"Eden, look!" the bard cried out cheerfully and blew on the head of a dandelion.
The little white seeds flew upwards and floated around, dancing on the slight breeze. Arielle watched them with a big grin. And Eden watched the happy bard, eyes full of awe and it brought a smile to her face. There was a weight that had been lifted from the guardian's shoulders and as she watched the bard's childlike gaze follow the drifting dandelion seeds, Eden finally felt a lightness return to her own breathing. They traveled slowly, stopping regularly to give Arielle enough rest. Now only the occasional stray cough was all that was left of the sickness that had scared Eden so much. She would never admit how frightened she really was then. And she would never admit how much she envied the bard's innocent wonder now. She stood, her arms folded across her chest, unable to do anything else but... smile.
Arielle practically beamed with happiness. She was happy to finally be well, to be outside, to be on the road again. She was so ecstatic that she almost had a hard time keeping still on her horse, which Xanthus would ask her to do every once in a while with a loud snort and whinny. Every time they stopped for a break on their first day back on the road, the bard would jump off her saddle and go running off through the field, amongst the trees or shrubs, or even just across the dusty ground. Eden would watch the bard running gleefully, her arms outstretched like a bird soaring through the sky, her laughter filling the air and the holes in Eden's spirit. 'Eden, I'm flying!' she would cry out in a joy Eden had almost thought no longer existed in the world. And the guardian would say nothing, but would look on so proud, so content, so...
The bard broke her thoughts when she ran up to Eden with another dandelion in her hand.
"Now it's your turn." Arielle announced cheerfully and slightly breathlessly.
Eden gave a small scowl at the idea.
"Oh, please, Eden. You can't be so serious and gloomy all the time. No one's watching..." she coaxed, waggling her eyebrows.
Eden raised one of her eyebrows.
"What's the point?"
"Does there always have to be one? Just make a wish!"
The warrior remained unmoved and the bard could see that this time her cause was lost.
"Oh, you're no fun sometimes." Arielle complained and gave out a big huff.
Dandelion seeds flew forward and covered the warrior. The bard stared in shock for a moment at the glowering warrior dressed in a dandelion blanket. But the shock disappeared and Arielle clutched her mouth with both hands, but the laugh found its way out anyway. After that, Arielle found it nearly impossible to control her laughter and it rang out through the air as she clutched her sides and nearly doubled over. Eden raised her eyebrow again and put her hands on her hips.
"Oh, so you think this is funny, hm?" Eden said in a lower tone than usual, picking off one seed that was tickling her nose.
Arielle darted her innocent gaze back to Eden, laughing through her closed mouth, yet her eyes betraying an appearing doubt that the warrior may be angry with her.
"Well, I guess there's nothing else to do but... get my revenge." Eden hissed in a feigned threat, the twinkling in her eyes giving her away.
Arielle squealed merrily, jumped up, and turned to run when she saw Eden lunge at her in an attempt to catch her. Eden knew she could outrun Arielle easily, but let the bard keep ahead of her for a while. Eden steered them into a small field of dandelions. They ran through it, kicking up the white heads left and right, the seeds shooting up into the sky and covering the two women from head to toe. Arielle gave out joyful cries, like a little child with a pocket full of honey covered figs in the middle of a fantastic summer day's festival as Eden continually playfully threatened that she was going to catch the blond. When the whole field of dandelions seemed to have already found its way onto their clothes, Eden finally caught up with the tiring bard, grabbed her from behind in her strong arms, and picked her up. Arielle squealed almost breathlessly, halfheartedly trying to break free and Eden let them safely tumble back onto the ground amongst the disturbed dandelions. Eden loosened her arms and the bard rolled off of her and onto her side, propping her head up on her hand.
"Eden... I think... I think you may have just had... fun." Arielle announced.
Eden knotted her brows and scowled at her hands as she lifted them in front of her face, turning them several times. She then put her hands down and turned to the bard with a look of confusion.
"And I didn't burst into flames? How curious..." Eden stated in theatrical shock.
Arielle laughed and poked the guardian gently in the shoulder.
"Oh, Eden, what am I going to do with you?"
Eden's spirit seemed to bask in the moment. She noticed the smell of the earth, the dandelions, and that indescribable, beautiful scent that was simply Arielle. The sun shone on Arielle as if it was meant to shine only on her, highlighting her blond hair and turning it into gold, warming her skin and brightening her smile. The seeds tickled her skin like the bard's giggles tickled her worn soul. Eden felt so... at ease. Let me stay here. In this moment. With you.
