It was already far into the night when Eden and Arielle came stumbling back from the celebration. Arielle would have felt slightly embarrassed at their somewhat tipsy condition, but when she remembered some of things that began to go on in the corners of the hall and she suddenly felt quite innocent again. The warrior had finally carried Arielle the rest of the way since the blond kept skipping around cheerfully and knocking into the walls. Slamming the door behind them with her foot, Eden lay Arielle down on her bed.
"You didn't have to carry me, but thank you anyway." the bard said quietly with a slightly goofy grin on her face as she wrinkled Eden's cloak in her hands.
"You would have finally broken a bone." Eden remarked, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't help it. I feel like dancing, I'm so giddy." Arielle laughed.
Eden smiled and wanted to ask Arielle to let her go, but was caught in a look she had never seen before and lost that thought. Arielle's green eyes sparkled with both gentleness and some kind of fire and Eden couldn't tear her eyes away.
"You shouldn't look at me like that." Eden said quietly.
"Why?" Arielle whispered coyly, "Why shouldn't I?"
That look, the dancing shades of green in the bard's eyes, and the warm breath now floating across her face rendered Eden's mind completely numb for a single moment. But it was long enough for her to forget all her doubts and inhibitions and crash into the bard's lips, kissing her with utter abandon.
A ripple of excitement shot through the bard as she felt the warrior's lips crush against her own. There was an element of desire and ferocity in Eden's kisses and she surprisingly replied with the same. She wrapped her arms around the warrior, pulling her into her as much as she could, reveling in the feeling of the pressure of the warrior's body on hers. Eden's lips and tongue tasted of wine and fruits; the rest of the world was forgotten. The bard slid one hand up Eden's neck and into her hair and heard the warrior let out something between a very quiet moan and growl deep in her throat. It was intoxicating. Arielle felt her every nerve ignite and her brain didn't know which one to respond to first. Eden's lips moved, travelling from the bard's mouth to her ear and then her neck. The warrior's hand began to slide down the bard's side and thigh, cupping her just above the back of her knee and Arielle gasped, her mind, body, and senses experiencing things she had never dreamed of before. She clutched the warrior tightly, wanting to both drown and fly until her mind finally caught up with her.
"Eden... wait... I don't-"
The warrior shot up so fast that it startled the bard. Eden was breathing hard, staring at her in a mixture of fear, regret, and embarrassment. The bard kept her tight grip on Eden, almost mesmerized by the shock in the blue eyes staring back at her.
"You're right... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have-" Eden stuttered out, wanting to almost run out of the room in shame.
"No." Arielle interrupted, tugging a little on Eden's shoulders, "It's just... I don't... really... know what to do..."
Eden's expression changed as the words reached her and she finally calmed. She leaned down again and kissed the bard softly.
"It shouldn't be like this." Eden said, one hand playing with a few strands of the blond's hair, "I don't want you to wake up and not remember anything."
"I'm not that drunk."
"And we're not that sober either." Eden countered and her face grew a little more serious, "I don't want you regretting it. It's not something we can take back."
"I can't take it back..." Arielle repeated slowly and watched the emotions play out in Eden's eyes.
"If you were to get mar-"
Whack.
"Hey! What was that for?" Eden cried out, rubbing the side of her face that got hit with the pillow.
"For being dumb." Arielle replied annoyed.
"I'm just being reasona-"
Whack.
"Hey!"
"You're not being reasonable. You're being stubborn. And since words don't work with you, I'll just drive it into your thick skull some other way!"
Whack. Whack. Whack.
Eden finally caught the pillow and pinned it between them, her face hovering right over the bard's, growling in fake menace. The bard giggled and then suddenly flipped them over with a grin on her face. She looked down at the amused warrior and brought her hand down to cup her cheek.
"I'm not going anywhere." she whispered, "When will you finally understand that?"
Eden couldn't tell her that she believed and was afraid to believe the bard at the same time. Because words are almost as easy to say as lives and dreams are to lose. There was so much at stake in every minute of the day and it was usually a lot more tiring and frustrating than it ever was rewarding. Despite what anyone told her, Eden still felt responsible for Arielle discovering her guardianship. Arielle's life could have been lived out with worrying about what man she would marry and how to run his estate. Or maybe she would find a vocation for herself, like brewing beer or becoming the village scribe. Anything would be better than knowing all the evil in the world.
"Why would you ever want a life like this?" Eden asked quietly.
