Triumph 14

 Alicia stirred, squinting her eyes open as sunlight glared down through the tree tops. She let out a groan, grumbling to herself. “Morning already?” It felt like she had just gone to sleep, and already it was time to get up. With a sigh, she pushed up on her elbows, feeling the crunch of rock underneath her back. The ground had been hard, even with her bed roll spread out, and only the presence of Rufus by her side had allowed the princess to finally fall asleep.

She frowned, not seeing Rufus anywhere near by. “Rufus?” She called out, wondering what had happened to the half elf. The two had gone to sleep in each other’s arms, Alicia resting her head against his broad chest. “Rufus!” She said louder, sitting up in a panic.

“Relax, I’m here…” Twigs snapped under foot, the emerald archer emerging from the bushes.

Alicia breathed out a sigh of relief. “Where’s Arngrim?”

“Scouting the area.” explained Rufus. “I spotted some Aesir border patrols during the night. We were lucky they didn’t catch us.”

“Gods here?” She exclaimed in surprise. “But we aren’t even that close to Bifrost.”

“We’re close enough.” Rufus rubbed at his nose. “Besides, sometimes they go deeper into the forest. To perform sweeps for intruders.” He sighed. “The Gods want to protect this forest from mankind just as much as the elves do.”

“We’ll have to be on high alert for both of them.” Alicia said. “We can’t let the Gods get their hands on the…you know what.” She was careful to avoid speaking the name of the sacred orb lest Divine ears overhear.

Rufus nodded, and walked towards her. “You should eat something…” He knelt down, rummaging through a pack. “It’s cold rations this morning…we still can’t risk a fire.”

She sighed, but took the bar from him. The night had been cold, a chill wind blowing through the trees. The starless sky allowed little light to fall on where they camped, leaving them to stumble around in utter darkness. They had slept in shifts, taking turns standing on guard, alert for any sounds that were not of the forest. They had been lucky, no one had come across their camp.

With a grimance Alicia bit down on the bar, chewing on the cold oats and bran. Rufus laughed at the face she made, taking out a bar for himself. They sat in companionable silence, side by side, waiting for Arngrim to return. Minutes pass by, and suddenly the quiet of the forest was interrupted, birds screeching in panic as something came crashing through the woods.

“What is that?” Alicia asked alarmed.

“I don’t know…” Rufus said, hand reaching for his bow. “But it’s coming our way!” Alicia gasped, and hastened to stand, unsheathing her sword in one swift movement. She bent her arm, blade before her face, muscles tense as she listened to the sounds getting closer.

“Get out of the way!” Bursting from the bushes came Arngrim, running as though his life depended on it. His hand was on the handle of his heavy blade, but he did not draw his weapon. Rufus grabbed Alicia by the shoulders, pushing her out of Arngrim’s path. Seconds went by, and the sounds continued, something larger than Arngrim headed their way.

“What did you do?!” accused Rufus, notching an arrow on his bow strings.

“I ran into a little trouble.” Arngrim admitted, shouting. He slid to a halt, turning to peer in the direction he had come from. Holding their breaths, the trio looked, anticipating a swarm of monsters. What they got was one very determined Mimetic Flower, spreading it’s petals flat, gas hissing out of it’s center.

“Cover your nose and mouths!” Rufus shouted. “That stuff is deadly to humans!”

Alicia and Arngrim complied, even as the beserker drew his weapon. “I ran into a whole herd of these things.” He complained, voice muffled. “I lost most of them, but this one guy…” He shook his head. “This one doesn’t quit for anything!”

“We’ll have to kill it and fast!” Rufus said.

“Right!” Alicia nodded, gripping her sword tighter.

“Just keep hitting it until it’s dead!” advised Arngrim, at last drawing his weapon.

The Mimetic Flower drew closer, waving it’s tentacles at them. “Be careful of those…” Rufus said, as the trio surrounded the creature. “Those stems of it are fast!” A long green stem shot in the direction of Rufus, the flower responding to his voice. The half elf ducked, the tentacle coming perilously close to the top of his head.