Eden gave Arielle a smile and then turned her gaze up into the clouds.
"That looks like a mace to me." she said simply, pointing up into the sky.
"That one? I see an apple tree." Arielle noted happily after lying down on her back and shifting a little closer to Eden so their shoulders touched.
"An apple tree? Huh..."
"That one to your left looks exactly like a fish."
"A fish? I see a spearhead."
"Well, you would. Eden, look, it has a tail at the end and everything. How is that a spearhead?" Arielle playfully countered with a sigh.
"I'll have you know that I've seen some very decorative spearheads." Eden noted lightly.
"Eh... Oh, what about that one? The one that looks like a fishing rod."
"That's a good one."
"Eden... did we just agree on the shape of a cloud?" Arielle asked in slight surprise.
"Well, no. Because if I squint, I can see a pike."
"I'm going to go mad someday." Arielle bantered, letting her hand fall softly over her eyes.
Eden let out a soft chuckle. An easy silence covered them. They listened to the quiet and their own breathing. And unknowingly they were thinking the same thing- how something so unbelievably ordinary like a warm, sunny, quiet day could be so rich in itself and bring such... happiness? Eden almost wanted to laugh at the thought. Is it at all possible that I could be in any way happy? She turned her face a little to look at the bard, somewhat surprised when she saw the bard do the exact same. They looked at each other with a calm they weren't aware was theirs and with an understanding of something they still knew nothing of.
Eden sighed lightly and turned her gaze back up into the clouds. She remembered that Jerusalem was not all that far off and chastised herself for growing attached to the bard. They would enter the Holy City, part ways, and that would be that. No, I can't be happy.
"I think we need to get moving." Eden said flatly and didn't notice Arielle's face fall slightly.
"I know... It's just... If... Right, let's go then." the blond sighed and started to get up.
Eden observed Arielle as they both rose, dusting themselves off from the seeds as they cleared the field. She felt a strange hint of sadness and longing in Arielle and wondered what its source was. Arielle glanced quickly over her shoulder at the field and then turned back to their horses.
"Hey," Eden said suddenly, stopping and looking straight at Arielle, "these aren't the last dandelions we'll ever see."
Arielle smiled and nodded, trying to appreciate the comment. What the bard didn't say was that the dwindling distance to Jerusalem was giving way to a growing apprehension over what would happen after they reached the city. She had planned to reach Jerusalem and then return home. But her pilgrimage had turned into something so much more than that and far beyond what she could have imagined. And now she found that she didn't really want it to end. Rather naively she clung to the idea that if they never reached Jerusalem, then their adventures would never have to end. Most importantly, she didn't want to leave Eden behind. Being with Eden had made her realize how truly lonely she had been before. And she didn't want to return to that. It was one of many things that Arielle began to notice she didn't want to return to.
Arielle kept her personal promise. Once they were back on the road, the bard took every opportunity she could to learn some weaponry skill or work on her agility and strength. Arielle's sudden intense interest in her physical condition first struck the guardian as a little strange, but she helped the bard with drills and exercises anyway. Arielle took it seriously and never complained of something being too difficult or of being sore, but just grit her teeth with a determination that could almost match the warrior's. And Eden didn't say anything, but she saw it and was proud of the young bard.
When the bard was practicing her defensive sword moves, Eden would usually train along with her, inserting calm instruction when and where needed. Eden was still reluctant to spar, but did it when the bard asked with less complaint and fewer excuses. And after a few times, Arielle got carried away with herself.
"You know, I'm really beginning to feel stronger." Arielle told the warrior confidently after putting her sword down.
"Good."
"But it's difficult for me to judge, you know? I have nothing to compare myself to... Would you... maybe... wrestle with me?"
Eden nearly dropped her sword.
"What?! Are you mad?!" Eden cried out, looking at the bard as if she had just grown horns.
The green eyes flickered with a slightly menacing stubborn determination that Eden knew meant trouble. Big trouble.
"It's just wrestling." Arielle said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Absolutely not. I am not wrestling with you."
"Why not?"
"Because you could get hurt."
"You don't hurt me during our sparring. Why would this be any different?"