Arielle silently looked at Eden for such a long time that Eden began to wonder if she was angry with her. As soon as she had taken a breath to ask that question, a warm smile spread across the bard's face.
"You're lucky I'm patient." Arielle said quietly in gentle teasing.
"Very." Eden replied with a little relief, pulling the bard into an embrace that soon had them falling asleep before they knew it.
Several more days passed before Arielle was finally able to put the latest ordeal behind her. She stopped waking in the middle of night in panic, searching out Eden's heartbeat in the dark. She no longer demanded that Eden practically glue herself to her so that she never left the blond's sight. The apprehension she felt every time she separated from her champion dwindled and Eden finally felt some relief as Arielle's bones grew less visible and the color returned to her skin.
With Eden back by her side, Arielle committed herself to making the Fiori prosper like never before and changes began to appear almost as quickly as Arielle introduced them. Innogen gave a single nod when Arielle accepted nearly all of the Weapons Master's ideas and Ryia happily chewed her pistachios while she listened to plans to strengthen the stronghold's defenses. After long afternoons with the Grand Scribe, Arielle struck down most of the rules Shula had put in place and introduced more ideas from the first ways written down by Celestia. The Fiori were at first a little apprehensive of their world being turned upside down again, but soon grew to realize that the bard's actions truly were more in their interest than her own. And their admiration and respect for Arielle grew with it.
What made the bard even happier was that some of that respect seemed to finally be trickling down to Eden. As champion, she had the right to attend all council meetings and voice her thoughts. The Grand Scribe had once brought up the issue of Eden still not belonging to the Fiori which was, according to her interpretation, against the rules. The matter was quickly dropped when everyone, including Muriel, noticed that rules are useless if no one in their right mind wants to enforce them. Eden had kept to herself and gave advice only when Arielle asked for it. And after seeing Eden's disinterest in ruling the Fiori and the logic and efficiency of many of Eden's suggestions, the warriors began to slowly approach her in military and strategic matters themselves. And that made Arielle happier than any law she could have passed.
Through Eden, Arielle sent word to Malik proposing a truce in their hostilities. She had spent hours going over the long letter to him, hoping for an end to the useless passive war between them. The response came back much quicker than anyone had anticipated. In a short letter, Malik acknowledged that the principles of the two groups were generally the same and that the Assassins agreed to mutual cooperation where possible. And at the very bottom there was a small note added that read "Eden was right". When Arielle read it out loud to Eden, the warrior smirked and shook her head.
"He's just happy that he doesn't owe me anymore."
It had been a rather quiet day when Lillian rode out at dawn with three new joiners to the nearby smaller villages. They returned with a few sacks of grain, vegetables,... and an old, exhausted priest. Lillian rushed to find Arielle and nearly dragged her back to the chambers where a healer was already looking after the wounded man.
"Father Albert?!" Arielle asked with surprise as she approached him with a quickened step.
"Oh, sweet child, how good it is to see you!" he replied in a relieved, yet trembling voice.
"What happened?" the bard asked, her eyes resting on the bruises on his face.
"I ran into the rest of that heathen's band." he explained quietly.
"Don't worry, Father. You're safe here. We'll take care of you." Arielle assured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Who did this to you?"
Everyone in the small room turned to see Eden standing in the doorway. Albert now saw what everyone feared in the woman and where the dark stories came from. She was intimidating even when she was on trial, but now with her hand resting on her sword and an angry fire in her eyes, she was a true menace and he wavered for a moment.
"The rest of Mardig's men..." the bard answered quietly, "Lillian took care of them when they wouldn't stand down."
Eden said nothing, but her eyes bore into him silently and Arielle could almost hear the gears in the warrior's head turning. The priest fidgeted slightly under that gaze, something he hadn't ever done during her trial. It was almost as if he was afraid that Eden would see something that he was trying so hard to keep hidden. A few moments later, wordlessly, Eden turned on her heel, and promptly left leaving the priest with his ever present question of whether she was an angel or demon.
After his wounds were tended to, Lillian found a small room for him to rest and recover. It was two days later when Arielle found the time to visit him again. She opened the door quietly and peeked through, hoping she wasn't disturbing him.
The elderly priest was gazing through the window with a nostalgic look on his face. It contrasted so much with the practical and unemotional man she remembered from the trials that it made Arielle stop and stare. His loud sigh cut through her surprise and she walked up slowly to him, loud enough from him to hear her and compose himself and stopped beside him, gazing through the same window.
