Anasteria,
I want you to adorn plain clothes and deliver the attached message to the marching forces of Whiterun. It is high time we hit the priest where it hurts. Do not let it slip that you are with the Dominion; deny it completely if you must. He must not know that this is a trap we are setting for him. If you can avoid him altogether, that is preferable, as he may recognize you.
Once they have the message, return to the camp as swiftly as possible. We will need to strengthen the blockade once they have it, which means we will need every able-bodied soldier we have readily available.
If, for some odd reason, something befalls you while delivering the message, know that I have always loved you, and that you will be sorely missed. You will also be avenged should such happen. Let us see to it that it does not, however.
Glory to the Dominion!
-Vindicator Thellias
Never had Elenwen felt so furious or betrayed before. She'd spent most of the day recovering. It was night now, and she was restless; Mia's bedroll was passably comfortable, at best. The woman who had saved her life hadn't so much as checked in on her since she'd finished mending Elenwen's wounds.
In contrast, Runael, whose betrayal still stung even now, was trying to mend fences. It was one thing for Runael to betray Elenwen's trust by defecting; it was another to all but condemn her to die, to initially deny her the healing she needed if she was going to survive. Elenwen would never forgive Runael for it... especially not for the reasons she'd given.
She'd betrayed Elenwen to avoid some sort of 'reverse betrayal'. Elenwen would never have betrayed Runael; she had always had her best interests in mind, always looked out for her subordinate and the target of her affections. She'd even tried to hide the truth of the matter regarding Runael's defection...
And betraying Elenwen a second time was how Runael wanted to repay that kindness? It wasn't bad enough she left Elenwen not once, but twice now - she had to add condemnation of the former First Ambassador's life to the list?
No. Runael was beyond forgiveness now. Elenwen would never trust or support Runael again. She was through with the other mer. It was time for her to get even.
It was time for her to bring the other mer to justice for the very first betrayal of Elenwen's trust. She had meant well for Runael until now... but now... now, things were different. Now, Elenwen had been betrayed twice and abandoned once.
She would turn Runael over to Thellias. She would claim that her own 'defection' was a ruse to get closer to Runael, to make her relax... to reverse what had been done. She didn't expect Thellias to buy it, and knew that even if he did, it would only lessen her own punishment... but she would have the final say.
As she began to think about the best way to get Runael out to the blockade, she heard the door to the Aretino Residence open. A few familiar voices were audible now - one was new to the recent group she'd come into the company of. It wasn't Mia, nor Irileth, nor Adalla, nor that damnable Runael...
Vernanye. The mer Elenwen had sent to Whiterun to serve as the Regent. The mer that Elenwen had set free so she could warn Runael of the danger Thellias posed, aware of her defection as she was. What was she doing in Windhelm? Had she been here already, or had she gotten past the blockade, like everyone else had?
Footsteps ascended the stairs, and she watched Vernanye, clad in elven armor, appear at the top of the steps. The two mer exchanged looks: Elenwen's was one of indifference, while Vernanye's was one of contempt.
"Why are you here?" Elenwen asked after a time. She had no pleasantries for the sister of the mer who had betrayed her.
"Not happy to see me?" Vernanye replied with a smirk. "That's fine; the feeling's mutual."
Elenwen didn't dignify the comment with a reaction. She'd always known Vernanye was disrespectful toward her, but hadn't really been on the receiving end of it before now. Even so, she was too weary to really care.
"It's not fun if you don't retort," Vernanye muttered. "Oh well." She waved her hand toward the stairway, as if dismissing Elenwen. "We're about to discuss how to break the Thalmor's blockade. You're in the way, Elenwen; get out, take a walk, or... something. We don't need you."
The words would have offended Elenwen if she actually cared. In truth, she thought it was a good idea. She stood up slowly and walked toward the stairs. "Runael?" she asked in a word.
"I'm here." The Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold stood at the foot of the stairs.