"Because it's not at sword's length anymore... there's no room to escape..."
Arielle sighed and tried to attack from a different side.
"Alright, well then could you at least show me some moves. You know, if someone grabs me so that I can try to break loose."
Eden eyed Arielle warily. The request seemed fair, but the warrior couldn't quiet a voice in the back of her head telling her that it was a bad idea.
"I really don't think that's necessary." Eden stated.
"Of course it's necessary. Remember the raider that tried to walk off with me or that Turkish warrior who attacked me?"
Eden winced internally at the memories. She stared at the ground, trying to find a way out of the situation.
"It's not because you're scared, is it?" the bard asked, a slight tease in her voice.
That was Arielle's first mistake. Eden lifted her head and stared unemotionally at her.
"I am not scared. I just don't think that it's a good idea." she explained coolly, her nerves beginning to send off sparks within her at the comment.
"Come on, Eden, what's the worst that can happen? I'll go easy on you." Arielle continued to recklessly banter.
"Fine."
Eden dropped her weapons and quickly stripped herself of her armor as the slightly stunned bard realized that she had gotten her way and did the same, an excited smile crossing her face. Eden knew better, but there were a few things that she just couldn't stand and teasing her was one of them. Eden approached Arielle and stood in front of her, taking a few deep breaths, trying to keep herself under control. She first started with some explanation, calculating that the time would dissipate her anger. Then they wrestled a little, Eden showing her different moves. Arielle tried hard to pin the warrior down while Eden tried hard not to break the bard in two. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Eden did in fact notice the growing strength of the bard, the firmer and some even larger muscles straining under her grip. Yet, in the end, it was always the blond who ended up on her back in the dust.
"You are getting stronger." Eden told Arielle, dusting off her hands when they had finally finished practicing.
"Yes, well, not nearly enough to defeat you." Arielle complained somewhat, trying to loosen her tight shoulders.
"One day, Arielle..."
Eden gave her a faint grin and then turned around, walking back to where she had left her weapons and armor. A severely mischievous grin crossed Arielle's face and she paced up quietly behind the warrior and then lunged at her back with a yell. And that was the blond's second mistake.
Eden suddenly turned around, grabbing the bard in mid air and flipping her over her shoulder and pinning her to the ground with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of the blond and kicking up dust around them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Eden snarled at the stunned younger woman, her fists clenched full of the bard's shirt, "You want to be killed?!"
"I'm, I'm, I'm sorry... I just..." Arielle stammered and then gave up.
"Don't ever do that again. I hate it when people sneak up behind me. Do you understand me?"
Arielle only nodded. Eden sighed with disgust, let the bard go somewhat roughly, got up, and stomped off towards her things. Arielle lay on the ground a little while longer, trying to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. She began to realize how far she had overstepped Eden's tentative boundaries. She wanted to throw herself under a cart for her foolishness. Putting herself in danger was one thing, but she also realized what the warrior would have felt if she had indeed done her harm. Your father was right, you are nothing more than a childish fool, Arielle of Avignon...
Arielle finally got up, dusted herself off, and padded over to pick up her things and go back to the horses. Eden was already there, stroking Arion's muzzle.
"Eden, I'm-"
"Not now. I don't want to talk about it." Eden snapped.
"Eden, please-"
"Not. Now." Eden repeated impatiently and after seeing the hurt confusion in the bard's eyes, softened her tone, "Just not now, please..."
"Alright." the bard conceded.
It was a few hours later when they had stopped in the shade of an olive tree to eat that Eden finally spoke.
"I don't like it when someone sneaks up on me from behind. Whatever happens next is simply a reaction. Usually an uncontrollable and very violent one. That's why it's dangerous... even for you. And that's why I stomped off... to calm down... Otherwise..." Eden explained quietly.
"Eden, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't, how could you?" Eden admitted and then grew quieter, "Once... some time ago, someone attacked me from behind. He lifted me up, strangling me with his arm around my neck. I remembered the fear... and helplessness I felt. And I can feel it to this day..."
"Well, I'm sure you quickly taught that man a lesson." Arielle said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Actually, no. I just bit his arm and he let me go... I was just a child then." Eden said softly, staring off into the horizon, "And the man was my father..."
Arielle didn't know what to say.