"What troubles you, Father?"
He smiled lightly and sighed again, his gaze locked on some point on the horizon.
"I was just thinking about the green forests I ran around in as a young boy. Tall, sturdy oaks and pine trees up in the mountains... And the deep, blue sea... There were so many colors back then..." he replied softly, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"It sounds like a beautiful place."
"Oh, it was... I think..." he continued and then faltered for a moment, "I think it was the only place I ever really called home despite all my years here... Do you ever miss your home?"
He turned to see a frown and knotted brows mar Arielle's delicate features. He wanted to take the question back, regretting that he brought forward something she obviously didn't want to think about.
"I'm beginning to think," she answered slowly, "that perhaps home isn't a place at all..."
His thoughtful gaze changed to one of admiration. Dressed in Fiori garb, Arielle was far from anything he would have ever considered suitable for a woman. Yet he couldn't push himself to say something against it. There was a strangely distinguished, wise air she carried about her. This commander was someone much different than the scared, lost maiden he remembered seeing in Jerusalem, and yet still very much the same. The fear was now gone from her eyes, replaced with something closer to reserve. There was more confidence and strength in her very presence, but it didn't overshadow the warmth that still radiated from her. A part of him wanted to feel sorry for all that he could only guess she went through, but another part was ironically grateful for it because it seemed to mold her into a woman that he felt would be a force to be reckoned with.
The tiniest of creases could be seen in the corners of Arielle's eyes as she slowly turned to look at Albert, the sunlight underlining the experience that had driven away her naive softness. He was amazed that her gentleness remained intact and emanated through her eyes and slightly tired smile. Despite whatever heavy worlds she was carrying on her shoulders, he was more important to her right now. It almost made him blush in embarrassment of rarely demonstrating that much Christian compassion himself.
"You are truly a mystery." he whispered, reaching out for her hand and giving it a friendly squeeze.
"I'm afraid not." Arielle replied with a shake of her head and a soft laugh, "Nevertheless, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like, Father."
"Thank you... but I will have to take my leave soon... This is not a place for me..." he said, his demeanor now somewhat agitated as he let Arielle go, looked down, and wrung his hands together.
"When you want to leave, I can have someone escort you to wherever you want to go." Arielle said with a slow nod.
"There is no need. I will manage by God's grace."
"I'm sure you can, Father, but I'd rather you didn't travel alone. There are things that lurk in the desert that are more un-Christian than these women."
He turned his head quickly and met the bard's knowing gaze. He didn't know whether to feel terrible or justified. What he felt most of all was tired.
"I'm too old for all this." he said weakly, sweeping his wrinkled hand in front of him.
"Sometimes, we all are." she replied softly.
He had expected an angry outburst, offended chastisement for his answer to the care and shelter that she and her Order had offered him. Instead, she had agreed with him to a certain extent. That sometimes they ended up in places they didn't want to be, learned things they didn't want to know, and felt lost watching life take turns in directions they had never thought existed. For a moment it made him feel small and spent, as if his whole life suddenly became useless since he hadn't ever really understood anything at all. He glanced at the floor and smiled lightly.
"I cannot thank you enough, dear child." he said slowly.
"No need, Father. It's the least I can do." Arielle replied, "I'll never forget what you did for Eden... for us."
He nodded for lack of anything to say, wondering whether the gratitude she felt towards him was well placed. He looked up at her as he pulled out a folded, sealed letter from deep within his large pocket and handed it to her.
"Would you then set one more sin right for this old man?"
Though she tried to delay it as much as possible, Arielle was confronted by Innogen and Lillian who urged her to finally pass judgment on the rebels. The bard sighed heavily and agreed under their pressure and arguments as her stomach turned and twisted at the words. She called in her council to discuss Shula's judgement and though everyone agreed that Shula was guilty, her punishment was something entirely different. Arielle allowed her council to voice their opinions freely, hoping that perhaps one idea would be good enough to severely punish the usurper, but not require Arielle to kill her. When they had all spoken, the commander only sighed and nodded, thanking each. She then called for the guards and instructed them to get the prisoners ready for their judgment the next day.
"Lady Commander," Avah started in a strong voice, lunging forward and then bowing shortly, "let me be the one who escorts Shula. Give me the honor of bringing the traitor before you."
"She's dangerous-"
"I would gladly die for you if need be." Avah added quickly.