"I have words for you. Come with me." The thought of betraying Runael was starting to feel better and better, as if it would remove all the pain Elenwen had endured already. If she could cast Runael aside, she could cast off the suffering she was enduring... she could forget her altogether, and go back to the way she was before she'd ever allowed herself to be seduced by Runael.
"Are we... sure that's a good idea? I mean, considering we could be in trouble..."
"The city's asleep. Excluding guards, we won't have to worry about being spotted." Elenwen brushed past Runael, and opened the door. "Are you coming with me, or am I going alone?"
"I... yes, wait up." Runael passed through the door behind Elenwen, and closed it behind her. "I..."
"I don't want you to talk, Runael, I just want you to listen." Elenwen didn't say anything more, and instead continued to lead Runael somewhere secluded. They evaded guards here and there, slipping through the streets unnoticed.
"Elenwen?" Runael's voice was tinged with worry as they neared the city gates, separating them from the rest of Skyrim - and the Thalmor's blockade.
"Just shut up and follow me." The former First Ambassador opened one of the massive doors and stepped out into the chilly night.
She heard Runael's footsteps following her, crunching on a layer of fallen snow upon the bridge. They passed the two guards stationed outside the entrance; Elenwen ignored the hateful glares she could sense the guards directing at her and the Arch-Mage. They wouldn't be worrying about it any longer, though. The blockade would, hopefully, be lifted soon.
"Elenwen, you're worrying me," Runael murmured. "Why are we out-" She fell silent as Elenwen turned to a small entrance.
Elenwen had seen this entrance when she'd come to Windhelm the first time; she didn't know precisely where it led, but she hoped it led somewhere secluded. Her hopes were substantiated when she found what appeared to be an abandoned chamber below the bridge. She stopped in the center of the chamber, and turned to face Runael.
"I'll never forgive you for trying to let me die." Her words were blunt, and she didn't feel like sugar-coating her words, either. "I believe my life is owed to Mia and Mia alone; you were content to just watch me die."
"Elenwen-"
"No. Shut up and listen. I don't want to hear you right now." Elenwen crossed her arms. "You betrayed me, Runael. I sacrificed almost everything for your sake: my comfort, my career, and probably my honor. The one thing I haven't sacrificed for your sake yet is my life. And how did you repay that selfless sacrifice?"
"Elen-"
"I said shut up!" the former First Ambassador snapped angrily, arms uncrossing and a green glow appearing at her palms. "You can't even listen to me anymore? Or is it that you don't want to?!"
The Arch-Mage was on very high alert now; Elenwen was preparing a double paralysis spell, and she wasn't afraid to use it on Runael.
"You betrayed me. You took everything I've done for you, and you trampled it underfoot. You made it seem as if I was nothing to you but someone who was in your way, and if I was gone, you would be free. And this 'Augur' of yours... I can't believe you'd trust the word of a disembodied voice over-"
"He was instrumental in-"
Runael was silenced as Elenwen's paralysis spell, dual-cast, affixed her in place. The now-paralyzed Arch-Mage was unsteady, and she fell onto her back.
"I've had plenty of time to think about this." Elenwen began to pace. "We are effectively trapped in here. If we try to get out, we might get hurt or caught; if we try to stay, we'll die for certain, either from starvation or disgruntled Nords. If it's us the Thalmor are after, then we're the ones that can break this blockade without effort." She stopped a short distance from Runael's paralyzed figure. "If I turn you in to Thellias, my own punishment will be lessened, but not completely removed."
"You..." The paralysis spell was starting to wear off.
Elenwen reapplied the spell again. "Why does this surprise you? You, who tried to condemn me to death? You, who betrayed my trust before I betrayed yours? 'Eye for an eye', Runael. You had this coming." She bent down to pick Runael up. "This is the last time we'll see each other, so I want you to know that I once loved you. Once, I would have given everything of myself for your happiness. Now? No. You no longer have that privilege." She picked Runael up with some difficulty, and slung her over her shoulder. "You've never been inside the Alinor prisons, have you? You'll become very familiar with them very soon - and possibly before execution."