As they neared Acre, the two women noticed a rider coming towards them. Arielle automatically grew tense, but saw that Eden didn't stop or even slow down after having noticed him. The rider's black tunic bearing a large white cross identified him as a Knight Hospitaller. Arielle grew excited, she had never met a real Hospitaller and the stories about them varied though never as much as those about Templars. Eden and the Hospitaller continued on their way, headed straight for each other as if they hadn't noticed each other's presence at all. They only finally stopped when they ended up face to face, blocking each other's way.
"Well, well, well," Eden drawled, leaning her forearms on the pommel of her saddle, "what do we have here? Looks like a Hospitaller stray."
"Looks more like a renegade blocking a Hospitaller's path." the knight replied.
The Hospitaller sat straight, holding the reins lazily in his hands. Arielle noticed the daunting presence of the knight. He was armed in chainmail from head to foot, his black tunic fastened by a tunic belt and then wrapped by a thicker sword belt. He wore a cape identical to his tunic and a shield in the same colors hung from is back. The black color and rawness of his dress, Arielle mused, made him look more like a knight of death than a kindhearted Christian warrior.
"Oh forgive me, I must have missed the sign that stated that this road belongs to you."
"It's right here." the knight replied, pointing to the cross on his tunic.
"So you think you're awfully smart, don't you?" Eden said, dismounting abruptly and stomping towards him as he did the same.
"And you think you're so frightening, hm?"
They stood in each other's faces threateningly and Arielle nervously reached for her bow.
"You'll never change." Eden spat.
"Neither will you." the Hospitaller spat back.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." Eden admitted, suddenly softening.
"Neither would I." the Hospitaller replied, a wide smile crossing his lips.
They let out a laugh and threw themselves into a long, strong hug while Arielle stared at them, completely dumbfounded.
"I knew you would come." Eden said softly.
"I knew you needed me to. Plus, I have to take care of some things in Acre anyway so it was on my way." he replied.
"Ehem!" Arielle let out, clearing her throat loudly.
They turned around, both smiling at the glaring blond.
"Arielle, this is my good friend Lawrence. He was the one I wanted to see in Jerusalem. It seems Jerusalem came to us." Eden introduced warmly as Arielle dismounted.
Arielle gazed at Lawrence. His eyes were an incredible sky blue that bordered on light gray. His hair was short, blown into a fitting disarray by the desert winds, and was only slightly darker than the sands surrounding them. He had a lean, muscular build and was a little taller than Eden which made him about a head taller than Arielle. Yet, what was amazing about him was the warmth that emanated from him. His sword and armor gave every indication that he was a serious and seasoned warrior, yet the tranquility that radiated from him gave Arielle the impression that he wouldn't even harm a breeze. There was something indescribably gentle in his movements, a friendly smile on his face nearly permanently, a warm tone in his soft voice. And his eyes seemed to say that they had seen every affliction man could know, understood them, and took pity.
"I'm very pleased to meet you Arielle." Lawrence said, shaking her hand and bowing slightly, almost making Arielle blush like a little girl, "I've heard much about you."
Arielle gave him a confused glance and Eden gave him a look like she wanted to boil him in oil as a blush began to warm her face.
"But if I may say something," Lawrence added quickly, seeing his blunder and releasing Arielle's hand, "please don't make the mistake of greeting everyone of a military order like this."
"Well, I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance." Arielle stated, curtsying in a manner that betrayed her more privileged upbringing.
"Don't we all generally know each other?" Eden grumbled, rolling her eyes at all the formalities, "I'm beginning to feel a little underdressed for the occasion."
Lawrence and Arielle let out a somewhat nervous chuckle which cleared the tension a little.
"So you say that Eden isn't as friendly towards all Christian warriors like towards you?" Arielle asked, the corner of her mouth rising mischievously.
"Definitely not." Lawrence chuckled, "Though not for lack of other Christian warriors trying. And some of them do try ever so hard."
"Let me guess- Garrett?" Eden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who else?" he sighed, lifting his hands with a shrug, "He... asked about you."
"I'm sure he did." Eden snorted.
Lawrence let out a small chuckle and smiled while Arielle eyed the guardian somewhat suspiciously.
"Come," he said, grabbing the reins of his horse and turning back towards Acre, motioning for them to do the same, "tell me of Antioch."
"Thank you for coming, Lawrence." Eden said.
"Oh, Eden, you know I couldn't have done differently." Lawrence replied gently.