The room went silent and a slight tension filled the air as Arielle gazed at the young guard and only Eden noticed the slight quiver in the corner of her lips. The bard gave a single, silent nod and the guard smiled, bowed again, and turned to leave, marching off with a sense of triumph.
"If there's nothing else," the bard said, turning back to the rest of the Fiori, "then I'll let you get back to your duties."
"Lady Commander." they all said nearly in unison with a slight bow and turned to leave.
Arielle watched them all file out of the room and once they shut the door behind them, she turned to the brooding warrior who hadn't said a word the entire time.
"Now tell me what you think." she said.
If it hadn't been for the security of Eden's arms, Arielle wouldn't have slept at all that night. The two women talked long into the late hours about Shula and the other rebels. Eden claimed the bard was being too empathetic while Arielle told the warrior she was being too severe. But they talked it through calmly and in the end, Arielle knew exactly what she had to do. She just didn't want to do it.
The next day, the judgment took place traditionally in the courtyard which was circled by almost all the Fiori. Arielle sat on a chair that was on a wide platform and judged the rebels brought before her while her council and Eden stood near and observed. Most were sentenced to banishment outside the Order's walls; a few were allowed to stay after pleading their cases and having their fellow sisters vouch for their character. And finally Avah brought Shula out into the middle of the ring under Arielle's tense gaze. Shula ignored the irony and marched out in the middle of the crowded Fiori with her hands tied behind her back, but with a defiant pose and haughty smile on her face as if she still commanded.
Arielle and the fiery haired woman glared at each other as a thick, tense silence covered them all. Eden's eyes flicked nervously over all the faces of the crowd, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Arielle had asked a question that faded in the air and went unanswered as Eden slowly slid her hand over the hilt of her sword, her every nerve screaming at her that something was wrong.
Arielle waited for Shula to answer her. Instead, an evil grin spread over Shula's face as she pulled her arms in front of her to show Arielle that the tables were about to turn. Sadness and apprehension radiated from the commander's eyes as Shula barked out a command and a large handful of the Fiori suddenly brandished weapons and turned around, now holding their sisters at blade point. There was surprised commotion as the defiant Fiori snarled at the shocked onlookers who shook their heads in disbelief. When, Arielle wondered, would the violence ever stop?
"You will rue the day you decided to meddle with my destiny, storyteller!" Shula cried out, pointing a short sword Avah had just handed her at Arielle.
"Fiori, to me!" Arielle's voice thundered, cutting the air with its sharpness.
Shula's laugh filled the air as Arielle's command faded and nothing happened. But soon the prisoner's voice faded along with the smile on her face when the sounds of boots approaching double time reached her ears. Fully armed Fiori in two columns seemed to stream in from every side, wordlessly making their way towards their commander and forming a wide box around her and instantly taking a defensive stance. Shula turned her head to another scuffling sound to see handfuls of archers scurry into position in each corner, their arrows quickly notched. She turned back to Arielle in utter amazement to see the commander had her own bow and arrow at the ready. The bard was grateful that she had listened to Eden this time, the warrior's distrust winning over her belief in humanity. Disappointed, but grateful.
"Did you really think that I'm that stupid?" Arielle asked the two women at the center, "Do you really think that I'm so naive that a few flowery words will win me over? That kindness will blind me?"
Shula grit her teeth hard while Avah almost let out a whimper.
"Put your weapons down and I will spare you." Arielle said to the defiant Fiori at the loud sound of Eden unsheathing her blade, "Or die with them in your hands."
The sharp clang of weapons being dropped immediately filled the air and Eden's sharp gaze swept over everyone, ensuring there was no resistance left.
"I don't want to kill you, Shula, but I don't think I should let you live either." Arielle announced in a strong voice and only Eden could hear the note of apprehension and sorrow in it, "I banish you from the Fiori... to the desert."
Shula looked at her in shock, hearing the very sentence she had loved to use now used against her. It never crossed her mind that Arielle would that brash; throwing someone outside the walls was always deemed enough of a punishment. But expelling her to suffer out in the unforgiving desert was torture. A chuckle escaped the doomed woman's lips; if circumstances had been different, she probably would have been proud that the storyteller turned out to actually have some guts.
"And you will join her." Arielle added, turning a cold gaze to the young guard.
"But I didn't-"
"Silence!" Arielle demanded loudly, her voice echoing off the mountains and causing some of the Fiori to cringe in new found fright, "You're anything but innocent."