"You'll need to be alive to do that," came a very familiar voice.
Elenwen had only a split-second to turn her head in the direction of the voice before she felt it: a massive spear of ice, impaling her chest. The pain was excrutiating, and made her drop Runael. She reached for the icy spear and tried to pry it out.
"You might have no idea just how long I've wanted to do this to you," Vernanye snarled furiously. "Trying to turn my sister in to the Thalmor? To Oblivion with you, bitch. Let me send you on your way." Frost gave way to fire, and soon, Elenwen was being burned alive. Her agonized screams filled the chamber, as did her pleas for mercy. Vernanye wasn't listening, though, nor did she care.
As Runael regained movement, she reached out toward Vernanye. "St-stop... please..." she begged.
"No. She's had this coming for a long time." Vernanye's hands did cease the Flames spell - and replaced them with the Sparks spell, eliciting a new bout of agonized screams from Elenwen.
The former First Ambassador felt her body giving way to the pain. Her mind swam in and out, and despite her best efforts, she collapsed. Her fingers twitched involuntarily from the sustained electrical current Vernanye was focusing into her. Eventually, she slipped out of consciousness - and her last thought was of Runael.
"I said stop!" Runael cried out, lunging out at Vernanye with nothing more than a fist to the older mer's face. The punch connected, and broke Vernanye's concentration. "What in Oblivion were you trying to-"
"I was trying to kill her," the older sister commented, reaching up to rub the back of her hand against her lower lip. "She was going to turn you in-"
"That's not your call to make!"
"Ironic, considering what I've heard about your most recent decision revolving around Elenwen." Vernanye's lips curled into a thin smile. "Your feelings are all over the place, sister. You need to figure out what you want before you act. You're only going to confuse the men and mer around you otherwise."
Runael cast a glance at Elenwen's unconscious figure, and noticed that her hair seemed... shorter. A closer examination revealed miniscule piles of ash that had begun to form, presumably at Elenwen's feet before she'd fallen over. Her eyes widened at the revelation the ash provided.
"You... tried to disintegrate her..." she whispered, mortified.
"Of course I did. My only regret with the effort is that she lost consciousness beforehand; I'd have loved to see her turn to ash while still alive."
Runael shook her head slowly, disgusted with her sister's actions and intentions. "I... this isn't..."
"Would you have preferred I just let her bring you to the Thalmor blockade?" she said coolly. "To make you a captive of the Thalmor? I can do that for her, if you'd rather be a prisoner for the rest of your short, short life."
Runael didn't want that, of course. She also didn't want her sister to murder Elenwen. She just wanted everything to be back to the way it was. She wondered for a moment to which point in time she'd have to return to reverse everything that had transpired.
"You're my sister, Runael." Vernanye's voice was calm now, and held just a slight tone of hurt. "We promised each other decades ago, didn't we? That we'd look out for each other, and that we'd always have each other's backs? That, no matter what the Thalmor may demand of us, we would defy their orders if it meant the other was safe and sound?"
"I remember, sister... and thank you for saving me from captivity... but..." The Augur's warning came to mind once more.
What if Elenwen had been the 'loved one' after all - but wouldn't have betrayed Runael if she hadn't tried betraying the former First Ambassador first? And she was saved by an 'enemy', according to the Augur...
Her eyes went to Vernanye, a look of confusion crossing Runael's features. "...What aren't you telling me, Vernanye?" she whispered.
"I don't follow."
"The Augur of Dunlain. He told me a loved one would betray me, and that an enemy would save me. Elenwen was the loved one. You saved me. That would make you... the 'enemy'. So what aren't you telling me?"