“Rufus!” Alicia shouted, chopping at a stem with her sword.

“I’m okay!” He was quick to reassure her. “We just need fire!”

“Fire eh…guess that’s my department!” Arngrim grinned behind his hand. He bent his knees, sword pointed straight at the Mimetic Flower. “Finishing Strike…” He dashed forward, dropping his hand from his face to reach into the pouch on his belt. He withdrew his hand, tossing several grenades at the creature. It hissed, releasing more gas, the beserker hastily slamming his hand back over his face. “Final Blast!”

He sliced through the center of the flower just as the grenades went off, fire bursting in the air, browning the flower’s green flesh. It let out a shriek, tentacles flailing as it went into it’s death throes. Alicia chopped away at the stems as they tried to attack her, keeping an eye on Rufus who was doing his best to dodge its thrashing limbs. One last scream from the flower, and it fell still, Arngrim cautiously poking at it’s petals with the tip of his blade. “Is it dead?”

“Yeah…it’s dead.” Rufus sighed and glanced up at the sky. “And we will be too if we don’t get moving.”

“What do you mean?” asked Alicia, cautiously lowering her hand.

“It’s screams attracted the attention of the birds…” Rufus pointed up, the girl seeing large purple creatures circling over head. “Elven Hawks. They’re a species of bird tamed by the elven villagers. They’ll send out a patrol to see what has gotten the creatures riled up.”

“Then we better get a move on.” Arngrim said, reaching to sling a pack over his shoulder.

“Yes, let’s go.” Alicia hastily scooped up the bag with the Dragon’s Orb inside it.

“Wait…” Rufus was pausing, rolling up the bedroll. “Don’t want to leave any sign behind that we were here.” He explained when he saw the pair’s puzzled look. “Let’s give the Elves’ the illusion that some other creature killed the flower.”

“Good idea.” Arngrim nodded in approval. “Now which way to the village?”

“Erm…that way.” Thankfully Rufus pointed not in the direction that Angrim and the Mimetic Flower had come from. The trio hurried to leave the area, haste causing them to make a noisy exit.

——————————————————————————————————–

Lezard’s eyelids fluttered, opening then closing, the wizard content to sleep for just a few minutes more. He let out a deep sigh, fingers curling, feeling silk bunch up underneath his fingertips as he cuddled his face against what he assumed was a pillow. It was soft and pliant against his cheek, and faintly he heard the sound of a sharp breath being inhaled. The pillow moved, softly rising than falling, Lezard becoming aware of the sound of a drum beating against his ear.

“Lezard…” He stirred at the sound of his name, feeling something touch his hair. “Lezard?” Fingers sifted through the strands of his hair, stroking tenderly, massaging his scalp as the voice continued speaking his name.

“Hmm…” He slowly opened his eyes, finding himself staring at a covered breast. “Lenneth?” He shifted, finding he had his face pressed against her bosom, one arm tightened around her waist, clinging to the Goddess. She was leaning back, propped up by pillows, Lezard fitted against her body, curled over in a hunch.

“Good morning.” She said, allowing her hand to fall away from his head.

“Is it morning already?” He frowned, lifting his head off of her chest. “How long have I slept?”

“For several hours.” answered Lenneth. She shifted, glad to have his weight off of her.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Lezard asked.

“You needed sleep. Facing Bloodbane took a lot out of you.” Lenneth said.

“Sleep is for the weak.” Lezard told her. “I’ve things to do, great tasks to accomplish…” He reluctantly released his hold on her waist, going to sit up. His hands went to his face, touching beneath his eyes, finding his glasses were missing. “Where?” Lenneth wordlessly handed him his glasses, the wizard slipping them on. He looked at her and frowned. “You’ve got blood on your cheek.”

“I know.” Lenneth said. “You put it there.”