"Still..."
They walked at a leisurely pace alongside each other through the quieter evening streets of Acre, enjoying the pleasant weather. Relatively safe within the practically impenetrable fortifications of the city, they had both left their metal armor behind. Lawrence hooked his hands on his sword belt while Eden carried hers locked behind her back.
"I felt the pain... I felt a great fear..." Lawrence mentioned quietly.
"Yes..." Eden sighed and absently scanned the rooftops of the buildings in front of her, "Arielle was very ill... very ill..."
"Well, I'm glad that she's well again. She seems to be very nice... very special." he said with a smile.
"Yes..."
To the both of them it almost seemed as if they had never been apart when it had, in fact, been months if not years since she had really talked to him. Eden couldn't remember exactly how long, some of the times of her life remained an ugly blur to her. It was a special bond they both knew they shared; they always seemed to be together no matter how far off, no matter how far gone.
"Eden, you were right to call for me." Lawrence stated with a heavy sigh.
"What have you seen?" Eden asked, concern tightening her voice.
"Not much. And probably not anything that you haven't seen yourself. But there is something amiss. Dark clouds gather on the horizon and there is something foul in the air. Something is awakening and seems to be coming for us."
"A demon?"
"Probably. And it seems that it has some special sight for Arielle." Lawrence explained as Eden turned and looked at him with solemn concern, "She appeared in a vision, shrouded in darkness until there was no more of her. And a battlefield covered in fallen knights, Hospitallers, Templars, and others..."
"Who is this demon?"
"I don't know." he admitted and then turned to Eden, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Don't worry. Be vigilant as you always are and we will know soon enough. And I won't be far behind."
"As usual." Eden added with a faint smile.
"As usual." Lawrence repeated with a grin.
"Remember when we would do this when we were children?" Lawrence asked, pulling a few apricots neatly in half and taking out the seed.
"Yes..." Eden answered and then turned to Arielle who was sitting beside her, "We used to climb up to the rooftop of a building next to the armorer back at home."
"We would sit there for hours listening to the armorer working. We loved that clanging of metal, the roar of the forge." Lawrence added.
"Didn't anyone come looking for you?" Arielle asked, picking at a pomegranate.
"The building was abandoned and everyone was convinced it housed evil spirits. No one would dare search up there."
"That seems nice..." Arielle mused, "I always wished for that kind of escape when I was a child. But it seemed that there was no place to runaway to on my father's lands... nowhere to hide..."
Arielle looked up when she noticed the silence that fell. Eden studied her with intense blue eyes and Lawrence looked at her in sympathy.
"So what brings you here to Acre, Lawrence?" Arielle asked quickly, desperate for a change of subject.
"I have some business with the Templars."
"I've heard many stories about the Knights Templar. I don't think I've actually met one in real life."
"Well, they're a specific type... Not too bloodthirsty, but not too saintly." Lawrence chuckled, "You'll have your fill of them in Jerusalem."
"Do you know any Templars?" Arielle asked Eden, her eyes widening in curiosity.
"Oh, all too well..." Eden replied, rolling her eyes as Lawrence snickered quietly.
Arielle gave her a confused look and then shrugged her shoulders, seeing that the warrior didn't seem to want to elaborate.
"Here, you look a little thin to me." Lawrence mentioned, handing Eden a piece of mutton from the food he brought.
"Huh, well, if you traveled with this bottomless pit here, you'd be too." Eden quipped, biting into the meat.
"Hey! It's not like I eat you out of house and home!" Arielle protested until she saw that some mutton still remained and pointed at it sheepishly, "Can I have some too?"
The warrior and Hospitaller looked at Arielle and all three burst into laughter. They divided the rest of the food and ate quietly, the two women happy to eat something different than what they had on the road.
"I'll go check on Arion for a minute. Please don't get into any trouble before I get back." Eden said, getting up and dusting herself off.
A few moments of quiet fell between them after the guardian left and Arielle studied the Hospitaller with curiosity.
"You two seem to be quite close." Arielle ventured with intrigue, "How long have you known her?"
"Oh, quite a while. We grew up together. Our roads diverged when we became adolescents. Yet, I guess our paths never fully separated, despite everything."
"She seems very... fond of you."
Lawrence chuckled softly and looked at the bard.
"Eden's like a sister to me." Lawrence said warmly, "She is family as if she was of my own flesh and blood."