"I'm not telling you that this 'Augur' is a nutcase," the other mer said with a sigh. "Runael, seriously; he was right about one thing, one time; that doesn't make him all-knowing-"
"He foresaw En'zhar's treachery!" she interrupted. "And Irileth risking her life to save me from him! He foresaw that my trip to Windhelm was unnecessary, and that the city would become as a prison - because the Thalmor would be setting up outside the city! He has not been right 'one time', sister - he's been right every time so far!"
"So you believe." Vernanye turned to walk away.
"Who do you serve, Vernanye?" Runael's tone was quiet now. "I know now, without a doubt, that his warning to Irileth was quite sound. You serve an ancient evil of some sort, don't you? Tell me, sister, or so help me-"
"You've lost your mind." Vernanye shook her head. "If this is the sort of 'thank you for saving me' I get from you, perhaps that's the last time I'll ever save your life."
"Don't you walk away from me!" Runael shouted, hands glowing with a green glow. "I want the truth, sister! Stop running away from me! We're sisters, aren't we? I'm not going to hate you just because you made a decision-"
"I serve no one!" Vernanye snapped angrily, wheeling around to face Runael. "I don't know where you're getting these accusations from, other than some disembodied voice, and frankly, I don't care anymore! What you need to understand, dear sister, is that these accusations of yours are baseless! What proof has this damnable Augur of yours provided that I'm aligned with some evil force?! Do you have something you can physically hold that proves the Augur's words true?!"
Runael clenched her hands into fists, and relaxed them; the green glow was gone when her fingers uncurled. She didn't have proof, no... just the word of the Augur, whom she trusted implicitly.
"...Runael, listen to me. I don't care what that moron Augur thinks. I am not serving, and have not served an evil force. Maybe he was alluding to vampirism; I'd been turned en route to Whiterun, and cured myself shortly after I left the city in the control of the Companions. Beyond that, I serve no one but myself."
The revelation that her sister had been a vampire at some point stunned Runael. There were questions she wanted to ask now, but she didn't dare; now was not the time to learn more about what it was to be a vampire, and if there was more to it than what was already publicly known.
"Just let it go. Please. Hearing such baseless accusations coming from you... it's unusual, sister. You've always wanted solid proof in the past of whatever I accused you of; why should you be exempt from your own rule?"
Runael's hands clenched into fists again, but they were loose. She wasn't angry with Vernanye right now... she was angry with herself. She still believed that Vernanye was lying to her, that she served an evil being somewhere, or some malevolent force that threatened all of Tamriel. She wanted to press the matter until her sister caved... but she knew that she wouldn't get the answers she sought. If Vernanye was one thing, it was protective - whether it was protective of her younger sister, or of her own secrets, once she set out to safeguard something, it would not come to danger easily.
"So what should we do with her?" Vernanye was gesturing to Elenwen's unconscious figure. "As much as I'd like to, I won't kill her; I'd rather not earn your eternal hatred over something so trivial as Elenwen's death."
"That's not trivial!" Runael snapped.
"Not to you, but it is to me." Vernanye shrugged lightly. "So what should we do? Turn her in to the Thalmor? Drop her into the river and let it carry her out to sea? Leave her down here, and return to the city to meet up with Mia, Adalla and Irileth?"
"You go." Runael's tone was quiet as, for the second time in just a couple days, she focused a healing spell upon Elenwen's magically burned figure. "The guards won't let Elenwen and I back in because of the blockade. We're stuck out here now." She could sense Vernanye's eyes upon her, and presumed they were disbelieving that even after everything, she was healing Elenwen.
"She'll be the death of you, sister," Vernanye said quietly. "I've never approved of your relationship with her, but now's the time for me to speak up. She has, several times now, thrown you into harm's way because you were her 'favorite' within the Thalmor; that's not love. In my opinion, love entails wanting to keep someone safe, to protect them from harm. Elenwen doesn't love you; I don't know that she ever has. I can't describe what she feels towards you, because I've never been on the receiving end of it, nor have I treated anyone else like that. Mark my words, Runael: she will either try to betray you again, or she will lead you to your downfall."