“Did I?” He was glancing down at himself, seeing his shirt stained with blood that had dried and crusted over. Red and blue mingled together, along with hints of tar, and ichor from Bloodbane’s stomach. “I’m a mess.” Lenneth just cocked her head to the side, silently looking him over. He laughed. “And I’ve gotten you dirty too.”

“That’s something that’s easy enough to fix…” Lenneth said, watching as Lezard edged off the bed. He stretched his arms high up over his head, muscles straining. He then reached towards his forehead, brushing his bangs away from his eyes.

“We both could use a bath.” announced Lezard with a grin.

“A bath?” She frowned. “Why not use magic to clean up?”

“Lenneth my dear, you’ve got to learn to take things slow enough to enjoy them.” Lezard told her, holding out his hand to the Valkyrie. She eyed him warily, ignoring his outstretched hand. “A bath is a good way to relax…come on…” He smiled charmingly. “A hot soak will do you a world of good.”

“Maybe…” She said doubtfully, making no move to leave the bed.

“Come on…” Lezard said, a hint of impatience in his voice. He reached forward, snagging her by the wrist. A gentle tug pulled her towards the edge of the mattress, Lenneth reluctantly sliding her legs onto the floor. She straightened, standing up before him, hand still captured by his. With a flourish he waved his other hand over them, showers of gold sparkles falling, coating them with ether.

The divine energy swirled, encircling around their bodies, the room blurring as they made the jump from one reality to the next. Images wavered before Lenneth’s eyes, slowly coming in to focus, revealing an immense room. Most of the floor was taken up by a large bathtub, the size of a small swimming pool, with marble steps that led down into it’s clear water. Flowers floated a top it’s surface, fragrant floral scents teasing her nose, a pleasant heady mixture of smells.

In one corner a man made waterfall churned, liquid pooling over the marble made rocks, a soft roar as water splashed into the pool. Stone pillars surrounded the four corners of the room, holding up the ceiling. The center of which, was made of clear glass, showing off an evening sky that was a purplish blue, scattered with a million stars. Vines clung to the pillars, decorating the walls which contained colorful mosaic tiles, forming vivid murals on the walls. Rare works of art, recreated here for their eyes only.

It was a magnificent room, beautiful to behold, Lenneth grudgingly admiring it. She turned away from the pool, glancing at Lezard, startled to see he already had his shirt off. With an uncaring shrug he tossed the ruined blouse onto the floor, hands going to the ties of his pants. “What are you doing?!” She asked, alarmed as he began untying the laces.

He gave her a chiding look. “What does it look like I’m doing?” He kicked off his boots, the leather thumping softly against the white floor.

“But…” She sighed heavily, narrowing her eyes at him. “I suppose it was foolish of me to hope we could bathe separately…”

“Quite.” grinned Lezard, his pants now open, and she could see he wore no underwear. He slid his fingers under the waistband of his trousers, preparing to yank them down. Lenneth made a noise low in her throat, whirling around, a fierce blush on her face. She heard the pants hit the floor, followed by the sound of something large splashing into the water.

“Ahh…” A happy sigh from Lezard, she could hear him moving about, stirring up the water. “Absolutely perfect.” Lenneth stood stiffly, her back to him. “Lenneth…” Lezard drew closer to her. “Come on in, the water’s just fine.”

“No thank you!”

“But I insist…” She felt a pull on the bottom of her skirt, and turned risking a quick glance at Lezard. He was pressed up against the edge of the pool, the lower half of his body hidden from view. He was reaching out to her, his one hand holding onto the bottom of her skirt. His glasses fogged up, a sign of the steam raising off the water’s surface.

“I’ll pass.” Lenneth insisted, hands gripping her skirt, trying to pull the hem out of his grasp. She was concentrating on the task, not noticing the mischievous look that filled his amethyst eyes, missing the way his lips curled into a smirk. He was suddenly letting go of her skirt, only to grab onto her ankle, his hand wet against her skin. Lenneth let out a startled gasp, feeling Lezard pull much harder this time, causing her to stumble closer to the edge of the pool.