Arielle leaned back against the chimney and sighed.
"It's strange," the bard mused, "I have a sister of true flesh and blood and I don't think that we're as close as you and Eden are. That trust and comfort you both seem to share... it's something to be envied..."
Lawrence studied the bard. Her shoulders slumped when she released a heavy sigh and he noticed a faint sadness blanket her eyes.
"Well, it was a lifetime of hard work. And continues to be." he admitted gently.
"Yes, I can imagine that you're probably the only one in this world that she really trusts." she noted, not fully hiding her misgiving at the statement.
Lawrence popped a dried date into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a while.
"It's not you that she doesn't trust, Arielle." he explained slowly, "It's herself. She knows she's dangerous, she has the potential to easily take a life. She also knows all too well what it's like to lose something dear... It's all because her love and trust are as strong as her anger can be. That's why she just doesn't let herself even think about it. In the end, she's a warrior and dying is much easier when there is no one to leave behind."
Arielle knotted her brows over the interesting revelation. She had never thought of any type of love in that way. Everyone in the world seemed to be frantically searching for love, never thinking that they would have to bear the loss of it. Eden, on the other hand, decided that if she didn't want to ever lose love, then she couldn't ever find it to begin with. She felt a heavy sadness in her heart for the warrior who was faced with this decision between the lesser of two completely heartless evils. Is that why you're so angry, Eden? Is that why you are so inapproachable and locked away? Is that why you so stubbornly hide the beauty I see in you?... Does anyone else see it? And would you ever show it? How much of you is you and how much is just your armor protecting you from the world?
"To be honest, she scares me a little." the bard admitted quietly.
"Oh, well, she scares most people." Lawrence acknowledged, chuckling lightly. "It's a shame too, she's no one to be feared."
"I'm sorry, are we talking about the same person?" the bard asked with light sarcasm.
"Let me rephrase that. She's no one to be feared by those she holds dear. She is very loyal and protective."
The bard looked at Lawrence with a quizzical expression that he couldn't help but notice.
"Is she really?"
"Oh yes. You know, even when she was a desert raider and she roamed these lands, she never hurt me. What's more, she never let harm be done to me. And I knew that. She gave me her word, her promise and that's probably the holiest thing for her, the only thing she never went back upon. Even under the power of the greatest demons, she kept her word."
Arielle let the new picture of her friend appear in front of her eyes. Yet, she realized it wasn't an entirely new picture, but more of an image that was slowly shifting into focus.
"I see her often, balancing on that thin edge where it only takes an idle breath to push her over into the darkness. I'm always scared she'll make that fall."
"But she doesn't, does she?" Lawrence noticed.
Arielle said nothing, peering at the knight with interest.
"Arielle, you've probably chosen the most complicated person on the earth to befriend; she's a walking contradiction. Most of the things that she pretends annoy her, she actually loves. Like me, for example." Lawrence explained, adding a small wink and then becoming more serious again, "The things she loves, she loves more than she lets on. She veils herself in secrecy, but yearns to have a person to tell everything to. She laughs when she hurts, is quiet when she bleeds. She doesn't believe in the things she would give her sword arm to believe in. She follows a path she hardly trusts at all. It breaks a good man's heart, you know? She'll push you away when all she wants is to be held. And if you need to be held, she'll hold you even if it kills her..."
The bard recalled the times when Eden held her. The warrior would lock her protective arms around the bard without a single word or complaint. The same woman who did not like to be touched would allow herself to be practically blanketed by the blond. Arielle absorbed the description of a person whom she had thought she only imagined was there. Eden kept everything so well hidden that sometimes the bard gave up on dragging things out into the open for fear that maybe they didn't exist at all.
She observed Lawrence as he dug a few extra dates from his pocket and chewed on them slowly. He seemed to be the complete opposite of Eden. He was so open, kind, and appeared to be at a great peace. Here they had just met and he was talking to her like he would to a friend whom he had known for years. And yet he seemed to understand Eden so well and they were like family to each other. And he must have been someone dear to Eden, the bard mused, to be able to speak so freely of the warrior without the slightest fear of getting his head hacked off. The blond felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy go through her. Here she was, admitting out loud that Eden frightened her and then she felt envious of the close ties between the warriors.