"What would you know about love?" Runael spat.
The words seemed to wound Vernanye. "More than you," she said quietly. "Let's not forget which of us has a husband whom she loves very, very dearly."
"Where is he now?"
"Where he goes of his own volition is his own business; I didn't send him there. I was invited to join him, but ran into the Thalmor scout en route. I remembered my promise to you... and came for you instead." Vernanye was starting to walk away now. "I came to protect you, sister, because no matter how I may act sometimes, I love you. Between you and my husband, I will always come for you."
"Because you think I need babysitting," the Arch-Mage said flatly.
"Because I know my husband can take care of himself. I don't need to be at his side every moment."
"You think I need babysitting," Runael repeated, glowering at Vernanye's back.
"You think you love Elenwen, and that she loves you. I think that's indicator enough that you can't look after yourself." Vernanye turned the corner, and was gone, leaving Runael kneeling next to the wounded Elenwen, blinking in surprise at the elder sister's words.
Adalla had heard the entire exchange, of course. She and Mia had followed Vernanye out of the city, wondering why she was moving so quickly. Irileth had opted to remain behind, saying she had something she needed to do in the home they were staying in. No one had asked, but they all suspected it had something to do with the dead Khajiit the Dunmer had stowed in an empty barrel near the gate to the docks.
This, in turn, made her wonder if Runael and Vernanye were having a falling out. She wondered if she should intervene, to try and keep the sisters that cared about each other, deep down, from breaking apart entirely.
As if her mind had been read, Mia clasped Adalla's shoulder firmly. "Don't," the woman said quietly. "If ya interfere, they ain't gonna get past this themselves. Sometimes, it's best t'let these things run their course. If they both wanna reconcile, they will in time."
"And if not?"
"It's better t'let 'em be, then, and not force 'em t'confront each other. That tends t'lead t'worse situations, believe me." Mia cast a brief glance down at her feet. "I been there."
"Mia?" Adalla was curious now.
"I never told ya, did I? How I were proposed to once?"
The mer blinked at the words. She wasn't all that surprised to hear it - Mia was, in Adalla's opinion, beautiful, and she had a heart of gold, all things considered - but she'd never really thought such would be a consideration for her partner.
"He were someone I got along with. He told me that he would take care of me, so I didn't have t'do it meself all the time." She shook her head. "I told him that it weren't my thing, t'be taken care of. I've spent all me life lookin' out for meself, takin' care of meself; the thought of bein' taken care of was new, and I didn't like it. I told him as much."
"I don't understand how-"
"He took offense, and we started t'argue. Eventually, I told him I didn't have no interest in him like that, and he got real angry. We parted ways like that, and thought we'd never see each other again, which we was happy 'bout." Her expression darkened. "Then a mutual... what was the word again...? Acquist...?"
"Acquaintance," Adalla reminded her.
"Aye, that. Anyway, the fool thought t'unite us and get us t'work out our differences. We were still pretty pissed at each other, though, so when we was brought back together, we was hostile. It ended with me yellin' at him, callin' him worthless trash, and him tryin' t'kill me in turn. I defended meself, but it were a guard what fatally wounded him. The acquaintance then had the gall t'make me out t'be the bad guy, somehow; because it were my fault he'd dragged us back together when we was angry."
"Mia..."
"Me point is, ya don't wanna be that guy, Adalla. Ya gotta let 'em cool off afore they speak with each other again, otherwise they'll just be that prick and me, forced t'talk against their will."
The story was retold in her mind, as if the mer was searching for some sort of flaw in it. She realized, in the end, that it was the right thing to do, though, leaving the sisters be.
"Ya tell anyone 'bout that story, and I swear t'the gods..."
"I won't tell anyone, Mia, you know that," Adalla said softly and with a smile. "It's not my place to share your stories."
The woman smiled. "Thank ya for understandin'."