With a wild shriek she was falling, tumbling head first into the water. Body submerged, the dress becoming heavy as it absorbed the water, dragging her down. Her hair swirled around her, seeking to escape her braid, and her movements became panicked as she threaded water. Hands were touching her, guiding her upwards, and Lenneth broke through the surface of the water with a gasp.

Water dripped into her eyes, she could feel her hair plastered to her face, and she glared at Lezard who was laughing. She slapped her hand against the water, splashing him, nearly knocking the spectacles off his face as she angrily hissed, “OOOOOOH!! Lezard!!” She was shaking her head, spraying droplets of water everywhere. “How could you?!”

“I told you to come in…” His eyes twinkled with mirth, his hands on her waist, keeping her afloat, even as her skirt sought to drag her down.

“You didn’t have to dunk me!” Lenneth snapped angrily. He leaned forward to kiss her wet lips, the move barely doing a thing to mollify her.

“It was faster this way…” He told her, leaning against the side of the pool. Lezard eased her against his body, and she squirmed, pressing her palms against his chest, looking at him suspiciously. His one hand left her waist, reaching around to her back, fingers brushing against the buttons of her dress,

“What are you doing now?!” She demanded, narrowing her eyes further at him.

“Can’t take a bath with your clothes on.” Lezard said innocently, unfastening the buttons one by one.

“…” Lenneth was sighing then, even as the top of her dress loosened, water filling in, making it float away from her chest. She went to let go of Lezard, grabbing at her top, trying to press it against her breasts.

“Don’t be shy Lenneth…” Lezard urged her, undoing the last button. “It’s only a bath…”

“Don’t you have any shred of modesty?” Lenneth demanded, as he began tugging her skirt down off her legs. She reluctantly allowed the top to slip free of her arm, the material going down with the dress.

“Not really.” Lezard said, raising his arm up to fling the dress out of the tub. He then settled his hands on her bare hips, all the while grinning at her. She stared at him, fighting against the blush that wanted to come out on her face, trying not to squirm too much as she felt his naked body pressed up against hers. Lenneth tried not to think on just what that was that rubbed up against her stomach, careful to keep her eyes only on Lezard’s face.

“You’re so tense…” commented Lezard. “Baths are supposed to be relaxing.”

“I’m as relaxed as I can get under the situation.” Lenneth said tersely. She grabbed at his shoulders when he started to move, guiding them towards deeper waters. He kept one hand around her waist, the other reaching out to snag a floating flower. She looked at him questioning, Lezard tucking the gardenia behind her right ear.

“Tension is not good for you.” He told her, hand touching her cheek. His wet fingers rubbed at the dried blood there, red flakes falling into the water.

“You’re not good for me either.” Lenneth told him bluntly, and his eyes darkened, a hint of hurt to them. She sighed, feeling the need to apologize. “I…forgive me.”

“…It’s all right…” Lezard said at last, still caressing her cheek. “I know you haven’t been very happy here…I mean to change that.”

“How?” She asked. “What?” She said when he gave her a funny look.

“It’s nothing. Just…” He shook his head, a smile crossing his lips. “Once you would have insisted there was no way for you to be happy with me. I take it as a sign that you are gradually coming to accept the situation as it is…”

“…” She was upset, pushing out of his arms, turning her back on him. Lenneth felt Lezard touch her hair, fingers snapping the ties of her braid. She could feel him unwinding her hair, sliding his fingers through the furrows. “I haven’t accepted anything.” She said at last.

“Really?” Some of her hair floated free of his fingers, and she grabbed at the strands, nervously pulling her hair over the front of her breasts. “I don’t think that’s entirely true. You showed concern for me when I arrived beaten and bloody from my encounter with Bloodbane. What’s more you tended to my injuries…”

“Maybe I just didn’t want you to die and leave me here all alone.” Lenneth was quick to retort. “Have you forgotten, I’m trapped in your world?!”