"You can't-"
"Your greatest mistake was thinking too highly of yourself and too little of me. Did you really think I wouldn't notice that your words were just a little too kind and your attention just a little too sudden? Don't they say to beware of Greeks bearing gifts? It was you who sent word to Jonas that Eden was here." Arielle continued, watching Avah wince with each accusation, "It was you who sent some of my sisters to an early grave. It was you who told Karas's son where Eden was to be buried... And you were too willing to give up your life for me, not knowing what that really means at all."
"You can't prove any of this!"
"Your clasp is different than the others... I know what it means... I've seen it before..." Arielle seethed through her teeth.
"You idiot." Shula hissed at the bewildered Avah.
The commander marched towards the guard in her anger and Eden called the archers who immediately drew their arrows, all pointed at Avah, ready to be released at the smallest hint of aggression.
The bard reached the young guard whose panic won out over her arrogance and her mind raced over how to plead for her life. They looked at each other for a moment and then Arielle swiftly grabbed the clasp of a young man riding a camel and tore it away roughly. The guard's cloak fell to the ground as if she was being revealed before everyone for the traitor she was.
"Have Dorian save you now." Arielle growled and then abruptly turned on her heel and marched back to her place on the podium.
"Lady Commander, please-"
"Away with them!" Arielle commanded loudly, making a sweeping motion with her hand.
A group of fully armed guards moved forward to drag the two convicted women away. Shula walked off with a stoic glare while Avah looked around nervously as if she didn't entirely understand what had just happened.
After all the Fiori had dispersed, Arielle's anger tapered away and she began to tremble slightly, suddenly understanding what could have happened and what she had finally done. She turned to see Eden watching her closely. A few shaky steps forward and Arielle rested her forehead against Eden's shoulder, grabbing her tunic at the sides.
"That was stupid, wasn't it?" she admitted, wanting nothing more now than for Eden to make her feel safe.
"A little." Eden replied quietly and then kissed her lightly on the top of her head, "But you did show them who's commander."
Arielle smiled, but found it difficult to feel proud of herself.
Castles of sand surrounded her. A harsh, shrill wind blew. The castles should have crumbled, blown away. Arielle found it hard to stand or breathe in the sandy gale.
Gabrielle soon emerged, walking towards her as if there was no wind at all.
"Go." was all the angel said.
The bard only nodded, unable to catch enough of a breath to say anything.
"Never lose faith in who you are." the angel added, resting her hand lightly on the bard's shoulder, "Remember the polished skin of a fruit can either hold something sweet or something rotten."
The gale intensified. Gabrielle began to disappear as the castles toppled.
"Wait!" Arielle cried.
But the winds drowned her out. And the castles were gone.
"Wait!"
"Arielle!"
"What?" the bard yelled, suddenly sitting upright, breathing hard, and blinking rapidly at Eden, "What is it?"
"You were yelling in your sleep." the warrior replied, studying the bard closely.
"I was?" Arielle asked, trying to grasp that what had just moments ago been so painfully real had all been a dream.
"Nightmares?"
"No." Arielle answered and then saw the concern on Eden's face, "No, no nightmares. I promise."
"Alright." Eden said slowly and settled back down to sleep.
Arielle did the same and pulled the warrior's arm around her waist and laced their fingers together. Her mind tried to understand what Gabrielle had meant as her heart began to calm. Eden's presence fought off the bard's nervous reluctance to sleep and her mind finally drifted off clinging to the one thing she now knew. Her time was up.
The next day, Arielle sent her father a letter that she was on her way home, but sickness was delaying her. He might believe it, but he would be angry, of that she was certain.
It was one of the growing number of cloudy days that began to ward off all but the most seasoned and foolish of travelers. After a short meeting with her council and a even shorter sparring session with staffs where Arielle unceremoniously dumped Muriel on her butt, the Lady Commander went off to find Eden brushing Arion down in the stables. Arielle watched her, almost mesmerized by the simple task and how Eden seemed to relax doing it. She listened a while to the quiet strokes of the brush against Arion's coat.
"I can't stay here forever." Arielle said slowly, "This isn't my place... at least it isn't now."
Eden's brushing slowed and stopped.
"If you want to go... then this would be the best time. The days are growing colder; soon there will be snow to worry about." Eden explained.
A long string of silence caused her to turn and look into distressed green eyes that were watching her intently.
"I have to go home... and face my father."
The warrior nodded, took a few steps forward, and reached for the bard's hand, squeezing it gently.