Vernanye came into view then, and her eyes drifted toward them. She scowled a little, knowing that they'd likely heard the exchange, but stepped toward them nonetheless. "How much did you two hear?"
"Enough t'know that ya two are angry with each other, and that tryin' t'interfere will just make it worse."
She nodded slowly, and cast a glance back at the small entrance that led to the chamber. "She needs to realize she's being foolish. Not once has Elenwen ever been even remotely good for her. Why can't she realize...?"
"I'd argue that point," Adalla said. "Ultimately, it was Elenwen who took En'zhar's blade; I can't say he'd have done the same if Runael had been alone."
"My point," Vernanye said, casting a withering glance at the other mer at the mention of Elenwen, "is that being with Elenwen will only lead her to ruin. Everyone else sees it but her; why does she blind herself to the truth?"
"Love makes people do crazy things." Mia shrugged lightly. "Or feelings what some morons think t'be love, anyway. It ain't yer place t'tell her what love is and isn't, though. She's gotta learn what it is t'her t'be in love. It's different for all of us."
Vernanye pursed her lips at Mia's words, but did eventually nod slowly. "You have a point, but even I know that Elenwen's so-called 'love' for my sister is false." She regarded the woman a moment longer. "Have you been in love?"
"Ya mean by me own definition of the word? Aye, I have been." Mia didn't emphasize further, leaving Adalla curious as to who had once held her partner's affections. The past tense had made her realize that the feelings had likely passed. "By yer definition, whatever it may be? I can't say for certain, 'cause I ain't got a clue what yer definition of 'love' is."
Vernanye chuckled softly, and shook her head. "Never mind. I won't pry and turn this into a philosophical debate." She allowed herself a small smirk. "We all know I'd win that debate."
"Oy," Mia said with a sharp stare. "Don't ya go assumin' yer better'n me just 'cause I been livin' in the wilds just 'bout all me life. There are some things ya can only learn out in the wilderness."
"I'm not arguing that, but it goes the other way, as well. You can only learn some things by living among civilized folk." The mer's smirk grew a bit more. "Such as how to read, write, and proper speech."
"Ya ugly bitch," Mia growled, hand flying back toward her bow.
"Stop it, both of you," Adalla said, deciding now was the best time to intervene; she'd been content to let them trade the small verbal jabs, but she knew things were definitely going to reach a full-on fight at this rate. "We have a blockade to break, right? So let's put our differences aside for now and focus on that."
Mia looked reluctant to release her bow, but she did so. Vernanye, who hadn't so much as moved to defend herself, looked... put out? Was Adalla seeing the other mer's expression right? Had she been expecting Mia to attack her? Had she been provoking her?
"Mia, go on ahead. I'll catch up shortly." Adalla's eyes didn't leave Vernanye.
Mia seemed ready to ask, but she didn't, and instead set off on her own. Adalla didn't watch her go; her eyes remained affixed on her former superior.
"Yes?" Vernanye asked simply, and once Mia was out of earshot.
Adalla closed the distance between them, until their faces were just scant inches apart. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, provoking Mia as you did," she said quietly, her voice etched with warning, "but I won't stand for it. If you try to provoke her one more time, it won't be her bow to attack you first. You may find my mace drawing blood from your face first."
"Are you threatening me?"
"If that's what it takes to get you to leave my partner and best friend alone, then yes - yes, I am threatening you. Leave Mia alone, or I will leave your corpse unrecognizable."
To her surprise, the other mer chuckled. "Very funny. Tell me the one about the troll that donated gold to the Riften oprhanage next. Skyrim needs more jokers like you." She closed the distance so their faces were less than an inch apart. What she said next shook Adalla to her core.
"You don't even know who Mia is. Why do you insist on protecting someone you don't truly know? For all you know, she's using you for her own purposes. Or can you claim to know about her past?"