“That may be, but what about what happened afterwards? Hmm?” She heard the splash of water as Lezard moved closer to her. “You allowed me to sleep in your arms…Something that would make no difference in the treatment of my wounds.”

“…” She had no answer for him, crushing the ends of her hair in her hand as he pressed up against her back.

“I think you’re starting to care for me.” Lenneth could hear the smile in Lezard’s voice, the satisfaction in his tone. “Whether you want to admit it or not. You might even, dare I say it, like me.”

“No!” She shook her head. “I don’t…”

“It’s all right Lenneth…” Lezard said soothingly. “You don’t have to admit it just yet. Not even to yourself if you like.”

“…You’re entirely too smug for your own good.” She complained sourly.

“Don’t I have a right to be?” He asked. “I have after all, everything I ever wanted. Well…” He chuckled then, hands touching her shoulders. “Almost everything.” He pressed his lips against the back of her shoulder, and she shifted, uncomfortable.

“Please don’t start…” She begged and was surprised when he seemed to listen. Water sloshed, Lezard moving behind her, the water heating up against her skin. “What are you doing?” Lenneth started to turn, seeing his hand glowing. He conjured a pale yellow washcloth to his hand, a white bar of soap appearing in his other. He handed them to her.

“Would you be a dear and get my back?” Lezard asked.

“I…” She stared at the items in her hand, than sighed. “This would be so much faster with magic.”

“But hardly half as fun.” Lezard replied, turning around.

“Fun for who…” She muttered, and began lathering up the towel. Once full of soap, she approached him, tentatively reaching out to his back. She pressed the wash cloth against his shoulder blade, slowly rubbing the cloth against his skin. Lezard let out a happy sigh. She slid the towel all around his back, reaching up behind his neck, and across his shoulders. She wiped away the bits of blood that marred his back, then traced the ridges of his spine with the towel. Lezard let out appreciative noises, enjoying her gentle caresses.

Lower and lower went the towel, her eyes not ashamed to admire his body from behind. She could see through the clear water his butt, tight and round, and she hesitated just above it. “Here…” She said at last, thrusting her hand over his shoulder. “I’m done.”

“Thank you Lenneth.” grinned Lezard, taking the wash cloth from her. He splashed about in the large tub, rubbing the soapy cloth over his chest, scrubbing away the blood and ichor that had seeped in through his clothes. A few minutes passed by in silence, before Lezard turned around, soaping up the wash cloth once more. “Now it’s your turn.”

“Fine…” Lenneth said, reaching for the towel. But he tsked, holding his hand back. She frowned at him, moving forward, and again he dodged her hand, holding the towel high above his head. Lenneth began straining her arm upwards, trying to reach the towel, feeling the water dip down low on her chest. Droplets spilled down her skin, pooling at the edge of her nipples, and still she could not reach the towel. Suddenly she noticed the look on his face, and gasped, realizing her straining had left her half out of the water. With an angry sound she was ducking back into the tub, bending her knees so that she crouched down in the pool with the water up to her neck, face bright red.

He was laughing at her, and she glared, turning her back to him once more. “Allow me…” Lezard said, touching the cloth to her back. She stiffened, letting out a sigh, as he began caressing the cloth over her skin.

“Fine.” She said, allowing him the touch. He was rubbing the cloth all over her upper back, gently rubbing and she had to admit it felt good. Lenneth began to relax, straightening out of her knees, standing so the water fell just over her breasts. Her eyes started to close, and she murmured, “Hmm…” as he rubbed at her shoulders. She didn’t even protest as the wash cloth started to go lower, following the curve of her back.

“Feels good doesn’t it?” Lezard asked, and Lenneth made a noncommittal noise. It actually did feel good, but she’d die before she admitted it to him. In fact, she was so enjoying being washed by him, she didn’t even think to protest when he brought the cloth over her rear. However her eyes flew open in alarm when she felt him rest his hand on her rump, fingers squeezing her cheek.