"I'll escort you all the way to your doorstep."
Arielle smiled and shifted quickly into Eden's arms unable to control the tension and fear she felt. She held her champion tightly, finding solace in the warmth and scent she knew so well.
"You know I love you." she said softly.
"I heard rumors here and there." Eden replied and got a pinch in the side for it.
Two days later, when Arielle gathered her warriors and announced that she would be leaving the Fiori for a time to take care of some personal matters, the Order was stunned. They went from shock, to anger, to protest, to quiet and slightly irritated resignation. Yet the bard later noticed the Fiori began to show a somewhat softer side that Arielle thought they might not even have. They would take a few moments from what they were doing when Arielle passed by to exchange a few words with her. At first, the blond thought they were just being polite until she noticed that the hostile, aggressive stares that Eden always gathered had faded to somewhat hesitant respect and then she realized that the Fiori were actually going to miss them.
Evening was already upon them when Eden and Arielle were returning from checking the wall fortifications one last time. They turned a corner and walked through the already silent herb gardens.
"No one follows the rising and setting of the sun closer than Ingrith." Eden joked.
"Then no more complaining about how much I sleep."
A bright flash of light caught the women's attention and they turned to their right to see Uriel suddenly standing before them. Almost instinctively, Arielle took a couple of steps forward and in front of Eden, shielding the warrior from the archangel. Uriel only smiled, holding his book in one hand as the bard eyed him warily.
"Do you fear me, child?" Uriel asked.
"You've shown me things that I don't think I wanted to know. I don't know what you want from me or what you see in me."
"There are many things that you still do not understand. Yet know this- you are my chosen and I would never harm you."
"I'm... your chosen?"
A simple nod.
"But the Fiori-"
"Are under my patronage. You, however, are my elected guardian." the archangel finished.
Arielle's mouth hung open as she slid to her knees, her legs unable to support her underneath the weight of that revelation. Eyes full of awe gazed up at him as Arielle tried to understand how someone as plain and unworthy as her had been handpicked by an archangel to fight in his name and learn his art. The archangel smiled warmly and took a step forward, extending his hand.
"Rise, Arielle, guardian protector, my elect, chosen one of God Almighty. There is no reason to kneel before me." he announced as Arielle shakily got back to her feet.
He tucked his book away for a moment and presented a magnificent archer's bow and quiver of solid arrows that had a small pouch hanging from it to her.
"They are yours," he explained, "to fulfill your destiny as you see fit."
The bard took them from the archangel almost mechanically, her brain unable to fully grasp what was happening. The weapons felt light yet formidable like instruments of a deadly kind of art. Shaking herself from her stupor, she shouldered the bow and fastened the quiver to her hip. Uriel simply gave a single nod and turned to walk away.
"Uriel," she called out to him, "please show me that vision again."
Uriel looked at her calmly for a few moments and then nodded once. He opened the book and waited for Arielle to approach. The bard wanted to see the vision, but was also scared of what she would see there. Would it be different? Would she understand? Would she see more than she would ever want to? When she finally reached the archangel, she glanced down at the open pages. Again she saw Eden smiling in a bright light that nearly blinded her. Eden was kneeling on both knees. And she saw nothing more.
Uriel closed the book and disappeared without a word before Arielle could ask the question on her lips. She blinked a few times, wondering if she had imagined the whole thing, but the weight of the bow and arrows reminded her that it was indeed real. She had never felt as honored as when Uriel had announced that she was his elect. And she had never felt so strangely lost.
"What is it? What did you see?" Eden asked softly, putting a reassuring hand on the bard's shoulder.
"You..."
"You saw me?"
"You... You look so happy..."
"Happy?" Eden repeated with a little surprise, "Well, I guess that's good, isn't it?"
Arielle nodded, unable to shake the worry that kept twisting in the pit of her stomach.
The morning of their departure, Arielle called for Innogen and Lillian to see her privately before she left. They arrived shortly afterwards and all three women sat at the same table where Arielle had once kept vigil over Eden's body.
"I'll be far away and I don't know when I'll come back." Arielle said, swallowing a lump in her throat and reaching out to grasp Lillian's hand, "I want you to take command in my absence."
"I can't take command." Lillian said shortly, shaking her head and pulling her hand away, "This isn't my Order. After all, you carry the symbol."
"I thought you might say that." the bard stated, shaking out a pouch into her palm and extending it towards the hazel eyed woman.