"Don't feel jealous. You will know more than I do soon enough." Lawrence told the bard with a warm smile.
Arielle saw a strange light flicker in the Hospitaller's eyes and her own widened in such surprise that she didn't fully register what he said.
"How did you... You read... You know my thoughts?..." Arielle stammered out in bewilderment.
"Oh, were you thinking about that?" Lawrence asked, feigning innocence.
"Yes... How did you do that?"
"Because he's a guardian too." Eden replied, appearing behind the bard and walking back to her spot next to her and sitting down, "More specifically, he's a seer."
"A seer?"
"I have visions... in dreams, in prayer, or even just out of the blue. I can also sometimes read thoughts. Or at least the loud ones. In other words, we seers are the philosophers and thinkers in the family, gifted with a much-seeing eye. " Lawrence explained slightly theatrically.
"And a particularly interesting sense of humor from the looks of it." Eden added sarcastically and then turned to Arielle, "So whatever he read, you must have been thinking quite loudly. What was it?"
Arielle opened her mouth, but no words came out and instead a blush began to appear in her cheeks.
"You know, Eden is nearly impossible to read." Lawrence noted, trying to save the bard from the question, "There are ways to block the mindreading abilities of guardians... or demons for that matter. I can teach you some if you'd like."
Arielle nodded energetically and Lawrence smiled. Eden surveyed them both with a slightly suspicious look, but decided not to press the matter any further. Lawrence leaned against one chimney while the women leaned against the other, all of them full and content to have a little quiet time.
Lawrence secretly studied the young bard. He had only needed a few moments with Arielle to understand the strange yet strong attachment Eden had to her. She was a pretty, young woman, but there was something much more beyond that. He felt a warm, authentic empathy for others, a great need to help someone beyond herself radiate from her. He sensed a light hidden within her, embedded deeply, holding what he judged to be a power beyond any he had seen before. But he saw it lay dormant. Or perhaps it was just awaking, seeming to stir in Eden's presence. He found it curious that these two women happened to stumble upon one another in the middle of some desert and began to slowly dig things out from each other, tirelessly pulling up to the surface those things that they had both spent so much time burying.
He remembered the intense pain he had felt when Eden summoned him. She was one of very few outside the seers that had both learned of and mastered the ability to summon others through a mental link. She had summoned Lawrence over and over as Arielle lay near death in her arms and now he understood where that raw desperation had come from. When Arielle recovered, she had notified him that the danger was over, but he had decided to investigate what had terrified Eden that much to summon him anyway. It was unlike the warrior and it scared him. Yet, for him, it was enough to look into the bard's eyes.
And then Arielle suddenly jolted upright.
"Lawrence, you said the mindreading abilities of guardians, right?" she asked almost in a panic.
"Yes... Why..."
Lawrence saw the blood slowly drain from Arielle's face as her eyes moved slightly in Eden's direction. And then Lawrence understood.
"Not all guardians can see the same. Eden has..." he explained and then suddenly stopped, glancing at the warrior.
Eden gave a barely noticeable nod and Lawrence turned back to the blond.
"Eden has a general sense of thoughts and energies around her, sometimes she has visions, especially in dreams. To be truthful, her sense is much stronger than in other warriors. Some don't possess it at all. But she doesn't possess the same abilities I do."
Arielle visibly calmed and slowly relaxed back against the chimney.
"So I can see you must have been thinking only good thoughts of me." Eden commented sarcastically with one eyebrow up.
"No, it's not that... I.. It's just... My thoughts are private, that's all." Arielle argued, still a little flustered.
They sat around quietly for a while, watching the sun slowly lower itself in the sky turning the white light slowly into gold. Arielle began to realize how much there was in the world that she had no idea even existed. Here she was on an idle roof in Acre sitting in the company of two guardians who were her friends. Her eyes drifted to the sky with a single thought that suddenly entered her mind- that maybe there was much more to life than she thought. That the world was not just what she saw, but actually had several different layers, each different but all together comprising a complete whole. And that's when the seed was sown. A seed of light and faith that settled in the core of her being and finally took root.
"How about we get down from here?" Lawrence asked the two women.
"Well, I don't know. What am I thinking?" Arielle challenged, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Oh, young bard, it doesn't work that way." Lawrence said with a chuckle, "You see, I can't hear or see everything in your head. Only the more important things. Especially those things tied to great or powerful emotions. So, I don't know what Eden wants to eat for supper, but if she fell in love with me, I would probably know."