With a gasp, she moved forward, away from his hand. Lezard followed, intent on maintaining their closeness. “Okay…I can do the rest myself.” He ignored her, hands touching her some more. “Bath time is over!” She snapped angrily.

“But you’re not clean yet Lenneth…” He said mischievously, his hand going round to her front. His chest pressed into her back, Lezard pinning her against his front, even as his hands reached upwards. The cloth touched her breasts, Lezard teasingly touching one nipple and than the other. His free hand palmed over the front of her right breast, curving and squeezing, making her moan.

Pressing against her, his lips found the back of her ear, gracing the curve with a brushing of his lips. “Sto…stop…” Lenneth whimpered as he fondled her, her hands grabbing at his wrists, making half hearted attempts to stop him. He didn’t budge, fingers capturing a nipple, pinching lightly, making her gasp. The wash cloth continued to caress her other breast, soap bubbles sliding across her skin.

With one last squeeze, he released her nipple, easily breaking free of the hold she had on him. He gathered up her wrists in his hand, holding both in a one handed grip as the towel trailed off her breast and down the front of her waist. A few swipes across her stomach, dipping into her belly button before it began moving lower and lower.

“Lezard!” She hissed out his name, struggling against his iron grip.

“Got to make sure we get all those hard to reach places.” He was only half kidding, rubbing the cloth across her hips.

“Okay stop! That’s enough!” She wiggled and squirmed, starting to tremble as he touched the cloth to her inner thigh. Her breath caught in her throat as the towel rubbed along the crease of where her leg connected to her body. It put his hand dangerously close to the part she was so concerned about, feeling his fingertips nudge closer. And then he was skirting past, going to her other leg. Lenneth didn’t know if she should be relieved or disappointed, and she sagged in the water.

Dark chuckles behind her, Lezard letting go of her hands to lift up her hair, kissing the back of her neck. He let go of the wash cloth, the towel floating up to the pool’s surface. “Are you through making fun of me?” Lenneth demanded, trying to ignore the feel of his lips on her neck.

“I’m not making fun of you…” Lezard said in between kisses. He paused, letting go of her hair. “Well…” He said, reconsidering. “Maybe a little teasing.”

“Well I don’t like it!” She hissed, even as he was turning her around to face him.

“That’s a lie if ever I heard one.” grinned Lezard, making Lenneth sputter angrily at him. “I think you do like it…like it enough to get angry over your body’s reaction to me.” He was wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, nipples rubbing against each other. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about being attracted to me.”

“I’m not either one of those things!” She retorted, shaking her head.

“Are you sure?” asked Lezard, staring into her eyes.

“Yes!” She squirmed, placing her hands against his chest. “Now let me go!” He sighed, but complied, watching sadly as she broke into a swim, moving far away from him. Lenneth reached the marble steps, and hesitated. She didn’t want to leave the water, felt as though she would be even more exposed than she already was. She turned to glare at Lezard, cerulean eyes flashing with anger and embarrassment.

“You’re beautiful even when you’re angry.” Lezard called out to her, starting to swim towards her. Stony silence was his answer, Lenneth staring steely eyed at him. “Okay…not in the mood for compliments…” He muttered. He reached her side, lifting up a glowing hand. With a flicker of his fingers towels fell from the ceiling, landing near the marble edge of the pool.

Lenneth stared at the towels, the debate on what to do showing clearly on her face. “Oh for pity’s sake!” grumbled Lezard, and he was sweeping her up into his arms. She squealed, kicking out with her legs, but Lezard only tightened his grip on her as he walked up the stairs. Once on dry ground, he set her down, bending to pick up a towel. She quickly grabbed it from him, caught in the midst of a full body flush, shaking the towel open. He watched as she wrapped the towel around her body, his eyes showing regret at her hiding her body from him.

It was only when she was covered that Lezard moved to take a towel for himself, slowly rubbing the soft material over his skin. He was in no hurry, taking the time to thoroughly dry his body, while Lenneth stood dripping on the tile. Wrapping a dry towel around his waist, he took hold of Lenneth’s arm, and once again cast the magic that would teleport them back to the bedroom.

