hair, and traced her fingers along her eyebrows. Of late she did not care for her appearance, so it was unusual to see her taking an interest in the way she looked.

"Will you leave Lana on the throne then?" Elane said, turning to face him and smiling.

Rael shook his head. "Lana is a weak captain. She lost the city to Jaendral, and almost lost it again to Ramades, and would have done if it were not for me. And yet Lana is a cunning tactician and has proven herself to be a capable ruler."

Elane walked towards him, stopping a yard away and leaning on the bedpost. "She won't ever get Jaendral's support," she added, "not after she planned to break their treaty. She had promised him the throne once already."

"Yes," Rael said, "but what of Jaendral himself? He's an excellent military commander, but he is hasty and full of self-importance. He acts without thinking or considering the consequences. He would be an erratic and careless king."

"But surely you could not give the crown to Ramades?" Elane asked rhetorically, "Not after everything he has done."

"He is a man of the people," Rael said, "I think of the three of them he would have been the best ruler under different circumstances." Elane shook her head in disagreement. "But he attacked Shaylin against my will. And I am all too aware that it was his soldiers at the Orre'Aemea river…"

"Too right," Elane said firmly, "murderers, all of them." She scowled down at the floor, her knuckles turning white as she clenched the bed post.

Rael laid a hand on her arm. "Are you all right?" he asked. He regretted having mentioning the river. Images of Tabett were surely running through her mind now.

"I'm fine," she said looking back up at him. Her eyes were distant. "So Lana or Jaendral then?" she said, bringing them back to the subject.

There was no answer he could give that he would be satisfied with. "I should not have to choose between either" he said, "the Gerudo people deserve better."

Elane moved closer to him, relaxing her grip on the bed post and touching Rael's outstretched arm with her own. "Is there not another way?" she said.

Rael shook his head. "There is never another way," he grumbled, feeling hopeless about the impossibility of the task appointed to him.

"Maybe," Elane said, "maybe not. Everyone thought you had no choice but to have Ramades executed, but you saw a better way, a kinder way."

"Kind?" Rael said, incredulously. "He doesn't deserve kindness. Look at all the terrible things he has done!"

"That's what I mean," Elane said, smiling, "you were merciful, where others would have taken their vengeance. If it were me…" she trailed off, as though thinking about her words. When their eyes met again she looked at him differently, as though she had realised something about him, or had seen him in a different light. "You have a good heart," she said, "you're a good man."

"I'm weak," he said, "I was afraid. Afraid to kill just one more man because I thought it would make me the same as them."

"Don't talk like that," she said, smiling, "you're good Rael, and don't forget it. You're not like them. Not at all." Elane had moved near to him now, and was holding his hand in hers. She had moved so softly whilst he was deep in thought that he had barely been aware. Now her face was close to his, he could smell the sweet fragrance of her hair, that scent of flowers which followed her everywhere. He was reflected in her sea-blue eyes, and she filled up all his vision.

Elane closed her eyes, tilted up her head and leaned into him. He pulled back before her lips could touch his own. Elane caught her breath sharply as she opened her eyes again, startled and embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she said, putting a hand to her mouth, "I didn't mean to- I just…"

Rael stared at her for a moment, and she back at him, her eyes swimming with conflicting emotions. The two of them were held still in the moment as everything around them became suddenly insignificant. Saying nothing, Rael moved back towards Elane and wrapped an arm around her. Then, with the great weight of inevitability seeming to pull them together, he closed his eyes and kissed her softly on the lips. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Elane embraced him and kissed him passionately in return, her arms running up his back and her fingers sliding into his hair.

Her body against his was so warm, and the exhilaration of kissing her seemed beyond anything that any amount of magic could muster. They held each other close, and in all the world there was nothing but them. Gone were the worries of wars and kings and queens, because here for just a few moments, they had something wonderful and untouchable. In such a sudden few seconds Rael's life seemed to have turned upside down, and everything he had once held dear seemed worthless and empty yet in Elane everything was utterly blissful.

And then everything changed, as reality came rushing back to him. He was kissing Elane, his friend, his companion and nothing more. He pulled away, breathless and desperately wanting more, longing drink in every bit of her, and knowing how terrible and wrong his desires were. "I can't do this," he said, moving away from her.

Rael walked across the room to the window, gazing out towards the horizon, looking for something to take his mind off Elane. "Rael?" she said softly, not moving from where she had been standing.

Rael had found something which truly did take his mind off Elane. As he stared out of the window out into the hilly slopes of the eastern desert, towards the plain between Shaylin and the mountains, he saw a sight which he thought he would never forget so long as he lived. "Rael?" Elane said again, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's not you," he said slowly, feeling his hand begin to shake nervously. He turned to look at her, a look of fear upon his face. "Oh light, it's too soon," he murmured. He could still picture what he saw, though it was behind him, a terrible and horrifying sight. A great thick mass of black and silver set against the golden sand, creeping steadily towards the city. "The Kairin Legion," he said, "it's here."