Lillian looked down to see an intricate copy of the lily of the valley made in bronze. She then raised her eyes to catch the decisive yet warm green eyes looking at her patiently. There was a slight tinge of worry and sadness in that gaze that made the protest Lillian had ready die in her throat.
"You can't just make a crude bronze copy of your pendant. It's not the same." Innogen suddenly interrupted roughly.
"It's anything but crude." Lillian marveled.
"Oh, is it now?" Innogen replied sarcastically.
"See for yourself." Arielle offered, extending the pendant to the Weapons Master.
Innogen eyed her warily, but then took the pendant from her and placed it on the heavy wooden table. She pulled out her dagger and drove its point down with all her might. The blow caused a bright spark that startled them all and made Innogen take a step back. After a moment, they all looked down to see that the pendant, though made of soft bronze, didn't show the slightest scratch on it. Innogen looked at it with amazement, sighed, sheathed her dagger, and handed it back to the bard.
"Fine." was all she said.
"Well if Uriel agrees with your decision then there isn't much I can say about it." Lillian acknowledged, taking the pendant from Arielle and putting it around her neck, "But remember, Arielle, you are still the rightful commander of this Order and will be as long as that lily graces your neck."
The bard nodded and bowed slightly in acknowledgment. An awkward silence fell upon them and finally Lillian sighed, opened her hands a little, and raised an eyebrow in question. Arielle smiled and they quickly closed the distance between them for a warm hug.
"Be well and safe, my friend." Lillian said softly, "Don't let this be the last time we see each other."
"Take good care, Lillian," the bard replied, "and if the Fiori become too much, tell them I'll come back with my temper."
Lillian chuckled as they pulled away and the Grand Master headed out of the room.
"Ah, and write once a while." Lillian added, "We don't want Innogen to grow gray with worry."
The Weapons Master huffed and Arielle tried to stifle a giggle as Lillian quickly left. Arielle turned to Innogen, wondering if a hug would offend her or not.
"Lady Commander, please hear me out." Innogen said with a nervous undertone, "I'm not good with words."
"What is it, Innogen?" the bard asked with concern.
"I know who Eden was. I've seen who she is now. But I wouldn't be myself if I didn't tell you to be careful. She walks a fine line between light and dark. What threatens her will threaten you... what will want to hurt her will first hurt you."
"You don't believe she's changed?"
"Perhaps... But it's my duty to protect you always. You're my Lady Commander and Lillian's friend."
A silence fell between them as Innogen prepared herself for the bard's angry outburst.
"Thank you for looking out for me, Innogen." Arielle replied and then touched her arm, "I'm now absolutely sure that I have the best Weapons Master I could have ever asked for."
And for the first time, Arielle saw Innogen stunned speechless.
Outside the gates, Arielle waved goodbye to the Fiori who had come to see her off. Some threw her flowers, some offered her food, a few even shed tears. It tugged at her heart much more than she thought it would and she made a silent promise to herself to return some day. She turned her head and focused on Eden trotting a few paces ahead of her. This was her path for now.
"I'll tell you one thing," Arielle said, looking over at the warrior as they passed through a wide gorge with the fortifications already far behind them, "if we don't have a single adventure from here to Avignon, I'll be the happiest bard in the world."
Eden chuckled and turned to meet the bard's gaze.
"You do know that there's little chance of that happening with you on this trip, right?" Eden remarked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why you insolent champion! I should have you punished!" Arielle cried with an outraged look on her face and one hand on her hip.
"Your ladyship would have to catch me first."
The quiet in the gorge was soon pierced with galloping hooves, shrieks from a bard, and laughs from a warrior as they made their way west.
Xena stood at the edge of the gorge and watched the pair until they faded from sight. Her eyes turned ahead to see a blond angel standing on the other side and the very sight made her feel like she was flying and falling at the same time.
"How much more?" she whispered.
"Be patient, my love. At least I can see you again..." Gabrielle whispered from the other side of the wide gorge.
"At least I can see you again." Xena repeated gravely.
And both angels sat down on their rocky ledges and looked at each other across the wide space until the sun was long gone from the sky.
AN: Thank you for all the reviews, patience, and the people telling me to get my butt into gear before Christmas;) You don't know how much your support means to me. Hopefully, work and life will be a little less hectic with the new year and I'll be able to post more often. Happy Holidays and New Year to everyone!
Next stop (unless attacked by a ruthless plot bunny), the Byzantine Empire!