————————————————————————————————————————————

They had walked for hours, the sun changing position several times, signaling the day growing later. They had faced many battles, encountering all sorts of foes from kobolds to lizard kings, to even a gigantic dragon identified by Rufus as a sky lizard. Always they were victorious, although they were forced to depend greatly on Alicia’s limited healing skills. But eventually they reached the village, none the worse for wear.

Dusk settled in over the forest, the hoot of a nearby owl sounding startling loud in the otherwise quiet forest. Alicia crouched in the bushes, peering over the tops of the shrubs to stare into the village. Her breath caught in her throat, the girl letting out a soundless “Wow!” as she stared at the village. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, small huts spread out around a large tree. Large didn’t begin to cover it’s immense size, the tree being as wide as a house, and several stories tall. Steps were carved into the bark, circling around it’s side, leading up to hanging bridges that led to smaller trees.

“Those smaller ones are bedrooms…” Rufus whispered an explanation in her ear, the girl conscious of his close proximity to her. “Elven royalty live in the Great Tree.” His tone was that of reverence, and she turned seeing he was staring at the tree with an odd look in his eyes. “The grand meeting hall is on the ground level of the tree.”

“Did you live in the Great Tree?” Alicia asked, and saw Rufus frown.

“For a time…” He admitted, falling silent. She waited for him to speak some more, but the half elf offered no further words.

“Which house was your mother’s?” Arngrim asked, the man leaning against a tree.

“That one…” Rufus stretched out his arm, pointing at the hut closest to the Great Tree. It was surrounded by many colorful flowers, a rainbow assortment of beauty. Alicia stared wondering which one was the Dumas Flower, even as she frowned, keenly aware of all the elves wandering among the village.

“How do we get to the flower?” She wondered out loud. “Won’t we be spotted if we go in?”

“We’ll need to make a diversion.” Rufus sighed. “Else we’ll never get to the flower.”

“In other words, you need something to draw out the warriors.” Arngrim said. He smirked. “I’m on it.” He pushed away from the tree, hefting his sword up over his shoulder.

“Wait…what are you going to do?!” hissed Rufus, watching as the beserker started walking away from them. “Arngrim!”

“Relax…” Arngrim nonchalantly waved a hand, not bothering to look back at the elf. “I’ve got this covered.”

“Should we stop him?” worried Alicia.

“…” A huff of air escaped Rufus’ lips. “Let’s wait and see what he does.” The pair turned their attention back to the village, breathlessly anticipating whatever it was Arngrim planned to do. A half an hour went by, the sky growing darker yet, the moon showing her face even as the sun set completely. The village began lighting up with fires, flames burning in the huts casting orange light on the center of the village.

“Do you think he got lost?” asked Alicia, growing restless with waiting.

“I dunno…whatever it is, I hope he does it quickly…” Rufus replied, sighing. “Wait…” He squinted, looking to the east of the village. “What’s that commotion over there?!” Elves were backing away, startled shrieks could be heard, along with the angry barks of elven dogs. More torches lit up, elves appearing on the walkways overlooking the area. From the Great Tree’s grand hall, doors opened, elves clad in woven chainmail rushing down the stone pathway, weapons drawn.

“It’s Arngrim!” gasped Alicia, pointing. Rufus squinted, just barely making out the beefy warrior’s frame, seeing the torchlight glinting off his blue gauntlets. He had drawn his sword, and was waving it around, careful to avoid hitting any of the women with his heavy blade.

“Will no one come out and face me?!” bellowed the beserker angrily.

“That idiot!” Rufus slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead, sighing. “I don’t believe this guy!”

“What do you want?!” demanded the apparent leader of the warrior women, her sword pointed at Arngrim. “How dare you set foot in this forest human!”

“I’ve come to challenge you! I’ve faced many a great warrior, and all have fled before my blade. Would anyone here be brave enough to face me in battle!” demanded Arngrim, still shouting.