It wasn't so much the fact that Adalla wasn't curious... she'd just never been able to ask. Not only that... "She never wants to talk about it."
"Does she truly trust you, I wonder? Is she trying to keep her distance from you so that, if something goes wrong, she can abandon you and then forget you ever existed?"
"It's painful for her to talk about!" Adalla retorted. "Besides, she promised me that she'd..." Her voice trailed.
It had been she who had promised she'd never abandon Mia... it hadn't been the other way around. It had been implied, yes, but technically... Mia could abandon Adalla and not break a promise in doing so...
Vernanye's eyes shifted to reflect the smirk she now wore on her lips again. "You don't know the first thing about her, but you call her your best friend and partner. She doesn't tell you about herself because... 'it's painful'."
Adalla thought back to Mia's talk of having no real friends before Adalla, how the mer had been the first to earn Mia's trust... she had no doubt Mia trusted her, but was that trust... complete?
She blinked when Vernanye kissed the tip of her nose. "You don't need Mia. Mia doesn't need you. You're both deluding yourselves." She chuckled softly, and turned away from the younger mer. "It's cute, really, to see you two pretend at friendship and partnership. When the truth is out, though, will this little game you two are playing continue to be fun?"
"You know nothing about Mia!" Adalla seethed, hands clenching into fists; her knuckles turned white, so tight were her fists. "How can you stand there and judge-"
"I know more than you do," Vernanye said triumphantly. "Of course, seeing whereas you know nothing of her, that's not saying much, is it? The fact that she's Dragonborn, for example-"
"I know that already," Adalla snapped.
"Oh? Well, good for you. But did she tell you, or did you witness it?"
"I..."
"She didn't want you to know, did she? So you... what, fought a dragon together and killed it? She absorbed its soul, and you watched?" Vernanye glanced over her shoulder; half of a smirk was visible at the part of her mouth Adalla could see. "If she had her way, you'd be oblivious to that, I can assure you of that."
"...What's your story with Mia?" Adalla asked quietly. "How do you know her? How do you know she's... that which she doesn't like to discuss?" Even now, she couldn't bring herself to say 'Dragonborn', for Mia's sake.
"I have my methods. I'm not inclined to share." She walked back toward the city. "I seem to be among hostility all of a sudden. I no longer have a reason to break the blockade. You two, on the other hand... well, I'm sure your 'partnership' will be more than a match for the Thalmor."
As Vernanye stepped into the gates, Adalla found herself agreeing with Mia on one thing about her former superior.
"She is a bitch..." Adalla grumbled, turning to proceed toward the other end of the bridge and meet up with Mia once more.
A.N. - A simple chapter, all told, and yet the interactions are ALL profound.
Elenwen betraying Runael. To me, it seemed like Elenwen's only 'way out' in regards to her current situation. It was not easy to write at first, owing largely to where they would end up for this otherwise secretive exchange, but once I had that, it just went effortlessly.
Vernanye nearly kills Elenwen, and stops only because Runael hits her. I don't think that needs explaining, nor does her conversation with said sister.
Adalla, Mia and Vernanye's interactions. I had a fair bit of fun writing this out, and even greater fun touching on how Adalla, all told, knows so very little about Mia. There's nothing like someone you're treating with hostility opening your eyes to things.
With this chapter done, there will be... I expect one more before the final 'chapter'. I use quotes because the last 'chapter' will be split into parts. This is how close Flames is to the end. Just one more chapter between this and the 'finale'.
Looking back at the first chapter, this story has been one hell of a trip for me, both to write and to read over for spelling errors and overall accuracy. I've written an entire chapter... what was it, twice? Three times now? And deleted it, just to start anew because I didn't like how it turned out. I've replaced entire sections in some, and moved sections from one chapter to a later chapter. All told, while a few of the chapters are less than satisfactory to me, the story on the whole is something I've become proud of.
...It's a touch early to start reminiscing, isn't it? I've still got chapters to write!
-Spiritslayer