"Are you serious?" Eden growled slightly, tossing the knight a displeased look.
"I needed an example!" Lawrence said in his defense and raised his hands with a shrug.
Eden only rolled her eyes and raised herself to her feet and Arielle followed her. The bard was then strangely struck by the sight of the warrior. Eden stood out against the light of the ending day. The sun covered her in a golden aura and Arielle couldn't help but notice that the sacral tone that that light seemed to give Eden did her a great justice. The rays highlighted the features of her face and body; the power of her muscles and the delicacy of her quiet stare intertwined together in the glow. It was almost as if the light lit up all that was good in her for all and God to see. She is... stunning in this light... and beautiful.
"I heard that." Lawrence said, his arms folded across his chest and with a large grin on his face.
Arielle shot him a flustered look as a blush began to creep into her cheeks.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Eden asked in exasperation, placing her hands on her hips.
"Can we please get off this roof?!" Arielle asked in even greater exasperation and quickly walked to the roof edge and down the ladder, leaving a confused Eden and chuckling Lawrence behind.
"Lawrence seems to be a very nice man." Arielle noted.
"Yes, he is." Eden replied, not taking her eyes off the journal she was writing in.
"Do you... like him?"
Eden took a slow, deep breath, put her quill down, and leaned back in her chair. The bard was looking at her from across their room at the inn, sitting on the bed, her back against the wall and the covers over her raised knees, holding a cup of steaming cider.
"Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering."
Eden crossed her arms and kept her eyes on the bard, patiently waiting for what she knew was going to come next. The bard kept quiet for about a minute until she couldn't take it anymore.
"Oh, Eden, don't tell me that you don't see it. He's a warrior, tall, somewhat sandy, and handsome. The two of you are perfect for each other!" Arielle explained with excitement.
Eden's only response was a slight snort and raised brow.
"Eden, you can't tell me that you don't find him... appealing."
"Yes, he is handsome if that's what you mean." Eden shrugged.
"Well then what's the problem? He obviously likes you!"
"Arielle," Eden started with a deep sigh and uncrossing her arms, "I like Lawrence very much. But he's like a brother to me, he's the closest to family I have now."
Arielle's excitement dissipated into a more solemn seriousness at the admission. She studied the warrior closely.
"That's exactly what Lawrence said." Arielle admitted quietly.
"Hmpf... Really, I can't leave that guy alone for two minutes without having him start talking about me." Eden noted, shaking her head slightly, "What else did he say about me?"
"Only good things. Nothing much that I didn't already know." the bard said with a small smile.
"He rarely says bad things about others. Unlike me..." the warrior mused and then shifted in her chair a little, folding her arms over her chest again, "I've known him since I can remember; we grew up together. We had the same... predisposition. He was the only one I could share that with, talk to about. He didn't make me feel like an outcast... And I did the same for him."
"But you both are still so different."
"Yes... Well, our lives took different roads... I don't think I've ever met a person who knows Lawrence and didn't like him. Why he still hangs around me is a mystery to me sometimes..." Eden told the bard and then a smile appeared in the corner of her mouth, "So, I'm sorry, Arielle. No romance here..."
Arielle rolled her eyes, caught red-handed, and stared into her cider.
"Didn't you ever think of having a family of your own?" Arielle asked quietly after a few moments.
"Maybe... once... but not anymore."
"You don't want a husband? Children?"
"I gave up on the idea."
"Why? What happened?"
"I simply gave up on everything..."
Arielle sensed that it wasn't something to push so she said nothing more.
"And you?" Eden asked after a moment.
"Well, yes I think I would like to have a family... It's the natural way, I guess... My parents-"
"What do you want?" Eden interjected.
Arielle opened her mouth, but then closed it, realizing that she really didn't know. Truthfully, no one had ever bothered to ask her. And she had never really thought about it since she had never been offered any alternative. Arielle found it hard to admit to herself that there was something in her travels and adventures with Eden that was drawing her in, tempting her to leave behind the world and life she thought she knew and was meant for. Yet despite its excitement, this new life also evoked fear within her; the fear of the unknown and unchartered. Arielle chewed her lower lip in thought, now aware that she was caught between both worlds and was too excited to choose the one she came from, but also too timid to choose the one standing before her.