“The Elven warriors of the Forest of Spirits are among the bravest and most elite of warriors.” snarled the female warrior. “Humans are no match for us!”

“Than face me in battle!” Arngrim twirled his blade effortlessly. The woman looked over her shoulder, nodding at her warriors. She began twirling her sword as well, doing complicated patterns in the air. “Heh…” Arngrim smirked. “This might be kinda fun…”

“Is he suicidal or something?” Rufus wondered.

“Come on, now’s our chance!” Alicia rose, grabbing Rufus by the arm.

“Huh?” He looked at her in confusion.

“Look, they’re all distracted by Arngrim. Everyone is watching him. Let’s go!”

“Oh…right!” Rufus said, allowing Alicia to lead him towards the village. Rocks scattered underfoot, the pair half walking, half running down the narrow trail that brought them closer to the village. They paused, peering over bushes, double checking to make sure no one was on this side of the village. The crowd on the East side was larger yet, and the walkway was filled with watching elves, the women starting to shout out encouragements.

Arngrim and the elf crossed blades, sending up a shower of sparks. The beserker swung at the woman, his blade being almost as long as the petite elf’s body. She ducked into a roll, moving closer to Arngrim. Upwards she slashed as she straightened, just missing slicing open his front. “I’m impressed.” grinned Arngrim, the elf ignoring his words.

“Alicia come on!” Now it was Rufus’ turn to urge the girl on, the princess pausing to stare in wonder at the village. “This is no time to be sight seeing.” He grabbed her hand, urging her to run. The two dashed from hut to hut, pressing against the stone walls, peering around corners. Eventually they reached the flower garden, Alicia dropping to her knees.

“There’s so many…” She said, tenderly stroking a night blooming jasmine. “Which one is the Dumas Flower?”

“This one…” hissed Rufus, touching a white flower that was stripped with navy blue. Black antenna grew from the center, glistening with dew. He began yanking out several of the flowers by their roots, stuffing it into his pack. “We better take extra, just in case.”

“Yes…” agreed Alicia, quietly thinking if the antidote worked she would offer some to Dallas. She reached out to touch a stray Dumas Flower, marveling that this hidden paradise had managed to keep this flower from becoming completely extinct. “We should try and replant these in the outerlands.” Alicia said, plucking a flower from the dirt. “The Dumas Flower should not be allowed to die out.”

“Worry about yourself human.” hissed a voice, causing Alicia to gasp. She glanced over her shoulder and saw several Elven archers standing within shooting distance of the flower field. “Drop the flower!”

“But…”

“Do it Alicia…” Rufus said, hands hanging limply by his side. He was glaring at the elven archers, standing stone still. “Don’t give them the excuse they need to shoot you.”

“All right…” She said, reluctantly letting go of the flower.

“Now your weapons!” ordered the spokesperson of the Elves. “Throw them to me…”

“Slowly now!” Another said, when Rufus began to move. “Bow first.” Gritting his teeth, Rufus nodded, chucking the bow at the feet of one of the elves. He then reached back, unhooking his arrow sheath, clumsily throwing the container at the elves. Alicia followed suit, throwing her sword at them.

“Do it…” grinned the leader, and one of the elves raised her arrows, fingers tensing on the bow string.

“Wait…! We surrender!” protested Rufus, moving to jump in front of Alicia. “There’s no need to shoot.” But the arrow went off, torpedoing towards the couple. Rufus turned, wrapping his arms around Alicia, determined to protect her. The arrow struck his back, but instead of feeling the sharp arrow head pierce his flesh, Rufus felt a dull explosion. Powder floated in the air, a thick cloud of it coating Alicia and Rufus.

“Sleep gas…” gasped Rufus, falling to his knees, taking Alicia with him. He struggled to stay awake, but already his eyes were closing, seeing booted feet draw nearer and nearer. “Alicia…” was the last thing he said before sleep claimed him.