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Twigs, branches, and small logs that had been on the ground were now crackling. The flames went high up into the air, strong and menacing. But comforting. They were a wall between him and her. The archer of the forest, the twin without a pair. She'd come down from her high seat of royalty on her stallion just to face him, and honor. Only him, and her. The wall of fire was unyielding, a curtain between their eyes. A shield to keep them from the fight. But she was there, and so was he. He could tell she was disappointed. She could tell he was in disbelief. His grasp on the soft string of a weapon he was carrying tensed, but he didn't aim at her. Why would he ever aim at her after what they'd been through? She could fire a lightning bolt straight at him, through the flames, but was there no other choice? The small drizzle was growing, feeding its intensity with itself. And now there was electricity up in the sky. Her best friend. His dirty blonde hair was darkened by the water, but luckily it was short enough that it didn't damage his eyesight. Hers was always in that ponytail, sleek and black, even through a storm. The silence didn't survive the tension. Like every war eventually causes, it broke it.
"Everything you said, Swiftongue, you lived up to your name. I only wish I'd caught your lies sooner rather than later." Ranger's hand unclenched, hurt by the attack.
"Do not accuse me falsely, Nyx Celeste, it would not be in your best interest to dwell on figments of your imagination before your entire army."
"Falsely? You deceived me and led me on, made me believe that maybe... Maybe there was someone else who I mattered to. But I know I was wrong."
"I've lied through thick and thin, Nyx, to my father, to my allies, to my leaders. I've lied to myself. But I never lied to one person, in one mountain, that one day. I never lied to you." He stepped closer to the burning truth, feeling the heat warm his face despite the water falling from the sky. It was true. He told her things that he never would have admitted to with anyone else.
"I offered you a way out of the forest, Ranger. I offered you safety, and a place next to the throne of Logata. But you chose to turn on us and spit at our feet instead. You cheated our trust and everything we fought for together." She remembered. She saw herself waiting in the mountains, blushing at his innocent compliments, smiling gleefully at their time together, at their soft kissing. She remembered and so did her heart.
He didn't answer at first. After all, what she said was fact. But he had always known. Rhykim was never one of his options, he was simply the road to get to one of them. It would have never worked out, he knew.
"You told me, Nyx, that Rhykim is the only one that respected you for who you were. That he treated you and Amaya nicely when no one else did. But you lie as well. Because he isn't the only one. I opened up to you Nyx. He isn't the only one, not anymore. We are your people, Nyx, your brothers and sisters just as much as Amaya. And together we would bring peace to our people. There needs be no more death or warfare. Order them to put down their arms. Join us, as I wanted to join with you back then. You offered a way out of the forest back then, Nyx, but things have changed. I now offer you a life of love and reward. A life with me." A tear welled up in her eyes, but the rain masked it like she masked her feelings. He could not see it, but she looked away in pain and put her hand over he heart.
"There is no way out now, Ranger. Not after what you did. The Stari turned their back on me, and I in turn would turn on them, in the end. There is no more us, there is a him, and there is a her, and it will never be anything more." Ranger closed his eyes.
"This isn't the first time you consider abandoning Rhykim's ranks, Nyx, but I can assure it would be the last." She was silent. It didn't feel like she was even there. "It would have been."
His bow was tight again, and so were her fists. The rain was strong enough that some of the flames were dowsed, but they always came crawling back into the sky. He caught glimpses of her pale complexion, his determined jaw.
"You said I was one of the best fighters in the tribe."
"And you said I was the best archer of all."
"I guess now is the time when we see."
"When we see who is truly to overcome. The twin."
"Or the archer."
More rain, the wall between them came crashing down. His bow met her emerald gaze. And the arrow flew swift and steady. And lightning struck, but not from the sky.
"Everything you said, Swiftongue, you lived up to your name. I only wish I'd caught your lies sooner rather than later." Ranger's hand unclenched, hurt by the attack.
"Do not accuse me falsely, Nyx Celeste, it would not be in your best interest to dwell on figments of your imagination before your entire army."
"Falsely? You deceived me and led me on, made me believe that maybe... Maybe there was someone else who I mattered to. But I know I was wrong."
"I've lied through thick and thin, Nyx, to my father, to my allies, to my leaders. I've lied to myself. But I never lied to one person, in one mountain, that one day. I never lied to you." He stepped closer to the burning truth, feeling the heat warm his face despite the water falling from the sky. It was true. He told her things that he never would have admitted to with anyone else.
"I offered you a way out of the forest, Ranger. I offered you safety, and a place next to the throne of Logata. But you chose to turn on us and spit at our feet instead. You cheated our trust and everything we fought for together." She remembered. She saw herself waiting in the mountains, blushing at his innocent compliments, smiling gleefully at their time together, at their soft kissing. She remembered and so did her heart.
He didn't answer at first. After all, what she said was fact. But he had always known. Rhykim was never one of his options, he was simply the road to get to one of them. It would have never worked out, he knew.
"You told me, Nyx, that Rhykim is the only one that respected you for who you were. That he treated you and Amaya nicely when no one else did. But you lie as well. Because he isn't the only one. I opened up to you Nyx. He isn't the only one, not anymore. We are your people, Nyx, your brothers and sisters just as much as Amaya. And together we would bring peace to our people. There needs be no more death or warfare. Order them to put down their arms. Join us, as I wanted to join with you back then. You offered a way out of the forest back then, Nyx, but things have changed. I now offer you a life of love and reward. A life with me." A tear welled up in her eyes, but the rain masked it like she masked her feelings. He could not see it, but she looked away in pain and put her hand over he heart.
"There is no way out now, Ranger. Not after what you did. The Stari turned their back on me, and I in turn would turn on them, in the end. There is no more us, there is a him, and there is a her, and it will never be anything more." Ranger closed his eyes.
"This isn't the first time you consider abandoning Rhykim's ranks, Nyx, but I can assure it would be the last." She was silent. It didn't feel like she was even there. "It would have been."
His bow was tight again, and so were her fists. The rain was strong enough that some of the flames were dowsed, but they always came crawling back into the sky. He caught glimpses of her pale complexion, his determined jaw.
"You said I was one of the best fighters in the tribe."
"And you said I was the best archer of all."
"I guess now is the time when we see."
"When we see who is truly to overcome. The twin."
"Or the archer."
More rain, the wall between them came crashing down. His bow met her emerald gaze. And the arrow flew swift and steady. And lightning struck, but not from the sky.
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